South End

Fuck you, you fuckin’ crusty fucker. An eloquence of fucks. Adjective. Verb. Noun. There was an English lesson in there somewhere. She was fifteen and suspended from school. Irony.

Her teacher was, according to Summer, a fuckin’ perv, but the real reason for skipping was a shift change. At three o’clock, the lines formed at the east gate, past the wooden security shack and the twelve-foot-high fencing with barbed wire. The line snaked back, curled around the plant, engines running, while the short-of-breath security guard, in a grey Stainmaster shirt and pants, checked the truck beds and trunks, searching for stolen bumpers and hand tools. The line could take forty-five minutes to clear.

They’re all fuck’in pervs. They like it when I jump in and show them my tits. For a twenty, I go down on them, and they don’t lose their place. I pull my hair back. They like that. Short skirts and t-shirts with no bra. Makes ’em hard. I can do five in a row easy. Then I puke it up. Bet you can’t make no fuckin’ hunered bucks in half’en hour.

She was in Grade Nine. I was shocked to discover that thirty minutes from my safe, middle-class life, people lived in such circumstances. No hydro. No water. Whole families squatting in abandoned buildings. Street kids sleeping in wrecked cars. Kids coming to school in deep winter without coats or boots, sitting at their desks with bleeding gums and teeth loose from scurvy.

Summer was a survivor. She had already found a way to look after herself. The monthly cheque her mother received paid the rent and a few bills. There was never enough left for a full month of food. It was her mother who had sent Summer to “work.” Told her where to find the men and what to say to them. How to swallow.

Bring home ***Class Lessons*** (Demeter Press) by Lucy E.M. Black

About Class Lessons: Stories of Vulnerable Youth

Today’s schools are meant to be all things to all people, but can they be? Schools are responsible for socialization, skills development and knowledge acquisition which take place within an institution serving disparate student populations. Unfortunately, school success is not experienced by all students, especially those for whom chaotic home lives are overwhelming. Schools should provide an important safe haven for students, offering advocacy and wraparound care. Fictionalized to protect the identities of those involved, the narratives between these pages shine a spotlight on the vulnerability of youth, and in particular, young people living in heart-breaking circumstances. Upholding the work that takes place in schools and embracing those support systems which are shared between school and community is crucial to enacting lasting and positive change. Drawn from the life experiences of a career educator, this collection seeks to highlight a broad range of needs while also reinforcing the way forward through school-community partnerships.

More about Lucy E.M. Black:

Lucy E.M. Black (she, her, hers) is an educator and retired high school principal with a deep concern for imperiled youth. Having first worked as a corporate trainer before moving into public education in the GTA, she has had many rich experiences in a variety of community settings teaching both adolescents and adults. An acclaimed author, her new short story collection, Class Lessons: Stories of Vulnerable Youth, is released on October 16, 2024 with Demeter Press.