Humbled By a Crack Addict

I was asked to work with Marty today. Marty is someone who had it all, a wife and kids, he employed 60 people in his own construction company, now he’s a crack addict and an alcoholic. I had heard awful stories that his appearance did nothing to contradict, he looks close to death, purple skin and bloodshot eyes. With this I formed an opinion of him, or maybe judgment is a better word. I thought to myself, great I have to work with this guy the rest of the day, is there anything I can learn from a lowlife like that.

Now this is not going to end with me justifying the man, he is who he is, but he had an affect. Right off the bat he was on me and ragging me about my attitude and to be honest I was saying things with a twinge of contempt. He wouldn’t have any of it, every time I had a defense for any of my actions he came right back with “it’s all about you, isn’t it.” I couldn’t say or do anything right, and I was starting to feel like a fool. And he kept calling me a little girl, no shift in tone, not joking, just “you think you can do that, little girl.” He wanted under my skin, and to an extent he got what he wanted. I was mad, I didn’t want to show it but he was pissing me off and yet he was the one who knew what he was doing.

Marty, the crackhead, knew far more than me and was making sure I knew that. At that point I had a choice to make, I was either going to stay mad and make it my goal to make him look like a fool and probably insult his life or I was going to have to let go of a lot of pride and admit that he is not just a shell of a man but someone with a lot more knowledge and skills then myself. Someone I could learn from, maybe not life lessons but I’m a terribly ignorant construction worker compared to him. I felt whipped, but I walked home free of a lot of pride, asking myself “who am I.”