Sins Derived From Survival
Authored By: Bradley Chapline
Aug 2024
Authored By: Bradley Chapline
Aug 2024
Chapter Three
The Senior High School Years
Dean thought that he had advanced so far in his personal life that he could now finish high school and graduate no matter the circumstances he would have to face. Dean was keeping his most trusted book very close to him
Dean now walked proudly to the same old bus stop that had once put so much fear and anxiety in his life. Many of the kids there were the same old bullies. But, nobody, as of that moment, had recognized him as the old dork.
Dean kept his mouth shut. While he was upset at his mother, Dean was not showing any of his emotions.
Dean had earned over four hundred dollars working side jobs at the community mental health recovery center. He had worked hard to become a trustee and therefore had the privilege of periodically earning minimum wage money. But, the short time Dean was at his mother's place, she had stolen all of the money he had saved. Standing quietly at the bus stop, Dean knew he had no lunch money, and would go hungry. Dean's ride on the school bus was quiet.
So, once again, Dean broke out his trusty book. It was still his prized possession.
Once the bullies discovered that the new kid in their neighborhood was actually the old dork, Dean, the harassment started once again. The school bullies were shocked when they learned the hard way that Dean had learned some very important elements of self-defense. His first three confrontations at school had resulted in Dean defeating the bullies that had accosted him. Those bullies were so embarrassed that they vowed severe retaliation on Dean. But, for the moment, the rest of the bully boys had backed far away from Dean.
But, in the months to come, on one school day, as Dean was walking down the hallway of the school enroute to his next class, he was struck on the back of his head by a solid object. Dean blacked out. When he awakened, he was in the school nurse's office. The nurse had notified both of the Richardson guardians of the attack. Both Mr. and Mrs. Richardson rushed to Dean's side.
As Dean began to recover, he knew his homelife at the Richardson residence was still nothing short of wonderful. As soon as he was able to, Dean went back to working hard in keeping the Richardson home clean, and their yard manicured to perfection. Once back at school, Dean received his final quarterly report card that was almost all B's. Dean had passed into the eleventh grade. Mr. Richardson's once doubtfulness of Dean, was now a thing of the past.
Although Dean had almost become a handsome young man with a conservative personality, the school girls still did not like him. They preferred the bullies with the rough and rugged "bad boy" images. This was in no short supply at the town's senior high school. But, Dean didn't care. For, almost all of his free time was devoted to reading his trusted book, and thinking contemplatively as the author of his venerated tome had recommended he do as often as possible..
The author, once housed in solitary confinement at a Texas state reformatory for boys, was now confined to a Texas maximum security mental health center.
Ralph Duers’ book, in mainstream society, got very little attention. But, to Dean his book was very important to his survival.
Dean wondered aimlessly how it was possible that a book which promoted ways to commit both suicide and mass murders could have landed on a shelf in the lobby of a community mental health recovery center.
Recounting his childhood experiences, the author, Ralph Duer, told a detailed account of being raised by bad parents, constantly being beat up by not only his mother and father, but the neighborhood and school kids, as well. Duer was ugly, smelly, stupid and weak. He was the bullies' whipping post. He has taken so many hits to the head in one school week that he suffered from recurring bouts of both blacking out and double vision. Dean had also gone through this more than a few times in his childhood. He seemed to have so much in common with the author of, Sins Derived From Survival.
At Mr. Richardson's private room, Dean had asked if he could access some of the research books in his bochord. "Where in the world did you learn that word, Dean?" Dean smiled and said, "I read a lot, Mr. Richardson." Dean was then given unlimited access to Mr. Richardson's home library.
Dean looked up the physical and psychological effects of being bullied. What he found in Mr. Richardson's library were a lot of medical and psychology terms that he did not fully understand. Reverting back to Dean's trusted book, this gave Dean specific advice on developing a plan of survival when bullies and enemies would arrogate his life.
Dean discovered Ralph Duers' paperback book in the early days of the three years stay at the community mental health recovery center. It had apparently been lying upside down, abandoned on an otherwise empty book shelf in the center's lobby.
