Hazel's Hitchhiker

28: Joey and Craig

Joey

Before my fingers were able to order an Uber while standing outside of the restaurant, Craig showed up and offered to take me back to the house. He wanted to talk to me. And of course, I agreed not really wanting to take a ride with this man.

"It's tough, isn't it?" asked Craig once he drove out of the parking lot and onto the road.

"What? Living without a mom for four years or meeting her boyfriend for the first time?"

The man gave a great sigh before responding. "I suppose both. I know none of this is easy. Your mother told me how hard it was for her to leave the two of you behind. She also told me that she was scared of your father. She couldn't take any more of the abuse."

"I get that. I really do. But I don't understand why she left me with that asshole. Why didn't she take me with her? All she did was make life a hell a lot more miserable for me. Most of the time, my old man rarely gave a good ass-kicking, but I had to live in fear every day that it was somehow possible it would happen."

"You know, she talks about that a lot. When I first met her, she would talk about you every day. She always said that she wished that she could come and get you, but she was afraid of confronting your old man." A quick pause was taken before he resumed his speech. "You know, I came from a broken home. Both of my parents were addicts. My old man was an alcoholic while my mother was a drug addict. They always beat the shit out of each other. When I was a senior in high school, my mom died of an overdose which left me with my old man. He literally beat the living shit out of me for a month. Once I turned eighteen, I was out of there. There was no going back. That's why I had such a strong connection with your mom. She knew what abuse felt like. She knew what addiction felt like and so did I. Hell, she helped me overcome a gambling addiction during our first year together. You have to give her some credit. She's not perfect."

"Yeah, I know. Nobody is perfect. We're all humans. Heard that one a million times. Honestly, I'm just tired of all this shit. I'm tired of worrying. Tired of my piece of a shit old man."

"Yeah, I can see why it bothered you when she claimed that you were a lot like your father. It's pretty clear that you've been going through a lot of shit. Being told I'm a lot like my parents is the last thing I honestly want to hear. The two of them were shitheads, but I suppose I did pick up on that gambling addiction. But I don't blame you. You had every right to get angry and storm out of the restaurant."

Shit, it was true. Craig had a gambling addiction just like his parents had an addiction to drugs and alcohol. Was it possible that he actually picked that up from them? And here I was tonight drinking a Corona and getting angry just like my old man.

"I don't want to become like him." A couple of tears were seconds away from leaving my eyes. I don't want to become an angry addict who beats the shit out of loved ones. But I literally spent the entire summer getting drunk. Seriously, that's all I ever did." Tears began to leave the eyes.

Craig placed his palm on my shoulder. "Hey, listen Joey. The first step is admitting you have a problem. You're clearly aware of what you're doing. I have every confidence in you that you'll be your own man. Hell, you can be a good man. I mean look at you right now. You're on your way to starting school in Austin. Your mother tells me you have a scholarship for basketball. That's something to be proud of. You're already making something of yourself. Trust me, someday you'll be playing in the NBA with millions of fans. Just don't forget me when it happens.

The dude had a point. I was going to Austin. I only got in because of my athletic abilities. That was something to be proud of. Damn straight, I could actually make something of myself. I could. Why the hell was I so angry in the first place?

"I won't forget," a chuckle left my mouth. "I just hope your right."

"Trust me, kid, everything is going to work out just fine." A few seconds went by without any of us saying anything. "You know, Hazel seems like a nice girl. And I know I haven't known the two of you that long, but I honestly think the two of you would make a nice couple. She would be good for you."

My face did its best not to blush and for a brief second, my heart had a quick beat. "Really? You think that Hazel would be good for me?" I don't know. We're completely different people. Hell, she had to tutor me just so I could pass high school."

"And? Sure, she's smart and you're a little slow, but you guys have some interesting chemistry from what I saw tonight. Just something to think about."

"I don't know. Maybe you have a point. But have you heard of Dave Ramsey? She's a little obsessive over him."

"Hey," he quickly said with a large smile taking over his face. "I actually like Dave Ramsey. I listen to his show every day. Nothing wrong with learning about managing money and debt. Hazel is a smart girl. She's got a bright future ahead of her. But you know what podcast I really like listening to? Noah Kagan. God bless that man. If it weren't for him, your mom and I would've never been able to start our own businesses and figure out how to market what we were selling. Honestly, you need to give him a listen.

It was without saying that my drive with Craig was interesting. Originally I wanted to hate him, but it was hard. He was a smart man who seemed to know what he was talking about. In some odd way, I hoped that my mom's relationship with him would last forever. A deep desire in me wanted this man to be my father. If only.

Hope you all liked Craig. And thank you all for your support! Don't forget to comment and vote!

Thoughts on Craig? Is he wise?

Have you heard of Noah Kagan?