Wayne Gray

Don't worry, Bob and Steve; the Strays don't want you anyway.

Hi, KayDeeMac. Thanks for the comments! Lee spent a long while being afraid of any change, and numbing himself with drugs and alcohol whenever he got the chance. Avery is there, trying to squeeze interaction out of Lee, trying to engage him. And Lee is trying to fend him off. We'll have to see who wins that one. Emotion and dialogue ... those are, by far, my favorite things to write. I'm glad you appreciate the way I handle those! 🙂

Middle name, and the need to remind myself that almost nothing is purely black or white.

I still love that last line. It makes me chuckle. Nice job with the prompt, tim. 🙂

Thanks for the comment! 😄 What a newbie he is too! Lee isn't in the best spot when we first meet him. Someone like Lee ... it can take a while for someone in his position to believe he can have a better life at all. Let's see where he ends up, eh?

Thank you, David! I'm glad you're taking the story for a spin. I think it's a good one.

Thanks for the comments, spyke. Maybe you're right. Avery is harmless and Lee knows it. He also doesn't seem to want anything from Lee other than his time and attention. Lee had come to expect interaction from the younger guy. So when it was no longer a sure bet through Lee's own action ... well, yes. It stings. Sorry, no can do on that fast forward. But maybe I'll come back and edit this comment after next Friday comes. 😛

Awesome! I'm glad you're along for the ride, long1jo! I hope you continue to enjoy it.

Thanks, Chris. He is rotten! Unhappy, mean, a thief. Definitely rotten! And that he feels only that he has to get back to Eddie, that shows how badly Eddie had brainwashed Lee into needing him. As for what Avery will say to Lee ... well, we'll just have to see, won't we? 🙂

Thanks for the comments, tim. Thank you for sharing your own struggle. you're absolutely right about Eddie and men like him. Drugs are one little carrot in their arsenals of manipulation and control. That's one reason Lee is so desperate to get back. But give him time, and with the physical symptoms passage, so too goes some of that desperation. Luckily, the symptoms Lee has are relatively minor. Some of the folks trying to clean up in our Suboxone program need medical intervention in the form of steadily weaning down from opiates. Stopping cold could have literally killed them. Lee's lucky in that he never got all he wanted. Yes, he has a habit, but it's one his body can overcome on its own. The mind ... that's a different story. Concerning the comments on Lee himself. I have watched addicts for years, but I've never been one, so I was at a gross disadvantage in trying to get him right. I appreciate your help with him - helping me understand him, and get him right from the inside out. I'm happy you feel he's a good character. On the surface, and pretty deep down too ... he's so scared and angry. He has feared hoping for something better for so long, because he has always been disappointed. But now, that little ember is gently being cared for. He's adjusting. It's slow, but it's happening. He just needs a little more patience. 🙂

Thanks, Tony. I can pretty vividly see these things in my head, and I certainly try to make them come through well enough so that you can too. I'm glad it worked! Yes, Bailey had a good question, didn't he? One has to wonder ... More is on the way. See you next week!

Thanks for the great comments, and for sharing your own story. That's powerful. This story ... I had intended to tell it all along, or one similar. But alcohol or drug use and dependence ... it's a hard thing. It's hard to write correctly, to convey the deepness of the illness. I've never suffered through it myself, though I've seen enough for a lifetime through our patients and my brother. With your sobriety, you have managed what he, so far, could not. Well done. You're doing great. Keep on track, you're worth that. We'll see you here next week.

Thanks for the read and for the comment! I'm glad you're happy to see the campers. I know Lee is new to you, and he's not exactly the warm fuzzy type, but give him a bit. 😉

You're absolutely right. I work for a system of clinics, and we have Suboxone programs at various locations. They take this medication, and it competitively binds with the same receptors that make opiates "fun" in the body. Essentially, Suboxone takes away the reward for taking opiates. It also blunts the withdraw a great deal. We're a clinic with funding which allows us to enroll folks in this program for relatively cheap to the participants. Most are actually free to the patient. But not all. My clinics adsorb a huge amount of "non-billable encounters" for these patients. That said, people enroll, and ... if there's just Suboxone with no commitment, or no supplemental counseling they almost always fail. There's only one case I have ever seen, a young guy, who walked in, entered the program, got his prescription, walked away, and actually succeeded without additional help. ONE. Otherwise, it's a real commitment on both the part of the patient and the healthcare provider. Many locations don't have programs like ours. So addicts just ... well, they die. Don't be sorry. Addiction is a scourge, and I wanted to do a story about someone who got sucked in. Lee is young. He can be saved. But he has to want to be. And even then, in the face of addiction, that might not be enough either. Thanks, Dave. And thanks for the reminder. If we refuse to provide treatment to these poor souls, then we've a long way to go before we can call ourselves civilized.