Reading about halfway through Duers’ book helped to give Dean a path to developing a plan for his survival. But first, in accordance with Ralph Duers’ strange comments between chapters, Dean followed his suggestions that each reader of the book should get tested as to whether or not they have symptoms of autism. Duer wrote in bold print that individuals diagnosed as autistic should immediately stop reading his book.
Dean gave himself a test from Mr. Richardson's books on mental illness. He read that the main symptoms of autism are a child's problems with social communication and interaction. Dean knew this definitely fit his profile. He was concerned.
So, Dean read further into Mr. Richardson's medical journals and books. Dean found that autistic kids will screech and yell when overwhelmed or frustrated. Autistic children will bolt from a room, hit others, and other times injure themselves when upset. Autistic children will not look directly at another person when speaking. Autistic kids rock, flick, and pace when they are expected to sit still. An autistic child will not smile when someone smiles at them. Autistic kids get very upset when they do not like a certain taste, smell or sound. Autistic kids have repetitive movements such as flapping their hands, flicking their fingers, or rocking their body. Autistic children will not talk as much as other kids.
While Dean had several symptoms of autism, he was no longer concerned that he may have this type of condition.
Dean went on to pass his junior year of high school.
In Dean's senior year he was making everything appear at the Richardson place like all was well. Even though Dean had no one physically assaulting him, and no bullies picking on him, Dean was having many episodes of uneasiness. But, nevertheless, coming near the end of the school year, Dean was eligible to graduate. Surprisingly, Dean decided to attend his senior prom. It would be his first social function. But, he did not ask a girl to go with him.
Dean asked Mr. Richardson if he would rent him the formal wear needed for his prom night. Mr. Richardson said, “Of course Dean.” He got Dean fitted for a black tuxedo. Then Mr. Richardson bought Dean a sophisticated tuxedo shirt with a silky black formal bow tie. He added a pair of traditional black socks with a pair of shiny black patent leather shoes. For the first time in Dean's life, he was excited about a school event.
Dean was daydreaming almost every day about meeting a beautiful girl at the prom. Dean, in his fantasy, saw the two of them romantically dancing to a slow love song. Dean pictured the dazzling pattern of light beams that swirled around the converted ballroom as the two of them gently kissed. It was like their two minds and bodies had meshed together.
On prom night, Mr. And Mrs. Richardson marveled at how handsome Dean looked in his prom suit. They both drove Dean to his school and dropped him off. They wished him a good evening. But, Dean began to feel uneasy. Something wasn't right. When Dean got inside the school and was walking towards the gymnasium, where prom night was being held, Dean discovered he was totally over dressed. Unbeknown to Dean, the student council had voted to have an informal dress code on prom night. Groups of students and even a couple of Dean's teachers were making uncivil faces at him. They were all laughing in high pitched tones that was driving Dean's mind into total chaos. He ran out of the gym. But, before Dean got out of the school he was once again attacked by being hit with a hard object in the back of his head. Dean crumpled, motionless on the floor of a now deserted school hallway. Dean screeched and yelled until his voice went hoarse.
When somebody finally called paramedics to the scene, they took Dean's vital signs. They were all clearly far away from the normal range. Dean had a huge knot on the back of his head. He had lost a fair amount of blood from that region.
When the paramedics attempted to help Dean to his feet, his body collapsed. Momentarily, one of the paramedics talked about Dean possibly suffering from a condition called ataxia. The other paramedic, a rookie in training, was not aware of that medical term. His partner said, "Ataxia results from damage to the part of the brain that controls muscle coordination. Ataxia results in the patient having poor muscle control that causes clumsy movements. It affects a patient's walking, balance, hand coordination, speech, swallowing, and eye movements. This condition is oftentimes fatal for those patients in their childhood or early adulthood. The paramedic's partner said, "Then we better get this boy to the hospital on the double."
The paramedics loaded Dean into the ambulance and sped away with its sirens blaring. A crowd of party goers had amassed at the scene. One girl was heard to say, "I hope that nutcase dies this time."
