He had to take the bus home
By AmberLynn
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
United States
June 29, 2018 9:03pm CST
The phone rang several times before anyone was able to answer it.
"Sir I'm afraid you are going to have to come and get your son. He's in Virginia."
Of course he was because he never did stay in one place. He had hitchhiked across the states and landed in California the last time. I'm not sure what his destination was this time but he didn't get very far.
"No he's old enough to legally be out on his own. He will have to find his own way home."
He wasn't of legal age to be out on his own in Virginia but he was from North Carolina so there wasn't much they could do. The police paid for a bus ticket and made sure he got on the bus. He got off the bus (at home) and immediately tried to swindle a lady out of 50 cents.
That wouldn't be the last time he disappeared for days or even weeks. I guess you could call him a nomad or a rebel. He didn't seem to regret his trips, even if it was at the expense of his mother's worry.
7 people like this
7 responses
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
30 Jun 18
My late uncle.
He was around 15-16 when he did this.
2 people like this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
30 Jun 18
@marguicha They got used to it. He was a problem child but he was actually undiagnosed with bipolar. Bipolar wouldn't really be discovered until his early 20's I believe.
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
30 Jun 18
This would have been in like 1969 or 1970. He was a problem teenager. He was undiagnosed with a mental disorder that wouldn't really be discovered until eight or so years later.
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
30 Jun 18
@rakski Yes exactly. They just thought he was a problem child. The disorder he had is one that tends to present itself in the teenage years.
1 person likes this
@rakski (156283)
• Philippines
30 Jun 18
@ScribbledAdNauseum oh that explains it.
It was hard that time to recognize because there is no name yet for those disorders unlike now.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (189820)
• Boise, Idaho
30 Jun 18
Now days they'd probably charge the parents with not watching their kid.
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
30 Jun 18
@celticeagle This was my uncle that had run off. He hadn't been diagnosed with Bipolar yet.
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
30 Jun 18
Yeah probably so. I think the age that kids could be out on their own has gone up as well. This was in 1969 or 1970.
1 person likes this
@cintol (11261)
• United States
30 Jun 18
Wow, thats pretty young to be running from state to state, I would have made him find his way back as well.
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
30 Jun 18
He was undiagnosed with bipolar. Of course at that time it wasn't really something anyone knew about. I don't think they called it "bipolar" until several years later even.
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
30 Jun 18
He ran away several times in his youth and stayed away for long periods of time. He was undiagnosed with a mental disorder that wouldn't be recognized until nearly a decade later.
1 person likes this
@Peach10 (1920)
•
30 Jun 18
I have 3 boys and if this happened I will still go after and look for him whether he's a minor ( of course) the more or not.
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
30 Jun 18
This was also a different time. There are always extenuating circumstances we don't quite understand. They did retrieve him a few times but after awhile it got to be too much.
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
30 Jun 18
@Peach10 He came out okay and lived many years. He was able to get the help he needed.
@DesirousDreamer (34776)
• Peoria, Arizona
30 Jun 18
This sounds like a great start to a very interesting story.
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
30 Jun 18
It's a true story actually. My late uncle was the teenager.
