Poor  Moro Turns A Doctor

Chapter one (The exemplary family)

Some few years ago in a village called Latsaman there lived a very happy family. The head of the family was Mr. Mustafa, well known throughout the village because he had a heart of gold. He and his wife Adjeley were so intimate that they ate, bathed and did everything together. They had a very handsome and brilliant son called Moro.

Adjeley was given an award for being the best female doctor in the village. Consequently the family decided to call for a great feast at the beach. When the party ended, Mustafa put an exquisite jewel into her hands. “I present to you this gift to congratulate you on your achievement as the best female doctor”, he said. He then sang to Adjeley informing her that he would always love her through thick and thin. Moro asked his parents when he would also get a wife so that he could make love to her. His parents laughed at him and said, “In thirteen or fourteen years”. Mustafa advised his son never to be too much in hurry and that his time would come when he least expected it.

Moro invited his father to play football with him. He dribbled his father and went to score him. He also scored Moro. When they became tired, they returned to where Adjeley was sitting. Adjeley told Moro how proud she was of him. “You will become the next world Pele some years to come”, she said to Moro. “Like father like son”, Mustafa said. “No it should be like mother like son because I was also a footballer in our school team”, Adjeley said. Mustafa exclaimed that theirs was a happy family and prayed that nothing separate them from one another.

One holiday Moro went to visit a school mate called selom. Selom was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was playing a video game when Moro arrived. Moro went to sit beside him. Selom’s mother begged Selom to stop playing the game and take his father’s briefcase to his room. “Mom, can’t you see I’m busy playing a video game?” he inquired in a hoarse voice. Moro asked Selom to bring his Bible and opened to Ephesians chapter 6. He opened the Bible and read verses one and two, “children be obedient to your father and mother which is the first commandment with a promise”.

Moro asked him to pay heed to what the Bible was saying and live by it. Selom asked what he would gain if he did these things. Moro asked him to look at verse 3. Selom read, “that it may go well with you and you may live a long time on the earth.” Selom thanked Moro for advising him and promised that he would always live by it. He left for the briefcase, informing Moro that he had something to tell him so he won’t be long. Moro started to play the video game.

Selom returned, Moro asked him to tell him what he was about to tell him. He asked Moro to guess what he had to tell him. Moro sat pondering for some minutes but wasn’t able to guess it. He begged Selom to tell him. “I heard Kofi’s mother has kicked the bucket”, Selom said. Moro jumped from the chair, stood with his mouth agape, and exclaimed, “Do you mean Kofi’s mother is dead”?. He sat down again, in a pensive mood. He wondered how Kofi would survive in the world without his mother. “What a poor boy!” he cried, his hands on his head. He asked Selom whether he knew what killed her. Selom whispered to him that he learned she died of AIDS. Moro concluded that Kofi’s mother was a prostitute. According to him, AIDS infected only people who jumped from one man or woman to another. Selom expounded to him that AIDS could be acquired by anybody but paid no heed to him.

Moro was now in class five. He had always been the first in exams since he started schooling. For this reason, he was selected to participate in a Super Quiz Competition between their village and the nearby one. He was admired by all since he was the youngest among the competitors. The quiz was very tough. It got to the final round. The competitor who was by then the first was leading Moro by two points. Moro was the person to answer the last question of the final round. When the final question was asked, the place became as quiet as the cemetery. One could hear a pin fall. All the audience together with the competitors reflected in their minds, “He will be the first if he answers the final question to outrun the one leading now by one point “Moro prayed to God for help and was helped. He said the first answer that came into his mind. To his utter surprise, the answer was correct. All his school mates started singing and went to carry him shoulder high. He was promised by the chief and the renowned people in the village that they would ensure that he further his education to the tertiary level for making the village famous. He was given some awards. All that Moro said in his mind was, “thank you God, without you, I couldn’t have made it”. He snapped pictures with his family and some of his friends showing the awards in his hand. 

A WORD TO READERS

• To have a heart of good - To be kind
• Through thick and thin - No matter what happens
• To be born with a silver spoon in the mouth - To be born into a rich family
• To pay heed to - To give careful attention to someone's advice or warning and do what they suggest
• To kick the bucket - To die

Watch out for chapter 2 and don't forget to follow me.