As the wind blew, the white spots of white clouds stood still above the earth. At a temperature of about 91 degrees Fahrenheit on a sunny April day, the heat didn't seem to bother Rick Prophet and Garth Genter as they sat almost at the top of the ackee tree. 
The boys lived on the tropical island of Jamaica, in the West Indies. In the small town of Seaforth, located in the Parish of St. Thomas, Rick and Garth had no troubles or fear about life. On that Saturday afternoon in 1979, Rick and Garth were happy and eager to find out more about life. They always had deep discussions about visiting the land of the roses.
Rick made sure they were positioned in the tree so his grandmother couldn't see them. His grandmother was terrified that one day Rick would fall from the tree and seriously hurt himself. The boys loved climbing the ackee tree to sit and talk. There was always a breeze at the top of the tree and the view was terrific. You could see for miles. At 10 years old, Rick and Garth were inquisitive about the world and wanted badly to explore it. One of the biggest things these boys wanted was the opportunity to visit the land of rose garden. At a time when most 10 year old American kids wanted toys, and video games these boys wanted the opportunity to visit the land of the roses, America.
Growing up in Jamaica, Rick and Garth heard a lot about America. The place sounded like paradise. They always heard fantastic things about this place. They didn't really know what made the place so special but it sounded great. In their minds America was a place you could get anything you wanted. It was a place much better than were they were now. They always heard about low prices, abundant toys, play grounds, pools, tall buildings, 24 hours per day multiple color television stations, and a lot more. One day Rick and Garth saw kids on TV playing in a park. The park had see saws, monkey bars and swings. The boys wished they would one day have a change to visit a place like that. If they did, they'd love it. Most of what they heard about America was from other people. Everyone talked about going to America. If someone visited there home town from America they were looked upon as very fortunate people.