Wesley
I rushed away from Keysha’s house as quickly as I could. I was so angry, irritated and annoyed with myself. I didn’t understand why my thirst for alcohol was strong, but it was. In Jordan’s office, I had stood and sucked down a wine cooler like water going down a drain. There was a longing deep inside me that I couldn’t control. I thought I had my cravings completely managed but apparently I had a relapse. Feeling as if I were fighting against a monster that knew me better than I knew myself scared me.
A sense of relief washed over me when I finally made it to my charred home. I used my door key to gain access. The house still had a smoky odor to it that was pungent, but at that moment I didn’t care. I was just happy to be indoors. Thrilled to have a place to stay even though it was barely inhabitable. I locked the door and made my way up to my bedroom. Opened my window so that fresh cold air could come in. I went to my closet and grabbed all of the blankets I could find and spread them across my bed. When I finally got situated on my mattress, I pulled the blankets above my head and cried, but only for a moment. I hated the fact that I was so emotional. I cried just enough to release my initial pain and then made myself stop. I swallowed down all of the pain I was feeling until I was able to contain it. Once I got my emotions in order, a sense of loneliness came over me. Then came my sense of confusion and hopelessness. In order to rid my mind of those demons, I said a little prayer and then drifted off to sleep.
* * *
I awoke to the sound of construction workers unloading equipment from their trucks. Tossing back the blankets, I exposed myself to a room that was so cold I could see the smoke of my breath escaping my lips. When I got up to close the window, I noticed crystal-white frost covering the lawn. After I closed the window, I went into the bathroom to get myself ready to head to the hospital to see my dad.
When I arrived at the hospital to see him later that day he was looking much better. He was sitting upright in his bed and being spoon-fed by one of the nurses.
“You look like you’re feeling better today,” I said as I entered the room and sat down on a nearby chair.
“Yeah, I’m feeling a little bit better every day,” said my dad as the nurse encouraged him to finish up the Jell-O he was eating. Once the nurse was done feeding him, she left the room to go check on her other patients.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” my father asked.
“Nothing,” I answered with a phony smile.
“Wesley—” he gave me a serious look “—what’s going on?” he asked again. I was trying to figure out how to tell about my relapse but I couldn’t bare to tell him.
“I know you better than you know yourself, Wesley. Now tell me what happened.”
I was finding it very difficult to share my demons with him because I feared that I’d disappoint him and that’s the last thing I wanted to do.
“Did something happen at the house?” he asked.
“No,” I answered.
“Did something happen at school?” he asked. I could tell that he was going to go through the process of elimination in order to get to the truth.
“Did something—”
“I had a relapse,” I finally blurted out. My dad was silent for long moment. He just looked at me with a blank stare. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking but I knew whatever it was, it wasn’t good.
“How did it happen?” he finally asked.
“I don’t know.” I paused in thought. “Mom kicked me out of the house because I refused to give her money out of your account. When she kicked me out, I guess that hurt me and depressed me to the point of a relapse.” I was silent for a long moment. I expected my dad to say something but he didn’t. He just listened to me. “I have trouble dealing with stress,” I admitted. “When I’m feeling overwhelmed the urge to drink consumes me and this time I lost control over the urge. I would like to start going back to the therapy sessions so that I can become stronger.”
“You’re a good son, Wesley,” my dad assured me. “You’re responsible, you’re caring and you’re honest. The fact that your mom has tried to manipulate you is not only upsetting but it’s sad. I’m sorry that you have to go through that.”
“I thought you’d be mad at me,” I said.
“I’m not mad at you, Wesley. I am concerned about your well-being, though. I think that continuing on with therapy is an excellent idea.” At that moment the nurse came back into the room with a small container of pills and a cup of water.
“Okay, it’s time to take your medicine,” she said. My dad grumbled. I knew that he didn’t like taking the medication. After the nurse left my dad focused his attention back on me.
“The medicine makes me very drowsy,” he said. “The doctor will come through later on to unwrap my hands and forearms. It will be the first time I’ve seen my hands since the accident. I hope they still look normal.” He looked at his bandaged hands for a moment.
“It doesn’t matter what they look like,” I said to him. “What matters most to me is that you’re okay.”
“I’m going to have to go through physical therapy to get the strength back in them.”
“And I’ll be there to help,” I reminded him.
“I know you will.” My dad paused in thought. “So, where are you sleeping?” he asked.
“At the house. It’s not so bad. A little smoky but I can deal with it,” I said.
“Pick up the phone and dial your mother and then hold the phone up to my ear,” he said. “I’ll straighten this thing out about her putting you out of the house. I swear, some of the things she does are absolutely crazy.”
“If it’s all the same to you, Dad, I’d really rather just stay at the house. For real, it’s not that bad. Besides, that way I can keep an eye on the progress of the reconstruction.”
“I’m not sure about that, Wesley.”
“Dad, trust me. I’m not going to do anything crazy. I can handle being there unsupervised. Please, just let me stay.”
He locked his gaze upon me for a while before speaking. “Okay. But let’s get some rules put in place.”
“Let me guess. No houseguests.”
“Yes,” he said. “And be responsible, Wesley.”
“Dad, I’m not going to let you down,” I said.
“Okay.” We talked for a little while longer before he drifted off to sleep.
* * *
I left the room and headed downstairs to the gift shop where I purchased a copy of the local community newspaper. Then I came back to my father’s room, sat down and began reading. Flipping through the pages, I came across an article about two sisters who were sent to youth court for videotaping a fight they’d gotten into with another girl and then posting the video on a computer. I began reading the article.
Two Sisters Accused for Assaulting a Student
Three teenagers from Harvey, IL, were arrested and sent to the judge after a video showing them assaulting a fourth teen was posted on the Internet. The three attackers are sisters who assaulted a fourth girl who was walking home from school. According to authorities, the three sisters followed their victim for several blocks before attacking her in a small city park. Police reports indicate that the reason for the attack centers on the victim spreading false rumors around their high school campus about one of the sisters being HIV-positive.
The video clip showing the attack had been downloaded to a particular computer at their high school and then subsequently posted on the Internet. When school officials became aware of the video they contacted the police, who, with the help of other students, quickly identified the attackers. The mother of the three attackers explained that she doesn’t understand why her children resorted to violence to resolve their conflict. In the juvenile hearing, the assistant state’s attorney asked Judge Nancy Hill to send a clear message that violence in our communities will not be tolerated.
“Assault is a serious offense for adults, let alone teenagers, and the fact that they videotaped it is even more disturbing,” said Judge Hill, who sentenced the girls to sixty days at a local juvenile detention center.
I stopped reading the newspaper because Keysha and her situation were consuming my thoughts. The article had sparked a brilliant idea. I quickly began forming a plan in my mind. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that, if properly executed, it would work. I put the newspaper down and began pacing the floor. I continued formulating my ingenious plan. When it all finally came together I clapped my hands. I’d just figured out a way to turn the tables on Liz Lloyd and get Keysha out of trouble at the same time. Now all I had to do was hope that she’d forgive me and give me a chance to make everything up to her.