"Half-Way
Home"
The
sound of fast tires speed up to a sudden stop on the gravel driveway –
a somewhat turbulent path leading to a cement home. The squeaky front
door, with a loose knob, barely clings to its hinges as hip-hop music
beats out of small car stereo speakers. Its 3 pm and schools out - for
those who went.
In a small town that doesn’t always accomodate to teenagers too kindly, this small house offers a place to be and off the streets. Though this doesn’t necessarily keep trouble from afar, these teens have found each other; a makeshift community in a town that doesn’t offer an alternative. There is no mall, no skating rinks, no skatepark and jobs are few and far between. Of the kids who do work spend their hours in service jobs, such as the grocery store or serving tables. The other work options are hard factory labor through the city’s temporary employment agency.
Melvin “Smurf” Kistner, 20, is the newest member to the household of eight, is one of the few with a GED. Caught between the teenage and adult worlds, he is has learned his responsibilities for his sister and mom. He left home just a month ago so that “he can get on with what he needs to do while mom does the same.” His mom has been living in a motel for the past six months. She doesn’t have a car to find a place to live and relies on friends to drive her to work. “People take advantage of her because she is deaf and can’t determine what exactly is going on.”
Smurf is caught between the teenage and adult worlds. He cares for his younger his sister and mother and is learning to be financially responsible in the best interest of his son. Aside from hanging out and partying with his friends, he dreams of someday going to art school.
In a small town that doesn’t always accomodate to teenagers too kindly, this small house offers a place to be and off the streets. Though this doesn’t necessarily keep trouble from afar, these teens have found each other; a makeshift community in a town that doesn’t offer an alternative. There is no mall, no skating rinks, no skatepark and jobs are few and far between. Of the kids who do work spend their hours in service jobs, such as the grocery store or serving tables. The other work options are hard factory labor through the city’s temporary employment agency.
Melvin “Smurf” Kistner, 20, is the newest member to the household of eight, is one of the few with a GED. Caught between the teenage and adult worlds, he is has learned his responsibilities for his sister and mom. He left home just a month ago so that “he can get on with what he needs to do while mom does the same.” His mom has been living in a motel for the past six months. She doesn’t have a car to find a place to live and relies on friends to drive her to work. “People take advantage of her because she is deaf and can’t determine what exactly is going on.”
Smurf is caught between the teenage and adult worlds. He cares for his younger his sister and mother and is learning to be financially responsible in the best interest of his son. Aside from hanging out and partying with his friends, he dreams of someday going to art school.