Broken Beyond RepairA Story by Nataniel FernandesIt was in 2011 Luanda,
Angola, Morro bento, It was an ordinary day, I went to school then home did my
homework and stayed with my nanny and brother as I waited for my mom to get
home which she eventually did. and then I said by to my nanny as she left
through the back door… My father later arrived and we were ready
to eat dinner, and that's when it happened. They broke in through the back
door, 6 masked men with a pistol each. the security guard was tied up and
gushing blood from his head. I was paralyzed by fear; my mind went black. I looked at my mom and
my heart dropped, tears were dropping down her face, hyperventilating and
praying that her children would be kept safe, never had I seen my mom like
that. “Get up and lean against the wall” They said to my parents. My dad refused to sit
down and it went from worse to abominable. My dad was pushed to the wall “What
do you want? we’ll give you anything” said my dad in despair. “you two
sit on the couch” They said I was not worried about myself, but for my 3-year-old brother who was
silently crying a river. “WE WANT MONEY!” my dad said told them
it was upstairs, “Lets go FAST” said the guy who seemed to be the leader of the
men in black. My dad lead them upstairs and into his never-ending room, they wanted to take everything, my dad’s
fancy watch collection, my mom’s jewelry, and My
dad was so terrorized that he even gave them a basket for them to put
everything inside because they wanted more things than they could take. Once
they had what they had what they wanted the guy who seemed to be the leader
screamed “go downstairs” in terror we went down the
stairs looking back but trying not to, “We want money” they protested, my dad
told them he had money in his car and the moment he opened his mouth boom! I felt I was hit with a bullet, but
what had happened was that my dad was hit with a gun on the head, gushing blood
as I shattered tears. Suddenly the men heard
a noise and it was unclear as to why they left, but they went running off. My
dad immediately told my brother my mom and I to go to the office and “DUCK
FAST” as he grabbed his gun in case of them coming back. It was
silent for 30 minutes and we knew that wed come back from hell. “Go
upstairs and stay in the room until we call you” my mom expressed as she was calling the police who
surprisingly arrived shortly after. Never had I seen so many police officers
but it sure gave me a sense of security in the moment but didn’t
stop me from being scarred. It was dagger after dagger after dagger, and it hurt even more watching my dad receive
medical attention because he was an upbeat man who did all he could to protect
his family. That night I did not
sleep or even dare to close my eyes, because every time I did it was a replay of
this living hell I had just lived. As a family, we became closer than ever, as
a family we were there for each other, as a family we became one! Since that day my life
was never the same, for months I couldn’t sleep at night and today it
still haunts me, for months I could not erase that image off my mind and today it still haunts me,
for months my family was ripped apart and it still haunts. This affected
everything in my life, I developed trust issues and was just scared of
everything and everyone. Whoever would pass by I would always assume that it was
to happen again. We moved houses but still I didn’t feel safe. Although I developed
all these problems, I just felt for my brother who was scarred worse. Since that
day my brother has not slept in his room or by himself, always with my parents till
this very day. My mom started going to church to ask for blessings, and that
above all good would protect our family through good and bad times. We will
forever be broken beyond repair but together as a family. It was the hardest
moment in my life, but with time and much love from everyone around me it
helped me overcome my troubles. Although the picture is still painted on my
mind, I can now close my eyes and dream, I can now leave the house knowing that
I’ll be safe. At a point in my life I
felt I contributed to the stereotype that Africa has a lot of crime, but as I analyze
what I went through its not only unfair but as well as false to say that there
is a huge number of crimes in Africa specifically. Because what happened to me
could have happened to anyone, Anywhere. I was stabbed in the back by a close
individual and this could happen to anyone you trust. There is crime
everywhere, therefor the generalization of Africa must be stopped. One must be
very closed minded to say such. Therefore, be the difference, be opened minded.
And give the people the realistic view of Africa, rather than what people want
to here. This is my story. This is my view. This is my Africa. © 2017 Nataniel Fernandes |
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Added on December 15, 2017 Last Updated on December 15, 2017 AuthorNataniel FernandesLuanda, Talatona, AngolaAboutI am an Angolan writer who likes to share his experiences. more.. |