Little Beginnings
Martins and Gloria were low income earners whose source of livelihood heavily depended on petty trading. With a built house and a life-saving scheme, they were both head-bent to ensuring that their two sons get the best of quality training from infancy to adulthood, as a couple. Martins and Gloria grew together as childhood friends. Sadly, they were watched closely by the eyes of poverty throughout their growing years. To make matters worse, their parents died at their prime years. Together, Martins and Gloria, due to the pressures of early sufferings, got married at the age of twenty one. They bore two children, Samuel and Michael.
Despite their low-income status, Martins and Gloria were contented with the limited resources available and apparently, comfortable. After school hours, Michael and Samuel would help with the chores of their parents at the kiosk, some kilometers from their residence. Both brothers became very good at the craft their parents made for their livelihood that Martins and Gloria entrusted the entirety of the business in their hands. Indeed, they made huge returns from the enterprise and were a source of pride to their parents and examples of obedience to other children in the community.
It was not long that the greatest tragic event struck; both Gloria and Martins were involved in a fatal car crash that claimed their lives. They both died on the spot. A week after the event, sympathizers, some of whom included Michael’s uncles, Aunties, Cousins and other relatives consoled Michael and Samuel. Alas, this was going to be the last time Samuel and Michael would see them until…This would signal the beginning of the very end in the lives of Michael and Samuel. With the help of the built house wiled by Martins to Michael and life saving scheme to both of them, the brothers were able to pick the lost bits and pieces of their lives together.
Michael and Samuel were just done with high school at the time of the sudden departure of their parents. They needed sufficient funding to see them through the college years. Michael, a better of the two brothers, was now to see the trade their parents left behind. Samuel went about doing odd jobs in order to make ends meet; for feeding, house rent payment, educational funding and other miscellaneous expenses. Eventually, they scaled through the thick and thin of the travails to make a living and gained admission to study business education at the community college.
Especially Samuel, both brothers went through hell to ensure that their academic grade points were maintained, at least to the average. Combining school activities and off-school work was an uphill task as their grade points were affected. Though Samuel and Michael attained an average grade point, they had ‘carry-overs’ in some courses at the end of their first year of study. It gulped some amounts of money that affected their purchasing powers.
Michael and Samuel were just done with high school at the time of the sudden departure of their parents. They needed sufficient funding to see them through the college years. Michael, a better of the two brothers, was now to see the trade their parents left behind. Samuel went about doing odd jobs in order to make ends meet; for feeding, house rent payment, educational funding and other miscellaneous expenses. Eventually, they scaled through the thick and thin of the travails to make a living and gained admission to study business education at the community college.
Especially Samuel, both brothers went through hell to ensure that their academic grade points were maintained, at least to the average. Combining school activities and off-school work was an uphill task as their grade points were affected. Though Samuel and Michael attained an average grade point, they had ‘carry-overs’ in some courses at the end of their first year of study. It gulped some amounts of money that affected their purchasing powers.
Their second, third and final years were all characterized by tensions and all matter of pressures. Their academic workloads became more burdensome, the need to spend more money became paramount to cope with the pressing demands of the college was on their priority list, the pressure by cult groups to join them was on their neck, the need to ensuring that their grade points were up to average was their paramount concern. Somehow, they manage to scale the hurdles of college rigors and came out with a distinction grade. To them, it was a red-letter day…
Michael became a business consultant to the minister of commerce; he later became a huge investor and owner of chains of companies. Interestingly, after long years of service, he became the minister of finance. Samuel, after lengthy years of study and acquisition of higher degrees, rose from the level of an assistant lecturer to being the Dean of business administration. He later became a mayor in his home country-The Republic of Suriname.