Regardless

Chapter 18: In Lak'ech Ala K'in

I am you you are me, what I do unto you, I do onto myself. Wisdom is power, knowledge is power, the understanding that we know what we know but there is so much more that we don't. We must remain humble with what we know. What we do to others, how we treat others is a reflection of how humble and wise we are.

Friday 25th June continued.

"So wait, the police ain't finna come around?" I asked Jahseh as I watched people entering the court like normal again.

"That ain't their business, this the hood baby, You don't see shit and you don't say shit. The police ain't coming 'round here unless somebody makes a report."

I just hummed in response. It's fucked up the way these people are forced to live. I remember Malinda would talk about being poor in Trinidad, saying it's completely different and too similar all at the same time. She would tell me how much more expensive things are across there. Whenever I'm going I'll carry some stuff for her and her family. She has two daughters who would be around fifteen and sixteen now. Their father left and they all lived in Malinda's mother's house along with her. I hope things picked up for them somehow along the way.

After a while, when the crown was dying down, this dark-skinned girl came up with an older man. She had a big afro and she wore a Rastafarian-colored sundress and wooden hoop earrings and held a sketchbook in hand. She looked like she was around 16 or 17 years old. She stooped by me first to collect some stuff. She had a strong gaze though she was really shy, "I love your earrings, "I complimented.

"Thank you," she smiled slightly, walking around the table to meet Jahseh who Introduced us to each other. The accompanying man walked across the road and sat down with some older men.

"Come here Babe, this is Nafari who I was telling you about. Naffy this is Shaniah."

She waved at me and I did the same back to her. 

"How's school?" Jahseh asked her. I tried to move away but Jahseh just pulled me down on his left leg.

"I can't go anymore," she responded, pulling a stool. She had a small accent but I couldn't place it. 

"Why?"

"I fought with a boy again and they said it was my last chance," she twisted her mouth, engaged in the conversation yet far.

"What did they do this time?"

"He tried to touch me."

"who?"

"Darvin's Lil brother."

"I'll fix it, go to school like normal on Monday. Have you been taking the meds?"

"Yeah but it's getting harder to hide it from Pa and them both," she said looking at him, shaking her head as if to show her stress. She sat like a boy but her dress was gathered between her legs.

"Don't worry bout it, Lemme see what you got for me today," he stretched and she handed over her Portfolio.

"Sixteen pieces in two months...I tried to contact the store again but the manager hung up on me. I don't understand why he asked me to show him a collection if he wasn't interested." She looked like she was getting angry.

"Naffy you know I wish I could add it to my collect-"

"You do graffiti styles. I understand. My art's better than yours either way." I laughed at the way she teased him. 

"You know...." I dragged out, thinking," In a few months I'll be doing some rebranding. Imma add some of my work and I can see what I can do if you want?"

"I'll appreciate it. Really." She beamed, taking her work back. I want all-black staff. There are too many talented black people out there lacking opportunities. 

"I'll get so supplies to you and graph out ideas of your own preference. I know your art is a representation of your emotion so just do for me what you're comfortable sharing."

5:45 pm

When everything was done, Jahseh and I packed the tables in the mini trailer and someone came for it. For lunch, we ordered barbequed wings and fries and we planned to buy Jerk chicken for Dinner from the same Jamaican restaurant. 

"You good ma?" Jahseh brought me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, I am," I kissed his lips," Thank you."

After Sherene and her mother, whose name I found to be Ann-Marie came with their bags, we all went to get food. We then stopped by the grocery to get them some food and snacks and I gave her some money that I had to beg her to accept, we dropped them off and I gave her a tour of the house, locking Aunt Deliah's bedroom for good and told her that I'd have a new chair set delivered. I gave her the okay to clean the pool and fill it. 

 They have enough to be alright for a while and with summer coming along, I don't have to worry about her getting a school for Sherene yet. She told me the man is a drunk. No wonder his ass fell back like that.

Sunday 26th June. 

Service has just finished and now I'm changing in the pastor's wife's house. Money and Shaniah came to church today but they didn't stay for the whole thing as he walked out during the sermon. Jahseh has Naomi. I'm wearing sweats as usual. We ate a vegetarian lunch and then she took me out back to her flower and herb garden. Everyone calls her 'Mother' and now, I do too.

"Today, we plant our prayers. Manifest what we believe we think we need from the Lord and place it in the earth. One place that is a part of him and us," she said as we tilled the rich soil," Did you know, that back in the day, what people call witchcraft today was a way of life for many. The law of balance. Our ancestors either failed to understand,' What you sow you shall reap.'"

She paused for a bit, hearing me hum in confusion, "The power of deep spiritual prayer, did you know that the earth has the ability to heal mankind, with its herbs, its ground is also powerful. We are everything and everything is a part of us. Pass me that little shovel across there. As I was saying, we are blessed with the ability to use all that God gave us for good and for bad. Instead of using knowledge for healing some of us choose to do bad. We send negative energies in people's way instead of choosing to forgive them."

"What if you are not capable of forgiving them?"

"We always are. Self-control dear. The ability to accept spiritual freedom. In lak'ech ala k'in. You are my other me, what I do on to you, I do on to myself or I am you and you are me. The greatest wisdom my child is knowing and understanding that we know nothing.  We do not know why we were put in certain situations but know that as long as you leave the reaction up to the Lord, our opposers will face twice the blow."

We wrote our prayers on strips of paper and planted them with the sunflowers. I think my tears watered the soil more than the watering can that afternoon. I prayed for things that money couldn't buy, things that I can't do alone. I prayed for the freedom of my soul from its bruises.

I have come to the realization of what I want for my life. And I'm going to get it.

I wish you spiritual growth.