Life of a African boy

Southern Africa was not a place of playgrounds or fairs. It was a place of hard workers, and poor families. It was a place where men rarely learned to be real men, and instead would often abandon their families for the sake of their own freedom. This was the world that Dominick was born into. Until the age of seven, he was a child. A child who had chores, and rules, but a child still. When he was seven, his own father, like many in his community, abandoned the family. Dominick's mother had a small daughter to care for, only a few years younger than Dominick. Though he was still so young, he became the man of the house. He did his best to work and earn an income for his family. He would take any job he could, from sweeping out stores, to stacking boxes, to clearing out trash. Whatever someone would pay him for, he would do. There were other children his age and a bit older who were in a similar position, and they too would work. However for them all there was another temptation staring them in the face. Hard work only earned them so much in an impoverished area. But criminal acts, paid a whole lot better. One by one Dominick watched his young friends succumb to the draw of the criminal life. He would see how easy it was for them to become successful, by any means necessary, and how much easier their lives became with the new wealth they obtained. However, Dominick always instinctively knew that kind of wealth was short lived. He knew that in the end they would be forced to pay for all their crimes, one way or another. He did not give in to the temptation to earn an income in such a way. He just picked up the jobs they left behind. He created a reputation for himself amongst the shop keepers and neighbors, so much so that they would wait specifically for him to offer him a job. They knew that Dominick would do it correctly, and quickly. Dominick managed to earn enough to keep food on the table for his mother and sister.

"I'm sorry son," his mother once whispered when she saw him preparing to leave for work before the sun rose.

"For what mother?" Dominick had asked with surprise.

"That you have become a man so young," she replied sadly.

"I'm grateful mother," he replied. "That I have a family to care for."

Dominick possessed a wisdom that was far beyond his age, this was another thing that everyone noticed about him. At times of course he would play with the other boys, and he would spend time getting to know some of the girls in his neighborhood as he got older, but most of the time anyone looking for Dominick would find him working, or thinking. In his mind he understood that people lived different types of lives. Not everyone had to work as hard as he did. Some people lived even more impoverished lives, with no food, no shelter, and no family. While others lived such luxurious lives that they would scrape leftover food into the garbage and spend money on games and toys. He understood that the difference between those lives was created by only one thing, having money, or not having money. That was why he worked as hard as he did. He made sure his sister had a good education, as he knew that if she did not, she would never live a comfortable life. Any debt his mother had he paid off completely. He made repairs to her home and created a nice little nest of savings for her to continue to live off of. She could not be more proud of her son. He became a father and a man far before he should have, but he never regretted it or complained about it. To him, it was his duty to maintain the health and happiness of his family. It was not until he was twenty-four that he even experienced love.

One day while he was toiling away, he looked up to see one of the most beautiful women he had ever encountered. The sun shimmered off of her skin. Her smile seemed to speak of spring time and the birth of all things. His heart beat faster than he thought was possible. It was his first time experiencing what it was like to fall in love with a woman. He pursued her with the same level of determination that he did his work. She laughed at his insistence, and found him to be quite endearing. She liked that he worked as hard as he did, that he always had money in his pocket. She would sit beside him all afternoon listening to his impassioned voice talk about how much success could be had with the right circumstances. He was always mentioning Canada and the opportunities he felt he could have there. Eventually he stopped talking about it, and started planning on moving there. When he did, his girlfriend moved with him. He thought he would be beginning his life, finally, as a man. However, the move to Canada was rougher than he expected. He had to work twice as hard to pay for the small apartment he and his girlfriend shared. Everything was more expensive than he had planned, and the jobs he worked, although they paid a lot more than he was used to, they did not always provide enough to cover the bills. Dominick was stressed all the time and could hardly ever manage to relax. He and his girlfriend began fighting over the little things that caused such irritation in a relationship. They argued about how often he worked, they argued about how little money there was, they argued about being in a new country surrounded by people they did not know. Through all of this Dominick worked as hard as he could. He worked for anyone who would hire him. He worked his fingers to the bone, thinking that this must be the path to success. When his girlfriend announced that she was no longer in love with him, that she wanted to move on from their relationship, it came as a shock to him.

