He entered the restorative justice room with the careful steps of someone who had lived too long in survival mode. At 26, he carried the weight of a life shaped by hunger, abandonment, and the need to defend himself long before he understood his own emotions. As a teenager, he worked as a sicario in Medellín, pulled into a world where fear became currency and silence became armor.
George lived there in a small wooden home where his father spent long days at sea, and his mother cleaned rooms for tourists who enjoyed the island without noticing the struggles around them. His parents cared deeply, but exhaustion limited their ability to listen and connect at the end of each day. George sensed this, so he learned early to keep his feelings inside.
He would initiate a verbal confrontation with Andrew and say things like, You are not my son. Later, he'd clarify that he meant Andrew doesn't act like his older brother does. Another example: You didn't call me last week, so I'm not going to help you out today. The one blessing is that both boys love each other. I believe children should know they are loved by their parents. They should not have to continually prove they are worthy of their parent's love.
1. You rarely come home early. The gap between you two is widening. 2. You turn down your spouse's sexual advances. Soon he/she will get tired. 3. You are always busy. Your spouse is learning not to include you. 4. You don't reply to your spouse's text messages or phone calls. Your spouse will stop bothering 5. You don't involve your spouse in your decisions. Your spouse will let you do you.
