Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Eavesdropping

In the emergency room, two teen boys sit side by side waiting to see the doctor. One looks completely fine, but the other holds his arm strangely. While his palm sits on his leg, the bone from the left side of his forearm sticks up in the air. Something is definitely wrong with this young man.

Both are dressed in black, both have on stocking caps in the middle of the summer, and of course, this makes them both "tough," or it does in the minds' of 15 year-old boys. They wear spikey jewelry as if this makes them like jagged pieces of metal and if this makes them porcupines and gives them one more defense against the outside world. Yet, it does. Certain people won't approach them, won't talk to them, and will never be their friends because they have leather bracelets with metal poking out of them, because they have on black hats with skulls on them, and because these boys are trying to figure out what it means to be a man yet with nothing manly to do in their lives.

The one with the askew arm talks, "That concert was so wicked. It was so awesome when Shinedown did '45'." The other boys nods in agreement and repeats the words wicked and awesome, because as 15-year old friends they must think alike. Arm askew says one more thing, "That concert was totally worth a broken arm." That is youth fervor. That is enthusiasm. And somethings are totally worth a broken arm and the stories that goes with it.

2 comments:

Wide Lawns said...

Oh dear god. I feel ancient saying this but - what is wrong with kids today?? A broken arm for bad music? Yuck!

cdoc said...

At least they are passionate about something. At 25, I don't think a broken arm is worth it, but it is good that they love something that much. That is probably all they can relate to at this age, music. I doubt any of us were "normal" as teenagers, nor are they, but they will learn who they are with time and this is part of their journey. I feel old giving such advice. Great writing goa!