Hello. Yeah, it`s me Leah, and now I am going to tell you a little about me and how I have grown up.

I was born in a family of 6: my parents, my two older brothers, my older sister, and me, the youngest.

My parents are Christians, and they taught us to be good, polite, never give `eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth` (even though I sometimes -most times- did that), to try to help others when in need. They told us that God had created us end even the entire world. He loves us deeply, and I know it. 

While we weren`t that financially great at that time, they have always tried to give us the best while not wasting money on things that weren`t necessary. So even though I sometimes begged for a -so popular-baby doll at that time, they chose to not buy me that doll, but a cheaper one instead.

I was acting like a spoiled child, I should have been more understanding of the situation. I hurt them.

I remember that back then, when I was really little, mom came to take me and my older brother from school, and every time there was something to tell her about:

-"Mommy!!! The teacher said that my drawing was really good, and that..."

I bet she was really tired, and stressed, maybe she didn`t even change her clothes after coming from the field, even so, she still listened to my and my brother`s rants.

-"Mom, do you remember Judi? Judi said that I`m annoying mom, and that... mom, are you listening?"

Sometimes she was silent, sometimes she would smile other times she would tell us a few encouraging words and to fight back if it`s needed, to not be discouraged.

There were other situations where we would engage in other activities on the way home. 

-"Xander, stop!"

My chubby back from times to times would suffer some pinches from the mischievous brat beside my mother.

-"Xander!! You wait, I`m coming for you"

I could feel something touching my pigtails, then an abrupt pain coming from the back of my head. My reaction was so late timed that by then his little legs carried him away from beside mother, mom`s left hand was missing the warmth of his small hands, while all I could do was just yell at him.

-"Come on then, catch me if you can"

And so, another hand of mom was left by itself. My only problem was that my little legs couldn`t stand up to his slightly longer legs and better resistance, I was 2 years younger than him.

-"Auch!"

But I was smarter than him.

-"Take that idiot!"

-"Leah! Don`t talk like that" my mother`s call was lost in the middle of our yelling.

-"You!" 

Slowly, rugged breaths, and soft steps could be heard going in the direction of the tired mom. I won the battle

-"Mommy, Leah hit me with a rock"

-"Leah"

And then the soft steps could no longer be heard, cause the little figure just stopped to glare at that nerve-maker Xander.

"But mom he started that!"

-"Xander!"

And  then we would fight.

-"Leah, Xander, what did I tell you about being well-behaved, and we are on the streets to! Behave!" My mother`s facial expression seems blurry in my head, even so, I can still sense her anger. I can still feel her glare. 

Sometimes we would listen, other times no, but at home, we would feel her anger too.

~shiver~

Uhu, let`s not get there. You don`t want that.

Anyway, we were a little mischievous, me and my brother. We still are, but that`s another part that we are not talking about now.

Sometimes my mother would tell us to be good and kind because God wants us to be good people, and I was really trying to do that. But, doing that I spoiled the fun of some people, and slowly I was being left out, made fun of sometimes too.

That was the bad part of trying to be good.

Back in kindergarten

-"Can I play with you?"A six year old child with a doll in being held close to her chest by fidgety hands, a small smile, big dark brown eyes that held a group of little girls, just like her, but slightly older.

-"Um..sure" The bigger smile that was she was holding to the sound of the approval

-"But why don`t you give your doll to Lidya, since she doesn`t have one?"

Pointy hands, showed a girl slightly chubbier girl with long long brown hair and a waiting expression.

-"Come, give it to her and we can play together" The childish voice came from the 'boss' of the group, as little Leah liked to describe her.

Eyes that were looking at the doll and then at the girls. The decision was hard. The smile was smaller and smaller.

-"It`s just a doll, you can still play without the doll" It was uncomfortable, their stares.

-"But I like this doll" That was me making the final decision with a straight face

-"I won`t give it".

3 John

¹¹ Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.