A Turning Point in My Life
this life to feel happiness. Today, I felt my spirit of life, see
my poor pockets and feel God in the eyes of the people.
Share this moment of my life
Angela Maria Gomez Duque is from Colombia, has a master’s degree in
Communications, and taught Humanities at Technology University in
Colombia. She studies with Neva Blackstock’s ESL class at Jacksonville
Public Library.
A Turning Point
Beautiful to me is a moment in time when a new life
changes everything in your life and the way you see things.
It started the day I met Amanda. When we met, she was in
a bad relationship, and I was not in a good place in my life.
I was selling drugs and dealing with the streets, but we
became close friends. One day she called me pleading to
come and pick her up because the man she was with hit her
when she said she was pregnant. I got in my car and went
to her house. As I approached her parking lot, I could see
them arguing. Getting out of my car, I saw him hit her in
the face. Back then I had no patience, especially for a man
hitting a woman. I reacted by shoving him into his
apartment. I pushed him against the wall at the same time
telling Amanda to get her stuff and go to the car. Looking
into this man’s eyes, I could see fear, sadness, and hate, and
all I could feel was anger and sorry for him, and not the
good kind of sorry. I told this man that if he ever laid a
finger on her again that I’d be serving time in prison for his
demise. As time went by, Amanda and I became more than
friends. I loved her and from my understanding, she felt the
same. She motivated me to do well and be a better man. I’ve
never been a dad or a husband, so this was my first
experience dealing with a pregnant woman. I did everything
to make her comfortable from foot and back rubs, late night
runs to the store, and trips the hospital for labor pains.
It was on July 25, 2009 at 12:59 A.M. when I cut the
umbilical cord of De’Anthony Joel Nunez. He was born 7
lbs. 5 oz. and 19 inches. Whoever knew that someone this
small would change my life forever? The life I lived, the
things I did, the person I was, was no longer. When I looked