Dear Pastor, I grew up with my mother and grandmother. I did not know my father. My mother used to work hard to take care of us.
There are four of us; I have one sister and two brothers. All my mother's children went to high school; that was her dream for us. My brothers didn't do so well, but my sister and I did very well.
As soon as my brothers were in their teens, they started to chase after women. My mother used to talk to them but they wouldn't obey. One of my brothers got into a fight over a girl and he could have lost his life.
Eventually, the girl left the guy who fought my brother and my brother took her over completely. He was the big man in the town because he took over the man's woman. While my brothers wouldn't listen to our mother, they always listen to our grandmother.
The guys in the district couldn't play around with us, because they were afraid of our brothers. All we had to do was to tell them that so and so was fooling around us and our brothers would go and tell them, 'Look, back off from our sisters.' When I was 16 years old, my eldest brother put on a sweet 16 party for me.
I invited a guy who loved me, and he had to come to my brother and talk to him as if my brother was my father. My brothers watched me all night during the party. They didn't want the guys to touch me, except to dance with me.
When the party was over about 1 a.m., the guys left, and we helped our mother clean up.
I am now 30 years old and I am proud to say that my sister and I are college graduates. I am married and I have one child. My sister is presently pregnant.
My grandmother has passed on and my brothers gave her the most beautiful funeral anybody could have. I told my husband that I hope that he would protect his daughter as well as how my older brother protected my sister and I. As I said before, I don't know my father.
My mother said that our brothers were following the footstep of our father, because he was never satisfied with one woman. V.N.
Dear V.N., I am sorry to know that you don't know your father.
Your mother did very well. She worked very hard and sent everybody to school, including high school. Although those boys did not like to study, your sister and you did very well.
Some young men don't see the need to go to school and to try to excel. They are hustlers. They would rather work on delivery trucks and hustle money here and there so that they can give to their girlfriends.
Some girls have relationships with men who can give them money as often as possible. Your brothers protected you and you think very highly of them, especially the older brother. I am glad that your sister and you went to college.
I am glad that you got married, and I hope that you will enjoy married life. I wish you well. Let me hear from you again.
Pastor.
