I have always been attracted to bad boys. I would guess most of us are at some point or another but I had the disease to the detriment of my own well being.
I’m eighteen years old and hanging out with this guy *Ted. By all accounts Ted seemed to have it all (at least by teenage standards). Nice apartment, car, and friends who adored him. He seemed nice, and I really had a crush on him. So as per usual, I decided to have a reading, just to see where if anywhere this was going to go.
“You’d better be careful of this guy. There is something dark about him. Something secretive that he isn’t letting you in on.”
“Are you sure? I asked Heather who was reading my palm.
“Positive. You are going to find out soon enough but you really need to be careful. You can get really hurt. You might be getting this lesson the hard way. Please, please be careful. When I see this caution sign it means life altering events.”
I was so confused. I had no idea what she was talking about. I shrugged my shoulders and changed the subject asking if she saw me getting married. Every teenager seems to ask that question. Although at almost forty I can assure you, it is a waste of a question.
“I need to go see a friend in the Bronx. ” said Ted, about a week later. “Scott isn’t around, could you drive me?”
“Sure.” I said.
We got in my car and headed out onto I87 toward the Bronx. The whole time Ted seemed kind of fidgety but I didn’t pay much attention to it. He was always shifty and fidgety. I figured it must be anxiety.
“Right here. Pull off here.” he said.
We were in the most decrepit neighborhood I’d ever seen. I looked around and thought that Ted’s friend must really be in a bad way, but being that I had friends from all walks of life, it didn’t occur to me to mind.
About ten minutes later Ted comes out of the building, jumps in my car and tells me to go. I thought it was a rather quick visit. Ted seemed a bit different but I didn’t say anything.
We got to a stop light and that’s when it happened. A knock on my window. With the butt of a gun.
Before I could react, Ted was ripped out of the passenger seat of my car.
Since I wasn’t shot I figured this had to be police. If this was a gang I’d be dead. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw Ted pressed up against a white van.
The knock on my window came again. I rolled it down.
“Miss can you step out of the car?” said the undercover officer.
“Okay.” I complied.
“Wait. Actually. Hang on. We are going to get a female detective so she can search you. Just hang tight.”
I started to sweat. I kept hearing Heather’s voice warning me of this moment, but as usual I didn’t listen.
“You have Connecticut plates. What are you doing down here in the Bronx?” he asked
“I drove him here to see a friend. He told me he was going to meet a friend.” I nervously repeated.
“A friend? Miss, your boyfriend was just spotted leaving a crack house.”
Those words echoed through my ears. It is a well known fact about me that when my brain clicks on and I conceptualize what is actually happening, I can snap. My face got hot and before I knew it I was yelling.
“What! That son-of-a-bitch! A crack house?! You had me drive you to a crack house.”
The female detective had now arrived accompanied by another officer. The three of them were speechless as I continued to rant, uncontrollably.
“If you don’t shoot him, I will.”
The detective laughed against his own better judgement I’m sure.
“Okay miss calm down.’
“I told you not to tell her!” screamed Ted from the white van.
I started to cry. The reality of my situation too much to bear. “Do you need me to get out of the car?”
The detectives talked amongst themselves for a moment then tuned back to me.
“No. No we don’t. Just sit tight. We’re almost done here.”
I could see Ted making his way back to my car. The detective leaned into my window one last time.
“Miss, you are far too young to get involved in this garbage. You seem like a nice girl. You need to be careful of the company you keep.”
At the time I hadn’t really understood the gravity of what the officer was saying. If those officers had found drugs on Ted or if he hid something in my car without my knowledge, I would be in jail for the rest of my days even though I’ve never touched a drug in my life.
After a few days of trying to convince Ted to go to rehab I had another visit with Heather.
“Honey. It’s time to let this one go. He’s not going to change and he is in for a lifetime of trouble. You can’t save him and the truth be told, you’re going to end up dead or in jail if you keep messing with this guy. It’s better to be alone than in bad company.”
Sometimes the divine sends us messages that we don’t always want to hear. I might not have been paying much attention to them but they were definitely paying attention to me. I walked away from this situation learning that our divine guardians are always with us and they are always watching even when we aren’t yet listening.
Keep Seeking,
TPJ