holding a big gun, he wears a green hat
and camouflage outfit.
I proudly say, “Look what my uncle got me.
Shall we get him out?”
Emily closes her eyes to make him disappear
and says, “He looks scary.”
A few days later, we’re in Emily’s playroom.
Emily pulls out a brand-new Barbie from her
fairy backpack.
Versace Barbie.
“Versace is a fashion designer,” Emily says.
“Mummy has two dresses by Versace. Daddy
bought them for her.” She pauses. “Michael,
do you have a daddy, too?”
“No, my mummy buys herowndresses.”
For my seventh birthday, instead of
another Barbie, I tell Mummy I want to change
my last name. I tell her I want to match her.
I want to change my surname from
his Brown to her Angeli.
Mum once told me, “Angeli means ‘angels’
or ‘messengers.’”
She kneels down and puts her hands
on my shoulders, asks, “Are you sure?
You’re very young to make these kinds
of decisions. What about Granny Brown
and Aunty Brown and Uncle Brown?
They all do such nice things for you.”
I reply, “They do, but you do the most
nice things.”
