There’s something to be said about the inability or laziness of people in authority to properly explain an answer. I’ve never been one to respect authority because from an early year I’ve felt I’ve known whats best for me. Receiving answers like, “Because I said so, Because I’m the teacher, Do as I say, you just wouldn’t understand you’re to young,” may work for some kids but it definitely didn’t for me. I refuse to follow orders or direction without a direct explanation of why they are issued. The only exception to this rule is for the people I truly respect i.e. my USMC staff ncos and that’s about it.
Enter my stepfather. When i thought of what a man was this guy embodied it. Strong, deadly, responsible, caring and brave. The exact opposite of the lowlife “man” who donated seed for my birth. I was captivated. He brought to us everything. We went from having to have the church feed us because our mother drank all the child support away to steak and potatoes. It was such a drastic change in reality I early on developed the notion that things change on a dime and attaching to anything is a waste of energy. Something better is always right around the corner, or so i thought.
With this new found wealth high speed internet and no parental supervision become my new daily experience. It was fantastic for destroying me. I’d watch porn for as long as I could. Dipping out of the living room and feigning productive activity when I saw my new parents vehicle pulling in the driveway. What a rush to hide your tracks as the law looms ever nearer. It may have started with porn but the addiction quickly shifted to the idea of knowing and doing things no one else knew about. A secret agent within my very own home. Doing as I please all the while pretending to be something I wasn’t, decent human being.
It worked for awhile but I was found out through my browser history, amateur mistake I’d never make again. I became an outcast in my own home. Being shamed for things I knew my mother had done and stepfather as well. The hypocrisy left me with a bitter taste and chip on my shoulder. My hate and discontent for authority deepened as did my desire to never be caught in a shameful act again. My life took on a new note of lying and deceit that should never dwell in the heart of a teenager. Anger and discontent consumed me. All the while I strode through the top classes in my school barely even applying myself.
Where was the excitement, the challenge, the true tests of what I could do?