Will’s Story
Today, I met a homeless kid. He’s only 20, and he’s already been through hell. He told me his story, and my heart broke for him.
It all started at Talecris – the plasma clinic I’ve been frequenting lately for some easy cash. I was sitting in the waiting room, bored out of my mind. They usually take a long time to screen you, but today seemed to take extra long. So I’m sitting there, and in walks this young looking kid with an older guy carrying an Aldi bag of food. The kid starts off as acting super obnoxious; thinking everyone wants to hear what he has to say. The two of them offer the rest of us an Aldi cookie, and the older guy slams down a half gallon of iced tea. I can’t help but do a mental eye roll at the laughableness of the duo. About 5 minutes after their arrival, a few of us join in some small talk about how long we’ve been waiting. The kid and his buddy say it’s their first time here, and I give some insight into how long their visit might take. We all continue talking, and eventually the kid moves over to sit by me because “the chair looks comfier”. I learn that his name is Will, and sprinkled in with the small talk I also learn his personal story.
I learn that right after Will was born, his mother died of a drug overdose. He claims to have never even met her. Shorty after, his dad also OD’ed on crack. He was placed in a foster home, and later adopted. His adopted family wasn’t too much better though. Will said that his dad used to physically abuse him, his siblings, and his mom. When he was twelve, his adopted mother “kicked him out into the streets”. He didn’t provide any more details about his childhood, but based on the expression on his face, it wasn’t something he likes to recall.
When the general group discussion turned to tattoos, Will told us about the one he wants to get on his shoulder in honor of his brother. His brother, who is now in a coma and has been for some time, was shot in the back during a drug exchange. Will thoughtfully cautioned me against any drug use of any kind, and added that he is really trying to quit smoking cigarettes and weed.
After my screening (where they ask you all kinds of questions and test your blood), I’m reminded of an issue to ask Will. It’s a question they ask you every time, “Have you been to jail in the past 12 months for longer than 3 days?” His answer is sadly “yes”. He was there for 3 ½ months, and I wasn’t told the reason why. Will also told me he has a child, but doesn’t know where the baby or his ex-girlfriend are.
Will is currently living at a boy’s home, but you can only stay for 14 days. He will be kicked out in 3 more from today. I asked him where he will go when the time is up there… He replied casually: “back to the streets.” He had previously lived in his own apartment, but could only make rent for two months. When he couldn’t produce his third month’s payment, he was kicked out.
It may seem like this was just a ghetto kid telling his story to a random stranger like he does all the time, but it really didn’t feel like that. He was genuinely interested in me, and the conversation was 50/50. I asked a lot of probing questions because I started to really care about this kid I had only met two hours before. He told me how he is trying to find a job so he can save up for a car. He wants to go to school to be a Veterinarian Technician. I tried to be as encouraging as possible, but deep down I knew he probably never will make it to a college.
Will and I sat there talking for a long time. And the whole time I just wanted to wrap my arms around him and tell him it was going to be okay. Of course I couldn’t do that; he’d take it the wrong way. God really answered my prayer though. Every morning I ask Him, “God, help me to love people today”. I felt this tremendous love for Will. It made me want to adopt him and be the good, loving mother he never had. (It didn’t matter that he’s two years older than me.) He seems so young and defenseless, and yet he’s been around the block 5 ½ times. I don’t know if I’ll ever see Will again, but one thing’s for sure, he really left an imprint on my heart. I pray that God will provide me with an opportunity to love people every day, and that I will be able to impact those people’s lives in a positive way. That’s what I feel called to do.
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[There is no commandment greater than these."
–Mark 12:29-31
