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My grade school essay |
My 9th grade assignment was to interview an interesting character. So, I went to visit my buddy Tim Condon at the Fresh Pound Public Housing. Tim was always interesting. His mother never could hold onto a job and did some escort work. His dad left them. I could see a lot of inner city drama in my essay. I asked Tim what was his most memorable anecdote. He didn't understand the question. I explained, "Do you have an interesting story?" Tim told me that the cops had arrested his mom again and he had the apartment all to himself for the weekend . He was going to have a pot party with some friends. I was invited. I thanked Tim and pressed him for something more interesting. Tim said he had chopped a dogs head off with his machete. I was skeptical. Tim showed me the pit bull's head. I took notes, "Why did you do that?" Tim had been sharpening his machete and wanted to see if he could cut the dog's head off with one strike. It took several. He was disappointed. "Do you know who owns the dog?" I scribbled. He did. It was a joke. He was trying to impress a girl. "Have the police been called?" I queried. They were, but Tim said the pit bull was off its leash and he was defending himself. Well, I was excited with my article's progress. Then, Tim asked me to come with him to the fire exit stairway. There were kids hanging out there. The stairway was full of marijuana smoke. He said it was always like that. Girls were giving out oral sex. I jotted some more notes and got oral sex. This was going to be an A+ essay! I thought. My essay got me sent to detention and my parents were called for a family counseling session. Miss Sheratan said that my essay was disturbing and immoral. I could be psychotic. Miss Sheratan had a degree in child psychology and wanted to see me regularly. I countered that I was reporting a story. My dad backed me up. He thought my writing was insightful and courageous. Dad was also a department head at the high school. Miss Sheratan said she would be monitoring me. I got a D. Reflections: There isn't free speech, but you can still self publish. + ^ V |