by JR Thompson
“I did no such thing! But even if I did, why would you care? Can you honestly tell me you ain’t never done it?”
“I can tell you that. Not once in my life have I ever sniffed a marker.”
That was an interesting response. Billy couldn’t help but notice how specific she was with her answer. “But have you gotten high?” he asked.
“Billy… I’m not perfect.”
The fourteen-year-old smiled. He had the woman right where he wanted her, “So, I’ll take that as a yes.”
Mrs. Hendricks sighed. “I don’t know if I should tell you this, but yes, Billy, in my earlier years, I did get high from time to time… but that’s not something I’m proud of.”
“Maybe not but look at you now. It didn’t hurt you, Mrs. Hendricks. You’re sitting here raking in the big bucks.”
Mrs. Hendricks took a deep breath. “Billy, I had to work for what I have. I had to give up the drugs and chase after my dream. I went back to school and earned my G.E.D.—”
Billy chuckled sarcastically. “Your G.E.D.? You dropped out of school and think you got room to criticize me?”
“I’m not criticizing anybody, Billy. I’m trying to get you to understand.”
“Understand what?”
“That you are an American citizen and as such your future can be whatever you want it to be.”
“I ain’t gonna amount to nothing, Mrs. Hendricks. I ain’t like you. Can’t afford no college. Tired of school anyway. Ain’t about to get no fancy degree.”
“Why, Billy? You don’t have to have money to go to college. There are scholarships all over the place… Don’t you have any dreams? Anything you want to accomplish in your life?”
“I’ll probably be dead before I’m eighteen. Who cares about the future?”
“Young man, will you please listen to me?”
“I’m all ears,” Billy replied.
“You can be anything — a firefighter, a police officer, a doctor, a lawyer, a mayor, a governor, the—”
Billy chuckled. He hoped the woman didn’t truly expect him to buy into all of that. “You’re funny,” he said. “How many times a day do you give this speech?”
“I give it a lot, Billy. I’m not going to lie about that. But I give it because it’s true. I can’t stand to see young people drown themselves in sewage. Please, Billy. Please examine yourself. Please climb out of the sludge.”
Billy shook his head. “Are you finished?”
Mrs. Hendricks sighed again. “Yes, Billy. I am.”
“Can I go back to class now or is my momma comin’ to pick me up?”
“For now, you can go back to class. I’m waiting to hear from your probation officer before I make a final decision as to your consequences.”
“What does my probation officer have to do with anything? He ain’t in charge of the school.”
“No, Billy, he isn’t. But I would like to speak with him anyway.”
9
Rose tapped on Philip’s door, “Miss Abby Gainsworth is here to check-in.”
Covering the phone receiver, Philip told his secretary to send the girl back. As Rose left the room, he continued his call, “Yes, ma’am. Unfortunately, I have some clients scheduled to come in today. Otherwise, I would be there in a heartbeat… Billy’s supposed to stop by my office after school today; I’ll deal with him then… Yes, ma’am… I appreciate it… Feel free to call me anytime. Okay?... Alright. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
Abby ambled in alone and closed the door behind her. “Both of your foster parents have to work this afternoon?” Mr. Bones asked.
“Yeah. That’s what they said to tell you anyway.”
“Abby, you know how to address adults. Never just say ‘yeah.’ Try ‘yes, sir’; you’ll earn people’s respect.”
“Mr. Bones, have you ever heard me say, ‘Yes, sir?’… I’ll answer that question for you… no, you haven’t. I haven’t said it, and I’m not going to. Believe it or not, we still live in America and our right to free speech has yet to be taken away.”
Mr. Bones picked a pen up off his desk and rolled it between his hands.
Abby wasn’t finished. “Um… do you know that music you’re playing is Christian?”
“Yes, I do.”
“I find that offensive. The court system says I have to come in here and see you. It doesn’t say you have the right to cram your religious beliefs down my throat. I don’t believe in God, and I don’t want to hear that garbage. You gonna turn it off or am I going to do it for you?”
