After a long days' work- I was out to run my errands and head for home.
I had a long list of general toiletry items and decided to visit my local corner Walgreens. I picked up hair color to rid myself of premature gray. I surveyed facial cleansers and a multitude of other beauty products. After an inspection of an arm full of items, I decided I had everything I needed and didn't need.
I proceeded to the front for checkout. A man stood in front of me- trying to pay. He was a young man, perhaps in his mid to late twenties. His card declined the debit transaction. He was dressed in a t-shirt that had seen better days. It was probably once white and now a dull shade of cream. He wore a faded red and white checked flannel shirt open over it. His jeans were faded and tatters. His shoes were in need of repair or just a trash can. He attempted the transaction again. Declined
He apologized to the store clerk and said he just had to leave then. She looked over at me stated that she needed to void the transaction before I could be checked-out. She reached out of his bag and pulled out a Happy Birthday Mom card. My heart instantly sank. Had I known...I would have helped him out.
'Now, Lewis... as he came to be known was a fuckup yet once again. See, Lewis had been in and out of trouble most of his adult life. He had an older sister and brother that were perfect children. They had gone to college, married, had children and always cleaned-up his messes. However recently, Lewis had woken up in a shady motel with a strange IV needle in his arm and a girl he didn’t know and thought... what the fuck am I doing? He had gone to the local free clinic and checked himself in for rehab. He’d only been out about a week from rehab and had already found a job - working as a janitor at the local middle school.
He hadn’t really told his family that he was trying to get his life in order. That conversation had happened one too many times. He was hoping they would see once everything was in order.
Now, today was his mom’s birthday. So many times he’d forgotten but not this time. Only, this time his efforts had been foiled. He knew what thoughts would be emanating from his brother and sister. Another failure by Lewis, another time he’d forgotten the importance of the day.
After dinner- would be strong enough to resist the depression that would set in- would he be strong enough to resist getting high?'
