Client Stories

Barb
What I remember the most is the cool breezy evenings following a day of hot sun and blue skies.
It was a great feeling to wake up and throw on a pair of shorts or a bathing suit and head to the pool on the compound.
Later in the day, I would put on my long skirt, blouse, abaya and hop on the bus to the shopping district. The sights were so interesting; spice scents, the women’s sections, gold souks, baskets of vegetables and fruits, women dressed in black from head to toe, shopping with a child in tow and groups of men all dressed in white robes smoking their pipes.
Oh, to go back….

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Haydi
I could never give up on life in general.  That includes the most important person ever, since God created this life inside my womb.  My son means a lot to me. Every smile, every cry, every dance, every yawn.  It’s unforgivable to give up on him.  Also my husband who appreciates the way I am.  The way I feel.  The dreams we have.  I couldn’t give up on family.  They are the ones who will be there in good and in bad.  They mean the world to me.  They will be there to pick me up when I fall.

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Sarah
I am most determined by my past, and what I can now do with my future at this point.   For what I do with my life now to not fall back; into the slum environment and mind-state I was before. My physical and mental abilities allow me to do anything that I say I can do. Becoming a mother and doing it well, and still keeping a strong partnernership with my man and becoming more of a lady with how I react to situations by controlling my temper and frustration.

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Sharon
I could never give up any of my freedom if someone were taking it away.  I would fight, as I have before, when my mother tried to keep me away from my friend.  She was trying to help me, but it felt like she was controlling me, which she was.  I went behind her back and hung out with my friend.  This is what I would do with my freedom if someone were trying to take it.  I would do whatever it takes.  I would lie, hide, or deal with the consequences.  I guess you can say I have a slight problem with authority.

The government, for example, tried to stop people from doing drugs, drinking under-age and forcing us to go to school.  Being the person I am, I did it anyway.  The more “they” take away, the more I will fight.  This is my life.  My freedom.

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Shevern
What I remember the most is when I told my son’s dad that Iwas pregnant. I didn’t have any minutes on my phone so I text messaged him and told him the news. Within 20 minutes he came to my house and he was like, “Your joking, right?” I said, “No, it’s true.” He than asked me, “What do you want?” I said, “I want a boy.” He was so happy, but I wasn’t thinking, what am I going to tell my family and what were they going to say.

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Sylvia
I wish I could have told you my deepest, darkest secrets.   All the feelings I have hidden beneath my placid exterior, like water hiding behind a dam, building with the rainfalls. But I didn’t tell you because I wouldn’t be able to hide anymore.  If I told you, my wall would have broken and I would be helpless against the waves and currents that would come cascading from the dam, like a waterfall.

Copyright 2008 by Literature For Life.