A little story.

Question

Many years ago when I was a cab driver, I picked up a fare at a house in a middle class area. The fare was a boy of about thirteen or fourteen. When he climbed into my cab I thought he had strep throat because his voice was extremely hoarse. I strained to hear where he was going as it was hard to understand him. as proceded  to drive him to the destination I began to smell raw gasoline. Stopping the car and telling the kid that I had to check something I immediately went and lifted the hood suspecting I had a leak from the pump or the carburetor. Once the hood was open I could not smell any gas at all. Thinking perhaps that It must have been from a passing car I got back into the cab only to find that the smell had intensified. Looking back at the passenger I noticed that he was holding somethin to his nose and I realized at that point, that, that was where the smell was coming from. Reaching back I grabbed the object out of the boys hand and found I was holding a rag soaked in gasoline. I immediately told the boy I was taking him home and at that point he tore open the back door and stumbled off. Once he has exited the back seat I noticed that he had left a small bottle behind him that had fallen from his pocket and being open had soaked the back seat of my cab. Cnt'd

Mangee · Answer

I took the cab back to the company and immediately went home because the fumes had triggered my asthma and I couldn't risk going out in another cab. About two months later, I was sitting in front of the TV watching the news and a story about a boy killing another boy over a bottle of nail polish remover came on. As I stared at the TV something about the boy struck a cord in me but I was unable tp place it. The following day I pulled into a service station to gas up and suddenly the smell of the pumping gasoline triggered my memory and I suddenly realized  that the boy who had been killed was the same one who had run from my cab. This, of course saddened me as I felt that I knew somehow knew him. About a week later I quit driving a cab and took a job in the office despatching them. The sad part of this, is that the mother who was divorced, denied knowing he was sniffing volitaile substances. When I knocked on the door the day that  l picked him up I witnessed his mother handing him some money. The thought occurred to me  that she knew and didn't care. When he left the house he was already high, smelled of gasoline, was holding a soaked rag and had a bottle full of it in his pocket. It is sad to think that had she cared and loved her boy she might have done something and he would be alive today.

cinnamonstix · Answer

How sad that is.........::sigh::

Mangee · Answer

Further to this, there will always be  thoughts about " What if." What if I had chased him down and took him home? Answer...his mother probably couldn't care less. What if I had gone back to the house and told her? Same answer. What if I had taken him to the police, or a detox center or perhaps to a relative? What if, what if ,what if? What is the answer, what should I have done? This is why I have not deserted this forum. This is why I get angry when somebody causes someone else to stumble. Her there will be no "What ifs." Here there will be mostly support from me with, I hope, uplifting posts.  I do not have the total experiences with addiction as many here have,so I have to do it with words of encouragement. If, along the way, it encourages someone to the extent that they beat the withdrawal, I have paid back a little. This is my goal.

oxysbliss · Answer

Your prestpective on things makes since..in alot of ways...
This was one story that hcanged that for you adn you LEARN....Its amazing you stick around and still have faith in all of us..who stumble adn struggle, who cause thigns, who just watch thigns, the silent ones..the loud ones..

Id ont know ...this hit me in a way I can't even comprehend right now..Thanks for that..its a process for me..and I saw something htat makes since..NOw Im going ot internalize it lol..cuz its what I do

Needless to say, thanks for sharing that...Though, its sad, its says something else to me as well..

Hope all is well with you..

lil_rab2005 · Answer

OMG That's terrible!!! How awful you must feel. You didn't know, please don't blame yourself. And you are right... you do help so many people on here and thank you very much.... thinking of you, Lil. :)

A little story.

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