Xavier’s Story, Part 3: Eviction

Xavier and his family were sitting in a neighbor’s van in their own driveway when his mentor, James, pulled up to their home. James had gone to the school to pick him up for their weekly outing but Xavier was absent that day. So, James drove to their home.  

“There was a strange minivan in the driveway when I pulled up,” James reported. “The engine was running, and I thought that was weird. But when I started to walk past, the door of the van door rolled open and Xavier popped out!” The whole family–Xavier’s four siblings, and Mom–filled the interior.   

“They put us out,” Mom said, gesturing toward the lock on the front door. “All our things are in there. Including my cell phone.” 

“Oh, no! What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know yet. I’ll figure something out.” 

Mom is a survivor. She usually figures something out. Survival, however, is different for young children. Survival can damage a young child’s brain.  

“Can I help?,” James asked.  

“No, thank you. I’ll figure something out.”  

And she did. Eventually. She’s resourceful. She’s a survivor. But just surviving is hard. This time it included getting kicked out of a relative’s house at 3am. In the middle of the night Xavier walked behind his mom as she wandered to another friend’s house to sleep on the couch. When James saw Xavier next, he could see the pain in his eyes.  
 
“You’re going through some hard things, Xavier,” James said as he knelt down and looked him in the eye. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. And then with deep love and appreciation he quietly continued, “Can I tell you something? You are one strong dude. You can do hard things. I believe in you!” 
 
It's true. Xavier is surprisingly strong. He’s a survivor. Maybe he gets it from his mom.  
 
James has now walked with Xavier  through several hard things. He keeps showing up.  He works to find Xavier--whether he’s at school, or sleeping at a relative’s house, or sitting in a neighbor’s van. No matter what.  
 
Together Xavier and James are working to figure out what it looks like to move past surviving. Together they hope to figure out how to thrive.