Personal Story
I walked in the room, my sister was trying to fix her
mouth. By that time she was having a stroke. My stepfather
was in the living room on the phone with 911. He threw the
phone to me and said, "Finish talking." I picked up the
receiver and told the dispatcher my mother is dying, "Please
hurry." I dropped the phone on the floor and hurried into the
room. My brother was in the chair with a knife to his throat
just sitting there. I looked confused around the room
wondering, “where did my mind go?” I snatched the knife.
He was looking lost. I really didn't know what to do. After
about an hour or so, no one had arrived; it was hard to get in
touch with my older siblings. At that time it was 8 o'clock in
the morning and the ambulance finally arrived. They told us
to go next door. We already knew what that meant. The
love of my life was dead, and my world was crushed.
Vernelma Black is a student at Santa Rosa Adult School in Milton,
Florida. Her teacher is Ray Gentry.