Where’s Di Money
Who remembers being young and having your money snatched out of your hands the minute you got it? You would be in your room celebrating and breaking bread with siblings and cousins, only to be bankrupt before the end of the night. Not only were lawyers not available to help you plead your case, there was no court on earth that would help you in your situation. Many of us have this experience. Let me tell you about my bone-chilling experience. I'm going to talk about the time I was robbed by my aunt.
It was a warm afternoon in Atlanta, Georgia, and we had just received guests. I was in my aunt's house, and as usual, adults were perusing the premises. On this day, they decided to bless me and all the children within the perimeter. A dazzling $20 bill was placed in my hand. It glistened green and smelled new. "What is this matter of luck?" I said to myself. All the other kids were jumping up and down like mere fools, but I had to sit down and really think about where I was going to spend my money. Now, I could be weak and go get food, but there was food at home. I could be unwise like others born in my year and pig out on candy, but I'm a businesswoman, and I have to make proper investments. I could save it for a rainy day, but I deserved a treat. I'd been doing well in school, and I deserved something nice. I settled on what I was going to do. I was going to buy the new Barbie. I had been seeing her at the toy store and I had been begging for her for a while. Typically, I get a yes to things like this, but my mother wasn't around, and I was with my aunt, so she would say no and wait to confirm with my mom about these kinds of purchases.
So a young woman such as myself was looking for ways to hide what was then $20 million in my eyes. I also didn't want to lose it or forget where I hid it. I knew exactly when I was going to go buy my toy, when my aunt would be going out. So I did a senseless thing I now regret, it's one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made in my life. “Hi auntie can you hold my money for me,” such bizarre words bounced out of my mouth. I did this with confidence too. “Of course baby no problem,” she said in a beautiful deceitful tone. That whole afternoon I was so proud of myself, little did I know I shot myself in the foot. The day was going so well, nothing could go wrong. My aunt decided to offer us McDonald’s too. McDonald's, wow! Was God in the building with us? Mind you, this was around the early 2000s, when McDonald's was good and meant something to us kids. I obliged her offer, why not!
The McDonald's bag came in hot and fresh, nuggets everywhere. I didn't know how to control myself. This was a ravishing day that was happening for me and for all the other kids around me that day. My aunt decided to step back out, so I had the wise idea to follow her and insisted on getting my Barbie doll. “Auntie can I have my money, I will go with you and buy my toy now,” I said with prestige. “Ha ha ha what money, how do you think you got the food?” Ice began to build up in my veins. “What did this woman just say to me? Did I hear her right? Did she just tell me she spent my money to feed these kids!” I was outraged, I was so hurt my chest began to cave in. I had decided where to place the doll and everything, I had spent the whole day imagining myself playing with her. And this woman had just put a bullet in my dome.
She and the other adults continued to laugh and said things like “Be grateful that you ate today.” Like I wouldn’t have eaten if she didn’t steal from me; there was food at home. Don't trust anyone in this life, guys. This was the worst experience of my life. I'm in my 20s, and I still recall the betrayal I faced that day. She was so relaxed, she had not a care in the world. She hadn't even realized she had committed a crime, nor did she face any charges for what she had done. I don't recall if I told my mom, but I know I felt grief for what could have been great playtime with my doll. So, to this day, I still look at her sideways. Who knows when she will be stealing next?
Proverbs 22:22
“22 Don't steal from the poor, because they are poor. Don't oppress the needy in the gate. 23 The LORD will take up their case and press the life out of those who oppress them.”
Mary