Henrique's Story

It all started when I had a hard birth giving birth to this baby boy. Yes blind like all other babies at first then to see but also his hearing did not fully developed. He could only hear partially what I told him as the doctor stated. I had to teach him or get him taught sign language. And Henrique was a hard child. He loved and he played and he was happy. But also he had this temper. And I believed it was because he had a hard time hearing. He would go off into these tempers like a child even as he grew up. He would like to play extra and he would fight to do other things. And his grandmother helped me. Since his father left to war, Henrique was more stubborn and more willful. He thought at times that he could do anything and be anywhere. So I got more strict on him and he would just cry over and over and repeatedly as if I was hurting him more than I should. Henrique was a good nature child, it's just he did not know how to make it in this world. There is so much he has to learned and so much he has to do to achieve a good life especially with a disability. And I was worried for him. Worried that some harm might happen to him. Worried that he may runaway. Worried that he may never come back. But my mother Ella, she knew what to do for him. She knew how to get to him. She knew how to comfort him. She knew how to silence him. She knew how to play with him. She knew how to talk to him. And she would teach him what he should be. She would inspired him to be something great. She would walk with him as if he was a man even though he had some ways to go. She would teach him how to talk to others. She would be his suggogate and he was her little man. So I worked, I Henrietta worked outside my home and I was cleaning houses like other women and gathering in the field to make ends meet. And I was receiving checks from my husband John in the military. Each day times started to change and sometimes for the better. And Henrique was growing and he needed his father. I wrote to John many times and hardly ever got a response. My beloved John must be deep into mission or too busy to responded. My heart yearned for the day that he would come home and ensured his son his only son would get the upbringing that he deserve. One day as I was laboring out in the field, one of my friends. She told me to come quickly that my mother Ella had a heartattack and I ran with all of my might. If I lose her then I would lose my son and my family would come apart. My mother survived many things in her life and I prayed that she survived this. And as they took her to the hospital, I sought my sister Reath. She was younger than me and she knew how to care and watch for Momma. And I forgot about Henrique at that moment until something hit me. I ran out of the ambulance screaming for him. And I searched and searched everywhere I knew where he played. Henrique I cried and screamed and run in a rampage. And my friend looked at the other ways, and I begin to become extremely frustrated. Then from a distance my friend and I saw Henrique running and we tried to run as fast as him but we could not so we hench a ride to follow him. After sometime we caught up and said Henrique what are you doing. He did not hear. So we stop the truck in front of him a distance. And he stopped. I ran for him and cried hugging him. I said Henrique I was so scared so scared. Don't ever runaway not now. Momma needs you. Momma loves you with all of her heart. Hear my heartbeats. And I checked if he was okay. And I signaled for the truck to come and take us. And Henrique ran toward me and hug me and said Momma Momma Momma I love you. Don't leave me. I am sorry. And I said No I am sorry and I held his hand and we got into the back. And we went to see my mother Ella and she was doing fine and John was there with his hat off. And I re-introduced Henrique to his father John. And John pick him up and he smiled