When Dean awakened from the assault on him, he immediately went into a panic. Lying in a hospital bed, Dean thought he had lost his trusted book. Now, he needed it more than ever for guidance. When the nurse came in to check on Dean, he asked, in an aggressive tone about the whereabouts of his tuxedo. She said, "Your mother and father came in to visit you and they took the tuxedo and all its accessories when they left." Dean yelled, but his speech became slurred. He was trying to say, "I don't have no fucking mother or father." The nurse then said, "Is this what you are looking for honey, a book entitled, Sins Derived From Survival?" Almost immediately, Dean calmed down when the nurse said, "It sounds like an interesting book." He lightly took hold of his book, but clutched it tightly.
When the Richardsons discovered that the assault perpetrated on Dean was in no way his fault, they welcomed him back home long enough to pack up all his personal belongings. Both Mr. and Mrs. Richardson had reviewed Dean's trusted book. They were both in agreement that Dean could no longer live in their house. They believed Dean’s presence had become fraught with danger.
Once Dean had departed the home he loved, Mr. Richardson had called the local sheriff and reported that he had good reason to suspect that Dean was becoming a threat to the community.
The sheriff asked Mr. Richardson to file a formal report. He refused. Mr. Richardson made it clear to the sheriff that he did not want to get further involved.
The sheriff told Mr. Richardson that if he was not going to file a formal report, there was no more he could do in the matter of Dean Crossley. In a snotty and disrespectful tone, Mr. Richardson told the sheriff, "Just make sure you have plenty of body bags on hand."
The sheriff just shrugged his shoulders and walked away from Mr. Richardson.
Now, living on the streets of a crime-ridden community, Dean was now having serious episodes from his recurring bouts with traumatic brain injury. Dean was found wandering on street corners throwing his arms about and scolding himself. Dean shouldn't have even been released from the hospital. But, no one had been paying his hospital bills.
Dean did not show up for his graduation ceremony, which was probably a good thing, because the principal of Dennis Rivers Senior High School had stripped Dean of his high school diploma. Both the school board trustees and the student council had approved of the principal’s action.
The Senior High School Years
Dean thought that he had advanced so far in his personal life that he could now finish high school and graduate no matter the circumstances he would have to face. Dean was keeping his most trusted book very close to him
Dean now walked proudly to the same old bus stop that had once put so much fear and anxiety in his life. Many of the kids there were the same old bullies. But, nobody, as of that moment, had recognized him as the old dork.
Dean kept his mouth shut. While he was upset at his mother, Dean was not showing any of his emotions.
Dean had earned over four hundred dollars working side jobs at the community mental health recovery center. He had worked hard to become a trustee and therefore had the privilege of periodically earning minimum wage money. But, the short time Dean was at his mother's place, she had stolen all of the money he had saved. Standing quietly at the bus stop, Dean knew he had no lunch money, and would go hungry. Dean's ride on the school bus was quiet.
So, once again, Dean broke out his trusty book. It was still his prized possession.
Once the bullies discovered that the new kid in their neighborhood was actually the old dork, Dean, the harassment started once again. The school bullies were shocked when they learned the hard way that Dean had learned some very important elements of self-defense. His first three confrontations at school had resulted in Dean defeating the bullies that had accosted him. Those bullies were so embarrassed that they vowed severe retaliation on Dean. But, for the moment, the rest of the bully boys had backed far away from Dean.
But, in the months to come, on one school day, as Dean was walking down the hallway of the school enroute to his next class, he was struck on the back of his head by a solid object. Dean blacked out. When he awakened, he was in the school nurse's office. The nurse had notified both of the Richardson guardians of the attack. Both Mr. and Mrs. Richardson rushed to Dean's side.
As Dean began to recover, he knew his homelife at the Richardson residence was still nothing short of wonderful. As soon as he was able to, Dean went back to working hard in keeping the Richardson home clean, and their yard manicured to perfection. Once back at school, Dean received his final quarterly report card that was almost all B's. Dean had passed into the eleventh grade. Mr. Richardson's once doubtfulness of Dean, was now a thing of the past.
