Danny Phillips
Stories (1/0)
Wei Stark?
"Wei stark?" "How strong?" "How strong is the desire to use?" Her German grandmother asked. Curen had just arrived home from a nine-month stay at the Gwinnett County Jail. Her grandmother, that she hadn't seen in five years, came from Germany to welcome her back home. She had tried to visit her granddaughter multiple times throughout the years, but each time Curen was either locked-up or missing. Now, they set on the front porch, discussing future travel plans together. Tears stream down Curen's face as her grandmother invites her to visit her in Germany. Her grandmother can see the pain in her eyes, and quickly switches the conversation from the future to the past. She asks her why she always turns to drugs. "Is the desire to use that powerful?" "Tell me...please!" She pleads as the tears begin to fall from her eyes. No words are spoken as her grandmother tries to conceptualize how a simple drug could hold a power greater than all the possible good in the world. She can't understand how using could be so important, that it would be worth losing everything else you hold so dear to your heart. Curen continues to cry, close-lipped, wishing it was as simple as her grandmother sees it. Her desire to use, and her desire not to ever use again, grew with each tear that ran down her face. She could not push out of her head the thought that using would make this conversation so much easier. Curen finally breaks the silence with a familiar line, "Oma, I promise you I'll stay sober." "For good this time." Her grandmother wrestles with the thought of asking her why this time would be any different, but instead just grabs onto Curen's hands with her own, and squeezes tightly. Fingers intertwined, Oma looks into Curen's eyes, as she gazes at her feet.
By Danny Phillips3 years ago in Psyche