Norma

Norma was my best friend's mother when I was around the age of 13 or so. Norma was my first introduction to drama. She was eccentric, over the top, fantastic. She had 3 children but her baby boy was everything. He was the "light skin" one. My friend was her oldest. She seemed to be the one Norma regretted. I visited frequently and stayed most weekends. Norma was always screaming about something, my friend was normally the cause. I think to date, she made the best fried chicken I ever had and as a guest I could only have one piece because I couldn't take "food outta her kids' mouths." She suffered from migraines and would lay in the dark with a towel over her head. For some reason, I still saw that as glamorous, soap-opera like. I'm pretty sure under that towel, there definitely was that Fashion Fair lipstick she wore. I remember I stayed over and us girls were chit-chatting about something of a sexual nature. I remember it being graphic cause when Norma busted in that room after listening at the door for God knows how long, she gestured to her daughter, "Terrie, doesn't even know what you're talking about."

Within 2 years time, my friend was a teenage mother.

I searched for my friend and her siblings on FB. I was able to cruise through and see a little of what life brought over the last decades. I saw they lost Norma some years back to cancer. I didn't send any friend request cause I didn't want them to have to tell me.