Watching Kayla being treated kindly and seeing our traditions passed down to the hu-mans filled my heart with joy.
Hu-mans and sirrets alike, we were one unit now, one dekes, united and supporting one another.
I turned and left, willing my feet to carry me to my bed cave. As much as I would like to stay and watch Kayla be pampered, I needed to get a full night’s rest to be ready and alert fortomorrow.
Kayla
My heart was near to bursting as I listened to Neelu and Drondia say positive things over me and my life as they brushed my hair. It was such a beautiful tradition and I was happy they’d let me be a part of it. Not to mention, with so many people working on my hair at once, it’d be done in no time.
Ashley, who had interned at a black owned salon, demonstrated how to do the braids. The rest of the women got to work and soon the sweet blessings everyone wished upon me got sillier and sillier.
“May your pillow always be cold on both sides,” Talia chuckled at her own light-hearted wish.
“May your meat always be perfectly seasoned,” Taylor added.
“May your mate be well endowed,” Hai said with a laugh.
“May your pet buffalo always be healthy,” Sarah smiled, but then her face scrunched up in confusion as she asked, “what does well endowed mean?”
All the adult women looked at each other awkwardly.
“I think now is as good a time as any to explain the birds and the bees. What do you say, Sarah? Are you ready for that conversation?”
The young girl, who was becoming more of a young woman every day, tucked some hair behind her ear and nodded. “I’m ready.”
“Well, let’s start with your own body. Do you know what a vagina is?” I asked, and Sarah nodded herhead again.
“Do you know what a penis is?”
“Yes,” she said in a quiet shy tone.
“Some people have both a penis and a vagina, are you one of those people?” She shook her head no.
“Just a vagina.”
“Okay, now that, that’s established, do you know the difference between your vagina and your labia?”
“No. Isn’t it all one thing?” Sarah looked confused.
“I can draw a picture,” Hai volunteered.
“That’d be good,” I agreed.
Hai drew a detailed diagram of the female anatomy. We all took turns pointing things out and explaining how they functioned in sex, their sensitivity, and their impacts on everyday life.
Then Hai drew a picture of the male anatomy and Sarah’s face turned three shades of red.
“Does this look familiar?” Hai asked.
Sarah shook her head.
I continued on and explained the ins and outs of penetrative sex, where the penis goes, how semen is implanted and how it gets to a woman’s egg for fertilization.
“Sex doesn’t have to be penetrative, though,” Anusha piped in. “You can receive all kinds of pleasure from stimulating the clit, labia, or g-spot.” She pointed to the different body parts on Hai’s diagram.
“And if someone stimulates those parts using their mouth, it can be referred to as oral sex.” Tayloradded.
“My sister said sex is painful the first time. Is that true?” Talia asked.
