Dana

So from April until July we had a friend of ours staying in our basement. He wasn't the best boarder, to say the least. He was a druggie. His dad was a druggie, and he got started young. He smoked in our basement, stole from us, and lied about everything. He didn't work because he couldn't pass a drug test. Even with all that, he was still somehow family to us. It's kind of like when you have a puppy who is the most devious thing ever. You may get angry, and you may shove his nose in his poop, but when he looks up at you with his puppy dog eyes and starts licking your face, you can't help but melt. He didn't really have anywhere else to go. No one else would take him in. Eventually we did kick him out, but it had more to do with the fact that my mom's ex, who still owns the house, found out about him and threatened to kick us out. 

I have to say, I liked Dana a whole lot more when he wasn't living with us. He stopped by a couple of times, to pick up stuff or just check up on me. When he found out the way Clay dumped me, he promised me he'd make him apologize. He was constantly telling me to take care of myself and to let him know if there was anything he could do for me. Unfortunately, I have to rely on him to show up somewhere to talk to him, as I have no way to contact him. His number keeps changing as he keeps going back and forth between being homeless and finding a friend to stay with for a week or so at a time. 

My mom ran into him tonight. Apparently, he's joined the military. When I first heard this, I felt nothing but pride. It meant that he was finally shaping up, getting onto his own feet to support himself. Plus, he was giving up a lot to defend our country, and I have always found it admirable. Then my mom dropped the bombshell: He has two more months of training before he was deployed to Iraq. 

I have to admit, I'm scared. I'm scared that I won't get to see him before he goes overseas. He's so infrequent and random with his visits that I have no clue when he'll show up. I can't call him. I sent him a message on Facebook but who knows when he'll have the opportunity to check it. I'm almost tempted to get in touch with Clay to see if he knows how to pass word to him. I'm also scared that he won't make it back. Even with everything he did, he's still somewhat like a brother to me. 

Please, keep him in your prayers or thoughts. Here's to hoping for his safe return.