Scarface

Scarface looked as if he had been beaten up. He had a couple of bruises on his face, but the slash across his nose was very noticeable. He had clearly been through a lot since the last time I saw him.

I met Scarface eight years ago before the scar. At the time, I was a senior in college working as a Student Development Specialist for a local non-profit agency that served troubled youth. Scarface was a 15 year-old student working towards his GED at one of the agency's therapeutic high schools.

Scarface had a very distinguishable Napoleonic-air, and look, that made it difficult not to notice him. He was short, light-skinned, and had freckles. Light skinned black folks with freckles are pretty rare. Even though Scarface wasn't on my caseload, he and I developed a rapport with each other that has lingered over the years.

I honestly don't recall many of our interactions other than the times we shot around at the shabby, makeshift basketball court that was in the basement of his school. Other than that, I really wasn't around Scarface much. I assumed that he just gravitated towards me since I was the only black dude on staff.

Every so often, Scarface and I run into each other around this rather large city. One night, a few years ago, I crossed paths with him randomly at a Store 24. Another time he happened to be with one of my players who was registering for classes at the college. More recently, I reconnected with him at a bar while he was meeting with an old white man wearing a suit. People who fit Scarface's profile (cornrows, baggy clothes) usually don't hang at this bar with well-dressed men, so I figured there was a reason beyond the booze for why he was in the joint. I waited until after his meeting to catch up with him.

Me: Yo! What you been up to??
Scarface: Nothin' man. Just chillin. I saw you a lil while back. You was joggin or something around Piedmont Street.
Me: Nah man. I don't jog. I was just walkin. Who was that dude?
Scarface: He might be defending me.
Me: Yeh? For what?
Scarface: I got into some trouble. He's asking me for like 15K to defend me. Crazy! I feel like he's pressuring me for money.
Me: What's up with the scar on your nose?
Scarface: It's all wrapped up in this.
Me: You get into a fight?
Scarface: Something like that. I was runnin from the cops cuz I had a gun on me and what not. When they caught me I punched the cop in the face and they did this to me.
Me: Damn, man. I've always thought of you as a good dude. Why are you into all the dumb stuff?
Scarface: I'm not a bad person at all. It's just hard to shake this lifestyle. Since I was a kid, it's all I've ever known.
Me: Don't die young, man. You gotta get more out of life.
Scarface: I know. I tried to get my GED but I failed the test and what not. My boy who was sellin with me is a pastor now so I went to his church to see what it was about.
Me: That's good. How was that?
Scarface: I like it, but I don't know. I see all these people gettin the Holy Spirit and stuff, but it never happens to me so I don't know. I'm thinkin maybe it ain't for me.