The letter came via snail mail. It was postmarked Richmond, Virginia. It was penned in a childish hand.
“My teacher reads your stories to our class sometimes and I wanted to know, can you write about me? If it’s not too much trouble for you to do?
“I am 8 years old. I don’t really have anything cool about me. I have red hair. But you can probably come up with something cool. My dad died this year the same way yours did, so my teacher said you are the same as me. It’s okay if you can’t write back.”
To the little boy in Richmond: Red is the most prestigious hair color in the world. That is not an opinion.
Fifty years ago, experts estimated that redheads made up approximately 8 percent of the earth’s population. But the percentage of redheads sharply decreases each year.
This year, the percentage is at an all-time low. About 1 percent of the world’s population have red hair. Ours is the rarest hair color in the solar
system. So welcome to the club, friend.
Our red hair is caused by a gene called the MC1R gene. Genes are microscopic very scientific things in the human body. They float around in your bloodstream, wearing little lab coats and carrying around tiny clipboards and pocket protectors.
A gene is something your parents carry around with them, all the time. Sort of like auto insurance, only more dependable.
So if both your parents had the MC1R gene, this means that you have a 25 percent chance of being born with red hair.
Congratulations, your parents both had the MC1R gene. You’re a ginger. May God have mercy on your soul.
I got my red hair, personally, from my dad. My dad had the MC1R gene. He was a redhead. He came from a long line of redheads. Although when he got older, his hair became more…