The the scoring sun hit my shirtless back as I walk through the immense traffic shouting 'dlo pou 5 gourdes, dlo pou 5 gourdes' ( translation from Haitian Creole) '5 gourdes - a dollar- for water!' I hadn't eaten well in two days and I felt as if my body was going to crash with all the weight of what was on my head. Jean- Pierre, the man I worked for practically like a slave, had sent me out since 8:00 a.m. To sells and I had only made 20 gourdes ( 4 Haitian dollars) 'oh Jezi' (oh Jesus) I exclaimed to myself knowing that I'd be in deep trouble, my time was running out I'd always have to get back to the home at 3:00 so I was panicked. "qwe map gente rive lakay la avant 3:00" (will I have made it back home before 3:00) I thought to myself. I kept walking in a narrow line through the traffic and I bent over on one knee and knocked at a mans window he waved his hand at me (this signals that a man doesn't want to buy from you) I wasn't trying to have him buy from me though I wanted to check the time so I said to him through the window 'mr. ou ka bam yon ti leur svp' ( Sir may you tells me the time please). The man rolled down his widow and said to me '1:50', 'merci oui mr.' ( thank you sir) I said as I walked away 'aye tipitit vinim palew ki lag ou gen la, paste jamw w' piti a ou pa fouti depase 10 ans' ( hey kid come back here, how old are you? Because from the look of this you couldn't be a day over ten) 'non mgen 8ans' (no I'm eight) I responded 'kiyes moun ki voyew ale van dlo nan lari Sa la' ( who sent you out here to sell water?) 'yon mr wi map travail lakay li' ( a man whom I work for) 'konbyen kob li oufriw pou travail was fe yo' ( how much money do you get paid for your work?) he asked 'Sa depends' (depends), 'oh li pa konsistan avew epiw rete lakay li' ( he isn't consistent with your payment and you stay at his house) he exclaimed. 'Ebyen maaam pa gen Kobe fok mw fe travay la' ( my mom hasn't got any money so it's on me to work) 'Siw bezwen job konsan map ba ou nimerom relem pou dim sel bale lakou ak lave machine wa fe pou mw tande' ( if you need a job that bad come work for me all you have to do is sweep the yard and wash the cars) he said as he handed me a small piece of paper, I put it in the bag where my money was ' meci wi' I said to him as I walked away. I was quite excited about the offer I knew that I would just sweep the yard and wash the cars and that there'd be tons more to do but I wanted that job so I could work and make money in my free time to take care of the family as papa had told me to before he died last summer in July it's been a years now but I was never going to break my word to him. Id walked my way out of traffic by now and was on the trash filled sidewalk I was headed home for Jean-Paul always expected me back by three I was sure I would get a whooping for not making enough he'd think the same thing he'd always thought that I was stealing from him and he had to beat me to get the truth outta me even if he knew that I hadn't taken it but he was an angry man he beat his wife and kids so it didn't come as a surprise once it happened to me, maaam still doesn't know about this and I won't tell her because she would have let me stay but I need to for the family. She wants me to become someone successful someday but I haven't ever been to school my friend only ever thought me how to read on a first grade level I don't doubt myself but I wish I could go to school like other kids and I wish I could have a car and not live in a tent but it's not that way so I have to struggle to make what I make but as papa always said ' with hardship comes success' and in my heart of hearts I've always believed that even when other tries to change my mind.
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