My sister moved between two friends in our neighborhood houses and then
after she dropped out and started working full time she moved in with
a friend from the next town over and I saw a lot less of her. We
would only see each other every couple of weeks and it was usually
when she needed a ride somewhere or some help of some other sort.
There was some drama with her employer and with my dad the details of
which I was not made privy too but which end up with her having to go
to a work camp called Job Corps to learn a trade and also to learn
how to smoke. After a few months up at the camp which was about an
hour North of where we lived she was allowed to come home on weekend
leave. A bus would bring her down halfway and then we would pick her
up for a couple of days at home which was odd because she had not
been in the house for more than a year and she was still openly
antagonistic towards my parents who were helping her out ona weekend
pass. She was not allowed to drive or have a car so if she needed a
ride she would ask me or my mom to take her friends and her to go
play or party. They were pretty strictly monitored in the program and
were generally drug tested after a weekend pass and if you were dirty
they would lock you down for a long time with absolutely no freedom
so generally the party was limited to some nice fast metabolizing
booze, beer and cigarettes. I was not into the party scene but I did
still love my sister and wanted her to like me so I would usually
drive her and her friends when I could and then just hang out and
decline offers of alcohol and cigarettes. It was pretty boring as is
usually the case for the sober one at the party enduring the wit of
those who develop alcoholically driven senses of humor and
introspective philosophies. I guess I stuck it out because I still
had hopes deep in my heart that unconditionally loving my sister
would aid in her rehabilitation and maybe even her reconciliation. I
think in retrospect I may have just been facilitating her. She never
came home to stay and when she had her freedom back we saw her even
less.
