Another Teen with Anger and Angst

fiction
edward w pritchard

My fourth and youngest son, Darel was thrown out of private school for the second time when in desperation we scheduled an appointment with a psychologist specializing in patients with disabilities.

My wife and I had raised three fine boys, who thank God, were all excellent students and motivated achievers and competent athletes who I often coached. All three older boys dated appropriately and timely, and all three are now married with fine homes and stable careers. Of Course, My wife and I in our ignorance attributed their success to our stable home and our accomplished parenting skills.

My youngest son Darel has been a handful. Seven years younger, than his closest brother, he always seemed like a separate family to me. As he reached his teens at times I dreaded coming home from work because of him. Each evening there was another long conversation with my wife of all that had gone wrong today in school, or about tomorrows conference at school , or who Darel had been fighting with today or yesterday. He started smoking a 11, drinking at thirteen, and taking various soft drugs and pills at 14. He was more trouble than my other three sons put together, no ten times more trouble and it was only out of duty that I was able to carry on with him. His behavior was effecting my ability to sleep at night and his expulsion from the expensive private school for fighting was the last straw.

The Psychologist that we took Darel to had a disability himself, and had a busy, thriving practice. The psychologist didn't think Darel's being in a wheelchair had much to do with his problems, nor did he think Darel's behavior had anything to do with my wife's or my parenting skills or lack there of. The Doctor believed that most of us had a certain brain chemistry and that determined our behavior. He felt that Darel's behavior would "improve" and get closer to our families value system as he got older, or maybe not, but in the meantime he suggested that we enroll Darel in a wheelchair basketball league for teenagers. The doctor had referred other handicapped teens to similar programs with good results.

Within two weeks Darel had been kicked of the local high school wheel chair basketball team for fighting and arguing with the refs and coaches. After a lot of debate, and with the psychologists help, Darel was put on the adult competitive team at the local University.

The adult wheelchair basketball league is very intense. The team members are eclectic and for the most part they are men who play basketball, take it very seriously, and just happen to also be in a wheelchair. I went to the first practice with Darel and the team was practicing for mid season regional wheelchair playoffs at University that weekend. The practice was charged with motivation and determination. Most of the players worked full time and then came to the gym about 6:30PM and practice lasted until 8:30 or 9:00. There was a player coach who was an ex vet wounded in one of our countries recent wars and he was very strict with the team, although the team was pretty much self disciplined.

In practice the team ran the usual lay-up drills, outside shooting, practiced free throws and worked a lot on plays for the coming playoffs. Of course, everyone on the team was in a wheelchair, but some of the players came in a traditional style wheelchair, and then used a special "speed" wheelchair during practice or games. Darel was welcomed but although he was 10 to 15 years younger than most of the players they mostly paid him little notice. Several of the players had tattoos, one or two had blue hair and that sort of thing, and there were a few tough type guys who worked out and had big arms. Many of the players were loud and aggressive.

There was no scrimmage that night and Darel did OK. Although Darel wasn't near as good as most of the players he made a good back-up. The first 5 starting players contained a few who were over weight and easily winded but they all five played very hard. Darel along with three or four of the second stringers rotated in and out of the drills when someone got too tired to contribute or needed a short rest. That night, Darel was put in as first replacement by the player coach to test his abilities.

When we left after practice one of the players was having a big fight with his girlfriend about something in the hall near the door and there was a lot of swearing and crying and she ran off in a huff and the guy sort of shrugged at Darel and winked at me and said "Women". I noticed Darel take it all in.

My wife said that Darel had been anxious to play in the upcoming game all week, but at the playoff game that Friday night, Darel sat out until just before half time. It was a close game, tightly officiated, and the officials were unlike all of the players on both teams, not in wheel chairs; and there was a lot of pushing and shoving during the game. It was a little startling how aggressive both teams played. However, both teams were very disciplined, ran a lot of plays and there was a lot of hustle by all the players. Several times our player coach would call a time out and wheel up to one of his players and shake his finger at him and often two or three players would chastise someone who wasn't trying or started to argue with the ref.

Darel got put in with about a minute to go in the first half and immediately stole a pass from an older man of about 45 on the other team who he was guarding and Darel took off ahead of everybody down the floor and just before he shot another guy fouled Darel badly while he was shooting. Darel was awarded two free shots by the ref. However, rather than go to the foul line, Darel charged the guy who fouled him jumped into his lap and started pummeling the guy. Order was restored, Darel was ejected from the game, and a technical was called. Here's something I never saw before; the two foul shots awarded to Darel were nullified because he was fighting during that same play.
It was a very close game and with our team losing the two shots, and our opponents getting two technical foul shots and then the ball back, the half ended with them up two points, partly because of the situation with Darel.

My wife and I were upstairs rather than on the first floor bleachers like most everyone else so we were probably the only fans who saw what the players did to Darel at half time.

They surrounded Darel with their wheel chairs in a tight circle.

Five or six of Darel's teamamtes grabbed along both his arms and squeezed very hard to control him while the coach read him the riot act for a minute. Surprisingly,to me Darel took the hazing well, but I had to stop watching. After the circle around Darel broke up and the coach tore into a few other players, I wanted to go down and talk to Darel, but my wife stopped me. We found out that Darel was expelled for the rest of the game and wouldn't be back in, so we went outside for a few minutes, had a coke and when we came back the game had been going on again for 15 minutes or so.

Darel was on the sidelines and was intently watching the game when I came back. Darel followed the game closely from the bench and seemed to be "in" to the game. I noticed he was cheering a little and I watched him high five a couple of guys when things went well. Near the end of the game, Darel also wheeled out the starters water and towels at short timeouts, and then with the other subs, Darel joined the team in their circle at the huddles on the side for longer timeouts.

We ended up losing by five points but there is another game tomorrow night because it is double elimination in these playoffs.

On the way out the guy who was arguing with his girlfriend the other night was leaving with her and with a little girl of about 6. Darel's teammate rolled up to him and gently slapped him on the shoulder, winked at me again, and said to Darel "don't forget to duck "newbie".

In the car Darel was kind of silent but seemed a little less sullen than usual and the only thing he would say about the game was to make sure we could drive him back here to the University tomorrow night.