What the World Has Become Today | Teen Ink

What the World Has Become Today

May 23, 2010
By WhiteRabbit BRONZE, Chicago, Illinois
WhiteRabbit BRONZE, Chicago, Illinois
3 articles 2 photos 80 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Why do we fall sir? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up." -Batman Begins


Last week I met a young boy, no older than 6 or 7. How I met him was the most despicable thing, he was sitting in an alleyway in downtown New York shivering from the cold raining pouring on us. I took him home with me and made him take a shower. He then sat down with me on the rug of the living room floor, next to a blazing fire.
At first he didn't say anything but then he looked straight into my eyes and told me the most horrifying thing. When he was 3 his mother was using her body for extra money. She was barely paying her mortgage and was about to lose her home. Well she came home one evening and passed out. He called 911 and brought her to the hospital and threatened to take her him away.
She in turn broke out of the hospital with him and started to live on the streets, three days later, she started to go a bit loopy and his stomach started to churn like crazy. His mother finally cracked 6 days later and jumped out in front of an incoming bus right in front of his eyes.
The police arrived and found the boy and then placed him in Child Care Services who then placed him in a orphanage. In that orphanage he was beaten by older kids, till he was literally black and blue. He was finally taken out of that orphanage a few months later and into a ‘nice’ family. They treated him as a servant barely feeding him but they did give him a education, thankfully. Finally he ran away and a nice old woman found it and took him to her home.
He lived with her for many months; she was probably the nicest person he ever met. She sent him to school, made him cookies, and sweaters, and all the things normal parents would do but she soon died, and he was put back into the orphanage, lucky for him the boys who had beaten him up were gone with new families of their own. Finally he had enough in the middle of the night he snuck out of the orphanage and onto the streets he stayed there for 3 days and nights, until I found him.
One thing he didn’t tell me willingly was his name. When I finally asked he told me it was James, but he prefers the name Jimmy. I told Jimmy that he could stay here as long as he liked and won’t have to worry about anything bad happening to him again. My mother came back home a few days later from her business trip, and met Jimmy. Now today we stand in the adoption center my mother signing the adoption papers and myself giving Jimmy a big welcome into the family…
17 years later….
Here I stand, my husband standing next to my brother, and myself standing next to my soon to be sister. I swear today is the most second most joyous day of my life, next to my own wedding. Today my little brother, who had seen so much as a child, stands there with the love of his life. Isobel is a wonderful person, and they will make each other happy. They both followed their dreams, and both had good structural jobs, so they won’t have to worry about financial problems.
Though with happiness comes a little grieving, as I remember that Jimmy wasn’t the only one who suffers of these kinds of things. It just made me sad but I couldn’t be sad for too long, I mean it was my brother’s birthday, but as they kissed, I wonder is this what the world has become today?


The author's comments:
When I think of big cities I tend to think of people on the streets begging for food, and I once saw a commercial on the TV about a homeless girl sitting on the streets and nobody helping her. It just made me think is this what our world has become? So that was my inspiration for this, unfortunatly...

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This article has 8 comments.


on Jul. 8 2010 at 7:13 pm
have_a_heart GOLD, Jackson, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 53 comments

Favorite Quote:
Parting is all we know of heaven and all we need of hell.

you were right. I definitely LOVED this story.! It was so touching and intriguing and very interesting. You wrote really nicely about a tough topic. congratulations on an amazing piece.

on Jun. 26 2010 at 9:10 pm
WhiteRabbit BRONZE, Chicago, Illinois
3 articles 2 photos 80 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Why do we fall sir? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up." -Batman Begins

thanks

 


on Jun. 26 2010 at 7:59 pm
Just.A.Dream SILVER, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
7 articles 0 photos 430 comments

Favorite Quote:
Part of the J7X team. :)

Awee, that's so sweet!

I agree with the comment below me, it sends out an amazing message.

This one is my favorite of your stories. :)


on Jun. 25 2010 at 9:22 pm
OfficialApprover PLATINUM, Orefield, Pennsylvania
48 articles 0 photos 1752 comments

Favorite Quote:
Grab life by the balls. -Slobberknocker
We cannot change the cards we're dealt just how we play the hand
Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted
It's pretty easy to be smart when you're parroting smart people
-Randy Pausch

You're welcome:)

on Jun. 25 2010 at 8:44 pm
WhiteRabbit BRONZE, Chicago, Illinois
3 articles 2 photos 80 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Why do we fall sir? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up." -Batman Begins

Thanks when I wrote this I felt totally out of my comfort zone but I knew it would strike a good message when people would read it so thank you.

on Jun. 25 2010 at 8:54 am
OfficialApprover PLATINUM, Orefield, Pennsylvania
48 articles 0 photos 1752 comments

Favorite Quote:
Grab life by the balls. -Slobberknocker
We cannot change the cards we're dealt just how we play the hand
Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted
It's pretty easy to be smart when you're parroting smart people
-Randy Pausch

This was incredible, great message, and I agree, unfortunately.  But amazing job!

We-R-3 BRONZE said...
on Jun. 9 2010 at 10:57 pm
We-R-3 BRONZE, Orlando, Florida
1 article 0 photos 344 comments

Favorite Quote:
A picture is worth a thousand words, however it takes a real artist to turn words into pictures.

Have you heard about the new Lebron Iphone, you have to set it on vibrate because it doesn't have any rings

Wow I liked it, I loved how you just let it flow, not really giving it a structure but making it how memories float in the brain I applaud your writing style and I hope to read more of your stories. However I did not understand this senttence "He called 911 and brought her to the hospital and threatened to take her him away." It didn't really subtract from the experience much but it was a little confusing.

on Jun. 1 2010 at 11:29 am
Authorgal98 GOLD, Frankort, Illinois
17 articles 0 photos 194 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Let your mind sart a journey through a strange new world..."

I was hooked from the start out of curiosity. Then, realizing what it was truely about, I almost cried. A great message, and great use of words. Keep writing, you can teach the world something!