Put Yourself in my Shoes

Who I’m I? My name is Paul. I was born in the rural areas. My parents were not the “well abled” people. We lived in a single room built of iron sheets. I was raised with the mud toys. Never got a thing that I could claim I was bought for. We lived as a poor family. My dad left us while i was still a kid. My mum was a housewife. But after my dad left, she was left to look for a way to get our daily bread. Life was never even close to easy. She moved from one house to another. I started school at the age of ten. My mum had no money at first, so I couldn’t start school at the right age. I wasn’t good with studies, so I kept on pulling the class back.

Two years later I dropped out. My mum couldn’t pay my fees anymore. Finding a job was a hard thing for her. She later got ill. She couldn’t get out of the house. She got skinny with each day. There was no money to take her to hospital. No one could employ me. No one wanted to be charged with child labour. My uncles never wanted to do with anything that involved us. One year later she passed away. I was now left alone to feed myself. The cruel world against lonely me. I had to find a way to feed myself. Its now fifteen years later & I ended up roaming the streets with threadbare clothes.

Last week, I decided to go get my “breakfast” from a different pit. Just before I got close, a strong stench blocked my nose. I was curious to see what was stinking, only to find a body of a young lady lying motionless and eyes wide open staring in one direction. Flies covered the body. I heard footsteps coming from behind me.

Who I’m I? My name is Paul. I was born in the urban area. My parents were filthy rich. Money was never a problem in our house. We lived in a mansion. I had a room with its own washroom all to myself. I was the only child in our family. My dad was a drunkard and came home in the late hours and always quarreled with my mother. I was taken to school at the age of three. I learned the British system of education. I never walked home. Not even once. If the bus was never there, our personal driver could come and pick me up. I was among the best students in class, but I never liked school.

Five years later I started taking alcohol in small drinks. My dad would entertain me by always daring me to have a little taste. Little did I know that it would end up being my addiction. I tasted all types of alcohol which my dad brought home. When I grew up, alcohol was already in my blood system. I wanted to venture into different drugs. I tried almost all types, from khat, cocaine to injection drugs. There was nothing that passed me. Every drug in the market never past me. I was always updated to the new nicknames. Having access to them was never a problem. I could use half, and sometimes all, of my weekly upkeep to buy drugs. Its been fifteen years, and I look like a thirty-year-old man.

Last week I went to buy my “morning breakfast” from my dealer. He was expecting me. I wore my business suit so as not to look suspicious. We did business and we parted ways. Just before I got to ten steps, I saw a guy with torn clothes looking down. He looked very worried. As I walked towards him, he faced and looked me direct into my eyes. I noticed a body of a young lady laying next to him. It was covered with flies all over and released a very unpleasant smell.

So, between me and you, who looks like a suspect?

It wouldn’t hurt to share...