"Only bad experience me have wid my mother," Marlon Dukesaid as he reeled off a string of things he claimed that his mother did to him. He said whenever he disobeyed her mother, she would beat him, especially on his head.

"From mi little and a grow, mi can remember dat she always beat me inna mi head," Duke said while noting that he became epileptic at age 14, because of the blows to his head.

His claim that the blows to his head resulted in his epileptic condition is not far-fetched. Dr Patrick Bhoorasingh, Senior Medical Officer at the Kingston Public Hospital, says head injury is a likely cause of the epilepsy. "It is a possibility but I wouldn't say it's the main cause, as there are other causes. Head trauma is known to cause epilepsy."

Father's death

Duke said his life was turned upside down when his father died. At 16 years old, his mother wanted him to stop attending school. He claimed that she wanted him to work and take care of his two younger siblings instead. He refused, he said, and because of threats, ended up living with a stranger for more than a year, until he graduated from high school. He graduated without any exam passes.

During the time he was away from home, his mother never checked to see how he was, he said.

But there are at least two sides to every story, and when The Gleaner spoke with Marie Gordon,Duke's mother, this is the first thing she said: "Duke is very fantastic."

She explained that she has two bigger girls and she wished they were boys because as boys they would have taken care of her as much as her son did. "Dukie a di big man. Everyone tell me say a shoulda only bwoy mi have," she announced proudly. Gordon said Duke was always well behaved, even when the girls caused her problems.

"All a di girl dem mek mi curse but Dukie don't give any trouble at all. Is a man who don't talk much and when the bigger one dem mek mi curse bad word, not Dukie."

So you might be wondering, if Duke is to be believed, why did she treat him so badly? Gordon said Duke was always beating his sisters so she had to beat him. However, she said she never hit him on his head.

Scar on the heart

"No sah, mi only beat him pan him hand and him (bottom)." However, she seemed upset when the other allegations by her son were raised.

Mother and son gave contrasting versions of their relationship in the past. However, one thing is clear in all this; Duke still longs for his mother's care. He also misses his father whose death has left a scar on his heart forever, because of the relationship they shared.

"Most time me feel down and cry because mi father used to show me love and him gone." He believes that he would have been a better man if his father were still alive. However, Duke is living on the sweet memories that were shared between them.

"On holidays, him used to buy we stuff. Give we a little pocket money and say 'spend it wisely'. Friday night when him get pay, no matter how late him come, we always sit up and wait for him," he said.

A Christian since age 18, Duke has only one wish for his mother: that she turns her life over to God. He thinks if she does this, all good things will follow and their relationship will be better.

Real names withheld to protect their identities.