Inna di heart of Kingston, Jamaica, di sun beat down hot pon di zinc roof, and di streets full of life and tension. Yuh could feel di pulse of di garrison, where every bwoy from di corner shop to di barbershop have dem story. But fi a certain youth named Wayne, life inna di ghetto was more than just survival; it was a constant battle fi prove him strength.
From him a likkle bwoy, Wayne was known fi him hard face and tougher heart. Him grow up inna a one-room board house, where di zinc roof rattle whenever rain fall, and di walls barely hold up against di wind. But it wasn't di house dat shaped Wayne; it was di streets. Di garrison neva easy, but Wayne neva back down. Him learn from early out seh yuh haffi defend yuhself, and dat weakness only lead to pain. Him see him fadda get shot down right in front of him, and dat moment burn inna him memory like a fire weh neva out. Him madda struggle hard fi put food pon di table, but di tears weh she cry neva leave Wayne mind. Fi him, badness was di only way fi survive.
Di older Wayne get, di more him embrace di image of di bad man. Him walk di streets like a lion, pants hang low, cock up on di side, and a spliff always inna him hand. Him neva show fear, neva show weakness. Di whole community look up to him as a "top shotta," a youth who nuh afraid fi draw him blade or buss a shot if him feel disrespected. But behind di tough exterior, Wayne carry a pain dat neva ease up.
Every night when Wayne lie down pon di old mattress inna di one-room house him share with him madda, di memories come back like duppy. Him fadda's death haunt him, and di sight of him madda struggling to make ends meet cut him deep. Wayne promise himself seh him neva go be weak, neva go be a victim like him fadda. But even as him rise inna di streets, di emptiness inside him grow.
Di streets of Kingston nuh easy, and every day is a test fi Wayne. Him learn fi move silent, fi listen more than him talk, and fi always be ready fi anything. But despite all di respect him gain, di peace him search for stay outta reach. Deep down, Wayne know seh di bad man life nuh bring nothing but pain, but him also know seh it's di only life him know.
It was one cool evening when trouble finally reach Wayne door. A bwoy named Tony, from di next lane, start chat off him mouth. Tony did have a chip pon him shoulder, and him feel seh Wayne a pretend fi be something him nuh real. "Wayne a nuh real bad man, him just a act tough," Tony seh to anybody who would listen. Di words spread like wildfire, and soon enough, it reach Wayne ears.
Di words cut Wayne deep, because even though him play di role of di bad man, inside him heart, doubt always linger. But inna di garrison, yuh can’t afford fi look soft. Yuh haffi defend yuh name. So Wayne make up him mind seh Tony haffi pay fi di disrespect.
Di night was cool, di kind of night where di breeze blow soft and di streetlight cast long shadows. Wayne step out, di iron tuck neat inna him waist. Him spot Tony pon di corner, chatting with a few youts. Wayne approach slow, di weight of di situation heavy pon him shoulders, but him mask it with di bad man façade.
"Yuh chat too much, bwoy," Wayne seh, voice cold like ice. "Yuh feel seh yuh can run yuh mouth and nuh face di consequence?"
Tony look up, eyes widen in shock. Him try fi backpedal, but Wayne already make up him mind. Before Tony coulda finish seh, "Wayne, mi neva mean fi disrespect yuh, mi just—" Wayne draw di gun. Di barrel point straight at Tony chest, and time freeze. All Wayne coulda hear was di pounding of him own heart. Di whole area dead silent, like di very breeze hol' its breath.
Just as Wayne finger tighten pon di trigger, a voice cut through di tension like a knife. "Wayne, mi beg yuh, nuh do it."
Wayne look up and see Miss Pearl, an old woman from di lane who always treat him like her own. Miss Pearl was one of those women who everybody respect. She was di kind of elder who people listen to, because she always have a kind word and a wisdom dat come from years of struggle.
Miss Pearl step forward, her eyes full of worry and sadness. "Yuh nah fi go dung dis road, mi son," she seh, her voice gentle but firm. "Mi know seh yuh strong, but badness nuh bring nothing but sorrow. Yuh madda woulda bawl if she lose yuh too."
For a moment, Wayne feel weak. Di weight of di gun heavy inna him hand. Him think bout all di pain him been through, di anger, di fear. But him also think bout him madda, di tears she cry when him fadda dead, and di tears she would cry fi him if him go down di same path. Him hand start fi shake, and slowly, Wayne lower di gun. Him look at Tony, who still a tremble, and seh, "Yuh lucky tonight, bwoy. But nuh mek mi catch yuh again."
Wayne turn and walk away, di gun still inna him hand, but di bad man image start fi crumble. As him step through di darkness, him realize seh being a bad man nuh mean nothing if it only lead to more blood and tears. Maybe, just maybe, Wayne could find a different way fi survive, one weh nuh involve living like a shadow inna di night.
From dat night, something shift inside Wayne. Di confrontation with Tony, and di words from Miss Pearl, mek him start fi question di life him been living. Fi years, Wayne believe seh strength come from fear and respect, but now him start fi see dat true strength might be something different. Di streets still tough, and di struggle still real, but Wayne decide seh him nah go be just another bad man story.
Di next morning, Wayne sit down with him madda fi di first time in a long while. She look at him with tired eyes, full of love and worry. "Wayne, mi know yuh been through a lot, but yuh have a choice," she seh. "Yuh can live fi di streets, or yuh can live fi something better."
