From the ages of 11-21 years, I did what I felt I had to do for money, and didn’t care how I got it.
Now at 22, I was old enough to drink, party all night, vote, and do as I pleased. Being a drug dealer, I dated a lot of women. Some claimed to be in love, but I knew deep down it was my status as a boss, my jewelry, cars, image, and rumored sexual games that I was laying down all over Ohio.
One thing about me is that no matter how much money I had or was making, I ALWAYS had a job, That’s the one thing my father taught me: how a REAL MAN works. Shortly after turning 12, I got a paper route to ease any suspicion that I was following in my older cousin’s footsteps or selling dope. Now, at 22, I was working as a janitor at a well-known hospital in Columbus, Ohio. I was also dating a short, dark-skinned, very pretty nurse who worked in the newborn baby unit. Tisha was her name. She was in her 30’s, and cool as hell, as she taught me a lot about black culture, music, and food. I’m sure she knew I was selling because a hospital orderly has no business driving a new BMW.
The summer of 1997, I was doing my usual: cleaning floors and setting up deals. My customers would meet me in the hospital lobby around lunch time, and we would exchange whatever I was selling for money, welfare cards, or jewelry.
The traffic in the hospital was crazy. One day in August, I was paged to the 4th floor – where my girl worked: the neonatal intensive care unit. As I walked off the elevator, my ears heard nothing but babies crying and nurses talking loudly. As I rounded the corner, I saw Tisha walking towards me, smiling. Once close enough, she grabbed me, and gave me a kiss. She grabbed my hand, and led the way to three different glass windows. Behind the first window was a set of quadruplets: all premature babies – three boys and one girl. Behind the second window were two sets of twins, born premature. As I got closer to the third window, Tisha’s hands tightened, and she pulled me closer to her. There were at least six premature babies of all colors, all crying loud as hell. I mean high-pitched crying, bodies shaking, and some had vomited all over their little bodies. I must say that was the worst thing I have ever seen in my life. How could something so small shake, and cry so loud? Tisha explained that the mothers of all six babies were drug addicts.
The babies were all going through withdrawal, a narcotic withdrawal. Tisha explained to me that once the babies were born, it was like going cold turkey from their mothers’ narcotic abuse. I was messed up after seeing that, and went home feeling like a piece of crap! Over and over as I drove home, I sincerely tried to remember, “Darn Leonard, did you ever knowingly sell dope to a pregnant woman?”
I laid down, went to sleep, and had nightmares of all the babies crying and looking at me as if I had ruined their little lives. As I woke up and wiped a few tears from my eyes, I knew what I had to do. I had made enough money to invest it legally, and from that day on, promised myself that I would never sell drugs again. That experience, Tisha allowed me to see, was an up-close, personal lesson I will always hold dear to my heart.
Attention all drug dealers! GO TO GOOGLE AND LOOK AT NEWBORN BABIES ADDICTED TO WHAT YOU SELL. IF YOU HAVE A CONSCIENCE, YOU WILL DO THE RIGHT THING!
Advocate / Mentor
Leonard E. Love
