My Parents

When I see my parents, I do not think “black and white.” I never even knew color was a thing until I was old enough to notice some of the awkwardness at softball games. When both of my parents showed up, people would look to me and make comments like, “Now it makes sense. I thought you were [insert any race but my own].”

When I see my parents, I see the months of love letters sent back and forth between the two when my dad would go away for the military. There is a piece of love between the two that they never let distance touch.

When I see my parents, I do not think about the struggle of race in their relationship. I see a love and harmony bonding the two together. I don’t see how my parents were turned away from private beaches because of their “mixed” union. I see the pictures of a marriage taking place on a beautiful public beach.

When I see my parents, I see how I am the most perfect combination of the two. I have a mixture of my parents’ eyes, ears, mouth, hair, and skin. I do have my mom’s feet and my dad’s nose though.

When I see my parents, I don’t think about how other people assume my siblings and I are adopted when they only see one of our parents. Waiters and waitresses will ask where we are from, and while my dad indulges and entertains their ignorance, I always notice my mom’s eyes narrow and harden at what she takes as an attack.

When I see my parents, I see two opposites melding together in what seems to be balance. My mom cares too much about what others think, and my dad helps her stick it to the man every once in a while. My dad works too hard, and my mother helps him remember the more important things in life. They have a strong basis of understanding because they both place their family higher than anything else in the whole world.

When I see my parents, I don’t think about how people, to this day, believe that my mom and dad being together, that creating me, my sister, and my brother, is bad. I do not think about how we are different. To me, we are just a family. We sit around the dinner table every night whether it is 6pm or 10pm, and we eat dinner together.

When I see my parents, I think of the way my mother always tells me relationships are supposed to be easy. Nothing should be complicated and make you unhappy. When it’s right, it’s right.

When I see my parents, I don’t think of the ways they are different. I don’t think of how they are a percentage. I don’t think about how my parents’ marriage occurred only thirty years after it became legal.

When I see my parents, I think of mom and dad.

By Jalyn Cox