Peter aspires to be a homeless person. So he told me when he was 10 years old. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" "Homeless." Plenty to make any parent proud. "Does your father know this?" "Uh uh". His reasons behind it at the time... "I'm not smart enough to do anymore." or "Anything else would take work, and I just want to play my video games..." "Well", I ask him, "where do you plan to play those video games?" "In my box on the corner". "Which corner?" He has it all planned out, he's going to live on the corner of 1st and Garrison, a mere 2.5 blocks from where we live now. I'm sure he's thinking he can live in the box by day, and come over, visit in case I'm feeling lonely and get some food from my home at night, and maybe find a nice comfy bed in a nice warm house. So, I had to tell him that after he moves out, since he is the youngest child, I will likely sell the house that will be too big for me by myself, and possibly even move out of the city. What color markers does he want to decorate his new home? He's crushed. Plan B.
The years go by, he's 13. He often speaks of the box he'll live in, how big it needs to be, which corner of the intersection he's going to live on. The one adjacent to the fire station? Fire men are friendly and would be nice to him, he thinks, plus there's a vending machine for pop there. He realized the other day that it might be in his best interest to plan to petition the fire station to put into place a food vending machine by the time he takes to the street. That way he can beg for money for food and drink. He's thinking. He does not realize that the police drive up and down Garrison continually, and that the city of Lakewood would not be horribly tolerant of a person pandering. He thinks that the firemen will protect him from the police. It is suggested to him that he put his box not on the grass in front of the fire station, but maybe across the street closer to the ditch. He hasn't quite yet figured out how he's going to play those video games. Maybe being an accountant wouldn't be so bad? The possibility is planted.
The years go by, he's 13. He often speaks of the box he'll live in, how big it needs to be, which corner of the intersection he's going to live on. The one adjacent to the fire station? Fire men are friendly and would be nice to him, he thinks, plus there's a vending machine for pop there. He realized the other day that it might be in his best interest to plan to petition the fire station to put into place a food vending machine by the time he takes to the street. That way he can beg for money for food and drink. He's thinking. He does not realize that the police drive up and down Garrison continually, and that the city of Lakewood would not be horribly tolerant of a person pandering. He thinks that the firemen will protect him from the police. It is suggested to him that he put his box not on the grass in front of the fire station, but maybe across the street closer to the ditch. He hasn't quite yet figured out how he's going to play those video games. Maybe being an accountant wouldn't be so bad? The possibility is planted.
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