My Father's Gift Read Online Free PDF Page B

their sixteenth birthday and since the home was for volunteer residents, no one could stop them.  Males under dominant rule usually became a chore to discipline at fourteen.  The fact that they had some fifteen year olds still there was amazing to Cal. 
    Reaching the corner office at the end of the first floor corridor, Cal opened the grimy yellowed door that boasted his nameplate.  One of the boys had made it for him as one of their projects in art class.  Of course, it was one of the younger boys who had made it, since the older ones wouldn’t dream of letting someone think they were thoughtful.  He smiled as he straightened the crooked sign.  His name was misspelled and the letters were not uniform, but he looked forward to seeing it whenever he could get there. 
    Being in a corner office had its advantages and its disadvantages.  There was more space, but there was also more clutter to take up the space. A big wooden desk sat in front of the window with a swivel chair behind it.  In front of this desk was a smaller desk that held his computer.  He hung up his coat on the coat rack across the room and tossed his briefcase on the small sofa that sat in the corner of the room.  There was one other chair in front of the computer desk and file cabinets took up the rest of the space.  He barely had room for his portable radio and CD player, which was sitting precariously close to the edge of the windowsill. Today, like many others, there was a stack of referrals awaiting his attention. He sifted through the referrals to determine which should take priority. 
    “Priority,” he mused, talking to himself, “that’s a joke.  All of them are priorities, but unfortunately, there are not enough adult men to accommodate them.  I wonder what it’s going to take for men to understand that boys need men, real men for positive role models, not this garbage in the streets, pushing dope and living off women.” 
    He got angry every time he thought about the predicament in which most of these boys had lived.  Most of them thought the dealer on the corner was a good role model.  They didn’t know the other side of the dismal stories and he had heard all of them.  He paused as he looked at one referral.  The young boy was sixteen, living with a grandmother who couldn’t keep up with him.  He didn’t appear to be a real problem, just someone in need of direction.  The fact that he was sixteen surprised Cal because usually at that age, they didn’t want anyone telling them anything.  He picked up the phone and called the house director.
    “Mr. Johnson, are you free to meet with me for a few minutes?  I need to discuss one of the referrals with you.”
    “Sure, I’ll be right in.”
    Mr. Johnson’s office was two doors away, it didn’t take him long to get to Cal’s office.  He knocked before he entered.
    “Come”.
    “Mr. Recinoire, how are you today?”
    “I’m blessed.  Have a seat.  I was looking through these referrals when this one on Reggie Davis caught my eye.  How is it that at sixteen, he’s a resident here and how long has he been here?”
    “He came in two days ago.  His grandmother had called because he was missing for a few days and when he finally returned, she didn’t want to let him in the house.  Someone told him about us and he came here.  He swears he’s not into drugs or gangs, he just thinks that his grandmother is a little too strict with him.  At any rate, we pulled his school records and he passed the drug test.  That’s why he’s here.  I made the referral because he said that his father had never lived in the home and his older brother is in and out of jail.  I had hoped that we could find this young man someone to mentor him while he still wants direction.”
    “I hope we can, too.  There’s a shortage of available men and some of those already have two boys.  There is someone I have in mind, but I would like to interview Reggie first,