In addition to all her other activities, Renita is tutoring one of the two “Trokons” we know, this one is “Big Trokon,” a 17 year old boy who is going into the seventh grade this year. She has been working with him on math and writing/spelling. One of her writing assignments asked him to write a story about a time that he had to make a difficult decision. When I read it, I asked him if I could share it with you, and he said yes. It gives an inside look into the mind and heart of a fairly typical Liberian young man. His reference to “coal” is charcoal, which Liberians make to provide fire for cooking. It is extremely hard work, and at the time he lived the story, he was twelve. The text is verbatim from his handwritten pages.This story is written by Trokon G. Garway.
A time ago I pass through a difficult thing for my family. When poverty came upon us strongly, there was no where to turn and no where to go.
So I sat down for long and I talked within myself saying, “Why did God have to do this to us?”
So I began to cut sticks to make coal. I began to move from near my mother and stayed near my coal in the bush. I stayed in the bush for nine months. Every day I worked with the sticks and coal to get money for my mother to cook for us.
Some time when I came from working, my mother called me and said, “Trokon, stop doing hard work.”
I always tell my mother that it is the reason why she born me: to help her and to help her forever. I know that the days of the storm will be over some day.
One day my mother was crying so I came near her and asked her, “Mother, why are you crying?”
She told me, “I am crying because of you. You are too small to work for me like this.”
I always tell my mother that she didn’t born me to suffer but it is the will of God. Some times I feel that I was too small to work so hard. But I was the only boy child for my mother so I was forced to work hard for my mother.
I promised my mother that I will help her forever.
I always pray to God for long life and blessings to follow me all the days of my life. I pray that God will bless me forever.