"Please," he murmured as he grasped her hand in his. "I want us to share a life together."

But she did not feel the same way. He was forced to sit back and watch as she packed up her bags and everything he had ever dreamed about. He had expected a family with her, a life with her, but she was walking away. She moved on with her life, and Dominick was left alone. He did not feel alone however. He instead felt even more driven to become a success. Growing up in extreme poverty had given him a deep respect for having wealth. It was not that he was greedy, or wanted the power that money could offer, instead he wanted the security it could offer. He wanted to be certain that his family would be fed, clothed, and housed. But somehow he had hit a wall when it came to success. It did not seem to matter who he worked for, he could only make so much. It was not until he began to realize that his limitation was working for someone else, that his eyes opened with hope once more. He decided to strike out on his own, starting his own business. It was a risk, but one he was willing to take for the sake of changing his life. It took even more dedication than he had ever anticipated, but all of the money he earned belonged to him, not someone he worked for. It was not long before he began growing more and more successful. The more income he made, the more he gave away. He was always finding a cause, from youth homes, to soup kitchens. As his wealth increased, so did his donations. Eventually he became so successful that he was a self-made millionaire. He helped everyone he knew to have a better life. He helped countless charities and organizations. He gave it all away to anyone who needed it. He had never felt more successful.

Just as he felt his life had reached a comfortable place, he had a fateful visit to the doctor. He had been feeling a little off, and decided to check into his health, something he had not always paid attention to, for the sake of working. When the doctor returned with the news that he had terminal cancer, with only a few months to live, he did not experience the crushing grief that most people did. Instead he felt a deep sense of gratitude. He knew that cancer would have come to him whether he was successful or not. Being told that he was going to die was not easy, but knowing that he had done his best to live his life fully, to achieve his dreams and his goals, offered him a deep sense of comfort. When he shared this truth with others around him, it only reinforced what they already knew of him. The young man was wise, far beyond his years. He had been born with a kind and generous spirit, and had done more with his thirty-two years than most would ever do in one hundred. Knowing that he only had so much time remaining Dominick focused on giving his money away to everyone and everything who might need it. He made sure his mother and sister had everything they needed, and would need for the rest of their lives. They wept together, they laughed together, they spoke the words to one another that most never had the chance to, and for that Dominick was grateful too. He had the chance to say goodbye, to tell the people he care for most all of the things he might have been too busy to say in the past. Even as his health declined he had a smile for those around him, and was offering career advice to his sister and his young nieces and nephews. He was focused on what the world could offer, not as much to him, as to those around him. He wanted them to open their eyes to the fact that the only limitations they possessed were the ones that they allowed. There was nothing more beautiful than spending time with his family, then letting his last moments fade away with the laughter of his mother and sister, with their warm and loving touches, with their whispers of gratitude for the lives that he had provided for them. He asked them not to grieve, though they knew it would be impossible. He asked them not to suffer, but to celebrate, as he had striven to do his entire life. They uttered their promises, and grasped his hand, wishing they could hold on to him.

But Dominick did not cling, he embraced death the same way he had embraced life, with the full force of his dedication and hope. To him it was just a transition from one form of life to another.

At thirty-two his physical life had reached an end, but the people who knew him, knew better than to believe in that end. His life, his personality, his choices had left an permanent impression on the world he had been born into, the world he had changed in so many ways. The generosity he had extended to the world around him was a gesture that would be whispered from ear to ear for many centuries. Because he had sought to earn the wealth he did, so many people, programs, and charities had been enriched and inspired. The greatest aspect of his tale, was that his millions were not born from turning to a life of crime, as many in his position did, but from hard work and determination. Never once had he given in to the notion that taking from others could lead to success. Instead he had believed that with hard work he could accomplish anything. He had set an example that no matter how impoverished of a lifestyle a person led, the greatest success could be achieved. Perhaps he would never have a child to teach or to raise, but instead he left behind every single person he had ever touched or interacted with, whom he had taught so much to, just by being who he was.