Tuesday – The Boy in the Corner

Somebody mentioned that it seems like the story of the kid who jumped from the cruise ship got under my skin. It did, for a couple of reasons. A lot of it had to do with that it happened so close to where I grew up. But more than that, it reminded me of another story about another boy that has haunted me since I was a teenager. The two stories have a couple of parallels – a violent assault, and peers his age who could have him helped but didn't. This other boy's story never made the papers, though. In my mind, I can see him sitting in a corner at a crowed party, his face buried in his arms that were wrapped around his knees. I have no face and no name to go with him, but I will tell you the one thing I do have: his story.

( One Night On Galveston Island )