The Decision
My life is pretty normal. There was almost no drama I was involved in. Most of the time, I tried to get around all the troubles I faced. I didn't have a lot of decisionmaking. But, obstacles happen to everyone. You have to make hard choices. You need to clear your path for yourself. There was one story where it was hard for me to make a correct decision. In any situation, at any time, you always learn something, perhaps even a life lesson.
It was my second year in middle school when I was in 7th grade. I was pretty fluent when I spoke English, so I felt comfortable around my friends. It was a normal school year just like every other year. But, one day, when I came from the school bus, the principal called me over to talk about something. He led me into the kindergarten class. I looked around: little kids were everywhere, playing around, screaming, and laughing. And there, in the corner of the room, was a little boy in the wheelchair, playing alone.
The kindergarten teacher pointed at the boy, introducing him to me. His name was Anthony, and he was born in Ukraine. His story was really sad: He was born with a crooked spine. His eyes were crossed and he couldn’t walk. When he was born, his mother was really poor, and she didn’t have enough money to care for the child. As a result, she left him in an orphanage. Later, a di erent family found him there and took him to America. There, they took good care of him. They signed him up for kindergarten at Epiphany Catholic school. This school isn’t cheap at all. The boy only spoke Russian and didn’t know any English. Whenever he spoke with other kids, they didn’t understand him, and as a result, he didn’t have any friends. Anytime the teacher tried to talk to him about Ukraine, or his family, he became really sad and didn’t answer.
My parents were born in Ukraine, and I learned Russian from them too. Everyone in Epiphany knew about it, and they asked me if I could make friends with Anthony. Later that day at home, I asked for my mom’s advice. She said that it would be best if I tried to help the boy. It's not easy to communicate with someone who’s … not like you. I didn’t like how Anthony looked, and it was really hard for me to decide whether or not to start talking to him. But, for a moment I remembered what it was like for me to first come to middle school, knowing almost no English. I always thought I was not like all others. It was really hard for me to make new friends. Any time I tried to make a joke, something dumb came out. I couldn’t easily express my thoughts or my feelings. I always tried to get involved in the group, but it didn’t always end well. Anthony was in the same