By kaka Lucas. 25/11/2022

I love my Jamaican sisters, and even though two of them have migrated to two different countries, I love them 100% plus one more. I would like to see them or call them every day, but they are more productive than me. One is a student and a loving nurse, while the other is a quality supervisor.

During my visit to one of those countries, I took the time to surprise one of my sisters. This is one way of demonstrating my love. I just wanted to show her how much I love her. She had been there for me when I was new and had no one. She made me feel loved and wanted as if I belonged to her family. She introduced me to many of her friends who later became my friends too. She edited all my special letters and, knowing English wasn’t my first language, she watched all my posts just to make sure my sentences were properly constructed and the words correctly spelt. She loves my food, and she tells everyone about how great the food tastes. She is just that one female you would always want by your side. She is my baby sister and also my hero.

For me to surprise her, I sneaked into the county and made arrangements with her host to meet up with me at a location she would least expect me to be in. This mall is a huge commercial center that is very popular on the Island. It has shops, kiosks, and various food choices. I was there thirty minutes before the arranged time. When they arrived, she saw me first. She couldn’t believe that it was me. She screamed unbelievably and stood like a mannequin just looking at me. It took her minutes before she got the courage to move closer to me and give me a hug. She almost cried, but she couldn’t since I’m more of a cry baby than her. She held my hand, and we walked together side by side. At some point, she leaned on me, and I could feel her blood flowing in her veins because of how tightly she held me. I could tell her heart was pumping like the melody of a Christmas carol by the way she was happy. She at one point seemed to want to introduce me to everybody in the mall. “Heeeey, this is my brother from Jamaica”

We went to all the food stores in that mall until we got the best Indian cuisine that I enjoyed the most. I ate until I could eat no more. Every grain of the biryani rice and every fiber in that chicken was well seasoned. The food was extremely delicious.

While walking from store to store, she got me my birthday gift. She also showed me her phone screensaver, a picture which we took at the airport before she left. These were the words she used to tell me how I am not allowed to give up, “Every time I have a bad day. Every time I want to give up. I look at this picture and keep moving. I keep strong because of you guys.” Those words impacted me deeply, and after a week I scripted them to show how deep they went inside of me.

 

Now I’m seated here, reflecting on how she thought that I made her weekend great when she was the one who made my visit so meaningful. Also, I confidently remembered her words in my ears as she hugged me before she went to the departure lodge on the day she left home…..”Not allowed to give up.”