A picture is Worth a thousand words

This is so delicious our first good meal since dad left. Dad left when Edwin my brother was born. He left for war and I don't remember him that good but my mom tells me he looks like me. I don't know if he is even still in war or just left us but I'm sure he will come back someday. I'm 7 years old and I'm the oldest son. I have a sister, Ella she is the second oldest. I live with my mom and grandma Du. I also live with uncle J. Uncle j is not my real uncle I really don't like him a lot, when my father left he came. He is mean but he brings food and money home. My brother has a sickness he cant run because he needs air. It's called asma . His treatments are really expensive and we don't have the money to buy them so we just make sure he doesn't run or do a lot of thing that may cause him to need air. I go to work on the fields in the morning at 5:00 a.m with Uncle J . I try my best to make mom happy and I think she would be happy if Uncle J wasn't here helping us. Uncle J treats mom really bad like she was a slave but I promised her when I grow up I will make her a better life.

When we finished our mean it was time for bed. My mom always reads me a book when we go to sleep. It was at night and I heard some noises out side "Uncle J?" "What do you want can't you see I'm sleeping?!" I told him "Do you hear does footsteps?" "No got to sleep and leave me alone" I was scared I wanted to cry and at the same time protect my family. When I was going to close my eyes I heard shooting " Move put the mattress to cover your self's !" "I told uncle J to go see and he didn't listen to me !" I was scared all the shooting stop like in 5 minutes. When everything was quiet Uncle J wen to check and when he came back he said ," There going and Andrew come here" He was calm and he looked kind of tiered when I went over there I though he was going to ask for and apology but when I got in front of him he looked at me and then he slapped he really hard tears came out of my eyes. "Whats your problem ?" mom said "shut up!" He said and he grab my mom by the arm and took her to the room. My sister came and hugged me so did my brother and I was so mad I made my mind up. I was going to leave home run away. I was going to go to the United Stated. When I become 12 they will draft me in the war since it was so bad so if I just leave none of these will happen. The people I though about was my mom and brothers. When I though about my grandma "Where is she ?" i said to my self I went running into her room and I sow her in the floor with her leg shot."Grandma !Grandma!" I could be live it she was dead her heart didn't pump or at least I didn't hear it pump I told Ella to go get mom. When my came in she just went on the floor and started to cry. "No No mom please wake up!"

That night was a night quite more quiet than the other nights you could hear a paperclip fall on the floor. I didn't sleep that hole night. They were preparing a small funeral because of the money a lot of people cooperated. We had her funeral and I was mad. I told my mom about the leaving to the United states and she agreed with me but when I was 10 I would go. She had a cousin that would be over there.

Time passed my birthday came I had been saving money to go to the United States. When I was ready to leave my mom got me ready and I said bye to everyone. I was sad but I have to give my mother a better life. I left in a truck with other kids I was crying. Going trow the border was hard but I made it.

I came back to India when I was 18. My mom was old and I helped her get to United States we get to filed some paper for her and my brothers. Uncle J was old and I helped him get to the United States. Once we were there Uncle J left us and I was happy. We lived happy and we had a better life.