"Strike Three" Submission #6

It seemed to me that Sam's dad treated him differently than the other four kids. More harsh. More distant. Less patience. Less affection.

I wondered how that would effect him in years to come.

Boone, Iowa - Summer 1993

20 years later, I ran into Rod Smiley at a church service in Boone while I was visiting Iowa on vacation. I was so happy to see my old friend and I was eager to hear about his siblings... where they were and how they were doing.

He gave me the rundown on everyone but when he came to Sam, his countenance changed and he looked off into the distance as he spoke. He talked about Sam's problems through adolescence and the difficulty his parents had controlling him. He was sent away for a bit but his behavior didn't seem to change much when he got home, in fact, it grew worse.

Problems at school, problems with drugs and problems with the law.

Rod said that at one point, Sam was determined to make some positive changes. He moved to Colorado for a fresh start, got a job and seemingly had his life pointed in the right direction.

At this point in the conversation, Rod's tone was rising and his eyes once again met mine. Then he looked down and with sadness said, "But trouble always seems to follow Sam." He continued, "It wasn't long before he lost his job and had tumbled back into the drug scene."

He mumbled, "If you were to ask me where he is today...." His voiced trailed off.

Madrid, Iowa - Fall 1995

Kim, Sam's oldest sister, filled in some of the blanks when I ran into her at a high school football game. She hadn't seen nor heard from Sam for more than 10 years until he had called her a few months back.

Sam's teenage son was in the hospital from a self inflicted gun shot wound in a murder/suicide attempt. He had killed his step-father.

"Sam's son had always idolized his dad but Sam never seemed to be there for him. Now he's fighting for his life." Kim concluded.

A couple years ago, I heard from another family member that Sam was in prison. I didn't bother to ask why. I didn't want to know. I just prayed, "Lord, please be with my friend."

I know that when one reaches adulthood, one must take responsibility for their decisions and their actions. But I couldn't help but feel sorry for Sam Smiley. It just seemed that he started life with two strikes against him and as a young adult, he swung once again and missed. Strike three.