Isn't it funny? Lee feels a sting from something as simple as a cold shoulder and a glance ... from a boy who "annoys" him. And then his suspecting (okay, he knows) Avery was the one to undo his little theft, that makes it all the worse. Keep your eye on that word ... Broken. And no apologies needed. Thank you. It's good to be back.

YES. Over-medium! The only other competition is a good poached egg. Those ... well, those I love a lot. Hahaha. You liked that way of describing a good piss, huh? Sometimes, a really good piss is as good as a bite of chocolate. Just depends on how bad you gotta go. LOL Lee is a bit feral, so your description of him is pretty good, and fits in with what is going on with him. He's just waiting for a reason to give in to that voice in his head - the one telling him he doesn't belong anywhere but in a squalid apartment, chained to a man who sees him only as a tool. It will take time. And it may take more from the campground than they're able to give too. We'll see about that getting bit line. Thanks for the comments, and for reading!

Ah, but guilt would imply Lee cares about those he's hurting. He's a prisoner. They deserve everything he's doing! Right? Right? Hehe. Lee is so prickly, and I love that he is. I mean, it makes sense, considering all things. He's just all barbs and pointy bits, always snarling and snapping at anyone getting close. But ... Avery has just waded in, every time. He's the only one who did. Does that mean anything to Lee? Lee needs something. Let yourself surrender to the power of the story, and be drawn in. 😄 Thanks for the comment!

Lee is still reacting over losing what had been familiar for the last three years. Eddie and that life are all he knows. When Eddie didn't even try to get him back, that has Lee reeling. He's trying not to think about it, because that's just too much to bear right now. But it's there ... circling in his mind. Who can reach someone like him? What will it take? Is it even possible? We'll just have to see. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Thanks for reading and commenting. Yeah, it does. Lee's normal is a world where every noise and sound is a reason to be concerned. His "always alert" mind is short-circuited by the place he's in now. There's no threat he can find, and he doesn't know how to deal with that. He's mentally exhausted by trying to find danger in a place where there is none. It remains to be seen if he can let go of that.

Thanks for the comment. That's a good question. You can't tell Lee that he can trust the people in the campground. It has to be proven, over and over. He has to see the examples himself, and understand deep in his heart that they're not playing some game with him. He has to believe in their intentions, and then, he has to believe he's worth saving. Both of those things ... yeah. Both take time.

16 October (Early Friday Morning) It was only four in the morning, but Lee was awake. Sitting up with a grumble, he pushed his sleeping bag aside. He cocked his head. The world was so very quiet, apart from the white noise of the Smith River flowing to the north. No cars on the road or doors slamming. Nobody yelling, crying, or screaming. Nothing. Nothing but the water. "Not normal." Lee shivered. He hunted about in the dark tent and found the hoodie Officer Wells had purchased for h

Hello, and thank you for taking the time to comment. Well, I'm happy you like my writing style; that is something difficult to shift, so I'm glad to hear it. This is, arguably my best overall story, though there is at least one more with a bigger emotional punch. Overall, though ... yeah, this one is up there. And a Firefly fan. Shiny! 🙂

Thanks, Gary. More is to come. It won’t all be easy, or fun, but stick with it. 🙂

Happy New Year, Anton. I'm glad the camp got to reopen too. Covid-19 had really done a number on my creative pursuits, like it has to so many. Though, about a month ago something changed. It was a trickle, at first ... just a bit here or there. A scene. An idea. Then a little more. Then it became an imperative to write. I'm thankful for the return of my muse! Lee has never been good at anything that didn't require his being used. This time, Greg coached him through the meal prep, but it was something he never though he could do. It wasn't even an option. Maybe he'll get the idea that he has a choice, now. Yes, I'm a fan of getting a story completely done before posting now. It means a long span between updates, but when those updates start the story is more cohesive, interconnected, and better plotted. I did quite a bit of hopping back into the earlier chapters after I had the later ones written to just barely alter something. Likely, most won't pick up on the links I put in, but some will half-remember a single line or word in a scene, and go back to find it. "Ahhh ... foreshadowing!" Hehehe. I always wear my mask when in public, and I already got my jab. I'm in healthcare, and since I travel to so many of our facilities, I'm considered a high risk for a "superspreader event" should I be infected. Lovely thought. Anyway, I got my vaccination on Thursday. Painless. And the guy giving it was cute ... so that's a plus. 🙂 I hope more of us get it soon.

Thanks, Jaybee! The hope, really is that we get to see a slice of life told through the lens of both familiar and new folks. Lee’s not the easiest soul to get to know, but maybe it’d be worth trying anyway. 🙂