A Friend to Teens

“What’s your name?” “My name’s Hank.” “You go to school at Patterson, don’t you?” “Yeah. I’m a Patterson creep.” “A Patterson creep? What does that mean?’ “It means, I hate the school.” “Is that why we’re here? Because you hate school?” “I didn’t say I hate school. I said I hate THE school.” “So, it’s just Patterson that has you so upset?” “Yeah.” “Tell me why you are so upset with Patterson?” “Why? Can you help me?” “I can try to help. But I have to know the problem first.” “The problem is…..” He dropped his head. Pat could see tears. “Hank, look at me,” Pat said. He figured if he could look the kid in the eyes he would know if this was a drug problem. “Why should I?” “Because I want to help you and I want to evaluate your condition.” “My condition, what’s that mean?” “Have you ever heard that the eyes are the road into the soul?” “What kind of crap is that?” “You may think it’s crap, but I’ve been trained to see things. Look me in the eye and I’ll show you.” The kid raised his head and his eyes met Pat’s. “So what does that tell you?” “It tells me you are on heroin. It tells me that you aren’t very hooked yet. And it tells me that you won’t need another fix for about six hours. It tells me that not long ago you took a hit. And it was probably that hit that set you off on this course of action. Do you really want to kill yourself?” “Shut up, man.” “Okay.” Pat waited about three minutes and then decided that he had to go on. While he was waiting, he moved closer to the bridge and took a seat next to Hank. “Hank, they tell me that you are going to blow yourself up. Is that true?” “Yes, that’s true.” “How are you going to do it?” “I’ve got some C4 here. I understand that it blows real good.” As he spoke, he reached into his book bag and pulled out a package. He laid it on his legs and unwrapped it. Pat wasn’t sure what C4 was supposed to look like, but he felt certain that this stuff was it. Hank very carefully lifted it up. Again, Pat knew very little about C-4, but in the back of his mind he remembered that it had to be set up somehow. Some kind of a detonator had to be set up. He could see nothing but the clump of clay-looking substance. “So, do you think this is enough to do away with myself?” “Probably is,” Pat agreed. “This stuff is awesome.” “Hank, where did you get this? I mean, I know it isn’t at the supermarket or in any store around here. Where did you get it?” “I have a friend. His father is7 a construction worker. They use this stuff all the time to blow away big rocks and stuff. I asked him if he could get his hands on some and he did.” “That wasn’t just today, was it?” “Hell, no. I’ve had this for about six months, I guess.” “So you just decided to use it today?” “Yes. When I decided to kill myself, this was the easiest thing I could think of.” “Hank. Talk to me. Tell me what the problem is. Is it just the drugs making you think this way, or is there really a problem?” “My dad just found out about the drugs.” “And he’s upset because of that?” “Yes. Upset to the point where he threw me out of the house.” “Did he?” “He literally threw me out of the house. You know you see those things in cartoons where someone is grabbed by the back of the neck and the seat of his pants? Well, that’s what my dad did to me.” “So, you think he really meant it, don’t you.” “Yeah, I know he really meant it.” “How are you otherwise? What kind of a son are you?” “What do you mean?” “Do you cause trouble at home? Are you smart-mouthed to everyone? Do you talk back to your parents? Do you ignore the rules they set down for you? Do you get good grades? Do you mouth off to the teachers? Do you cause trouble in any of your classes?” “I don’t cause no trouble.” “I can’t imagine a father throwing his son out of the house without problems beforehand.” “Yeah? Well, you just don’t know my dad.” “How did he find out about the drugs?” “He walked in on me this morning. I was getting ready to go out with the guys and I was shooting up. He actually walked in on me. He didn’t knock or anything. He just opened the door and walked in.” “Some parents don’t understand the concept of privacy. How do you take the heroin?” Hank held out his arms and had the elbows facing down. “Can you see how I get it?” “Yes. But your parents never noticed your arms before?” “No, I’ve been wearing long sleeves for most of my life.” “How long have you been using?” “About a year. No, maybe eight months or so.” “Why did you start?” “My girl wanted to attend a party. And a pre-requisite of those parties is getting high.” “Do all of your friends use?” “Yes, most of them.” “So, you want a way to get back into the good graces of your father?” “I want to have a home I can go to. And that ain’t happening with my father.” “If I could get you set up in a safe house, will that do?” “What do you mean ‘a safe house’?” “I mean a place you can live without worry.” “Under what conditions?” “Yes, there are always conditions, aren’t there?” Pat shook his head at the kid. “The conditions will certainly include no drugs.” “So, I have to get off drugs?” “Yes.” “How do I do that?” “You aren’t very heavily using right now. It shouldn’t be too difficult.” “Okay, let’s say that I get off the drugs. Then what?” “Well, we can approach your father and tell him that you are clean. Ask him if he can forgive you and beg to come back home.” “So you think that I should grovel?” “Groveling is a very good way to go.” “You know you can almost convince me of that?” “What else do I need to say?” “Do you assume that I have just one problem?”