There was a young teenager by the name of Ray Abbott II, who looked to be no more than 13 or 14 years old. He hitchhiked and ended up in Los Angeles, CA. His parents went to his bedroom to check on where their son was and discovered he had a ventriloquist dummy in his bed. Ray's parents saw this coming because Ray would leave notes under his parents' bedroom door saying he wasn’t happy, and he was tired of everyone blaming him for stuff that wasn’t his fault. He decided the best way to hitchhike was to get some food out of the refrigerator and he even stole money from his mom’s purse. The hitchhiker felt that it was the best way that he would get respect. Ray had never run away from home before, but he didn’t care if he got caught or if the police saw him wandering in the street. After getting several different rides, Ray wound up in Cali not knowing a soul, so he met some friends who took Ray to a shelter. One of the friend's name was Joseph. The hitchhiker had enough food for himself and the friends.
Meanwhile, back in Springfield, MO, Ray the hitchhiker's parents was worried. They didn’t know where their son was and was wondering why he took off like he did. Since he was in Cali and Ray's parents were in MO, there was no way where they could call the police. Ray thought that he was just going to runaway but the people who worked in the shelter knew where Ray was from. They decided to let him call his parents because they didn’t want to bust him. Ray was saying how his parents never listen to him and how they are overprotective and blah blah blah.
Joseph was telling him a story about how when you are in a shelter like where they were at that there is really no freedom there. In fact, everyone has curfew at 10 PM and you have to be out at a certain time. Since they were in the ghetto part of California, Joseph was telling Ray how they take your clothes and that there really is no privacy. Joseph was trying to break off some knowledge to little Ray Ray. Ray just didn’t look at the long-term effects it would have on him if he ran away from home. He was thinking that he would get respect but if he was going to be on the streets where he would encounter thugs like he wouldn’t imagine, Ray could get kidnapped, and easily be beaten up by thugs his age.
Finally, after the pep talk from Joseph and the other people at the shelter Ray borrowed their phone to call his parents to come get him. Ray’s parents came and got him and brought him back to Missouri. They told him that there is nothing too serious where he had to run away. Ray had to do serious Community service for what he had put his parents through wondering where their son was at. Ray's parents promised him that they wouldn’t be too busy when Ray got stuff to say.
Skid Row in Los Angeles, CA
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