What talent you have! I hope your book is a fantastic success, and I love the title of your column. When raising two children alone, I rented out the fourth bedroom in my tiny townhouse. The kid who rented it was in the same class as my son, and they became best buds. This guy had a lot of phone calls and was always meeting someone somewhere, just for a few minutes.
One day, I was looking for some tape, and remembered he'd borrowed it. So I went into his room (a no-no and an invasion of privacy) and found a bag of little brown logs that looked like poop. I called the police, who confiscated it, and told me to evict him, and that my children's lives were in danger from the people who supplied him with stuff to sell. I think it was hashish. I was lucky nothing happened. But he had to come up with the $$$ for his supplier. Eventually, he moved out, and my son cut all ties with him. He was a charmer, but a bad tenant.
The folly of youth...the unusually dangerous which we managed to survive... if happening today, those mistakes of our youth would probably invoke tremendous damage. Or am I just getting old to think that?
I think you are spot on. I look back on this with so much relief that I didn't end up in the desert near Las Vegas. I do think Gen X survived situations kids now days would never find themselves in. You are never too old!
Knowing the sorts of people who regularly deal in that substance, you most likely got very lucky. The fact that he could “misplace” that quantity and not end up with life threatening consequences means he was deeply embroiled with the sorts of people who take $5 personally, let alone 5k.
I’m glad you survived unscathed, even if a large part of it was bravado due to naïveté. Reminds me of a few of my own misadventures. A quarter sheet of acid in a drink that I did actually drink comes to mind 😬
Oh my, acid in a drink. Sheesh. He was totally a wrecking ball and I have no idea why he didn't come after me. It was a slow roll towards realization for me.
My guess would be he didn’t know how to handle someone who wasn’t scared of him (even if the more reasonable reaction would have been to be scared) and by the time he recovered from the shock, your roommate had already ousted him and he didn’t know how to “save face” at that stage. He was probably more confused than you were by the end of it. I’ve encountered types like that and they literally do not know how to handle someone not immediately responding in “please don’t hurt me” fashion
Edit: as for the acid in drink. It was a slow realization of many years exactly what had happened and why an ocean that was over a mile away was washing across my feet and I could see the night sky while inside. Despite growing up with addict parents, my own experience with any kind of drug was nil
I like your take on this and I think you are right. I have had this reaction from others when I am not afraid of them. It helped as a nurse that I wasn't intimidated nor afraid of the docs or Admin. My family experience of crazy was just as disjointed as drugs, so maybe that's why I have zero tolerance for bad behavior no matter where it comes from. Love your replies - thank you!
What talent you have! I hope your book is a fantastic success, and I love the title of your column. When raising two children alone, I rented out the fourth bedroom in my tiny townhouse. The kid who rented it was in the same class as my son, and they became best buds. This guy had a lot of phone calls and was always meeting someone somewhere, just for a few minutes.
One day, I was looking for some tape, and remembered he'd borrowed it. So I went into his room (a no-no and an invasion of privacy) and found a bag of little brown logs that looked like poop. I called the police, who confiscated it, and told me to evict him, and that my children's lives were in danger from the people who supplied him with stuff to sell. I think it was hashish. I was lucky nothing happened. But he had to come up with the $$$ for his supplier. Eventually, he moved out, and my son cut all ties with him. He was a charmer, but a bad tenant.
Thank you, Elizabeth. That's so kind of you to say. Love your story on the similar theme. Living on the edge we are sometimes!
Skippy 😏
Yes, we’ve all had a “Skippy” in our past…
Maybe Drugs, maybe Theft, maybe just a Pathological Liar, maybe all of the above…
Such wonderful teachers to destroy our childhood dreams ✅
I vote for all of the above. I learned a lot and came out unscathed. Hope you have too!
The folly of youth...the unusually dangerous which we managed to survive... if happening today, those mistakes of our youth would probably invoke tremendous damage. Or am I just getting old to think that?
I think you are spot on. I look back on this with so much relief that I didn't end up in the desert near Las Vegas. I do think Gen X survived situations kids now days would never find themselves in. You are never too old!
Knowing the sorts of people who regularly deal in that substance, you most likely got very lucky. The fact that he could “misplace” that quantity and not end up with life threatening consequences means he was deeply embroiled with the sorts of people who take $5 personally, let alone 5k.
I’m glad you survived unscathed, even if a large part of it was bravado due to naïveté. Reminds me of a few of my own misadventures. A quarter sheet of acid in a drink that I did actually drink comes to mind 😬
Oh my, acid in a drink. Sheesh. He was totally a wrecking ball and I have no idea why he didn't come after me. It was a slow roll towards realization for me.
My guess would be he didn’t know how to handle someone who wasn’t scared of him (even if the more reasonable reaction would have been to be scared) and by the time he recovered from the shock, your roommate had already ousted him and he didn’t know how to “save face” at that stage. He was probably more confused than you were by the end of it. I’ve encountered types like that and they literally do not know how to handle someone not immediately responding in “please don’t hurt me” fashion
Edit: as for the acid in drink. It was a slow realization of many years exactly what had happened and why an ocean that was over a mile away was washing across my feet and I could see the night sky while inside. Despite growing up with addict parents, my own experience with any kind of drug was nil
I like your take on this and I think you are right. I have had this reaction from others when I am not afraid of them. It helped as a nurse that I wasn't intimidated nor afraid of the docs or Admin. My family experience of crazy was just as disjointed as drugs, so maybe that's why I have zero tolerance for bad behavior no matter where it comes from. Love your replies - thank you!
Would love to know what became of "Skippy" and "Lindsey" these 40 years later...working Dad's business and divorcee #3?
Probably 😂. But alas, no idea. Maybe I'll make up an ending to the story!