Although Dean had almost become a handsome young man with a conservative personality, the school girls still did not like him. They preferred the bullies with the rough and rugged "bad boy" images. This was in no short supply at the town's senior high school. But, Dean didn't care. For, almost all of his free time was devoted to reading his trusted book, and thinking contemplatively as the author of his venerated tome had recommended he do as often as possible..
The author, once housed in solitary confinement at a Texas state reformatory for boys, was now confined to a Texas maximum security mental health center.
Ralph Duers’ book, in mainstream society, got very little attention. But, to Dean his book was very important to his survival.
Dean wondered aimlessly how it was possible that a book which promoted ways to commit both suicide and mass murders could have landed on a shelf in the lobby of a community mental health recovery center.
Recounting his childhood experiences, the author, Ralph Duer, told a detailed account of being raised by bad parents, constantly being beat up by not only his mother and father, but the neighborhood and school kids, as well. Duer was ugly, smelly, stupid and weak. He was the bullies' whipping post. He has taken so many hits to the head in one school week that he suffered from recurring bouts of both blacking out and double vision. Dean had also gone through this more than a few times in his childhood. He seemed to have so much in common with the author of, Sins Derived From Survival.
At Mr. Richardson's private room, Dean had asked if he could access some of the research books in his bochord. "Where in the world did you learn that word, Dean?" Dean smiled and said, "I read a lot, Mr. Richardson." Dean was then given unlimited access to Mr. Richardson's home library.
Dean looked up the physical and psychological effects of being bullied. What he found in Mr. Richardson's library were a lot of medical and psychology terms that he did not fully understand. Reverting back to Dean's trusted book, this gave Dean specific advice on developing a plan of survival when bullies and enemies would arrogate his life.
Dean discovered Ralph Duers' paperback book in the early days of the three years stay at the community mental health recovery center. It had apparently been lying upside down, abandoned on an otherwise empty book shelf in the center's lobby.
Reading about halfway through Duers’ book helped to give Dean a path to developing a plan for his survival. But first, in accordance with Ralph Duers’ strange comments between chapters, Dean followed his suggestions that each reader of the book should get tested as to whether or not they have symptoms of autism. Duer wrote in bold print that individuals diagnosed as autistic should immediately stop reading his book.
Dean gave himself a test from Mr. Richardson's books on mental illness. He read that the main symptoms of autism are a child's problems with social communication and interaction. Dean knew this definitely fit his profile. He was concerned.
So, Dean read further into Mr. Richardson's medical journals and books. Dean found that autistic kids will screech and yell when overwhelmed or frustrated. Autistic children will bolt from a room, hit others, and other times injure themselves when upset. Autistic children will not look directly at another person when speaking. Autistic kids rock, flick, and pace when they are expected to sit still. An autistic child will not smile when someone smiles at them. Autistic kids get very upset when they do not like a certain taste, smell or sound. Autistic kids have repetitive movements such as flapping their hands, flicking their fingers, or rocking their body. Autistic children will not talk as much as other kids.
While Dean had several symptoms of autism, he was no longer concerned that he may have this type of condition.
Dean went on to pass his junior year of high school.
In Dean's senior year he was making everything appear at the Richardson place like all was well. Even though Dean had no one physically assaulting him, and no bullies picking on him, Dean was having many episodes of uneasiness. But, nevertheless, coming near the end of the school year, Dean was eligible to graduate. Surprisingly, Dean decided to attend his senior prom. It would be his first social function. But, he did not ask a girl to go with him.
Dean asked Mr. Richardson if he would rent him the formal wear needed for his prom night. Mr. Richardson said, “Of course Dean.” He got Dean fitted for a black tuxedo. Then Mr. Richardson bought Dean a sophisticated tuxedo shirt with a silky black formal bow tie. He added a pair of traditional black socks with a pair of shiny black patent leather shoes. For the first time in Dean's life, he was excited about a school event.
