Apart from kids that were friends in a particular hood that like coming together to play every day. Some other kids do end up joining them just to have fun as well.
'There's no way I wouldn't see a group of kids, I just need to keep searching'. I thought to myself.
I was still searching when I saw a certain young man in front of a bungalow building with his right hand on his head and his head bent a little.
From the look of things, something was troubling him. It was evident from his body posture and the way his hand was on his head.
'What is troubling this young man?'. I thought to myself, then another thought ran through my mind right after, 'He might be in need of help badly'.
..Yes, he might need help badly, I'm sure he was poor, and there might be a valid reason why he was poor.
With this in mind, I decided to approach him to find out what was troubling him. Maybe I can accomplish the quest by rendering help to him.
I hoped he had a family, if he had one, I'd be able to render help to him and them if there was a valid reason to do so...and that was quest accomplished for me.
I began walking toward him until I reached where he was sitting. He was sitting on a certain chair in front of the building.
And the moment I reached him, he glanced at me with his hand still on his head, and I was glancing at him as well. Then he was like...
"Any problem?".
From the look of things, he'd most likely be the same age as me, or he'd be slightly older than me.
"No problem, I just want to confirm something". I retorted.
"Confirm what?".
"Umm...I can see the way you're putting your hand on your head. You look troubled from the look of things, am I wrong or right?".
"Yes, you're right, there's something troubling me right now. Thank you for noticing". He stated with a kind of expression on his face that screamed, 'I need help'.
"Do you have a family? Are you living with your parents and all that? Do you have siblings? Are they living with you?". I inquired of him.
..Yes, I needed him to have a family, so I could help out all of them together.
The quest was to help out poor families, not an individual.
"Yes, I'm living with my parents and so on, haven't made it big in life to stand properly on my own". He responded.
That's all I needed to know, and now that I'd confirmed it, I'd be able to help out him and his family if they deserved it.
"So, what is troubling you?". I inquired of him once again.
"Can we go inside and talk about it?". He uttered to me.
And a kind of perplexed expression appeared on my face at that moment as I thought to myself,
'Why does he want us to go inside and talk about it? What is wrong with talking about it here?'.
I inquired of him, "What is wrong with talking about it here? Why do we need to go inside to talk about it?".
"That's because I don't want other people to hear. We can be talking about it, and someone can hear which I don't want. You approached me willingly after noticing that something was troubling me,
That's so nice, and because of that act alone, I'd be so free to tell you what was troubling me 'cause you showed concern. But I don't want others to hear". He explained.
I nodded my head a little in understanding, but from the look on my face, I was reluctant to follow him inside. He noticed the look on my face and was like,
"I don't have any bad intentions, you don't have to be afraid, you can trust me".
..With that statement, I relaxed a little, but was still cautious.
On a norm, I would never agree to follow him inside. Even if I eventually agree, it would take a lot of persuading. I'm only agreeing to follow him inside this easily 'cause I needed to accomplish the quest.
I had done some things I wouldn't do on a norm just because I wanted to accomplish the quest.
"Okay then, let's go inside". I said to him.
He'd already stood up from the chair he was sitting on a few minutes ago while talking to me. So all he did next was to take a few steps to one of the doors in the building, open it, step foot into it...and I followed suit.
Right now, the both of us were inside the house. And the inner part of the house was just as the other houses I've seen. Not looking that good and so on.
..But to tell the truth, it was slightly better.
One of the things that made it better was the fact that there was a TV in the house. Most of the houses I've entered at the ghettos didn't have a TV in them...only a few.
"So, we've entered. Would you tell me what is troubling you now?". I uttered glancing at the young man.
I was standing close to the door, and he was standing in front of me.
"Umm...so, the thing troubling me is..."
He paused speaking without completing his utterance. And I was like, 'Now that we've entered, is he still finding it hard to talk?'.
"Are you still finding it hard to talk? We've entered now, right? So, what is the problem?". I uttered glancing directly at him.
"Okay, let me say what is troubling me. The things I do take to keep myself in check have already finished. I haven't taken them for two days now, and it has been affecting me seriously,
And I don't have money to buy them...please, I need money to buy them so I can continue keeping myself in check". He voiced out.
I was a little confused by his utterance, what things was he talking about he does take to keep himself in check? His statement wasn't complete, a lot of things were missing.
"What things are you talking about?". I inquired of him with a bit of perplexed expression on my face.
"Drugs". He retorted.
"Drugs?".
"Yes, like weed, ice, cigarettes, and so on. I do take these things to keep myself in check. But as I said, I haven't taken them for two days now 'cause I don't have money to buy them, and it is affecting me seriously,
Not only that, it is making me frustrated. Please, I'd really appreciate it if you can help me out with some money, so I can buy them and continue taking them,
If I don't take them for the next few days to come, I don't think I'd be able to survive it...I might die".
..This must be a complete drug addict, a junkie, it was evident from his face.
Look at the way he was begging me to give him money to go buy drugs. The thing must have been truly affecting him seriously now that he hadn't taken them for two days.
His life was ruined from the look of things...he was a fucking drug addict.
I was looking for a poor family to render help to, and this young man was begging me for money to buy drugs? No wonder he didn't want us to discuss it outside.
I even thought he had something reasonable troubling him, that's why I approached him. I didn't know it was something like this, drugs issue.
Truly, the thing must be troubling him 'cause he was an addict. He hadn't taken any one for two days now, and it was affecting him seriously, it was evident.
But I can't help him out with this kind of thing? It was just like I was assisting to ruin his already ruined life more.
Right now, I was regretting seriously why I approached him, he had only wasted my time. He said he was still living with his parents and so on, was that true?
Would his parents be able to live with him considering he was a drug addict? Drug addicts love staying alone...they don't usually have people around them.
At this age, what he should be thinking of was how he'd build up himself properly and leave this hood, but here he was craving drugs.
..Well, as said, I wouldn't be able to help him out with his request.
I came here to help out one more poor family, not to give a certain individual money to buy drugs. So I said to him,
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I wouldn't be able to help out with your request".