Complexion, Chapter 2 Summary

Richard remembers feeling ashamed of his dark complexion. While at a public swimming pool, he saw how his mother looked at his father, as he took a dive into the pool. When Richard gets up to go swim, his mother's face changes. She tells him to cover up. With so many adults discussing the horror of having dark skin, Richard grew up thinking he was ugly and unattractive to women because of his skin color. One day, Richard locked himself in the bathroom and shaved his arms. Richard wanted to see if shaving would make his complexion any lighter. He was disappointed to find out that he could do nothing about his skin color. Richard became ashamed of his body and hid. Richard never took off his shirt in public and never ran barefoot with only shorts on around the yard...