Dean was daydreaming almost every day about meeting a beautiful girl at the prom. Dean, in his fantasy, saw the two of them romantically dancing to a slow love song. Dean pictured the dazzling pattern of light beams that swirled around the converted ballroom as the two of them gently kissed. It was like their two minds and bodies had meshed together.
On prom night, Mr. And Mrs. Richardson marveled at how handsome Dean looked in his prom suit. They both drove Dean to his school and dropped him off. They wished him a good evening. But, Dean began to feel uneasy. Something wasn't right. When Dean got inside the school and was walking towards the gymnasium, where prom night was being held, Dean discovered he was totally over dressed. Unbeknown to Dean, the student council had voted to have an informal dress code on prom night. Groups of students and even a couple of Dean's teachers were making uncivil faces at him. They were all laughing in high pitched tones that was driving Dean's mind into total chaos. He ran out of the gym. But, before Dean got out of the school he was once again attacked by being hit with a hard object in the back of his head. Dean crumpled, motionless on the floor of a now deserted school hallway. Dean screeched and yelled until his voice went hoarse.
When somebody finally called paramedics to the scene, they took Dean's vital signs. They were all clearly far away from the normal range. Dean had a huge knot on the back of his head. He had lost a fair amount of blood from that region.
When the paramedics attempted to help Dean to his feet, his body collapsed. Momentarily, one of the paramedics talked about Dean possibly suffering from a condition called ataxia. The other paramedic, a rookie in training, was not aware of that medical term. His partner said, "Ataxia results from damage to the part of the brain that controls muscle coordination. Ataxia results in the patient having poor muscle control that causes clumsy movements. It affects a patient's walking, balance, hand coordination, speech, swallowing, and eye movements. This condition is oftentimes fatal for those patients in their childhood or early adulthood. The paramedic's partner said, "Then we better get this boy to the hospital on the double."
The paramedics loaded Dean into the ambulance and sped away with its sirens blaring. A crowd of party goers had amassed at the scene. One girl was heard to say, "I hope that nutcase dies this time."
When Dean awakened from the assault on him, he immediately went into a panic. Lying in a hospital bed, Dean thought he had lost his trusted book. Now, he needed it more than ever for guidance. When the nurse came in to check on Dean, he asked, in an aggressive tone about the whereabouts of his tuxedo. She said, "Your mother and father came in to visit you and they took the tuxedo and all its accessories when they left." Dean yelled, but his speech became slurred. He was trying to say, "I don't have no fucking mother or father." The nurse then said, "Is this what you are looking for honey, a book entitled, Sins Derived From Survival?" Almost immediately, Dean calmed down when the nurse said, "It sounds like an interesting book." He lightly took hold of his book, but clutched it tightly.
When the Richardsons discovered that the assault perpetrated on Dean was in no way his fault, they welcomed him back home long enough to pack up all his personal belongings. Both Mr. and Mrs. Richardson had reviewed Dean's trusted book. They were both in agreement that Dean could no longer live in their house. They believed Dean’s presence had become fraught with danger.
Once Dean had departed the home he loved, Mr. Richardson had called the local sheriff and reported that he had good reason to suspect that Dean was becoming a threat to the community.
The sheriff asked Mr. Richardson to file a formal report. He refused. Mr. Richardson made it clear to the sheriff that he did not want to get further involved.
The sheriff told Mr. Richardson that if he was not going to file a formal report, there was no more he could do in the matter of Dean Crossley. In a snotty and disrespectful tone, Mr. Richardson told the sheriff, "Just make sure you have plenty of body bags on hand."
The sheriff just shrugged his shoulders and walked away from Mr. Richardson.
Now, living on the streets of a crime-ridden community, Dean was now having serious episodes from his recurring bouts with traumatic brain injury. Dean was found wandering on street corners throwing his arms about and scolding himself. Dean shouldn't have even been released from the hospital. But, no one had been paying his hospital bills.
Dean did not show up for his graduation ceremony, which was probably a good thing, because the principal of Dennis Rivers Senior High School had stripped Dean of his high school diploma. Both the school board trustees and the student council had approved of the principal’s action.
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