The Broken Bond of Childhood
In our culture marriage is a beautiful occasion meant to glorify the Lord and lift up a woman's pride. Before my mother got married I had acquired a native saying attached to my name "Nii-Nii...gya eh wao" that meant "Nii-Nii unless he's asleep." According to my mother, her sister called me that because I was so glued to her that I never allowed her to go anywhere without me.
When I remember my childhood I can understand why they said that. I was my mother's only child for over six years so I was given all of her attention and affection. Unfortunately, this bond was broken when my mother got married. A day full of happiness and dancing turned to a night full of sadness and tears. After the wedding, my mom went home with her husband without me. I cried so long that night that I caught a fever. As a kid I felt like she had vanished even though she wasn't far away. This separation affected how I trusted and related to people. It also impacted my education and my future negatively. This wound left scars that changed all of my ambitions in life. Some of these scars are still not healed. I fell behind with my English language fundamentals. This took my courage of reading in public. I have grown to stop blaming people for what happened to me. Now, I find ways to fix the broken parts of myself. My life is on the right path.
C.L. "The Broken Bond of Childhood" Our Words, Our Voices. Vol. 3. Hayward: Literacy Plus Council, 2015. 45. Print.
