She stretched and yawns as she rises, dragging your body out of bed in the morning can be such a tiresome task. Slumping she let her feet hang loosely to the side, as blood begin to flow and life returned to her legs, she felt a tingle down her spine. She squint her eyes to adjust to the unwelcome rays of morning sun that peeks through the cracks in the walls and windows; tiny dust specks play on the rays’ bands as they searched for an unidentified target, it seems to do a little dance across the room in its effort to find the unknown. She shugged her shoulders, ruffled her hair and adjust the nightgown that sags on her shoulder. One, Two, Three and up! – She plays this mental game every morning, dragging her feet, as if shackled, across the floor sweeping it like a raggedy mop, she enters the bathroom to prepare for the day.
Faith Funder reemerged for the bathroom feeling like a car that was just taken through an automatic car wash. She looks towards the bed “I must make up that bed before I leave,” a smile came across her face; she knew that will never happen. With a glance at the mirror she retouch with her lipstick, deep down she knows that that’ll be the last 5 minutes she will have for herself throughout the day. She bolted across the hall towards her children’s room. Her boys ages eight, eleven and fourteen, lie sleeping in their beds; they seemed so peaceful. For a 29 year-old single mother of three, life could have been much worst. Her life now is a far cry from what it used to be but with sheer determination she did whatever it took to make living as comfortable as possible for her children.
“Wake up, unnu wake up!” They know the drill, rubbing their eyes vigorously as if to erase the sleep, they stumble to get ready for school. She heads to the kitchen to make breakfast. The usual smell rises from the kitchen, she thought to herself “the neighbors must be saying ‘every morning cornmeal porridge and fired plantains,’ dem lucky” she hissed her teeth frustrated. “At least their tummies will be full,” she whispers to comfort the unsettling feeling in her stomach. As she sips on her mint tea, her brows knitted in deep thoughts “I wonder when my filing will come through?” she zones-out, “imagine when mi land a foreign, going to live in style.” She begins visualize a place where work abounds and she would be able to buy the most beautiful house; the roads are clean, children play in the street, the smell of pine in the air and white picket fences surround each house. She would make snow angels in her fur winter coat and boots in the winter, drinks a refreshing lime beverage in the summer and frolics in the leaves when it’s autumn and smells the roses ….. ”What the….!” Her thoughts were interrupted by children racing towards the table. “Ah, God mek today be the day mi get the letter from the embassy” she sighed as she begins to serve them their breakfast.
