TRR

"Adkira! Jason! Come dung stairs if unuh wah dinah!" Yelled my mother from below me, I unplugged my headphones and sighed heavily. "Yes mom!" I yelled as I lazily got up from my soft, red bed. I looked out the window to observe, the bustling city life below it, the trains gliding smoothly across the tracks in the distance and the warm sunset. It was truly a lovely sight, all that movement, and the sun's rays as it sunk slowly down under the horizon. A try and true beauty, and one I always got to witness from the comfort of my room.

I eventually made my way downstairs where I saw my mom, over the stove serving our plates. Her relaxed curly hair bouncing as she did her little dances to her favorite reggae artist. And Jason was sitting around the yellow easter decorated dinner table, looking annoyed with his waved hair and bushy black eyebrows that I tease him for often. And his hazel bug eyes that him and I share but I still tease him for looking at me. "Adkria, what are you doing just standing there? Come help me set up all this food!" Mom exclaimed, mom had prepared a large amount of food to celebrate promotion from her work. She now became a manager at a locally popular grocery store downtown.

"You sure are excited mom, you rarely make this amount of food on purpose," Commented Jason. "Jiji,  this is a very important promotion. I would be a fool not to celebrate what God has given me. And now, we may very well be able to leave this dusty Shed house" mom replied. Since I can remember, it's always been just me, Mom, and Jason. Mom immigrated to America when I was one and when Jason was a baby, along with my dad and older sister from Jamaica. My dad was a rich scientist from Europe that came to study in Jamaica and later had accepted work in the states. Once they arrived they gained citizenship and we started to live here.

But, it didn't take long for the marriage to split. As just one year later my dad divorce my mom and took everything along with my sister.

We moved to a few states amongst my life time, Right now we're living in Delaware. Mom rented this apartment 2 years ago, we thought it was a steal as it was two floors and pretty affordable. Now we see why, it's old, creaky, Somethings always wrong with the water line so it smells funky, and the landlord sucks. Everyday before we go to school or work, me and Jason have to lather ourselves in perfume and scents to make sure the funky scent doesn't linger on us.

Sometimes it doesn't work.

"Alright, Alright, It's time to pray over our food," my mom said after sitting down and placing the plate of cabbage. "Lord, thank you for blessings us with this food. Cause we know that without you heavenly father, all the animals, vegetables, everything would not even make it to the factory. Thank you for this promotion and yet another chapter in my life where me and my children may move up in life. For health and strength and daily food we pray thy name Oh Lord, Amen" She prayed, "Amen" We said afterwards.

We talked and laughed and reminisced about the past. Mom kept boasting about the time when there were only rookies available on a busy shift, so she provided all the answers to their problems and held the shift together. Afterwards they called her Mama Moses because she always told them what's up, she said. That's when a higher up noticed her attentiveness and decided to recommend and train her so that she has a chance to compete for the position. I'm not surprised, mom has a freaky good memory and a voice with a bass to it, she'd definitely excel as a branch manager.

When we were done laughing and eating, we started to clean up. Then Jason accidentally hit the remote and the TV snapped on.It panned onto a nationwide news channel, which was reporting about military soilders from all over the country returned home from their trip from the Middle East. They were fighting a terrorist group there, it seems, it also seemed like there was a large debate on some of the practices used to achieve that win. There was large scandals of mistreatment of the refugees and victims of the situation by the terrorist group and the soilders alike. But the war ended, after five years, with the terrorist group surrendering.

"I don't get it, if you're gonna do such horrible things, why quit? That's just embarrassing" Jason commented, "Jason!" I yelled, "be a little more respectful, people died because of this." He gave me an annoyed look, "Look. I've been following this on social media and the military was having a hard time with em, they were kicking their assess and hiding in the shadows then! Then all of a sudden the higher ups of the terrorist group committed suicide and the group surrendered. Isn't it just too weird?" He said while leaning on the counter.

"Weird or not, as long as it isn't affecting me, my kids or my job, I'm well. Let's all just be grateful it ended without it reaching us, alright?" Mom intercepted, we grunted in agreement. Sounds selfish but I'm sure everyone is thinking the same, Nobody wants to be eloped into violent combat and bloodshed. I'm sure those soilders and refugees are happy it ended as well, Nobody likes war, and All of us here are just trying to survive to our fullest.

"Alrighty, goodnight yall!" Mom yelled, "goodnight Ma!" Me and Jason replied back.

*it's important to note that whatever dialog Mama Moses says is in Patois. But to allow the readers to understand this chapter better, I decided to directly translate it.