The Lost Boy

been a model child, this blows your mother out of the water – once and for all.”
    “So what do I do?” I asked.
    Lilian smiled. “David, just be yourself. That’s all you have to do. Don’t ever try to be someone you’re not. The staff here will see through that in a heartbeat. Just be the boy who first came into my house – before you landed in all this hot water. But, ” she warned, “no mistakes. Don’t you fly off the handle when you get upset. You put a lid on that potty mouth of yours. You got me?”
    I nodded again.
    “David, you’ve got your head in a noose. Lord knows, one more incident, and you’re hung for sure. You’ve overcome more in 12 years than most folks will ever accomplish in a lifetime. If you can do that … you can do this too. But you have to fight a good fight! You do whatever Mr Hutchenson or the staff here tells you. I don’t care how off-the-wall it sounds. I’ve known Gordon for years, and he’s the best. You just think long and hard before you do something you’re gonna regret. All right?”
    As Mrs Catanze held my hands, I wanted to explain how sorry I was for all the trouble I had caused her and her family. But I knew I had told her that so many times in the past -when I really didn’t care. So, I asked myself,
why would she believe me now?
I peered into her gentle eyes, knowing that I was the cause of her sleepless nights and hours of frustration.
    Lilian did her best to give me a wide smile. “Oh, before I forget, I have something for you, ” she said, as her hand disappeared inside her purse. A second later she pulled out a small, chocolate-coated-cherries box. Her face lit up as she pushed the box over to me.
    “Candy?” I asked.
    “Just open it, ” Lilian said, beaming.
    I carefully opened the tiny lid and let out a shriek as I gazed at my tiny redear turtle, twisting its neck up at me. Gently I plucked my pet from the box and placed him on my hand. The reptile quickly retreated into his shell. “Is he okay? Is he eating?”
    “Yes, yes, ” Lilian replied in her motherly voice. “I’m taking care of him. I’m changing his water …”
    “Every other day?” I said, with concern for my pet.
    “Every other day, yes, I know, I know. Of all things, I never thought I’d ever be taking care of an ol’ turtle.”
    “He’s not an old turtle. He’s just a baby … see?” I cooed. “I think he likes you.” Lilian gave me a stern look as I thrust my turtle towards her face.
    “David, ” she said lovingly, as she leaned over to stroke my hair, “looking at you with that turtle … If only they saw you the way I do.”
    I carefully replaced my turtle in the candy box. Then I reached out to Lilian’s hands. “I know I’ve been bad and that I deserved to be punished for what I did, but I promise -cross my heart and hope to die – I’ll be good. Real good. I promise … Mom.”
    That evening, while I stared out of the window of my cell, a warm feeling from deep inside my soul began to take form.
I’m going to do it!
I vowed.
I’m going to prove to Mrs C, Mr Hutchenson and to
Mother
that I
am
a good kid!
I knew that my court date was only a few weeks away. So, I told myself,
I’ll have to work a little harder.
I fell asleep, no longer feeling afraid.
    Within days, my daily behavior scores nearly doubled. I had thought I was doing rather well before, but when Carl Miguel, the C-Wing superintendent, told me in front of everyone what a great week I was having, I wanted to prove myself even more. By the end of that week, I had achieved the highest status that the wing held: gold. Mr Hutchenson informed me that it normally took a pretty good kid three or four weeks to make gold. I smiled inside, knowing that I had made it in under two weeks. During that visit, Gordon informed me that my court date had been moved up a few days. “So, when do we go to court?” I asked.
    “The day after tomorrow, ” he answered. “You gonna be okay?”
    “Yes, sir, ” I said, trying to sound sure of myself, when inside I was terrified.
    “David, I’m not going to confuse you on what can or cannot happen when we get in the courtroom. I’ve seen enough to know that some cases can go either way, and you have one of those cases. I can only tell you to keep your cool, and if you believe in God, I recommend you pray.”
    Alone in my cell, I could feel myself become lightheaded. I closed my eyes, turned off my anxiety, and prayed.
    Two endless days later, I sat