Mr. Bones shook his head. Meetings with Abby were always interesting. The girl’s middle name should have been Drama. Even though Mr. Bones tried to make his clients semi-comfortable, he did not cater to bullies. “Isn’t that interesting?” he asked. “A moment ago, you were telling me about the freedoms we have here in America. Why is it that you have the freedom of expression and I don’t? Why is it so offensive for me to play the kind of music I enjoy while working in my own office?”
“Because you’re a government employee and there is a separation of church and state.”
“The First Amendment, Miss Abby, was written to ensure the government did not interfere in church-related affairs. It has absolutely nothing to do with a Christian’s right to listen to gospel music or to share the Word of God with others. However, unlike some of the clients who come into my office, I do care about the feelings of others. I am not so addicted to my music that I can’t turn it off when the need arises. Why don’t you try asking me nicely?”
“Sure,” Abby scoffed. “I’ll be as nice as I know how to be… Turn that stupid thing off before I throw it out the window, please.”
Mr. Bones smirked, “Ah, now that’s better,” he said. “Sorry, Abby. The radio stays on for this session. You touch it, and you’ll earn yourself an all-expenses-paid vacation to juvie. I will not think twice about pressing charges… From what I’m seeing and hearing this afternoon, my guess would be things haven’t improved any, right?”
“The Talbots gave their notice. We’re waiting for the agency to find a new placement. They’re dragging their feet like always, probably hoping the Talbots will change their minds.”
“You’ve been through, what, five foster homes during the last year? When are you going to get it, Abby? No one is going to put up with a smart-mouth. You need to learn some manners.”
“It’s not like I care about any of those foster families anyway! I just want to be an adult so I can move out on my own.”
Mr. Bones chuckled. Teenagers and their blindness to reality! If only she had a clue what the adult world was all about.
“I didn’t say anything funny,” Abby growled.
“I didn’t mean to laugh,” Mr. Bones replied. “But the truth is, with that attitude, you’re never going to hold down a job. How do you plan to pay your rent?”
“My rent?” Abby scoffed. “I’m going to buy a house as soon as I turn eighteen.”
Was there anything that girl didn’t have an answer for? What kind of dream-world was she living in? Even though he had failed at reaching her on multiple occasions, Mr. Bones decided to try again, “How much money do you have saved up?”
“That’s personal.”
“Nothing… Just as I suspected,” Mr. Bones replied.
Abby glared at him without saying a word.
“Let’s move on,” Mr. Bones told her. “How are things going at school?”
“Got my report card yesterday. One C and the rest were F’s. What’s that tell ya?”
“That you need to get it together and fast. You are smart enough to achieve better grades than that.”
“I’m gonna drop out as soon as I’m old enough, Mr. Bones. It doesn’t matter.”
The probation officer’s appointment with Abby seemed to soar into eternity. Month after month he tried to talk some sense into her, but she wasn’t going to learn anything until she hit rock bottom. It was heartbreaking. So much so, as a matter of fact, that Mr. Bones breathed a sigh of re
lief when she finally left his office.
For once, he was relieved to be meeting with a new client. Speaking with anyone else would be a breath of fresh air after that! Stepping into the lobby, he introduced himself to the scrawny, nervous teen. “Carlos?... “My name’s Mr. Bones… Is this your father?”
“Yes.”
“That’s yes, sir,” Mr. Bones corrected him.
Truly sounding apologetic, Carlos replied, “Yes, sir… Sorry, sir.”
Mr. Bones turned to his client’s father, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Estrada.”
“The pleasure is mine,” Mr. Estrada said in a voice so quiet it was nearly inaudible.
“If you gentlemen wouldn’t mind, please follow me back to my office.”
Mr. Bones wasted no time in getting down to business. “Initial meetings like this one generally take about an hour. To be honest, I have a lot going on today; I’m going to see if we can speed things up a bit. Hope that’s okay with you fellas.”
