We lived with our grandparents for the next nine months. We went to a school that had 1/10 of the enrollment of the last three schools we had attended. It was quite an adjustment. I was always on edge to fight because of the experiences we had in LA. It had become the norm for me. I was taking on the roll of raising my brother and always protecting him. He was dislexic and kind of awkward in school so I felt like everyone was targeting him all the time. I got myself into a lot of unnecessary trouble trying to look out for him . We stayed there for the rest of the school year. In the meantime our granny had arranged for us to move back to Houston to be with our mother.
We moved to Houston the year I was starting 6th grade. I still had a big chip on my shoulder when I got to my new school. The first day I was there the counselor and my mom were talking about how I would fit in with the crowd. I was an early bloomer physically and was about the biggest kid in my grade. She knew that I had been in a bad situation for awhile and was talking about how I could choose to take the path of success or end up in prison. I will never forget that day.
My first year in school there was alright and i excelled at every athletic activity I participated in. I broke several school records for weight lifting, long jumping, sprinting and vertical jump. This got a lot of attention from the other boys (and girls) some of which made me a target. I only got into one fight that year with a guy who bashed my lips into the water fountain nozzle. I beat the crap out of him because I knew how to.
My 7th grade year was a whole other story. My brother had started 6th grade so he was at the same school with me again. I was the up and coming football and track and field star and he was continually getting picked on by the kids who were trying to get on my nerves. One day it turned physical and I retaliated in the hallway between classes. The bully was in 8th grade and bigger than I was. I tore after him like a tornado. I was on top of the poor bastard just pummeling his face when I saw a teacher lady stick her foot in front of my on coming fist. It was my brother's math teacher. I couldn't stop the punch and it connected directly with her foot. It shattered her ankle! I was expelled from school and she kicked my brother out of her class. This was totally an accident and I still feel bad to this day. Needless to say I had a hard time for the rest of the year. Luckily it happened after football season was over.
The next summer we started two-a-days for football practice. I was late the first day. My mom had a new boyfriend and I had been working construction with him that summer and forgot when practice started. I was playing defensive end and fullback. The coaches loved my work ethic and natural strength. They kept me busy and out of trouble for the most part. We won district in the 4x100 relays and I had the highest number of tackles for the year. During this time my mom was drinking more and more and we were basically living on our own. I had always taken care of my brother and continued to for the next few years.
9th and 10th grade were full of athletic and academic achievement for me. I scored a 1350 on my SAT as a sophomore. My brother was coming into his own and I had many friends and girlfriends to keep me busy. We lived in a run down trailer park full of crazy characters. I had become quite the mechanic and started fixing people's lawnmowers and weed eaters. I had a dirt bike a three wheeler and an old truck I was working on. Life was pretty good at the time for an old Huckleberry Finn type like me. By the end of my sophomore year I had the old truck going and was driving me and my brother to school everyday. I didn't even have a license yet but it was only a few miles away so never had any trouble. Our "parents " didn't care what we did as long as it didn't interfere with their partying.
One day when my truck was broke down we were waiting for the bus and this black car pulled up to me and the man inside was wearing a suit. I thought he looked out of place. He got out of the car and saw my dog running up to him, he then called my dog by name and asked me if I knew what was going on at our neighbors house. I thought it was strange that this man who I had never seen knew my dogs name. I said I had seen a lot of cars coming and going from the neighbors house and thAt I hung out with their kids sometimes. He told me he was with the US Marshals office and suspected that they were manufacturing meth at the house. I didn't know what to say. Their kids were my friends and my mom hung out over there all the time. The next day they raided the house and took the dad to jail, never seen him again. The mom and kids moved away.
Until next time. Keep it tuned to this channel. There is more to come.
M: 39 W:38 D: 11 S: 7 T: 18 M:13 I suspect problem: 8/15 ILYB: 9/15 Never quit on love I ask her to leave:10/15
