I Want a Better Life: Is That So Bad? Part 1
“You have to believe in yourself when no one else does,” Serena Williams
Growing up in a small town in South Dakota, seventeen-year-old Cherry Anderson had big dreams that her small town couldn’t handle. She wanted to go to New York, the city of lights, that never sleeps. That’s most of what is used to describe New York.
Being raised by a single mother Cherry was an only child who never met her father. Whenever she asked about him, it was like asking a Jew about Hitler. A fight would erupt between her and her mom. Cherry wanted to experience real life that wasn’t available in her area. She had no experience of living in a big city, but she wanted one.
This also caused another fight between her and her mom.
“What about your finances? Where and how are you going to live? What are you going to eat?” Grace, her mother asked. “You must think about these things before you make plans to go away.”
Cherry just wanted to see a different part of the world. This morning was no better. Father’s Day was around the corner, and she wanted to know about her father. A fight started and she grabbed her backpack and stormed out of the house.
Henrietta, her best friend, lived a few houses down from hers. As she approached Henrietta’s home, Henrietta’s mother’s car was in the driveway. Her mom was taking several bags from the back seat.
Reading the sadness on Cherry’s face as she approaches. “Another fight with your mom?” Mrs. Thomas asked.
Smiling to hide it, “Morning Mrs. T,” Cherry said reaching out to help her with her bags.
Giving two bags to her, Mrs. Thomas said, “Thank you. I left work early and stopped at the bakery. Are you OK?”
Cherry sighed, then nodded, wishing Mrs. Thomas was her mom. They had a good relationship because she would listen and always motivate and encourage her. Unlike her mom who had no time for her only child, and never encouraged or supported her in any way. Cherry stopped sharing some of her future plans with her mother. Then she explained as she entered the house and saw Henrietta sitting on the sofa, dressed as if she was ready for school too, “My mother and I had a fight this morning, and I just ran out of the house.”
“What did she do this time?” Henrietta asked walking towards them and taking the bags from her mom.
“She is always planning my weekends out without asking me what I want to do,” cried Cherry.
“So, what do you want to do?” Mrs. Thomas asked.
“I want to stay home and fill out the college applications. Mrs. Allen is going to help me, so I need to meet her at the library this afternoon,” Cherry explained.
“Congratulations!” Mrs. Thomas said hugging Cherry. Easing away from her embrace as Cherry put the bags on the kitchen table Mrs. Thomas asked, “Your mom is against you going to college?”
“She said she has no money?” Cherry recalls her mother’s words. “She wants me to clean my grandmother’s house on Saturday.”
“You can clean any time,” Henrietta suggested.
“I agree,” Mrs. Thomas said. “Your future should be important to her.”
“Can you believe it, she has no ambition or goals for her only child,” Cherry complained, pulling an empty chair from around the dining table and sitting down. “I don’t want to stay here and be like her. I have dreams and aspirations. I want a better life than what she is offering me. Her excuse is she has no money to pay for my college so I must take it off my mind!”
Henrietta’s eyes touched her mom, who hugged Cherry and said, “What do you want for breakfast?
They both speak at once. Mrs. Thomas eyed both children, then said, “You want oatmeal-flavored strawberry waffles?”
They both laughed then Cherry explained, “She wants oatmeal with fresh strawberries and I want Strawberry waffles.”
“I believe we are here on the planet Earth to live, grow up, and do what we can to make this world a better place for all people to enjoy freedom” Rosa Park
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