I am white, and I am wealthy. I go to a good school and extra circular activities and hang out with my friends. I was getting some house work done, the workers drove up. It was a saturday morning 6 o'clock. Everybody I know sleeps in past nine on a saturday, but I have horrible insomnia. As I looked out my window and saw them; it was a man probably late 50s and then in the passenger seat a guy, like my age (like 16) sleeping. The man got out and walked around the car and woke up this guy. The kid got out and was handed a coffee. He swallowed down a few drugs and they came to the door. My ma had me get the door with her in the shower and my dad getting some work done in hie room. I let them in, led them to the backyard showed them what they had to do. I went back inside, got some juice, doing what most teen girls do, in my pjs hanging out. I looked out the window and there was that kid working sweating, sipping his coffee, he was "one of the guys", but he was 16. He was working like a full grown man and he was 16. I went out, brought him a cold soda. It just didn't seem fair. By now its 11 o'clock. he had been working for 5 hours. My dad comes out and is all like, "why is that boy working." I shrug, "Well its his job, i guess." My dad shook his head, "not today." He walked outside and I watched him talk to the man who originally drove in. He point at the kid asking a question, "he shrugged then my dad nodded at the kid. My dad brought him in, "Caroline this is Neil, show him around." My dad had just taken Neil's job. For the rest of the day Neil and I roamed around my town. He told me how they don't have allot of money and has been working with his dad for a year. And please don't get confused, he wasn't doing this for extra pocket money, he was doing this because his family needed one more income and he is the oldest. He hadn't had a free weekend since he was 13 because before working with his dad he did odd jobs around town. He was one of the funniest people I had ever met! Through our day to day life we had our differences and yet, it didn't take much to be friends. Every day after school he went to work and I went to choir. After work he went home to babysit his 5 siblings and help them with their homework and cooked their small meals and I went to rehab for me ED. Despite this when it comes down to it we are both just teens right? going through life trying to get to the future be independent. We listen to the radio got pics of our friends in our rooms. By 5 we came home and watched a movie he fell asleep quick. This kid was tall and super thin because they barley had enough money. The workers were done at 7:30 and Neil's dad carried him out and said, this will be the most sleep he is gotten since he was ten. It was just a subtle reminder of how fortunate i am. This though is not the main point i wanted to make. I want to look at 3 things. My dad, he, as i have said before, is one of the most giving people I know. Do you know any other man who will work in a payed workers spot? I sure don't but my father did. Second is look at Neil. He has his shit his, life is sure not easy and yet, does that stop him from being a decent person, absolutely not. He can still make friends and have a fun saturday out. We should learn from this. We got our rough days, we got our rough months and we get like little bitches being mean to everybody. He has had a rough life and he sees it as just another step in the road. You can keep walking or stop. Like Neil we all got to keep going, it will make us all stronger people if we do it with a good attitude.
What step in the rode do we need to take?
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