Wayne neva hear him madda talk to him like dat before. Di tears inna her eyes tell him seh she mean every word. Fi years, Wayne been blind to di pain him cause her by living di life of a bad man. But now, him see it clear. Him promise himself seh him nah go mek her cry like dat again.
But change nuh come easy. Di streets of Kingston nuh forgive or forget. Wayne know seh if him turn him back pon di bad man life, him haffi deal with di consequences. But di more him think bout it, di more him realize seh di bad man life only lead to one of two things: death or prison. And Wayne nuh want fi end up like him fadda, or like di countless youths who dead before dem even reach twenty-five.
Wayne start fi pull back from di streets, but di streets nuh pull back from him. People start fi notice seh Wayne nuh deh pon di corner as much, nuh run with di crew like before. Some say him gone soft, some say him find God. But fi Wayne, it nuh matter what people say. Him know seh di road him walk on before would only end in destruction.
Him spend more time with him madda, helping out round di house, doing odd jobs fi mek some money. Him even start fi read a book or two, something him neva do before. But di old life still call to him, like a siren inna di night. Him still feel di urge fi pick up di iron when things get rough, still feel di need fi prove him strength.
One evening, Wayne walk through di lane and see a group of youts hanging out by di corner. Dem a chat loud and laugh, full of di energy and recklessness dat come with youth. One of dem, a likkle bwoy named Jermaine, look up to Wayne like a big brother. Jermaine always follow Wayne, mimicking him every move, trying fi live up to di bad man image Wayne used to carry so proudly.
"Wayne, weh yuh deh pon nowadays? Yuh nuh come round di corner no more," Jermaine seh, a hint of disappointment inna him voice.
Wayne look at Jermaine and see a younger version of himself. He see di same hunger fi respect, di same drive fi prove himself. But now, Wayne also see di path dat hunger would lead Jermaine down, and it mek him heart heavy.
"Jermaine, mi haffi mek a change, yuh know. Di life weh yuh a try live nuh have no happy ending. Mi learn dat di hard way," Wayne seh, trying fi reach di youth before it's too late.
But Jermaine nuh ready fi listen. "Nah, Wayne, mi haffi mek mi own way. Mi haffi prove seh mi strong."
Wayne feel di frustration rise up inside him, but instead of getting angry, him take a deep breath. "Mi understand, Jermaine. But just remember, strength nuh always mean fi fight or fi carry gun. Sometime di strongest thing a man can do is walk away from trouble."
Jermaine nuh look convinced, but Wayne could see di seed of doubt plant inna him mind. Wayne hope dat one day, di youth would understand, just like how he did.
As Wayne move further away from di bad man life, di streets test him willpower more and more. Di old crew start fi call him out, seh him lose him edge, seh him nuh real no more. One night, dem even show up pon him yard, trying fi drag him back into di life.
"Wayne, yuh cyaan just walk away so. We haffi settle things first," di leader of di crew, a man named Biggs, seh, stepping forward with a menacing grin.
Wayne stand firm, even though him could feel di tension inna di air. "Mi done with di badness, Biggs. Mi nuh want nuh more blood pon mi hands."
Biggs laugh, but it was a cold, hard laugh. "Yuh think yuh can just turn yuh back and walk away? It nuh work so, bredda. Yuh inna dis life till di end."
Wayne could see di other men watching him, waiting fi him response. Di old Wayne woulda reach fi di iron and settle it right deh so. But di new Wayne understand dat dis was a test of will, not strength.
"Biggs, mi respect yuh, but mi nah go down dat road again. If yuh want fi deal wid mi, yuh haffi know seh mi nah fight yuh. Mi done with dat," Wayne seh, his voice steady.
Biggs eyes narrow, as if him try fi decide if Wayne serious or just fraid. After a long moment, Biggs finally nod. "Alright, Wayne. Mi nuh agree with yuh, but mi nah go force yuh hand. Just know seh di streets nuh forget, and yuh haffi live wid di choices yuh mek."
With dat, Biggs and di crew walk away, leaving Wayne standing alone inna di dark. Fi a moment, Wayne wonder if him make di right choice, if him really have di strength fi walk dis new path. But den him think bout him madda, and di tears dat would fall if she lose him. Dat thought give him di strength fi keep going.
Months pass, and slowly but surely, Wayne start fi build a new life. Him find work as a handyman, doing small repairs around di community. Him madda smile more often now, and di lines of worry dat once crease her face start fi fade. Wayne even start fi help out di likkle youts inna di lane, teaching dem how fi fix things, how fi avoid di traps of di streets.
But di road to redemption nuh easy, and di past still linger like a shadow. Some people still whisper behind him back, still doubt di change inna him. But Wayne learn fi block out di noise, fi focus on di future instead of di past.
One day, as Wayne fix a roof fi Miss Pearl, di old woman who save him life dat night, she look up at him with a proud smile. "Wayne, yuh mek mi proud. Yuh prove seh yuh stronger than di streets."
Wayne smile back, feeling a sense of peace dat him neva feel before. Fi di first time inna a long while, him feel like him find him true self. Him realize dat strength nuh come from fear or violence, but from di courage to change and di will fi do better.
As di sun set behind di hills of Kingston, painting di sky with shades of orange and red, Wayne look out over di community. Di journey was long, and di road was rough, but Wayne know seh him finally find di right path. Di bad man life was behind him now, and in front of him was a future full of possibilities.
Wayne was no longer just another bad man story. He was a story of change, of redemption, and of di strength dat come from choosing a different path.