Rockingham Remembered
Short Stories
The Drug Problem In America
The other day, someone at a store in our town read that a
methamphetamine lab had been found in an old
farmhouse in the adjoining county and he asked me a
rhetorical question, ''Why didn't we have a drug problem
when you and I were growing up?''

I replied: I had a drug problem when I was young:
I was drug to church on Sunday morning.
















I was drug to church for weddings and funerals.














I was drug to family reunions and community socials no
matter the weather.















I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults.















I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my
parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did
not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the
preacher, or if I didn't put forth my best effort in
everything that was asked of me.















I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed
out with soap if I uttered a profane four-letter word.














I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's garden and flower
beds and cockleburs out of dad's fields.

                         














I was drug to the homes of family, friends, and neighbors
to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the
yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some firewood;

 






                                                                                                        






and, if my mother had ever known that I took a single
dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me
back to the woodshed.

















Those drugs are still in my veins; and they affect my
behavior in everything I do, say, and think. They are
stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin; and, if today's
children had this kind of drug problem, America would be
a better place.