A Quiet Disposition

The first time I met Anthony he reminded me of my good friend and Logan House mate, Peter Simionides. He has the same color skin, short black hair, similar style of dress, and the same exact aura of mystery surrounding him like a cloud that Peter has. But when I introduced myself, I did not know if he understood what I was saying. There wasn't any indication in his face that showed he had heard me, and when I asked him what his name was, he tilted his head forward and said in a very low, almost gruff-sounding voice, 'Anthony.'

I learned that he's only 19, but he looks a lot younger, so when I heard the very low voice come out of his mouth, I was taken aback for a second. He seemed very quiet and apprehensive, so I tried to reach out to him since he was new to the Mission, being in the Seeds of Hope program. I've eaten lunch with him, and I've asked him questions about himself and so far I've only gotten one word answers or head shaking yes or no.

One of the chaplains approached me one day after he moved to the 3rd floor and into the program. He told me a little of his background, that his family were done taking care of him and that his sister dropped him off. He wasn't addicted to drugs or anything. He asked if I would try to befriend him because he thought in this environment that Anthony would be ostracized, but that hasn't really been the case. Most of the guys that I've seen interact with him have been understanding and have gone out of their way to help instruct him.

I find him by himself a lot, playing basketball or pool by himself. I've played some games with him before, and this evening we played ping pong. My friend Chris showed him how to hold the paddle right, and he caught on pretty fast.

He's very deliberate with his movements and it almost looks like he's in slow motion when he walks. He's very polite and will say thank you when you help with something. I've also learned that he's pretty intelligent; he's graduated High School and he is very good at chess. I asked him where he was from and he told me he's from California, but wouldn't say where specifically.

He's a mysterious person, and I've been trying to develop a friendship with him while he's here. Please pray that I would be a good representative of Christ, and that he would feel comfortable to come to me with questions or anything.