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We had a kid at the group home who you could say had a hellish life, at best. This was years and years ago, and at age 6, he was found in an apartment crying because there was no more milk for his cereal...his mother had been killed in her bedroom by a customer five days before, and he had been there in the apartment, not looking to see when she would come out, since the man who did it said not to look in the bedroom or the cops would take away before leaving.
His father was given custody and was believed to have had beaten him and abused him in ways that were, at best, horrific. But, there wasn't any proof, and the kid functioned on at best a 5 year old level, so he was still allowed to have the kid come home with him once a month since the father was in "therapy".
He never showed.
Not once.
He'd call a day or so later, apologizing and with a new excuse, but not once in the kids 7 months with us did he even make it out to give the kid a candy bar.
And every Friday, the kid would start looking out the window every few minutes, until on Sunday morning he would just sit on the windowsill, staring out the window until around 2 or 3 in the afternoon, when he would say that it was probably too late for his dad to take him anywhere. He'd have this look in his eye that let you know that inside, he'd died just a little more.
I saw that look in a kid's eye again on Friday when he couldn't control himself and we had to send him to a shelter when his Psychiatrist said the only thing we could do when he is out of control is physically restrain him, which we don't do.
That look...I see it once in a while, and each time I see it, I just break down. |
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