Drugs ..beer ...hard stuff..guns.

For a home for boys you would think that we would be the cleanest place with no drugs, beer, liquor or guns...well the opposite was true...Every weekend we would hit the liquor store and if we couldn't get in...we head out to the beer store...and then ask someone to get it for us...For some reason..no one would get us liquor..most likely because it was run by the government and it had that official presence...but of all the people we asked no one would get us liquor....The beer store was easy...like I said one in ten would get us the beer ...Sometime we would drink it in the stairwell of the apartment building...but most of the time we just brought it home...we would keep the staff busy while someone just walked up the stairs with it...Once and awhile by accident we got caught....we got lax because it was just too easy...we stopped having look outs ..and had the music too loud..one staff walked in and couldn't believe it...we were sitting around and drinking beer..he closed the door and we all broke up laughing..oops busted...they keep on drinking now.... they were guzzling the beer down......the staff went and got the other staff and the ran in and told everyone to put their beer down...one guy said yeah right..and opened another...they had to pull it away from him as if it was a baby's bottle he wouldn't give it up. I usually didn't drink as One sip and I was toasted...but hung around the alcoholics..

Gary

Gary was one of the tough guys...he was big and funny thing was he spoke in a whisper as if he had to hoc a lung plug but it got stuck in his throat and he couldn't clear it...He got into a fight and something broke...Edward was having a board meeting in the garage that night and one of the staff ran over to get help as they couldn't break up the fight...You could feel Ed's presence before he even came into the house....a strange calm came over everyone ---the same quiet and stillness as you feel when a storm is approaching.....He bursted into the livingroom....and everyone hugged the walls....Ed went up to Gary ....You a tough guy....motioning towards the kid....No man...No man..as Gary hugged the wall further...putting his hand up trying to fend of a punch we all felt was to follow...Edward looked around at everyone watching him...he straightened up and went into his this is all for you guys speech...when you break something here..you are breaking part of your home...your house...we are all here for you guys...Man I never seen Ed have so much passion ---to bad he only felt this ..or expressed himself so intently for anyone hurting the home...but not having the same passion as someone hurting his charges...

Well with that..the next night Gary and a couple of us were heading off to the beer store...He tried to get in but the guy tagged him and asked him for ID..Gary said no problem.. left it in the car..be back later...so we then had to go to plan B..We asked anyone who was heading to the beer store if they wanted to make an easy 5 dollars....this was no big deal as out of 10 people we asked we got one....I have wondered since then whatever made people take the chance and buy us kids beer...what was funny was of all the different times we stood outside and asked we didn't have to wait long for someone to take us up on the Quick 5 dollars..hell sometimes the people would say don't worry about the 5 bucks...gee thanks...we would all say...and afterwards talk about the cool guy who turned down the $5 bucks....well anyway...on this night this guy says sure no problem...we give him the money for the beer plus the $5 bucks....we are watching as the 12 rolls down the rollers..and then horrified as the guy opens the 12 and takes out 2 beers and stuffs one each into his pocket then marches out of the store..he say here you go...I helped myself....we all started to question him...and he says hey...look you got your beer --what are you going to do call the cops because I ripped you off....and with that he turned and walked away laughing....Damn this guy didn't know who he was ripping off...we were not the average bunch of neighborhood kids....Gary was the first to react...he went up to the guy gave him 3 sharp blows in the back of the head.....another guy was reaching in and grabbing a bottle to smack the guy with...the guy must have sensed the situation was not over and without missing a beat he reached into his pockets and put the two beers on the ground and then put the $5 dollars under one of the beers and didn't turn back....he just kept on walking...We were all so surprized at the quick turn of events that we all broke up laughing...and with that we drank our beer and headed home..

Tyrone

Tyrone was a very loud kid...He was a ladies man...always on the phone talking to the girls...You would come in the house and the kids phone was under the stairs by the front door and while on the phone he would say...Hey...Hey...Enda really likes you...Enda? Enda who...He would then blurt out ENDA.........ENDA OF MY DICK...and he would laugh and laugh..he would tell ya the same joke and laugh just as hard as if it was the first time he told ya it....He was one of the kids invited over to Carol's house for Christmas dinner as he had no where to go. Carol was the secretary for Kennedy House who took a liking to all the boys at the home....She called me her 3rd child...and addressed herself as my second mom...She took Ty in as she felt that the boys should be in a family atmosphere for Christmas dinner....but poor Tyrone...he had a problem...while there..Carol's kids who were younger ,showed Tyrone their room...and Ty found their piggy bank...yup you guessed it he took the money..robbed the little kids of their birthday and christmas money. Gamblin the older black kid in Kennedy House smacked him and handed down the same type of Speech as Hector gave to the guy in the store when I was out with him as we witnessed a black guy stealing, and most likely Gamblin got the speech also from Hector as he also stoled Lloyds stereo...so Gamblin was passing down the same lesson maybe with a little too much force...He yelled at Ty, as he told him how he let himselft down and just proved what the white man said that all niggers were thieves...he had a responsibilty to show the world that he was just as good as any person...even better as He was Black...he told Tyrone that when he did anything to make himself look bad..he also made his brothers look bad too...Tyrone paid back the money over time...And as far as I knew didn't steal anything else..well as long as Gamblin was around anyway..I ran into Tyrone one day...a couple of years after...I gave him a ride home to his basement apartment..He asked me if he could borrow a $100.00 to help cover his upcoming rent..as he was a little short..I said sure..and he said that he would get paid next week and I could expect the money then...I called Ty the following week and he asked if I could wait til the following week........hmm...well I said that was it..no more ....as I recalled years earlier how he ripped off Carol's kids. But after another week...he finally said he had the money...I drove to his basement apartment and he was ready for bed...he had this stocking over his head...hmm. whats up..he said with what...he said that he put the stocking over his head and then used his pick to poke his hair through it...and with that he started pulling poking his hair through the nylon stocking...I asked him does all blacks do that...he said oh yeah..his gradma ma use to do it to him all the time...he started to talk about his family and how lonely he was...he climbed into bed while he was talking and asked me to stay til he fell asleep....I stayed there for 20 minutes til he was quiet...and then walked slowly and quietly out the door...Damn poor kid...Why the hell did Kennedy House just dump the kids out without support....

Barb

Barb another staff member..what can you say about Barb....she drove a pacer--well ok enough said eh...lol. Barb was a big girl..hey not as hefty as Kathy....She met a guy and they were going to get married...but as fate would have it..he died as he tried to pass a big truck on a winters day way up north..Barb came back to work at the house afterwards...but she couldn't do it anymore....so she left...I wonder how she has got along since then....