There's a Boy In Here, Revised edition by Sean Barron

Author:Sean Barron [Chuck]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Future Horizons
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The rules at Beechbrook were very rigid-what time we were to be up in the morning, what time we were to go to bed, chores we were to do every day. Because it was so structured, it didn't take me long to know what was expected of me. However, I in no way felt secure or comfortable; I was always afraid. The only security I had was in the absolute regularity of things-our dinner was delivered every night at precisely six o'clock; we had waffles-my favorite-on Wednesdays.

The other kids made life miserable for me. Since I was already afraid of other people, I was really terrified of these kids because I had never even seen them before, and now I had to live in the same house with them! They all seemed very strange to me. One of them, Andrew, I tried like hell to avoid. He was two years younger than me, and smaller, but still he tormented me each time he saw me with punches and teasing.

I was so afraid that even though I tried to conceal my fear, the other kids saw it and were drawn to me as a victim. Almost all the other kids had at least one friend, but I had none and retreated even further into myself I was scared to say anything to anybody about my life at Beechbrook.

Although I liked some of the off grounds activities-like bowling, sleigh riding, and going to the Dairy Queen-I hated having to go with the others. I felt as if I were being chased down a dark alley, running for my life, five days every week, with only two days of safety and tranquility at the end. I was so afraid that I would sit on the couch in the living room of the cottage pretending to watch TV just so I could blend in. Because I could see that all these kids were weird and even they didn’t accept me; I knew I was the strangest one of all.

I devised my own kind of escape from the other kids. I had to have some control. The things I used at home-Tinker Toys, cards, crayons-weren’t available to me, so I had to find substitutes. One escape was the box of Cream of Wheat stored in the pantry. When, ever I could, I sneaked into the kitchen and carefully tipped out a handful of the uncooked cereal into my palm. I ate it quickly, licking it off my hand. I loved the taste because it was perfectly bland.

Another activity I loved involved the washing machine, also located in the kitchen. The laundry was done in the evening, after dinner, and none of the staff was in the room while the machine was on. I would sneak into the kitchen just before the machine was about to enter the spin cycle. Since it wouldn’t spin unless the lid was closed, I would rearrange the clothes so that they were off-balance, then run back into the living room before anyone noticed.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.