The "Faces Of Strangers: #44" Story

Keon Sr.

 It was an ordinary day.  The sky had just opened and began to drench the colorful Caribbean shacks with liquid charm.  I hustled into the nearest doorway and was greeted with the smiling face of the cutest soon to be two-year-old little boy on the island of Providenciales (Provo).  I must have startled him since he instantly hustled toward his father who was enjoying a plate of island fish.  I asked his dad if I could take a photo of his son and he readily agreed.  Seemed that the rain eased off just at the right instant and I had him sit by the window for a photograph.  I showed the result to the young boy and pulled a $1 from my pocket and handed it to him. His eyes lit up as he ran to his father to hide behind his arm.  I introduced myself to him and he told me his son's name was Keon and having his second birthday in another week.  

Keon Jr.

We began talking and Keon's father, Keon Sr. told me he had been born on Provo which is an island in the Turks and Caicos chain of islands, but his son was born in Miami, Florida shortly after moving to the States. He eventually was forced to return to Provo because his paperwork wasn't in order.  Shortly my wife and friends Jerry and Just Sue found me talking with Keon Sr. and sat with me as we got to know him and hear his story.  Extremely interesting and intellectual young man who worries his native country is making many mistakes in government as well as in the private sector.  The island has one source of income ... tourism, and they are beginning to overprice that base group out of existence.  Provo has no exports to speak of, except maybe conch which is plentiful in the waters around the islands, and offers very little to its residents as far as wages and benefits.  Keon Sr. had a worried look when he talked of his son's future on the island.  He wants a better life for him and wonders if his U.S. citizenship will eventually help him succeed in life.  Over the past fifteen years of traveling throughout the Caribbean, I must say this young man impressed me more than any other islander I have met.  My hopes are that he will be able to find a good life for his family and be a success in what ever he attempts.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.