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Short
Stories to Read
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The
Fifth Teenager By
Myrna Roberts February
3, 2002 This
is a story that I told my nine-year-old daughter one day because I was at my
wit's end in dealing with her rebellion. As the story goes, we had only
recently purchased from my parents the house in which I had spent my
adolescence. The move was a definite move up for our small family and my
daughter was experiencing an unrealistic bugge (bourgeoisie) arrogance that
offended all adults and most children. Her
attitude was so offensive I was covertly planning to run away to a
Jamaican mountain retreat for six months. I
laid awake that night praying for God to show me the answer to a question
that I was not smart enough to articulate. As I prayed in my bed at 3:30
a.m., the Holy Spirit laid the groundwork by revealing three things: 1)
Ashley was, indeed, out of control; 2) even though she was only nine, I had
no hope of ever controlling her again; and 3) if I showed her realistic
boundaries, she would learn to control herself. Now THAT sounded like a plan
to me! The only prerequisite was that I had to get her to trust me. To that
end, God planted a little family parable down in my spirit. The
next morning I could hardly wait to call a family meeting. Emmett, my
husband, honorably met me at the meeting table and together we demanded the
kid to show up. Ashley slouched over the table and I made her sit up. I
started by telling the group that I had a story. Emmett and Ashley both
sighed at the prospect of hearing another one of my stories. I continued
talking to Ashley, "My story is a teenager's story and I understand that
you have two weeks before your tenth birthday but your behavior is very
teenagerish. I feel that you are mature enough to hear the story and work the
exercise that goes with it." Ashley's shoulders squared and broadened
when she heard me say she was mature. I
began, "Once upon a time there were 4 teenagers who all embarked on the
long quest to climb the Mountain For Success. Now these teenagers didn't
leave at the same time but they all left from the same place and they all
knew each other. These teens were just like you Ashley in lots of ways. They
were all bright, intelligent teens, but they were also selfish and angry,
believed the world owed them something, and they were all arrogant smart
mouth kids. "The
first teenager enthusiastically left on the journey to climb the Mountain For
Success. This teen, indeed, journeyed very far, but at the very first
challenge, the very first obstacle -- at the very first hard trial that
teenager laid down on the rocky way and never ventured any further. Oh yes,
the teenager eventually found a cave for shelter. Only leaving the cave
occasionally to find food, this teenager seldom used the gift of
intelligence. The teen just laid in the cave and never progressed past the first
hurdle on the Mountain For Success. "The
second teenager enthusiastically left on the journey to climb the Mountain
For Success. That teen ran and played and climbed and cried and walked and
wept and scratched and bled and moaned and sweat and spat and fought and
cried some more and clawed and laughed hysterically and eventually -- after
22 years, that teenager appeared back on the scene with a small piece of
success. This teen exclaimed, 'Here it is, I have seen Success and I know
where it is! I know what it looks like, smells like, tastes like, feels like!
I brought back a piece for all to see! I can take you to Success because I
know exactly where it is!'" At this point Ashley
seriously interjected into the story, "22 years! If it took 22 years
then this person wasn't a teenager when he came back was he?" I looked
gravely into her eyes and sternly stated, "No". I looked at Emmett
and asked him if he had anything to say. Emmett wistfully massaged the ridges
of his chin and moved his head in the negative while silently mouthing a
strong 'NO'. I knew it then -- they were both thoroughly listening and the
plot thickened. "The third teenager left
to climb the Mountain For Success. At the very first challenge, this teenager
lacking strength in character could not hold on, and straightaway fell to
certain and swift death!" Everyone at the table, including me, drew in a
sudden shocking breath. Someone had died!
This was no longer just a cute little story. We all leaned forward to
hear the rest -- I was no different, deeply and completely enthralled. "The fourth teenager left. This teen was not at
all prepared and left prematurely. This teen, lacking basic understanding,
never moved upwardly at all but aimlessly roamed. He fell into every little trap and got caught in every storm,
making absolutely no progress. This teen lived a miserable existence, one day
distinguishable from the next only by the terrible entanglements. Existing
from trouble to trouble to trouble to trouble with little glory in between." "Now that's the story of the four teenagers. You
have all the important facts, so lets work out the exercise. Given all that
you know which one of the teens would YOU seek advice from?" Ashley,
as though she were 16 years old instead of 9, declared and motioned with her
hands, "Of course I'd listen to the second one." Establishing
crucial eye contact I asked, "Why?" Ashley smoothly continued as
though I had said nothing. "The
first one didn't make it, the second one made it, the third and fourth ones
didn't make it." She counted them off on her fingers as she went. Because
I believe we learn through repetition, I asked her to state again why she
would talk to the second teenager. Ashley, as usual, grew frustrated and
aggravated with me and contemptibly re-established her views as though I was
too stupid to understand anything. "The first teenager was too afraid to
make it, the second one finished, the third one wasn't ready and died. You can't get advice from a dead
person. The fourth one was dumb. It
is simple -- I'd talk to the second one. I sat back in my chair, maintaining the established eye
contact and expertly posed one question and one statement that forever
changed who Ashley is and was. "What would you say Ashley if I told you
that I am the second teenager?" Her chin hit the floor as she tried to
utter a what-how question. "Dear child, not only am I the second
teenager, but you are the fifth teenager." All the intended shock hit the table, meeting each one
of us where we lived and then registered on each face. Even Emmett coughed
and sat back in his chair. We had all been sitting on the edge of our seats
trying to anticipate where the story would go, and here we were, all caught
up. For the first time in months I had little Miss Ashley's complete and
undivided attention. Finally, she gathered her wits, found her chin and said
"How?" "I laid awake praying for you last night and
remembered the four teenagers who have left the bedroom where you now sleep.
The first one is my older brother. Ashley, you know Uncle Paul. He is a brilliant scientist and
mathematician. But he's a man that
stays at home for days at a time and he seldom eats. His house is dark and
junky and he lays in bed for long periods of time. He's so smart he can work
2 or 3 days a month and pay all of his bills. "The second one is me, I left this very house 22
years ago. There is much you don't know but I have traveled all over the
world and now I'm back with a very small piece of success. I have seen
success and I know where it is, I know how to get there but I am tired and
weary from the journey. I can not climb the Mountain For Success and fight
you at the same time. We must work
together. "The third teen is my little sister, your Aunt
Yvette. You never knew her. She was a
caring nurturer and excellent athlete.
We left this house together, and within 24 hours of leaving this very
house, Yvette was dead -- I was there and I saw it happen. It was a terrible
terrible thing to witness and a waste of a precious life. "The fourth one is my nephew and your cousin,
Romy. You know Romy, he's the artist, the actor, singer. He's a virtual work horse; but he is in
and out of jail all the time. He left that room at 14, going to live with his
"real mom." Life has been
terrible for him and although he is 21 years old now, he still has the
mentality of a 14-year-old. He has not progressed one bit since he left that
bedroom where you sleep right now. Well my dear, you are next! You can take your own road
or you can follow one of the other four. You can do as you wish. You have
proven time and again that I can not make you do anything, but right now you
are on the same road as the FOURTH teenager. I just hope you do as you said
you would. TAKE THE ADVICE OF THE SECOND TEENAGER. I am telling you as
seriously as I know how -- YOU ARE GOING THE WRONG WAY! Ashley was quiet and pensive after that for a long
time. Emmett crossed his legs, rubbed his hands together and spoke for the
first time, chuckling he looked at me and said, "That's a nice piece of
social work. You got her -- you really got her." Our relationship is different
now. Ashley often asks my advice. We
are on the same journey -- together -- and boy am I relieved. |
