EDDIE

My sister says I need to update my blog.  I guess that's true, because it's been over a month.  Sometimes it's an extra "thing" to do along with ten dozen other "things" to do .  It gets pushed to the bottom of the TO DO list and just lays there.  It's not that I don't want to blog.  Sometimes it's just hard to dialogue my thoughts and feelings.  Sometimes, it would just be boring to anyone else.

In my ambition to open still-boxed items, trying to decide what to keep can be  cumbersome,  so many memories are contained within those boxes that I'm not sure what to discard and what to keep.  I am mindful of the fact that Charles will probably have to discard  any STUFF I have left when I leave this world, so I'm trying to make it easier on him.

I found a Mini novel I started some years ago.  I "laughingly" called it STUDENTS AND OTHER CRIMINALS I HAVE KNOWN.  It was funny to read and some day I may add to it.  It reminded me of some other students.

I truly believe that you can't have taught very long when some students facilitate the necessity to write about them.  It just seems that there are those who "stand out" in your memories.  One of those students was Eddie.  Good looking, charismatic, almost shy at times.  He reminded me of a rattlesnake - fascinating to watch but dangerous to most humans.  His "smooth tongue" and good looks had gotten him out of many incidents, even while he was in our school but I knew it was only a matter of time.  We developed a "rapport" of sorts and he would often come to me to talk.

Eddie didn't stand much of a chance of succeeding.  His mother was in and out of jail the year he was in my class.  His father was non existent, at best.  I wanted to help but my hands were tied.  There is only so much you can do especially when someone won't let you.

Out of  curiosity, I went into the prison system files that are on-line. Unfortunately, there was Eddie.  He is still fairly nice looking, even in a mug shot.  So sad. Such potential. The last record of parole was 2011.

It bothers me that he wasn't able to escape that life.  How COULD I have helped him? Is there anything I can do now? I just don't know.