The Battle

The morning haze slowly dispersed as the sun's rays intertwined with it throughout the inner-city streets. The crows of the neighborhood fowl echoed through the dilapidated home that Maria called her own. She rolled in her bed feeling flustered as she effortlessly tried to find the most comfortable section available; she knew it was that time again.

"Maria?! Child?! It's time for school ya know!" her mother exclaimed.

"I cannot believe my only daughter is slacking off like this." her mother sighed and closed the door behind her.

Upon hearing her mother's complaints, Maria managed to pull the little energy that she had and dragged herself straight into the kitchen. As she entered, the aroma of freshly toasted bread, chocolate tea, fried plantains and eggs swirled throughout the area, which crashed in her face like a vehicle plummeting into a ravine; she instantly stood tall.

"Bev, pooky? Do you know that I love your cooking?" Maria said while inhaling heavily with a smile.

"I hope that you love me just as how you love the food." Bev replied.

"As a matter of fact, who are you calling Bev?!  You have no respect. Child, you look tired and messed up just like myself here!" she added.

"Mommy, you know that I'm just teasing you and of course I must be tired if all that loud noise was playing on the road last night." Maria asserted while chuckling.

"We'll talk about that later. Go shower. You're late for school."

Maria was finally finished. Clad in her green skirt and white blouse, she made her way to school. Shortly after, she saw her close friend Albert who was walking along the school's corridor.

"Hey, bad b***h!" Albert said greeting Maria with a hug.

"What's up? Why do you look so sleepy? I'm going to tell Bev to stop murder you with chores you know!"

"No, Albert. It's nothing like that. The people in my neighborhood keeps on playing loud music. It's so annoying, I swear." Maria said shaking her head.

"But sis, do you see the bags under your eyes? Oh my God." Albert said while laughing loudly.

"So you're really teasing me, Albert? I'm not even gonna laugh. Let us go to class, because you know how the teacher is when we're late." Maria said while walking quickly to class.

It was now evening and the final bell of the day had already rung. School was dismissed. Outside her form room, Maria was sleepily seated at a desk with a sense of hopelessness on her face as she watched the sunset and a flock of birds flying in the distance. She yearned for such peaceful environment at home. Maria awoke out of her trance by a voice. She looked up and realized it was the school's security guard.

"What are you doing here? Go home. School is over."

Without hesitation, Maria grabbed her bag and left the campus. Nearing her home, Maria saw the flashing lights of a police car at her gate, and a great multitude of people. Apparently it is just another party, but no music. Maria was puzzled to what could've happened.

"These dirty police officers, why y'all turned off the music for?!" an unidentified man shouted.

Individuals were irate, and expletives were thrown all over the place. Maria, although frustrated and worried, managed to push through the crowd and arrive home. She slowly pushed the door which creaked on its hinges, peeped and entered.

"Good evening, everyone." The confused Maria said.

Maria learnt that her mother had summoned the police officers, in which she expressed her concerns about the noise having an effect on Maria's performance in school.

"We have rectified the noise in the area. We'll be on our way. Have a good evening." said the officer.

Hours after, Maria was refreshed and ready to study through the night, for she had exams to prepare for.

"Mommy? Come here. I wanna say thanks for—"

Pow! Pow! The sound of loud explosions vibrated throughout the air. Bev held Maria and flung her towards the floor.

"Sssssh! Don't make any sound." she whispered to Maria, and quickly went to turn off the house's main power switch. She returned, and rested on the floor with Maria. Footsteps could be heard outside the house, walking the perimeter.

"That lady called Bev uses her mouth a little bit too much. Who did she really called police on, dawg? I bet you that they'll have to move away from here after hearing those gunshots." an unknown male voice said.

Maria's heart dropped and she clutched her mother's arm with tears flowing down her cheeks as her mother said the Lord's Prayer softly.

Weeks have passed since the incident, and Maria would've already sat the internal exams. It was time for her to receive the grades. Upon collecting the grades at school, Maria sighed then laughed. The laughs were short-lived, as they were now tears of despair.

"I can't let mommy see these mediocre grades." she said to herself as she wiped the tears from her face.

"Maria?"

Maria did not recognize the voice. She turned around, and realized it was the school's guidance counselor, Mrs. Mackey.

"Come into my office, mmkay. I would like to have a word with you. You look so tired." Mrs. Mackey stated with concern.

They were now engaged in a conversation. Maria poured out everything to Mrs. Mackey. She expressed the struggles her mother had to endure, from her father abandoning them which resulted in them relocating to the inner-city to the point where the noise got out of hand, and the threats they got. Mrs. Mackey sat by and watched Maria; she gently hugged the emotional girl.

"Those gangsters ain't tough. They cannot do you anything. You have to try working through the disturbances, for CAPE is around the corner and you have to pass. I'm going to ensure that agencies become involved to alleviate the noise." she whispered. 

With all that said, Maria was empowered. She was determined to do her best. Weeks gone by, she became acclimatized to the noise that hindered her performance. She sat all exams and patiently waited until August for her results.

It was now August, results day; the day all students shook in their boots. The anxious Maria sat around her laptop, with her mother there supporting her.

"Maria? Aren't you gonna log into the portal? Why am I not seeing any grades?" said Bev.

"Mommy, don't you see that I'm logging in now? Jesus Christ!" Maria exclaimed with a smile.

Both their eyes focused on the laptop's screen, like an eagle focusing on its prey. Suddenly, the results appeared, and a tear ran down Bev's face. Maria had conquered the battle, and passed her exams. She became the epitome of hard work, perseverance and determination.