Phone calls from ghosts

Late last night my phone rang. As a parent, we always hate when the phone rings after 11 PM. It was well after 11PM because I had gone to bed way after 11PM.

I answered on instinct, but once I heard the voice, regret filled my near empty head. Sketchy the Addict was calling.

Now, here is the deal with Sketchy, I had made a very firm request, never call again. The thing that I find kind of cute about addicts is they think rules never apply to them. When Sketchy was actively using, the rules certainly did not mean anything, from driving under the influence to unsafe sex, all was OK in the giant empty mind of Sketchy.

Sketchy had claimed to have been clean for a while, but clean only in the way that you can pass a piss test clean, not in the way that healthy people consider others to be clean, and by that I mean honest, healthy, trustworthy and a person with a defined character.

No, Sketchy was and will always be an addict, sometimes high, sometimes not, but always sketchy and always an addict. I learned that Sketchy is always using his drugs of choice, but he has become expert in hiding his abuse of illegal drugs. Sketchy has mastered the art of appearing intelligent, staying in college into his late 30's has given him the authenticity of smarts, but spend more than a few minutes with him and his lies about almost all aspects of his life become crystal clear.

So, the call. As I said, as far as I was concerned, I would never hear from Sketchy the Addict again, mostly because once you know someone is an addict and still a danger, you tend to not want them around. I am sure all addicts are not sketchy, but some are, no matter how clean, sober or delusional they are.

Sketchy will be clean, dirty, high or just living a lie, and it will not matter because he is unable to be healthy.

The call. Well, I answered, a bit tired, a bit sleeping and once I heard the voice, I knew it was Sketchy, but his voice sounded different, slower, more deliberate. Sketchy, like a lot of addicts is very smart, which makes his constant lies almost believable. His voice though sounded much different, deep and slow. He was high. Here is the funny thing, I had only known Sketchy clean and sober. So to hear Sketchy in his natural habitat was kind of interesting.

I reminded Sketchy that he was never supposed to call. He said he thought he may have left something at my house the last time he was here. Oh Sketchy, thanks for reaching out.

See, Sketchy the Addict is funny because in his drug addled mind, all is forgivable, everything is forgotten, let's just start anew. Of course, in the non addict mind, I remember the shambles and danger Sketchy brought down upon my family, which is why everyone of us closed the door, tightly. Sketchy, like many addicts, is disarmingly charming. So, once Sketchy has your ear, chances are he will get what he wants, because he is sinister in his manipulations.

He was just about to enter into his second paragraph when I stopped him and said, quietly, clearly so even high Sketchy could understand, "don't ever call here again."

Then I hung up and turned off my phone.

I slept a deep and restful sleep. See, Sketchy no longer has any ability to influence me in any form, he is a distant speck in my rear view mirror. Oh, sure, somehow we may run into one another, although we travel in different circles, it could happen. I just don't worry about it, to me Sketchy the Addict is history, hearing his slow, high, wasted voice just made me happy. He is on familiar ground, slowly killing himself and he will stumble upon others who find his eloquence and charm something to behold.