My Journey, My Life
My brother made decisions that I think he is comfortable living with now as he is still true to his old ways of independence, privacy and limited engagement except with those of his choosing. His closest relationship that I was aware of was with his Mother and it was tight, rock solid. Like that of The Childless Aunts relationship with her mother it was intense and for some reason I always felt that my mother felt I abandoned my brother. She always asked why we did not go out for beers or to football games together, why I did not go by and visit him more often when I lived in Denver. She nor my father ever grasped the reality of his lifestyle and what was actually going on behind closed doors after hours and before sunrise, on holidays and any day over there on 32nd and Ash St.
One weekend I returned to Denver from Chicago and at that time Stapleton was the airport and the “family duplex” was not more than a five minute drive down MLK Blvd. My car was stored there, I knew my brother could stand me to be around at least for overnight so that was my first stop. Upon arrival it was clear from the cars parked outside this was typical Friday night and business was booming. To my surprise it was not my brother who answered his door, which was not locked normally but guarded by Teddy, but a friend of his I knew from the past. On the floor perched against the wall in a dazed stupor was my brother in a condition I had never seen him in and other people in his home that I did not know. They all had to go immediately without a second thought of who they were they were served notice of eviction right then and there. He had went below rock bottom and was no longer in control of his senses, he was a user and not a dealer, non functional and invisible. The others had taken over his home his address like squatters taking over a vacant house today.