Mother's son

Every so often, as the car comes to a halt at the traffic junction,a truck load of foreigner workers stops beside. These mother's precious sons, toil in under the blazing sun, working with toxic chemicals at contruction sites or at shipyards. Many coming from some of the world's most populace countries. India and China. Ironically these are the two countries, where the male offspring is the most sought after. Where female fetus are aborted or killed upon birth. Often wondered what these men's childhood had been like. Did they, like our boys here at 7, put on a neat set of uniform, spotless pair of shoes, a bag on the shoulder proudly being led to school by their parents? To seek an education. A means to crawl out of the poverty circle. What were their ambitions? When did their innocence childhood shatter? When they had to go hungry? When were they forced to leave their mother's ambit? When the grumbling tummy became unbearable?