Jackson was a curios child. His mom had always told him that from the day he was born, he was eating everything he could find, trying to figure out what it was. Jackson remembered those happy memories he had with his mom and his dad, just living life in Los Angeles. But everything changed when Jackson’s dad died in a car accident. Jackson was devastated and so was his mom.

But after a few years his mom seemed to move on. By the time Jackson was 6 his mom had remarried. Jackson’s stepdad was a tough man named Charlie Rogers. Charlie was one of those guys who looked like a bodybuilder. His arms were the size of Jackson’s head. It was pretty obvious that both Jackson and his mom were afraid of making him angry. Jackson didn’t really know how Charlie made a living. He would drive off in his Hummer at about 11 in the morning. Sometimes he was back by 5 PM but every once in a while he wouldn’t be home until 10. Once Jackson had asked him what his job was. Jackson had gotten a slap alongside the head and Charlie had yelled, “That’s none of your business!” Jackson hated it when Charlie hit him. But what really angered him was when Charlie hit his mom. They would get into an argument and everyone would be yelling and then Charlie her hard across the face. Then Jackson would come charging at Charlie and try to punch him but Charlie would just pick him up and carry him to the closet, where he would lock him in. It was at those times when Jackson’s anger towards his stepdad built up inside him.

It was early on a Saturday morning when Jackson woke up. He looked out the window and saw the smoggy skies of the Los Angeles area. But then he heard the engine of the Hummer. He got up and ran downstairs into the living room. Jackson peeked out of the window, and sure enough his dad was sitting in the Hummer. Jackson was beginning to leave when he noticed someone else sitting in the back seat. It was a man with a thick beard. Jackson was gazing at the man wondering why he was here. Jackson murmured under his breath, “What the he-” He stopped suddenly, when he saw Charlie look towards the window. He ducked immediately, hoping he hadn’t been seen. Charlie reversed out of the driveway in a hurry. Jackson thought, “Where was Charlie even going so early in the morning on a Saturday?”

Jackson sat in his room wondering about Charlie. This was the conversation Jackson had with himself in his head, “It is really suspicious that he wouldn’t even tell me what his job was. I mean, I’m his son, don’t I deserve to know what he does for a living.” After about an hour of thinking, Jackson had convinced himself that he had to get to the bottom of this.

Jackson decided it would be best to watch Charlie from a distance. He walked outside, opting to hide in a tree and wait for his stepdad to come home. He sat there for an hour, and it was getting dark. Jackson was getting hungry and ready give up and go inside when he heard the rumbling of the Hummer’s engine. Sure enough, his dad pulled into the driveway. He hopped out of the car, slamming the door shut. He looked around carefully, making sure no one was watching. He reached into the trunk and brought out a large metal crate. He looked around a couple more times and then carried it into the house. He gently shut the front door, knowing that mom was taking her nap and not wanting to wake her up. It was really obvious that this was serious and dangerous business if Charlie didn’t want even my mom to know about it.

Jackson reached into his pocket and took out his cell phone. He dialed 9-1-1 and then stopped for a moment. He thought about if this is what he wanted. But his face turned to anger. Jackson pressed call and held the phone to his ear. He spoke quietly in a shaky voice, explaining how Charlie had brought the crate into the house. The lady on the phone had a sweet, soft voice and she said she would send a couple of officers to check out the situation immediately. By the time Jackson had flipped the phone shut, his face was pale and his body was shaking.

There were 4 officers who showed up about 10 minutes after Jackson had called. The man in charge had a shiny, bald head. He knocked on the front door. Charlie opened it, and as soon as he saw the officers he had a sick look on his face. The officers tackled him to the ground, and even though he was really strong, he couldn’t wrestle free of the 4 officers. They handcuffed him, and proceeded inside the house where they found the metal crate. They yanked it open and found that the box was filled with marijuana.

Jackson almost passed out at the sight of this. In his mind everything went into a panic. “Charlie was a drug dealer! What’s going to happen to him now? Are they going to take him to jail? What about mom? Will she be angry or happy that he’s gone?” The officers shoved Charlie into the car and drove off. Still sitting in the tree, Jackson began to cry. His mom came out of the house, tears in her eyes. And Jackson began to wail, “What did I do? This is all my fault.” But his mom comforted him. “Jacks, its not your fault. If only I had known, I would have never married that b------.” She held him in her arms, as if he was a baby. “Everything’s going to be okay,” she said in a soft voice.