Now this post was a few weeks in making and it really will make me look bad but I know it's helped 1 boy I hope for the rest of his life.

Every once in a while I get people (Mostly customers) telling me problems from home. I am always willing to listen and even give advice if I can. One problem I hear all to often is someone saying their son or daughter is going down the wrong path and taking to drugs or even going as far as being a dealer.

One morning I will call her Jane bought a magazine and all of a sudden crying while telling me her son started dealing drugs. All I could do is try giving her comforting words and let her know it may be a phase and he will grow out of it. I was feeling bad when my mouth worked before the brain started and said " Can you bring him into the city? I will make out I use drugs in a big way and put across I lost my leg because of a hotshot (A bad dose of drugs).

The words came from my mouth before thinking and then I really was thinking I knew very little of anything about drugs only what people had told me. Sometime homeless would talk to me about drugs and mostly wanting to get off them. But I knew how drug addicts acted from seeing people like that.

She said she could bring her son into the city tomorrow if I wanted to talk to him. I told her I would scare the boy and hope to put on the right path. My plan was to pretend to be a drug addict and show how things can really turn bad. So we set a time and place and I told her I would be there and what to expect from me in a way to help.

All day while selling my Big Issue mags I was thinking what I would say and do but mostly thinking if it didn't work or he didn't believe me then maybe push him more towards that path because at the young age of doing everything against advice and thinking he knows it all. You know what I mean haha

The next morning came and I must say I was nervous, I am not very good at acting and always prefer to me. I had made a sale when I looked up from putting money away I seen (I will call her Susie) when Susie comes I always put my mags down and roll towards the bins where we can have a smoke and chat away from other people. I have a lot of time for Susie because she is a good girl at heart and almost every time we talk she says about getting back on her feet and going to rehab to get off the drugs which I always am positive about people getting back on their feet and stepping up in the world again.

I told Susie I had a chance to help a boy before he gets in too deep with drugs and before I could mention much more she said she would come and help because helping the boy would remind her why she's wants to give up and it was true she had expertise I didn't so I agreed. I felt bad because in a way I felt I was using Susie to help because I was a coward to do it myself because of fear of failing. 

The time came all four turned up and started sitting around a table for a good 5 minutes when Susie grabbed the young guys arm and said they were having a chat at a different table. I went towards the 2 of them 3 times when Susie put her hand out as if to stay away while they talked.

I don't really know what Susie said but I could see a tear building up as if he was about to cry as they walked back and he hugged his mum saying no more doing drugs and he was sorry to put through all this. Jane and her son left and I asked Susie what she said "Simple I said the truth and you owe me lunch." with a feeling good proud smile. We went to a food court and we started talking about how she was going to give up the drugs.

3 Days later Jane walked up to me and was excited her son was not taking drugs and I said they were off to a great start and really in my heart was excited for them both. I have seen Susie a few times since then and we have a smoke together and she still talks about one day going to rehab but today was not going to be the day. I will always be there as a friend and encourage her but at the end of it she needs to make the decision to do it. 

I did change the names out of respect to the people I write about.
Thank you for reading my story and I hope you have a good day. 
Grant the Polite Guy
Grant Richards
grantthepoliteguy@gmail.com