Ghetto Girls Too. Anthony Whyte

      “But I’m sure you loved her anyway.”

      “Well, she was my mother so how could I not love her? She carried me for nine months. Plus, you only get one, child. I’ll love her always.”

      “Sometimes though, did you ever wish you could take back that love?”

      “Of course, ‘specially when she beat me with branches but the Bible teaches us that you’ve got to love your parents and honor and cherish them forever. This is so that your days won’t be made shorter. Love your parents and your days will be long on this earth. That’s what the good book says.”

      “I hear you, Miss Katie. I love my mother. It’s just that sometimes, you know, she kinda gets on my nerves.”

      “I know, Coco. We’re all human and we’ve all got weaknesses. All you got to do is lend her some of your strength. You’ve got to lean on each other. It’s a relationship. Mother and daughter, they shouldn’t give up on each other.”

      “Sometimes I just don’t know.”

      “Coco, you’re still young. You’re a teenager in high school. Don’t worry too much. Child, God works in mysterious ways. Your mother will have to carry her share of the load. You can’t do all the carrying.”

      “Sometimes, I feel like I’m the only one doing the carrying.” Coco paused and thought for a couple beats before she continued. “It becomes a burden and she blames me when anything goes wrong.”

      “You can only control the things that you’re able to and no more. You cannot control everything.”

      “I know...” Coco began but the old lady was on a roll so Coco listened.

      “It’s awful, the conditions that we live in, but you have a chance to pull yourself out. Don’t get caught up because you have a lot to be proud of.” Miss Katie wasn’t saying anything new but Coco somehow felt she needed to pay attention to the old lady’s words.

      “I hear you.”

      “If there comes a time when you think your mother is dragging you down then you’ve got to decide at that time if it’s right to let go,” Miss Katie said and immediately Coco’s ear perked. The old lady continued, “If you don’t know when to let go, you’ll wind up drowning in her problems.” Miss Katie tried to assess Coco’s reaction before continuing. “And then what? Whose gonna be there to save you both? It may seem difficult to save you both but God can, Coco, and He will if you only believe.”

      Miss Katie looked at Coco as if waiting for an answer. Coco leaned back in the chair and the words sank deep. She sipped the rest of the cocoa then said, “I know you’re right in a lot of ways but I’m saying, this is a different time. It’s cool to believe in God but from where I stand, you’ve got to believe in yourself just as much or even more.”

      “First, you’ve got to believe that through Him all things are possible,” Miss Katie said with finality. Coco glanced around searching for the right thing to say. Nothing came. “You should come out to church with me. Maybe this Sunday?”