The Freebie

Montego Bay is a quaint, little village in the country side of Jamaica. With majestic mountains and beautiful, sandy beaches that shone like crystals under the gleaming sun. Everyday my older siblings and I would wander along the beach as our house was near to the beach front. My sister, Jamila and I were only two years apart and were very close. We did everything together, she was my very best friend.

On weekends and holidays we would tag along with my father who owned his own tour operation. He took tourists on his sailboat up the coast. This was a bonding experience for my sister and I. He would teach us about the different type of birds and fishes and Jamila and I would give them names. Jamila liked to perform she would be in all the school plays but she especially loved to sing. She had the most beautiful voice! I could listen to her sing alll day. Jamila dreamt of the day she would become a professional singer and I knew that one day she would achieve her dream.  

Jamila would go on auditions and though she got very good feedback she was not able to land much work. This was mainly due to her being in college as she was also getting her degree to become a teacher. Jamila's second passion was teaching.  One day she went on an audition that would require her to leave Jamaica, she was very hesitant at first as she did not want to leave home but decided to give it a try to see the outcome. This audition was to perform and teach music in Belize; the best of both world.

Months went by and there was no word from the organizers; Jamila had begun to think that she was not going to get the call. She wasn't very upset as she was glad to be staying home. One day my parents and brother were sitting watching the television when Jamila burst into the room screaming "I got it, I got it!" We had no idea what she was talking about and then she told us "am moving to Belize". Even though we knew about the audition we were shocked that she accepted.

I was so very proud of Jamila, I told everyone about her moving to Belize. She had to go and take up her position and only had a week before she had to leave in her new adventure. We spent all our free time together and I knew that I would miss her greatly. The day of departure we all went with her to the airport; we tried not to cry. Dad told Jamila to make sure she called each day. The flight attendant called for boarding and as Jamila turned and walked away, I knew then that I had lost a friend. She would always be my sister but I knew that time and distance would lessen the bond that we had of being best friends.