My 13-year-old boy started coming home late from school. I got worried because he’d been giving me these vague reasons. One day, I went to check on him and was shocked to see him getting into a line of black SUVs. I followed them to a big, fancy house and found out a big truth.
I could tell something was wrong. All the signs were there – the late nights and the secrets he was hiding behind a worried smile.
My thirteen-year-old son was my whole world. No matter what life threw at us, we were always there for each other. We used to be really close, taking on the world together. That’s why his sudden distance really hurt.
Kyle has always been a very active boy. When he wasn’t playing sports or making things with his friends, he was playing his guitar.
But lately, he’s been away from home more often. And when I ask where he’s been, he just gives me a vague answer and says, “Stop being so clingy, Mom!”
We’ve been through a lot together – his dad leaving, all the bills, and my job that just barely covered our simple life. But seeing the boy who used to tell me everything start to shut me out was killing me.
Even worse than the distance was what I found while I was cleaning our little apartment. I found a bunch of new gadgets and a stack of cash wrapped in rubber bands hidden under Kyle’s bed.
My heart was beating so hard I could hear it in my ears.
Kyle is a smart and resourceful kid, but there’s no way he could have saved up that much money from mowing lawns or doing odd jobs for the neighbors.
But I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t just confront him directly because of how things have been between us lately. He’d just get defensive and lie.
So, I put everything back exactly where I found it. When Kyle came home for dinner that night, I acted like everything was normal.
“What were you doing all afternoon?” I asked as casually as I could.
Kyle shrugged. “Playing soccer.”
I nodded and watched him start to eat the pot roast I made. I couldn’t help but think that whatever he was hiding from me was really dangerous.
The next day, I couldn’t help myself. I parked down the street from his school and watched the kids come out, laughing and having a good time. Then I saw it. A line of sleek black SUVs pulled up, and their tinted windows shone in the sun. Kyle walked through the school entrance like he was waiting and went over to the SUVs.
