It started out with the typical, "How are you?" to which he typically answered back, "Fine and you?" He asked what i was doing as i set up my t-shirt making post. He asked to see the example t-shirt. I unfolded it as i passed it over. He smiled as he folded it up to give back to me. I unfolded again in order to put it on the hanger to display.
Then he asked for a match and made a motion to throw it at the building i was standing in front of. After some seconds of processing, i said it was a bad joke. This is when the costume examination and recognition took place. "Aaaaaah," i said.
It is and was all too obvious that the boy was looking for love. The only time he was happy, beaming, in the hour our paths crossed was when i 'noticed' him and the identity he was trying so hard to construct for himself. And at that acknowledgement i wanted nothing more than to call the PETA equivalent on his guardians or whichever people around him for not giving enough of this love that he, as so many other children obviously want.
There may be some that are irritated that i wrote about this, to air the dirty laundry, and honestly i normally do something more than writing in a blog that only a special few read. That is to say, instead of complaining or to put it a better way, talking about what i don't like - i do something, like make a shirt - heh!
I acknowledge these types of hush-hush mentalities to be in every country/culture. They could be construed as pathologically optimistic or tragically self-blinding. Whether the hush-hush be labeled patriotic or unpatriotic, i believe it correct to be at least labeled as 'with loving intent.' I do believe change starts with acknowledgement, for which i thank a past internship i held at an active duty soldiers' substance abuse center. So, in my mind conversing is a good thing because ALL countries need change and who better to help spur that change than people who love it.
I continued to show this white-laced tiny-framed boy attention: "How old are you?"
"Seventeen, and you?"
"Thirty."
Then from the sidelines of the conversation (he had a five friends with him), "I thought you were 25 or something, but not 30."
White Lace interrupted defensively, "Who said she's 30?!"
"She said she's 30!"
While stepping away to continue setting up i said, "Well, thanks, I think that's a good thing, but sometimes in the work place it can be bad because many times people don't listen to younger people."
It's like the world just handed me the opportunity. As I said it, i looked straight into the eyes of White Lace while he returned the favor. all nodded in agreement.
