My Friend Leonard Read Free

he is what I am, an alcoholic and a drug addict and a criminal. His eyes and words held truth, a truth that I knew and trusted more than institutional truth or medical truth or the truth of people who haven’t seen the shit that I’ve seen. I went back to the center and I stayed at the center. I was leaving because I wanted liquor and I wanted crack and I wanted to die. I went back because of Leonard.
    For whatever the reasons, and I do not know all of them, whenever I needed something or someone, Leonard was there. He watched over me and protected me. He helped me reconcile with my family. He gave me the best advice that I was given while I was at the center, which was to hold on. No matter how bad or difficult life becomes, if you hold on, hold on to whatever it is you need to hold on to, be it religion, friends, a support group, a set of steps or your own heart, if you hold on, just hold on, life will get better. He encouraged me to be with Lilly. He told me to forget about the fucking rules, that love doesn’t come around that often, and when it does you’ve got to take it and try to keep it.
    After Lilly left, she needed money to come back and stay at the center.Her Grandmother didn’t have any more money. She had spent what she had to put Lilly there the first time, and Lilly didn’t qualify for any of the financial aid programs. I didn’t tell Leonard about Lilly’s problems and I didn’t ask him for help. He had done enough for me.
    The morning he was leaving he asked to speak to me. I went to his room and he handed me a card. It had five names and five phone numbers on it. All of them were his, he said he used different names in different places. He said call if you need anything, doesn’t matter what it is or where you are, just call. I asked him why there were five numbers and five names on the card and he told me not to worry, just call if I need anything. After he gave me the card, he said he had something he wanted to talk to me about. I said fine, talk. He looked nervous, which I had never seen before. He took a deep breath. He said Kid, I have always wanted to be married and I have always wanted to have children. More specifically, I have always wanted to have a son. I have been thinking about this for a while now and I have decided that from now on, I would like you to be my son.
    I will watch out for you as I would if you were my real son, and I will offer you advice and help guide you through your life. When you are with me, and I plan on seeing you after we both leave here, you will be introduced as my son and you will be treated as such. In return, I ask that you keep me involved in what you are doing and allow me to take part in your life. If there are ever issues with your real father, I will insist you defer to and respect him before me and over me. I laughed and asked him if he was joking. He said that he wasn’t joking, not even close. I warned him that I tended to cause a lot of problems for the people in my life, and that if he could deal with that, I’d be happy to be his son. He laughed and he hugged me. When he released me he said he wanted me to go to jail and do my time and protect myself. He said not to worry about Lilly that she was going to be taken care of, that her financial issues had been resolved, that he hoped someday she would be better, that someday we would have a life together. I tried to object, but he interrupted me. He said what is done is done, now say thank you. I said thank you and I started to cry. I hoped that someday she would be better, that someday we would have a life together.
    I talk to Leonard every two or three days. I call him if I can’t get hold of Lilly, or I call him when I’m done talking to her. He always asks the sametwo questions: are you okay, do you need anything. My answers are always the same: yes I’m okay, no I don’t need anything. He offers to come visit I tell him no. He asks when