Wannabe

by Kathy Coudle King

What would it be like to be the only American in a town of Cuban-Americans? What would it feel like to want to fit in so badly that you wish you could turn your green eyes brown, and get your stiff hips to move to the beat of a Salsa band? What would it be like to wish you could speak Spanish, but you can't figure out how to roll that darn double "R"? And all you can really remember how to say is "Yo soy Americana." Now your best friend in the whole world is hanging out with that new Cuban girl at school -- and you can't understand what they're saying. They're wearing make-up, they're discussing boyfriends, all the while eating arroz con pollo -- and good God, you want some, too! Okay, so maybe you'd be a wannabe too -- the question is: when do you stop being a "wannabe" and start being your self? This is Kimmy's problem, and she's none too sure she'll ever find herself again, especially under all that black eyeliner.