“Not a problem,” Mr. Estrada said.
“How about you, Carlos? Do you mind if we rush through this?”
“No, sir. Not at all.”
“Great. Carlos, I’ve got your file in front of me; looks like you’re here because you got caught sending inappropriate photos of yourself to a couple of girls at school. Tell me about that.”
The thirteen-year-old’s face colored, “I don’t know what to say.”
Mr. Bones leaned forward in his chair. “There’s no reason to be shy now, Carlos. If you can share indecent pictures of yourself, there’s no reason you can’t talk about what you sent.”
Mr. Estrada looked down at the floor, obviously as uncomfortable as his son was.
“I… uh…”
Mr. Bones didn’t have time to play around. He would never understand why people always wanted to delay embarrassing answers. It wasn’t like that was going to ease any humiliation they felt. It was going to be said one way or another. “Come on, Carlos. Spit it out! We can’t speed up this meeting if you keep stammering around… What kind of pictures did you send?”
Carlos looked as if he could cry. “Bad ones, okay?”
“How bad?”
“Do I seriously have to tell you this? Isn’t it in my report?”
“It is. But I always ask my clients to tell me exactly what transpired just in case something in my file was reported inaccurately. Tell me about these photos.”
Carlos twiddled his thumbs nervously, “It was just two pictures.”
“What were they of?”
The boy took a deep breath. “Of me… with no clothes on.”
“Full-body shots or of something specific?”
“Full-body.”
“And how did you manage to get full-body photos of yourself? Did you take the pictures or did someone else take them for you?”
“I took them myself, using the bathroom mirror.”
Mr. Bones wasn’t surprised. If he could only get a message out to the world warning of the dangers of modern-day electronics. If he had his way, it would be illegal for teens to have cell phones. They made it far too easy for young people to explore their sexual curiosities and get themselves in trouble.
Mr. Bones jotted down a note, “And these girls… how old were they?”
“Same age as me.”
That was a relief! According to state law, if the girls were more than three years younger than Carlos, they would really have a problem on their hands. Then again, had that been the case, more than likely he wouldn’t have been given the opportunity for probation.
“Did they send you pictures of themselves?”
“No, sir.”
“Did they request pictures of you?”
“No, sir. I just…” Carlos paused and looked at his father. It was obvious he wanted to be anywhere but that office.
“You just, what?” Mr. Bones asked.
“I thought it would be funny.”
Mr. Bones put his pen down. “Funny? How so?”
“I don’t know. I guess it was a lack of judgment.”
“Yeah, I’d say… Do you understand the seriousness of this offense, son?”
“Yes, sir.”
Mr. Bones took a deep breath. The expression on the boy’s face spoke nothing of remorse. Perhaps he was too young or too immature to grasp the significance of what had taken place. The probation officer turned his attention to the father for a moment, “Mr. Estrada, is this your son’s first offense with something like this?”
“This is the furthest he has taken things… but he has acted out sexually for years.”
“Has he ever touched anyone against their will?”
“No, sir. It’s mostly just doing things to draw attention to himself.”
Mr. Bones breathed a sigh of relief. It could be worse, “Is he seeing a counselor?”
“No, sir. We’ve tried that route but weren’t very impressed with the results.”
“I understand, but due to the nature of the crime at hand, I need you to take your son in for a psychological assessment. I want him in counseling for at least the next ninety days.”
“Yes, sir… I can do that.”
Mr. Bones picked his pen back up. It was time to add a higher level of awkwardness to the conversation. “Mr. Estrada… I hate to ask this, but has your son ever been sexually abused?”
Mr. Estrada shook his head, “No, not that I know of.”
Mr. Bones tried to read the look in the boy’s eyes, but he wasn’t the easiest client to read. “Carlos? Has something gone on that your father isn’t aware of?”
“No, sir.”
“Would you tell me if someone had abused you?”
“Uh… probably not. But I don’t know… I haven’t been though.”
