TJ, Maura
TJ, a curious little boy with sparkling eyes, approached his aunt Maura as she was leafing through a medical journal in the living room. He gently tugged on her sleeve to get her attention. Maura looked at him smiling and she said
"Yes, what do you want TJ?"
Maura saw that TJ had the same face as Jane when she was thinking about an case. TJ said with disarming innocence
"Aunt Maura, why doesn't Aunt Nina have the same skin color as us?"
Maura put down her magazine and smiled tenderly at TJ. She took him on her lap and looked him in the eyes and said softly:
"You know, TJ, skin color is determined by something called melanin. Melanin is a pigment, a kind of natural color, that our bodies produce. Some people have more melanin, which makes their skin darker, and some have less, which makes their skin lighter."
TJ frowned slightly, trying to understand and said, "But why is Aunt Nina's skin color different?"
Maura gently stroked TJ's hair.
"Because we all come from different families and places. Your Aunt Nina's ancestors come from a place where people have more melanin in their skin. That's what makes her special and unique, just like you."
Aunt Nina is having a baby, does that mean he'll be the same skin color as her?
Not necessarily TJ. He may have much lighter skin since the father of his baby is your uncle Frankie but what should happen is that your future cousin will have caramel colored skin."
TJ nodded, seeming satisfied with this explanation and said:
"So it's like we're all different flowers in the same garden?"
Maura replied
"Exactly. And that's what makes our family so beautiful and special. We all have different colors and stories, but we all love each other the same."
TJ smiled and snuggled up to his Aunt Maura and said:
"I love our garden."
Maura hugged TJ, feeling a warm warmth fill her heart and said
"Me too, TJ. Me too."