PARENTS DAY

One Tuesday morning that I will never forget during my tender age, at school we classmates had a debate in preparation for our parent’s day.  According to the school calendar it was scheduled over the next weekend, by some twist of fate I attended the same public school where rich people such as bankers, lawyers, doctors, engineers, professors & etc. Sent their kids from grade 1 – 6; then after grade 6 their children would be sent off to private or international schools.

As friends in a class, “Moses, Brian, Timothy, Dyna, Sylvia & etc.” teased each other in different ways due to excitement; yet this time they truly wanted to nominate who has the best parent in class?

Immediately each one’s hand was raised up and this caused a tag of war amidst who should win; finally we all agreed that “Angelica’s mum” appeared the best suitable for this post, wow… She was a half-cast lady who not only grew up from Holly Wood – California in USA and had ever won an international beauty contest; we all wanted to look at her during our parents day event.

Then after that scenario the class reversed the motion on whose parent is not presentable or ugly to be precise on the point? Nobody wanted to raise his/her hand for this scene.

After a while I noticed all eyes steering and pointing at me, “Why I asked myself?”

Ambition:    

Finally, I noticed they meant my parent won that seat, meaning she wasn’t presentable… Silently I asked myself, “who showed my mum & proved this?”  Ooh I recalled that moment when she came to pick up an instalment pay sleep slip for me and looked for me out of class for that notification.

At my age I dint know the implications this would cause to my life or how to handle such teasing; besides I grew up with a moral lesson of we are all equal, we all have red blood and we share the air we breathe in so with that attitude I didn’t know at some level in life. This silently would set my esteem too low. I wanted to cry, but felt it hard to breathe, it broke my heart then tears began to flow. I felt helpless and wanted to make them stop, at this moment this seemed so unfair.

From this moment all things became real; I became the odd man out since I was the only one who footed home. All my classmates would be picked up by their parents in posh cars. When my mum arrived, she welcomed me joyfully as usually but noticed I was crying and ignoring everything with silence, she asked me what was wrong? By this time I dint want even to say anything but I just went to bed for a nap.

After a while, when I woke up she asked me, ”what is wrong my son, I’m seeing tears from your eyes?”;  then I explained and narrated to her everything.

Parenting:

As a mother, she first informed me that nobody is a mistake and asked me to listen carefully to her secret about how or why all the scars, burns, ugly looks were brought in her face then to her body at large.

She narrates, “My son, the year was 2019 when I had gone down the valley to fetch water from the well, you were 8 months old and I had left you in the bedroom asleep; on my return from the well carrying a pot full of water my head I noticed all neighbors we’re screaming and trying to put everything out amidst smoke from the burning house. I couldn’t admit this, neither knew the cause for this incident. I immediately screamed out loud to the people if anyone had helped me save you out of this tragedy. They answered with a big No, I ran to the window of the room I had left you in and then noticed that you were innocently crying inside; immediately I bravely came back to the entrance while crying and entered through fire to save your life, when I got inside the room you were in. I noticed fire had not yet burnt inside there. I just covered you with a blanket and passed though the furnace (exit), by the time I got you outside, my skin was burnt, my hair was removed and I lost almost my entire belongings; by the Grace of God your life was saved… that’s the reason I am looking like this”.

From that moment as a young boy, I cried again with passion while asking myself a question, “who has the best mother?” my answer became simple, “amidst all parents coming on the parents day, my Mum is the best parent in my life.” she was a defiled single teen mother who sacrifices her beauty amidst flames of her burning rental home to save my life; threatened with extinction all sides. Despite of all trials, money weakness, falls, Dysfunctional family background and shortcomings this young mother takes on the task of grooming her young talking boy as the best parent you could ever imagine.