Hello CTB Family,
Your friendly, neighborhood, self-appointed Bishop here. The following is a real series of phone conversations I had with a Baltimore teen who participated in a youth program I led. Here is the cast of characters:
- Bishop – That’s me.
- David – The seventeen-year-old living in Pig Town who was part of the youth program.
- Nick – Another member of the youth program. Also seventeen. Also lived in Pig Town.
- Laura – Another one of the youth workers.
10:15pm
“Hello. This is Bishop.”
“Hey, yeah, Bish. This is David. So I was wondering if you could come and pick me up man? I need a ride.”
“I mean, I guess. It’s late. Where are you?”
“Come on, Bish. It’s not late.”
“David, I’m old. My kids are in bed. I’m in my pajamas. It’s late.”
“Ha ha! Alright, alright. What are you? Like forty somethin’?”
“I’m thirty-one.”
“Dam! You are old.”
“So where are you?”
“Oh. See. I don’t need you to get me right now. I need you to get me in like two hours. Or maybe like three hours. Yeah, more like three hours.”
“What? No.”
“Come on Bish. You always tellin’ me I need to be responsible and shit. That I need to like plan ahead. I’m tryin’. You should reward my effort.”
“No. I’ll come get you now. Where are you?”
“No Bish. Come on! Why can’t you just come in like three hours?”
“What’s going on?”
“Alright, alright. Me and Nick are out in Hunt Valley and…”
“What are you doing in Hunt Valley?”
“Oh what! A black man can’t go to Hunt Valley? I can go where I want to go Bish. This is America. I can do what I want to do.”
“No, no. I mean what are you, a seventeen-year-old kid, from Pig Town, who can’t drive, doing in Hunt Valley? There isn’t a lot in Hunt Valley? Are you just wandering the streets? Is that the only way you could find to spend your Saturday night?”
“I’m goin’ to the movies with Nick.”
“Who gave you money to go to the movies? You didn’t spend that money I gave you for your cap and gown did you?”
“No. I just got it. I just be getting’ money, Bish. Listen, don’t you worry about that. I got skills. I gots money gettin’ skills. And that’s not the point. I need you to come and get Nick and me in like three hours.”
“No. Why?”
“Come on Bish! We need you. I’m tryin’ to be responsible here and shit.
“Why three hours?”
“Well, you see. We went to this one movie and it was cool and we want to go again ’cuase we loved it an all. It was inspirational Bish. I’m being inspired. It’s makin’ me want to be a better person. I’m goin’ to make somethin’ of myself.”
“So why do you need me? You got out there. Come back how you went out.”
“Well, see that’s the problem Bish. The Light Rail stops runnin’ at midnight but the movie won’t be over until like one, one-thirty.”
“Don’t go to the movie. Get on the Light Rail and come home now. You’re welcome.”
“Alright, alright. You’re funny. So you’ll come get us?”
“No.”
“Come on Bish!”
“No.”
“Oh, you’ll come.”
“No.”
“Alright. I’ll see you in like three hours.”
“I’m going to turn my phone off. You should go home.”
“Alright Bish. (laughing) You won’t leave me here. (More laughing) I’ll see you.”
“Good night David.”
“Yeah. See you in a few hours.”
10:22pm
“Hello, this is Bishop.”
“Hey Bishop. It’s Laura. Did David call you?”
“Yep.”
“I told him no.”
“Good.”
“I told him to go home.”
“Good. Would you call the rest of the team and tell them to turn their phones off, or at least don’t answer his calls.”
“Already done. See you at church tomorrow.”
11:15pm
“Hello. This is Bishop. I can’t come to the phone right now. Leave a message and I will call you back as soon as possible. Unless you are David. David, you should go home.” (Beep)
(Laughing) “Yo Bish. That’s funny yo. You a comedian. It’s David. Nick and me are goin’ into the movie. We’ll see you in like three hours.” (More laughing) “You funny with the voice mail and all.”
