The Druggie inside

"Marijauna is bad, if you see someone doing drugs call the police right away"
[[picture of a marijuana leaf and a rolled joint flash across the screen]]

Sitting in front of the television the smell of smoke in the air and the sound of coughing emits from my father. This commercial plays and I realize the "rolled up cigarette" is not a cigarette.
"Dad, that's not a cigarette." My seven year old mouth blurts. "Don't tell your brother" is his only response.

Growing up we were not allowed to have friends over, we were rarely allowed to visit a friends house either. I didn't realize the reason until about the age of twelve when it hit me that all of my friends were right.

"Your dad is a druggie" my best friend Jasmine yells down the road. We just got into it over something stupid once again, she wouldn't play with me because she was busy with Cecilia and that hurt my feelings so I retaliated and so did she.

Her yelling that sent me over the edge, I turned around and ran back to where she was standing, slamming her into a tree. Her legs and arms wailing trying to hit me, and probably succeeding, but I was too numb to feel anything. Numb from the anger that she would accuse my dad of something I knew could never be true. I scratched her face and she went home crying that I scratched her eye. I ran home to tell my dad so I wasn't alone in this fight because I knew her mother would be calling soon.

I couldn't believe that she or anyone would accuse my dad of being a druggie. The thought never entered my brain, I mean after seeing that commercial I knew that he smoked marijuana but that didn't make him a druggie did it? I thought of druggies as run-down people wearing baggy clothes always looking for their next fix, that wasn't my dad...was it? I didn't like the thought pattern it only angered me more. I was grounded from hanging out with Jasmine for awhile because of the fight, dad didn't deny the accusations and he didn't call her mom to complain about the obvious lies her daughter was spreading. I didn't think of this I only knew that she was no longer my best friend!

Jasmine and I became best friends again within the week, when your young things are easily forgiven and forgotten.