life without love

Chapter 6: What is family?

By definition family is a group of people who all share a common ancestor, however for most people family is so much more than that for most a family is a group of people who love and cherish you and would accept you for whatever or whoever you are or want to be. For most people family is everything but not for Samuel Baker, infact Samuel resented his family so much he had always longed to leave but could never bring himself to do so until one day after school when he got in and discovered that his 'family' had moved away without him, leaving him alone in the decrepit house to fend for himself. Sam had to sleep in doorways just for shelter, however this caused him to have horrible things done to him, it was the type of horrible things that nobody let alone a 10 year old should ever have to suffer. As he didnt know where else to go in the day he still attended school however he was constantly called names like "bin boy" or "the outcast" and that was just the teachers, the other kids were so much worse all except two, these were Sam's best friends who had always supported him through thick and thin. Their names were Ashley and Giles, the three boys had been friends all their life and even went camping with each other's families on several occasions, however Sam was different then the other two although he was great friends with them he still felt separated, isolated and alone. Samuel was a very clingy individual and always longed for validation from anyone who would give it to him, this made him open to all the hatred of the world as all he craved was someone to show him attention as it made him feel loved.

By the age of 15 Sam had turned to drugs to try and help him feel something, anything. Giles and Ashley had started to drift away from him when he turned to drugs, however they still tried to stay in contact as they enjoyed how he acted when he was sober. When he was high they often tried to avoid him and when he texted them they would pretend to not see it .

At the age of 18, Ashley and Giles finally convinced Sam to go to rehab. 1 month into rehab Sam had gotten into many fights due to normally not being sober for more than 2 days at a time. 2 months into rehab Sam was thrown into solitary confinement at the left wing of the centre, causing his mental health issues to increase rapidly. Roughly 9 months in rehab Sam was released and went to live with his best friends. He was finally getting his life sorted out. Sam now had an address, water, food , a place to call home, friends to help him get through any downfalls and hadn't touched a singular drop of alcohol for over a year. This was his chance to prove his 'family' wrong, to show that he can be a strong , independent man (with the correct support) and live a life of basic luxury, basic rights.

Three amigos all with the aspiration of proving the world wrong. Three bright young men. Three people desperate for a new life. Although Sam was improving his living conditions weren't, the rehab centre and their flat were polar opposites. Now you can probably assume how 3 boys , all aged 18, lived when only one of them had a job. This job only paid £4.89 per hour and Ashley could only work part-time due to needing to balance his computing university honours degree with a job at a small independent restaurant. 22 hours per week. £107.58 per month. This was just enough to cover the electric bill, the water bill, the heating bill and the rent.

Giles on the other hand would never get past the interview stage no matter where he applied but could not bear to tell this to Sam and Ashley. Giles was incharge of buying food but did not have a penny to his name. The only question is: How did he supply the food?

Days had passed, it was now 18:00 pm on the 21st September. All 3 of them were shivering. In the past, they would have the heating on but this time their thermostat would not work. Nobody could get hold of British Gas or the Landlord. Who was the first port of call? Who could supposedly fund this one bill? Who, apart from Ashley, had a job?

Sparks flew across the miniscule living room as they became aware of the situation. Rehab had put Sam in the best position he'd ever been in , a chance to fund his own life, help his soulmates supply the basic necessities. Now was the time. Time to get the first job of his life.