1:30am
“Hello. This is Bishop. I can’t come to the phone right now. Leave a message and I will call you back as soon as I can. Unless you are David. David, you should go home.” (Beep)
(Laughing) “Yo Bish. You a trip man. We sittin’ out here waitin’ for you. We’re in front of the movies and you know, they are in the back of the place. So you goin’ have to drive around.”
1:38am
“Hello. This is Bishop. I can’t come to the phone right now. Leave a message and I will call you back as soon as I can. Unless you are David. David, you should go home.” (Beep)
“Yo Bish. It’s David. Where you at? We are here. Where are you?”
1:52am
“Hello. This is Bishop. I can’t come to the phone right now. Leave a message and I will call you back as soon as I can. Unless you are David. David, you should go home.” (Beep)
“What the fuck man? Where you at? You can’t just leave us out here, yo. That’s not cool Bish. That’s fucked up. How you just goin’ leave us out here? Yo man, pick up ya phone. Pick up ya phone. Pick it up. Pick it up. This some fucked up shit.”
2:15am
“Hello. This is Bishop. I can’t come to the phone right now. Leave a message and I will call you back as soon as I can. Unless you are David. David, you should go home.” (Beep)
(Whispering) “Yo Bish. See, you shouldn’t count me out ‘cause I’m a survivor. We found out the grocery store is open all night, so jokes on you Bish ‘cause we just goin’ to camp out here. Maybe I’ll even break open some fun-yuns. Bam bitch. That’s what I’m talkin’ about. I got skills. I got skills. Daddy got skills.”
3:28am
“Hello. This is Bishop. I can’t come to the phone right now. Leave a message and I will call you back as soon as I can. Unless you are David. David, you should go home.” (Beep)
“Yo Bish, this is fucked up man. The store manager like caught us sleepin’ by the paper towels and he kicked us out and stuff. It’s fucked up. He like just put us out the store. And so we went to go and like sleep by where the Light Rail come, but there was this crazy homeless dude there. And now he’s like chasin’ us and shit. You got to come get us. Please Bish. Please come get us. I mean the homeless dude ain’t fast or nothin’, but I’m just tired of walkin’. Call me. Call me back.”
4:19am
“Hello. This is Bishop. I can’t come to the phone right now. Leave a message and I will call you back as soon as I can. Unless you are David. David, you should go home.” (Beep)
“Hey, yo, yeah, Mr. Bishop. This is Nick. This is fucked up, yo. I mean. This dude just keeps followin’ us. He just keeps comin’. We get away from him, ‘cause he’s like slow, but like there he is again. And he just won’t stop Bish. He’s goin’ to fuck us up. Please come get us. He’s all like singing to himself and shit. It was funny at first, but now I’m like really scared and stuff. And when he see us he starts screaming at us and shit. Come on Bish. Please.”
5:45am
“Hello. This is Bishop.”
“Oh shit! Oh shit! You actually picked up.”
“Hey David. How was your night? Did you go home?”
“You ain’t listen to your phone yet?”
“Nope. Just turned it on a second ago.”
“That’s fucked up Bish. I called you like twenty times. You don’t have to listen to them though. Well yo, we’re still out here. Can you come get us? We’re tired of walkin’ and this dude ain’t givin’ up. He’s still after us yo. I tried to talk to a cop and shit but he just told me that unless the dude like beat us to death, he can’t do anything. This shit is fucked up.”
“Hm. Well, I’ve got to be up at the church to start setting up at like 7:30. So I guess I can come get you. But you’re going to have to stay with me until everything is done today…and I’ve got some meetings after church…so like twelve-thirty or so?.”
“Yo. Whatever you want Bish. Please just come get us.”
“Alright. I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”
“Cool. Um. You think when you get here you can buy us some breakfast, ‘cause I’m hungry.”
“I’ll meet you in front of the Wegmans. Be there or I’ll leave you.”
“Alright. Alright. We’ll be there Bish. We’ll be there.”
“How was the movie?”
“Ha ha. Yeah, you funny Bish. You a comedian.”
—————————————————————-
If you’d like to read another real conversation with a Baltimore teen click here.