WORDS FROM THE AUTHOR

WORDS FROM THE AUTHOR

Petra Austin

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First let me apologize to my readers for not editing this work. I think and write fast and this is something I love to do, but I hate editing or going over what I wrote.  Hopefully, someday I will be able to sit with a family member who will go over it page by page and edit it for me.

I would like to give my personal experiences of my parents. This way you can know how unique and wonderful they were.

Every child in the home had chores to do before school. The girls had to clean the house every morning before school. The boys had to carry yam sticks or look wood before school. On the week-ends the girls had to wipe all window sills and doors with soap and water. It was a lot of us, but the house was always spotless as if there was only one child living at home.

My parents had their prayer meeting every morning and after prayer, they would discuss what they were going to do on that day.

My mother always tells her daughters that she wanted them to have a good education as no man should ever ask them how they spend their money. She always works alongside my father. Most of the time she would take produces to Coronation Market and when she is not at the market, she would go to the field and help my father.  Both working together, this meant what was his was also hers.

This might sound very strange to most people and it is puzzling to us as children. My parents were both very hot tempered yet in all the years I knew them, they never argued. I believe they must have had disagreements, but they never let the children see. If one got upset about something, the other one kept quiet. They would go to bed as friends and wake up the same way. This in itself has left a big impact on us. We as brothers and sisters had never argued (and I stress this) since we became adults. NOT ONE OF US SIBLINGS HAD EVER GONE HOME FROM SOMEWHERE ANGRY WITH THE OTHER. WE DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DO IT. OUR PARENTS LET US WITH HIS UNITY AND WE WILL FOREVER REMAIN THIS WAY. If we disagree about something, we never left that place until we agree to disagree. Thank God for that.

My parents were very brave people. They knew nothing about being shy. They looked people in the eye and spoke their minds and I thank God for that. Times weren’t as civilized as they are now but the way we were raised was unique for that period.

There was never a night we went to bed eating just yam alone. There was always fish or meat. There was no shortage of food. My father reaped his crops 12 months each year. How he did that?

My mother lived well with everyone. She never had women hanging around her house as there was no time for gossips. I had never seen my mother sit on her veranda and criticize someone passing by…NEVER.

My father loved to keep all her children together. He always says that it was a lot of us and we should find a way to be each other’s friend.  I have friends but my closest friends are my brothers and sisters and they will tell anyone the same thing. We all love the same things. We never envy each other. If one buys a luxurious car…the others are so very happy. It is like we all bought the car together. If one has a problem we all worry about it.

My parents always find money to give us the things we needed. My parents worked so hard to make us comfortable and happy.

Petra Austin

Email:romancenovelwriter@lovecat.com

(203)998-5770