Heimdhal
17th January 2012, 06:12 PM
For some reason, my wife and I seem to be the magnet of orphan children. Ok, maybe not exactly Oliver twist orphans, but a magnet none the less. Heres the most recent
I had this kid today just shoot an arrow through my heart. Theres this chubby little 10 year old that just moved into the neighborhood over the summer. Within the first few days he was riding his bike around with other kids in the community and knocked his chain loose. My daughter was playing with all of them, though shes much younger, so the kid looks up at me with puppy dog eyes like "can you fix this?".
Of course I say yes and promptly reset his chain and hes back in business.
"wow" he says "I cant believe you know how to do that". I just chuckle.
Ever since that day hes like my little shadow when he sees me out working. I dont mind.
Anyways, today he came to me and said "hey, my chain is off again" So Im thinking, ok, no biggie. He brings me the chain; its busted in half. Im thinking "ok, whats a little extra work" so I stop holster production and get to the chian. Then he brings the bike over. Its a new 21 speed mountain bike. Starting to get a little above my pay grade, I havent rechained a mountain bike in 10 years.
I work on it for like 20 minutes, of course I have no chain repair tools since I dont have a bike anymore so Im literaly making tools in my garage. The kid is in absolute awe. He'd never seen a man work in a garage before. He says to me:
"My dad would never be able to do this, you're awesome". It makes me happy, but Im about 5 minutes from telling the kid hes outta luck with me, I've done all I can reasonably do. Hes missing the rivet, a few links are mangled up, the whole nine yards. The he tells me "If my mom find outs I broke my new bike shell kill me, i just got the bike for christmas."
Ok, fine, I'll spend 10 more minutes instead and then go talk to the parents to tell 'em it wasnt the kids fault, yadda yadda. I had to get back to work, as my customers will tell you I am stupid behind on orders right now and I finaly had time JUST for leather work, and it was ticking away quick.
I say to him "Hey, Im sure your step dad can probably do this" trying to ease him down a bit, thinking they need to just go get a new chain and have it put on. (He had mentioned before it was his step dad.)
He tells me "no, he doesnt know how to use any tools, he doesnt even have any".
I say "What about your dad?" Asking only out of curiosity and general nosey-ness
Then he takes the Dagger of Saddness out of the Sheath of Lonliness and plunges it deep into the ventricals of my heart, and twists it around.
"My dad went to jail cause of domestic violence on me and my mom and sister and stuff and I had to be a witness and junk." He says, with the puppy dog eyes looking at the ground, getting a little wet.
Long story short: Two hours, 50 tons of grease and dirt, home forged tools and a million knuckle scrapes later I had that bike rechained for the Tour De France, the brakes tightened, the wheels balanced, the shifters lubed, tires infalted and one happy 10 year old.
What is depressing me is this is about the 4th broken family in the last two years where my wife and I basicaly became mommy and daddy until they moved away. The last was a usless single mother of 5, whos children we basicaly took and fed 2 meals a day, darn near every day because despite being on section 8, food stamps, disability and welfare, the mother couldnt be bothered to whip up some chicken once in a while. The, oldest, a 13 year old boy was abusing his younger sisters and even the mother was terrified of him (he was 13 and I kd you not he was 6-2, 250 lbs. He towered over ME) but I set his ass straight and he fell in line.
The 10 year old daughter couldnt read because she never went to school, so of course my wife and I sat down with her 4 nights a week and taught her to read and do math, and Im talking 2nd grade level reading, when she was in 5th. This is of course after working on our own daughter speech therapy.
Theres been others, but Im starting to get depressed by all this. Its disgusting whats happening to families in this country. And mind you, I live in a good neighborhood of moderatley well off upper-milddle class folk, not the ghetto.
Ughhhhhhhhhh :banghead:
I had this kid today just shoot an arrow through my heart. Theres this chubby little 10 year old that just moved into the neighborhood over the summer. Within the first few days he was riding his bike around with other kids in the community and knocked his chain loose. My daughter was playing with all of them, though shes much younger, so the kid looks up at me with puppy dog eyes like "can you fix this?".
Of course I say yes and promptly reset his chain and hes back in business.
"wow" he says "I cant believe you know how to do that". I just chuckle.
Ever since that day hes like my little shadow when he sees me out working. I dont mind.
Anyways, today he came to me and said "hey, my chain is off again" So Im thinking, ok, no biggie. He brings me the chain; its busted in half. Im thinking "ok, whats a little extra work" so I stop holster production and get to the chian. Then he brings the bike over. Its a new 21 speed mountain bike. Starting to get a little above my pay grade, I havent rechained a mountain bike in 10 years.
I work on it for like 20 minutes, of course I have no chain repair tools since I dont have a bike anymore so Im literaly making tools in my garage. The kid is in absolute awe. He'd never seen a man work in a garage before. He says to me:
"My dad would never be able to do this, you're awesome". It makes me happy, but Im about 5 minutes from telling the kid hes outta luck with me, I've done all I can reasonably do. Hes missing the rivet, a few links are mangled up, the whole nine yards. The he tells me "If my mom find outs I broke my new bike shell kill me, i just got the bike for christmas."
Ok, fine, I'll spend 10 more minutes instead and then go talk to the parents to tell 'em it wasnt the kids fault, yadda yadda. I had to get back to work, as my customers will tell you I am stupid behind on orders right now and I finaly had time JUST for leather work, and it was ticking away quick.
I say to him "Hey, Im sure your step dad can probably do this" trying to ease him down a bit, thinking they need to just go get a new chain and have it put on. (He had mentioned before it was his step dad.)
He tells me "no, he doesnt know how to use any tools, he doesnt even have any".
I say "What about your dad?" Asking only out of curiosity and general nosey-ness
Then he takes the Dagger of Saddness out of the Sheath of Lonliness and plunges it deep into the ventricals of my heart, and twists it around.
"My dad went to jail cause of domestic violence on me and my mom and sister and stuff and I had to be a witness and junk." He says, with the puppy dog eyes looking at the ground, getting a little wet.
Long story short: Two hours, 50 tons of grease and dirt, home forged tools and a million knuckle scrapes later I had that bike rechained for the Tour De France, the brakes tightened, the wheels balanced, the shifters lubed, tires infalted and one happy 10 year old.
What is depressing me is this is about the 4th broken family in the last two years where my wife and I basicaly became mommy and daddy until they moved away. The last was a usless single mother of 5, whos children we basicaly took and fed 2 meals a day, darn near every day because despite being on section 8, food stamps, disability and welfare, the mother couldnt be bothered to whip up some chicken once in a while. The, oldest, a 13 year old boy was abusing his younger sisters and even the mother was terrified of him (he was 13 and I kd you not he was 6-2, 250 lbs. He towered over ME) but I set his ass straight and he fell in line.
The 10 year old daughter couldnt read because she never went to school, so of course my wife and I sat down with her 4 nights a week and taught her to read and do math, and Im talking 2nd grade level reading, when she was in 5th. This is of course after working on our own daughter speech therapy.
Theres been others, but Im starting to get depressed by all this. Its disgusting whats happening to families in this country. And mind you, I live in a good neighborhood of moderatley well off upper-milddle class folk, not the ghetto.
Ughhhhhhhhhh :banghead: