Page 7 - We are One
P. 7
We are One
It was only then that she understood Mama’s
favorite words, “Money does be hard to come
and easy to go.’’ Jayden snatched the money
from her hand and, without saying anything
further, he walked away with a smirk on his face.
The other students pretended that they did not
see what happened. As Isabella surveyed the
room, her classmates were suddenly engaged in
some act: reading or simply looking elsewhere
other than in her direction. Her eyes again welled
up with water and this time she made no effort to
wipe them away.
She cried for the three dollars, for this was money
out of Mama’s first paycheck since they arrived in
Trinidad. She cried for the sacrifices that Mama
had to make: leaving home when outside was still
pitch-dark, refusing to eat dinner because if she
did, there would be nothing left for her children’s
breakfast. She cried because she believed that she
was coming to this country for a better life.
©2021 Caribbean Examinations Council Page 4
