The turntable teenager.

I guess it was about 30 years ago when I started working at Build Right.

Build Right was a computer store that would have competed with Best Buy and Fry's if it had continued to exist. Instead it simply drifted into obscurity like so many others.

It was a nice place to work for a few years as I dealt with the issues everyone has to face while growing up. Not only did I sell computers there but I was also a technician.

We probably had about five or six techs in total.

Source: Pixabay.com

There were maybe fourteen or fifteen people on the floor at any given time in addition to the two or three managers that walked around seemingly doing nothing.

One of these associates worked in the appliance department. He always arrived for work dressed as though he were about to go to a really rocking nightclub.

We did have a uniform which was basically nothing more than black slacks and a button down white shirt. However, they never told us anything about what flare we could and could not wear. Johnny wore lots of flair.

His long hair was slicked back with so much grease that it often made we wonder how he dealt with the grossness that lingered on the back of his neck.

He probably were about 12 different styles of metal bracelets on each arm in addition to two or giant three watches.

He often wore colored long johns underneath his white work shirt so that a customer couldn't actually tell if he was an employee or just some kid that came in to use the bathroom.

I figured he was just your typical high school teenager that needed an after school job. I didn't think too much of it to be honest.

I was in my early twenties so I wasn't that much older than he was though.

When he invited me to his house one weekend I decided to go check it out. Why not?

It wasn't anything like I expected.

Source: Pixabay.com

Johnny was of Hispanic descent and apparently both of his parents had moved back to Mexico. However, they had not forced their son to go. Instead they had just left him the house even though he was only 18 years old and a senior in high school.

As you might imagine he turned the house into every teenager's dream.

The living room had several turntables in it connected to giant speakers. He apparently skipped school 4 times a week and spent all day scratching records.

I guess his parents shipped him a significant amount of money as well, so the only reason he even came in to Build Right was to have something to do.

I felt kind of bad for Johnny because there was something really strange about the whole situation. Sure, it sounds great.... but I think if I was 18 I'd rather still have my parents living in town instead of just having their house.

He seemed really lonely.

On one particular weekend he had an extremely rowdy party. Several of us computer techs attended in addition to a whole truckload of students that he went to school with. I'd never seen so many people in one house at once.

I tried to spend a lot of time with Johnny but he kept falling farther and farther into a hole and I just couldn't follow him in.

Drugs, alcohol, constantly getting in trouble. I didn't need those things in my life.

I had my fun times with Johnny and I certainly have great memories from working at Build Right but the thing that I lament is my inability to save this kid from himself.

You just can't save everyone though.