Somewhat unpleasant experience tonight after the guys left. Stein pushed his way into the house. He was very drunk. When I hesitated to shake hands with him, he took offense. So I held out my hand and he grabbed it and squeezed it and ground knuckles together. I refused to wince even though it hurt. His friend Dice finally got him to let go. My arm ached clear up to the shoulder for half an hour afterwards! Then Stein warned me to sit down by him. When I refused, he got right up in my face and said, "I-said sit down!"

Then he said, "You don’t want me to get mad, do you huh? Huh? HUH?"

With each "huh" I took a little step back, and he kept pushing himself up in my face. So I finally just stood my ground. His friend tried to get him to leave. But he just stared at me and said in a nasty, low voice, "I’m going to come back tomorrow, and I’m going to git you. So you better not be here. You know what I’ll do? I’m going to hit you on the head with a stick! I swear I hope my mother dies if I don’t come back tomorrow and get you."

I just kept looking him straight in the eye. Although he was trying to scare me, I didn’t feel really scared even though I wasn’t sure about that broken bottle he had in his pocket. I realized that God loved him and that he felt I was rejecting him (and his advances) in his state. Anyway, then he staggered out. This seems like something terrible. Then you realize that kids growing up in the ghetto have one experience after another like this. And they have to cope with it on their own. Somehow, experiences like these give you a little more understanding and patience for kids who are so convinced they must act mean, tough, and bad.

One of our teen guys in the neighborhood, Doug Glover, told a cute little joke tonight:

Hickory Dickory Dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one
and the other one escaped
with minor head injuries.

Footnote: January 12, 1976

About a year ago in staff meeting, Delores told us that Stein had come into the center all cleaned up and dressed up. He had accepted Christ through the ministry of some church in the city, and he wanted to share this with Teen Haven. He’s had his ups and downs since then, but I guess there’s been an improvement.