Monkey Mind: A Haint Blue Adventure

by J. Elliott

or whether he was just one of those “demon seed” people who starts out life angry. I had a friend once with difficult daughter. One day we were enjoying lattes in a coffee in a coffee when she unloaded the story. I had asked how her daughter was. She was quiet for a full minute, staring into her cup, then she began talking. “I’m going to tell you something. She was born hateful--came out screaming and ornery and it never stopped…horrifying meltdowns in public, clawing, thrashing, and spitting like Linda Blair in the Exorcist without the green face. People would stare, thinking I was the worst, abusive parent. “I read all the parenting books and took her to therapy. I quit my job to focus on her. I read to her at night, I made sure she ate healthy food, no sugar. It made no difference. By third grade she was a thief and a liar. Regular calls from the school principal about her violent, aggressive behavior. She was suspended, then expelled. We changed schools. It went on and on.” Her eyes fluttered up to look at me, then lowered again to stare into her mug. As if suddenly remembering it was there, she took a sip of coffee. “The last time I saw her was when I dragged her out of a meth house. As we were driving home, she opened the car door, rolled out and ran.” Tears ran down her face. “By the time I came to a safe stop, she was gone. She was an almost an adult. I sat there crying for a long time. Then I wiped my face, put the car in drive and drove home.”