One child....I used to know.... - Page 3
© Mary Pantazis
The meeting ended. The foster mother limped away with her little girl and Jeff followed along behind them.
I was pregnant with my first child. As my belly began to show Jeff became aware that I was pregnant. He would follow me to class, carry my books, and make sure there was a chair for me to sit in. He was always there to protect me. He was doing well in his classes and he also had created a beautiful purple jersey in his sewing class. His sewing teacher was totally impressed that this fearsome looking boy could sew. Jeff really took to the sewing machine. I would bring in fabric for him to use in his sewing class. He was making all kinds of things. He had advanced beyond the other students in his class and even asked to stay after school sometimes to sew.
My baby was born in the summer. When I returned to school at the end of the summer there were some changes to Jeff. He came into the classroom with his arm around a young girl. A girl with long blonde hair and big blue eyes. It was obvious to look at these two that their hormones had really kicked in and the two of them were involved in a very sexually active relationship. The girl left Jeff at my classroom when I told her she needed to get to class.
Jeff talked all the time about his girl friend. The two were inseparable when outside of the class. It was difficult to keep him on track with his studies.
One day, I received a call over the loud speaker asking me to go to the office immediately.
At the office, there was Jeff, sitting in a chair looking at his feet. His girlfriend, with a black eye was standing behind him. There was a policeman in the room.
The vice principal began to tell me that Jeff was being arrested for Gang related violence. He had hit a boy with a club on school property. They were taking Jeff away. It turned out that the boy Jeff had hit was a football player and the boy's parents were getting a lawyer and wanted Jeff expelled from school.
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