“Okay. For now, I’m going to take your word for it.”
Of all of the clients he had, Mr. Bones always struggled the most with ones assigned to him for sexual-related offenses. Far too often he saw young men like Carlos go on to become serious sexual offenders and end up with their names affixed to an offender registry for the rest of their lives.
Once the teen and his father left the office, Mr. Bones bowed his head at his desk. He whispered a prayer for God to deliver Carlos from the temptations that could quite possibly destroy his future.
It wasn’t long before Rose brought Billy to his door, “Your frequent flyer’s here.”
“Thanks, Rose.”
“No problem.”
“Come on in, Billy.”
Billy complied without uttering a word.
“Have a seat. I want to hear all about this stolen marker and the high you got from it.”
10
Wearing an overstuffed backpack, Alden Wamboldt sat on the couch anxiously staring at the door.
“You might as well watch TV or something while you’re waiting,” his grandmother said.
Alden didn’t take his eyes off the door. “I’m too excited!” he said.
“I remember when you hated spending time with that man.”
Alden smiled, “Me too. But that was the old me.”
A knock met their ears. “I’ll get it!” Alden shouted before jumping out of his chair and sprinting to the door. Whipping it open, he grinned from ear to ear. “Do you want to come in or are we just going to head to your place?”
Mr. Bones chuckled. “Well, if you don’t mind, I’d like to at least come in and say hi to your grandmother for a second. I’m sure she’d like to have the opportunity to meet Billy.”
“Sure,” Alden said, returning to his chair.
“Mrs. Wamboldt, this is—”
“Hi, Billy,” she interrupted. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“You as well, ma’am.” Billy smiled at his probation officer as if the man owed him a cookie for being so mannerly.
“How has Alden been behaving himself?” Mr. Bones asked.
“Much better than he used to. I called the school this morning and Mr. Ponderosa said he’s done fine other
than that one hiccup the other day.”
“Glad to hear that. Way to go, Alden!”
Alden grinned. Up until recently, receiving compliments had been somewhat of a rarity.
“I’ve got a lot to do this weekend,” Mr. Bones said. “In addition to working with these guys, I’ve got to prepare my first sermon.”
“Your first sermon?” Alden’s smile broadened. “God did call you to preach?”
“He did indeed.”
“When are you preaching?”
“Sunday evening.”
“Grandma, I want to hear his first message!... Can I stay the whole weekend?”
Mrs. Wamboldt shook her head. “Alden, it’s rude to overstay your welcome. Mr. Bones invited you to spend one night. Not two.”
If there was one part of Alden’s personality that hadn’t changed, it was his stubbornness. Once his mind was set on something, it wasn’t easily changed. “Can I stay an extra night, Mr. Bones? Please?”
“Alden,” Mrs. Wamboldt snapped. “You don’t invite yourself to stay somewhere; wait for an invitation.” She looked at Mr. Bones, trying to gauge his thoughts on the matter.
“It’s okay with me, Mrs. Wamboldt. He can stay until after church Sunday evening if that’s okay with you.”
“It’s not a problem... What church do you go to? I might just come by myself and then Alden can return home with me afterward.”
Mr. Bones smiled, “I would appreciate that, Mrs. Wamboldt. It’s Clover Street Baptist Church, across from —”
“Oh, I know where that is! A friend of mine attends there. Do you know Shelby Benton?”
“I sure do. Fine Christian lady.”
“That she is! I think I will come by. I haven’t seen Shelby for quite some time. She’ll be so surprised to see me.”
“We would love to have you, ma’am.”
“Fantastic... But I guess I better step out of your way so you boys can get your sleepover started.”
Those were just the words Alden was waiting to hear. The teen jumped up and grabbed his backpack. “See you Sunday night,” he said. “I love you, Grandma.”
Mrs. Wamboldt grinned, “Mr. Bones, you are a tremendous blessing to my grandson. Thank you so much for everything you’re doing!”