Nelson has been at school everyday since his tragic confession. He interacts with his classmates as if nothing has happened. If anything, he is more outgoing and eager to talk about his dramatic home life. His forearm sustained a fracture close to the elbow and is now in a neon orange cast. The boy has gained a new level of popularity by letting his friends autograph his cast.
The day of the incident, Mr. Thorpe contacted the Department of Social Services. The police were called and Nelson’s mother made a full confession to beating her son. She was arrested and Nelson has been temporarily removed from his mother’s custody. She is going to be psychologically evaluated and must undergo mandatory rehabilitation before Nelson will be allowed to return home. For now, he is living with a foster family.
Nelson complains about the foster family constantly. Today he told me that he hated it there and that he missed his mom. He wants to go home. He said that there are bugs in the food at his foster home and it makes him sick. I’m not sure how much of his stories I believe, but I did promise to ask Mr. Thorpe to check into Nelson’s accusations. The boy also told me that he would do anything to get away from his foster home.
At night, I pray that some of the other boys will start junk with me. That way I can fight them and then maybe I’ll get in trouble. Maybe they’ll kick me out. I miss my mom. Nelson is a smart boy, and he has quickly learned that adults will have a sympathetic ear when he discusses “his predicament.” He is growing accustomed to being babied. My buddy, Fernando, he called my house on the phone yesterday. My mom answered the phone and when Fernando asked to talk with me, she started crying really hard. Fernando said she cried so hard it sounded like she couldn’t breathe. I miss her and she misses me. I don’t want to stay at that foster home with bugs in the food.
I am concerned that Nelson will use his home life as an excuse to get himself in trouble or to make bad decisions. I’ve also had to fight the urge to volunteer to take him home with me. I want to say, “Come live me! I would never hit you or feed you bugs.” Of course I can’t take him home and I can’t allow him to use his misfortune as a crutch. I sincerely hope Nelson’s mother can be rehabilitated. But what are the odds?
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