John Gunter, a sixteen-year-old
white kid, who was the self-appointed leader of the boys in Tolley House. As
long as no boy complained and the home ran smoothly, it was easy for the Mackeys
to dismiss their vague suspicions that something was not quite right in the
group home. It was hard for me to blame Hal and Jenny for their cluelessness
because John was very good at fooling adults. As for me, I saw through John's
act in about the same amount of time it takes to spell "bullshit."
***
On my first day,
when all of the house members gathered in the family room to welcome me, John
acted as spokesman for all the boys and attempted to give me a "welcome hug."
I backed away before he could touch me and offered my fist instead. He tapped
my fist with his and hardly missed a beat as he promised that the boys would do
all they could to make their new "brother" feel at home. I was proud
that I refrained from calling him a phony in front of them all.
In Tolley House,
the boys had four bedrooms upstairs with two boys to a room for a total of
eight if the house was full. John was the oldest boy and always had his own
room if there were less than eight boys living in the house, and since there were
only six before I came, John and Malik both had their own rooms. The new
plan was for me to room with Malik, leaving John his privacy unless an eighth
boy arrived. As I listened to Hal explain the room assignments on my first day,
I decided I would rather have a private room, and John quickly gave me an
opportunity to take one.
That first night,
I took a shower alone in the boys' communal bathroom and wrapped a towel around
my waist when I finished. I was brushing my teeth at one of the sinks when I
saw John and Malik in the long mirror as they sauntered into the bathroom. I
almost laughed aloud at the exaggerated swag of their gaits. I knew right then
that they were on probation, probably for a minor offense, because there was no
way in hell that they had learned to walk that way in Stockwell. If they had
tried that crap, after the other boys finished laughing, they would have given
them a beat-down for their trouble. The next day, I learned that I was currently
the only parolee from Stockwell.
While I finished
brushing and rinsing, the boys were waiting there on either side of me to give
me the real rules of the house. After watching the interaction between
house members at dinner and the gathering afterwards, I suspected that there
was more going on in the house than Hal and Jenny knew. None of the boys had
served time yet, but they were not in Tolley House because they were eagle scouts
and choirboys.
When the Mackeys
pointed out that there had not been so much as an argument between any two of
the boys in the past two months, I knew for sure that the boys were playing a
game. No group of delinquents got along that well in Tolley House anymore than
they did in Stockwell. By the subtle ways that the other boys deferred to John,
it was obvious that he was in control, and I knew that he would approach me as soon
as he found a time when our house parents were busy downstairs.
I was not
impressed with my welcoming committee. Malik, a fifteen-year-old black kid
about my size, stood quietly while John, who was a little bigger than I was,
gave me the scoop on Tolley House. Since they were fully dressed, I couldn't
tell for sure, but I had the impression that both of their bodies were soft as
if they had never lifted anything heavier than a nickel bag of weed.
John's warning
was about what I expected after seeing the show he put on for the Mackeys in
the family room. He informed me that he was the undisputed leader of the
"Tolley Gang," a name I thought might sound cool to a five-year-old
kid. I was supposed to be scared when he told me that in order to remain
healthy, I had to obey his orders and keep my mouth shut about anything he or
the gang did.
I was not
surprised to find out that John got his way among the boys who did his chores
and
white kid, who was the self-appointed leader of the boys in Tolley House. As
long as no boy complained and the home ran smoothly, it was easy for the Mackeys
to dismiss their vague suspicions that something was not quite right in the
group home. It was hard for me to blame Hal and Jenny for their cluelessness
because John was very good at fooling adults. As for me, I saw through John's
act in about the same amount of time it takes to spell "bullshit."
***
On my first day,
when all of the house members gathered in the family room to welcome me, John
acted as spokesman for all the boys and attempted to give me a "welcome hug."
I backed away before he could touch me and offered my fist instead. He tapped
my fist with his and hardly missed a beat as he promised that the boys would do
all they could to make their new "brother" feel at home. I was proud
that I refrained from calling him a phony in front of them all.
In Tolley House,
the boys had four bedrooms upstairs with two boys to a room for a total of
eight if the house was full. John was the oldest boy and always had his own
room if there were less than eight boys living in the house, and since there were
only six before I came, John and Malik both had their own rooms. The new
plan was for me to room with Malik, leaving John his privacy unless an eighth
boy arrived. As I listened to Hal explain the room assignments on my first day,
I decided I would rather have a private room, and John quickly gave me an
opportunity to take one.
That first night,
I took a shower alone in the boys' communal bathroom and wrapped a towel around
my waist when I finished. I was brushing my teeth at one of the sinks when I
saw John and Malik in the long mirror as they sauntered into the bathroom. I
almost laughed aloud at the exaggerated swag of their gaits. I knew right then
that they were on probation, probably for a minor offense, because there was no
way in hell that they had learned to walk that way in Stockwell. If they had
tried that crap, after the other boys finished laughing, they would have given
them a beat-down for their trouble. The next day, I learned that I was currently
the only parolee from Stockwell.
While I finished
brushing and rinsing, the boys were waiting there on either side of me to give
me the real rules of the house. After watching the interaction between
house members at dinner and the gathering afterwards, I suspected that there
was more going on in the house than Hal and Jenny knew. None of the boys had
served time yet, but they were not in Tolley House because they were eagle scouts
and choirboys.
When the Mackeys
pointed out that there had not been so much as an argument between any two of
the boys in the past two months, I knew for sure that the boys were playing a
game. No group of delinquents got along that well in Tolley House anymore than
they did in Stockwell. By the subtle ways that the other boys deferred to John,
it was obvious that he was in control, and I knew that he would approach me as soon
as he found a time when our house parents were busy downstairs.
I was not
impressed with my welcoming committee. Malik, a fifteen-year-old black kid
about my size, stood quietly while John, who was a little bigger than I was,
gave me the scoop on Tolley House. Since they were fully dressed, I couldn't
tell for sure, but I had the impression that both of their bodies were soft as
if they had never lifted anything heavier than a nickel bag of weed.
John's warning
was about what I expected after seeing the show he put on for the Mackeys in
the family room. He informed me that he was the undisputed leader of the
"Tolley Gang," a name I thought might sound cool to a five-year-old
kid. I was supposed to be scared when he told me that in order to remain
healthy, I had to obey his orders and keep my mouth shut about anything he or
the gang did.
I was not
surprised to find out that John got his way among the boys who did his chores
and
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