Excerpt from “The Missing Peace”
Running around the streets of Cornwall, a suburb located in the central part of Jamaica, David could only dream of a better life. Days were spent playing marbles, hoisting kites, and watching cars go by. He was happy, but dreamed of a better life somewhere out there. After all, what is life without a dream? Dreams are significant and some dreams progress to reality.
David was the second of three boys. Being the second child, he picked up some qualities from his older brother William and some from his younger brother Sam, but unlike his brothers, he didn’t feel it was necessary to follow the norm. Some people live the status quo and are comfortable doing so, but even though he sometimes followed suit, he had a personality that begged to be different.
The boys were more fortunate than most children in their neighborhood because all three of them had shoes and they had running water from their family-built tank that also served many of their neighbors. He was known as the quiet one but little did everyone know that he was probably the most selfish of the three kids. He felt like a prince but only in his area. All he had to dowas go a short distance down the road to see people a lot more fortunate that his family was.
The Aston’s, who were the crème de_la crème of their area, lived about a half mile from David. They owned a vehicle and a business, so David thought they were rich. Even at that age, he had questions. Why couldn’t his dad own a business? Why is it necessary to address people who were not relatives as Mr., Mrs., Uncle or Aunt?
His family couldn’t afford a car; so they used the only means of transportation available to them – a bicycle their dad had bought for running errands and attending church service. The bicycle did not have gears and even his dad’s powerful legs, were no match for the steep hills in their small community. Not many people could afford a bike so it was a luxury.
David only had two pairs of shoes and he used them for the two main events his family participated in, school and church. After – that, his bare feet would hit the unpaved roads. Sometimes he would suffer such inconveniences as broken glass cuts or he would get worms from walking on contaminated soil.
As kids, they dared not stay out after dark in their small community because of the risk of being kidnapped by the “black-heart man” or being grabbed by a ghost most people called “duppy”. The elders in Cornwall called senior spirits “rolling calves.” They weren’t certain where the name came from, but real or not, it brought their kids home early.
The sun sets at half past six in the evening and once it does, darkness blankets the area with a vengeance. There was no electricity so they used two portable kerosene lamps to provide light till bedtime. With the absence of light dwells darkness and unknown forces that gave David and his brothers an eerie feeling lurked around. Every night, his mom and dad would pray, anoint them with oil and make the symbol of the cross on their foreheads.
Order copies via the links provided below
Upcoming Events