“I heard you got pepper sprayed when you got home!”Derek adds.
Chuckling, I head down the hall toward my office.After unlocking the door, I push it open and take a seat—carefully—behind my desk.This place has been my second home since I took the job six years ago after moving here to be close to the rest of my team.
Since then, I’ve re-vamped the entire program and turned the dying community center into a thriving outreach program.
Being away from it these past few weeks has been harder than I was prepared for.
“Word travels fast, huh?Well, I did get pepper-sprayed,” I tell the three boys as they all take seats in my office.Jeremy and Jonathan both sit across from me, while Derek plops down on the couch near the door.“My neighbor thought I was breaking into my own apartment.”
“Seriously?”
I nod.“To be fair, she thought I was dead.”
“Dead?”Jeremy says, his tone shocked.“Why did she think you were dead?”
“The doctors told her I was.It’s complicated.”I lean forward on my desk to alleviate some of the strain on my side.“How have things been here?Everyone staying out of trouble?”
Jonathan shares a look with Jeremy, and Derek pales slightly behind them.
“What’s going on?”
“Kyle hasn’t been in since you’ve been gone,” Jonathan says.“We tried to get him to come to group, but he blew it off.We haven’t seen him at school, either.”
Kyle Harding.My chest aches for a new reason.He’s been the one I was really worried about in my absence.He’d been a fresh face around here, brought in by our gaming competition three months ago.His home life is less than stellar, given his father’s abandonment last year and his sister’s ongoing medical needs.He’s been struggling with anger issues and alcohol consumption.
A habit he picked up from his biological father before the man decided his daughter was more trouble than she was worth—his exact words to her mother—and bailed.Kyle’s mom has been doing her best to manage everything, but reaching Kyle has been a struggle.
Which is where I came in.And I’d been close, too.I was finally getting him to open up.
“I’ll reach out to him.Thanks for the heads-up.”
“You won’t tell him it was us?”Derek asks.
“Of course not.But telling me someone is struggling is a good thing.He could be in very real trouble.”
Derek nods.
It’s one of the biggest battles I’ve had to overcome in this place.Most of the kids that come here have been conditioned to keep their mouths shut.I’ve had to re-train them that, when someone is a risk to themselves or someone else, you have to tell someone you trust.
I thank God every day that I am that trustworthy person for a lot of these kids.
A timer goes off on Jonathan’s phone, so he pulls it out of his pocket and turns it off.“Free period is over.Time to get back to class.”
All three boys stand, and I can’t mask the smile on my face.Even two years ago, getting these kids to go to class each day was a struggle.Now they’re setting a timer to be on time.
Pride swells in my chest.Thank You, Lord.
“You’re going to be okay?”Jeremy asks.
“I’ll be kicking your butts on the basketball court in no time.”
Jeremy snorts.
Jonathan laughs.
Derek shakes his head.
“You’ll never beat us, Mr.Holt.Even when you’re at your best,” Jeremy replies.