The Sweet Kid
In contrast to the Total Asshole, there’s a different kind of person: the kind of person who always does the right thing, who is so inherently good that they almost can’t go wrong. These people are a gift; but like any gift they are precious. We count ourselves lucky if we get one of these people on our books, but it’s honestly a mystery why we do that. People like this are, in my view, a poisoned chalice.
It’s a feeling I imagine that parents may feel. These people are precious, and they appear so fragile; but in the end, they’re more than capable of looking after themselves. Despite knowing that you really don’t need to meddle, or interfere – you end up spending half your time keeping an eye on them. It’s like the paranoid feeling you get with a diamond ring, it’s so precious you polish and you care for it constantly – but when you think about it, diamond’s the hardest fucking material on earth (just about) nothing’s going to scratch it, so quit worrying about it.
I have one such person on my books right now; she’s a sweet kid, a real darling child. Her parents are comfortably middle class, but divorced, and always fight whenever they’re together. Her brother is a good ten years older than she is, and is desperately trying to join a gang – thank god I don’t have him on my books. But despite an unpromising background and a series of unfortunate incidents in her past, she could teach right and wrong to a professor of ethics.
Two weeks ago her dad’s boss ran over her pet cat when he came over to be entertained by her ambitious father. Her dad wouldn’t believe her, and locked her in her room for the entire evening. She cried for three days about the whole affair.
It’s been almost comical watching the demons attempt to trap the poor girl into avenging her lost pet. But, like a circus performer you know will make the jump, it still keeps your heart in your mouth watching the show.