Based on a true story from a local youth organisation.
As the rest of the group left the lunch club room, Aiden hung behind. He moved from one foot to the other, alternating between looking at the floor and glancing up to see how the crowd was thinning out. He stayed well back in the room, trying to keep to one corner. He felt very conspicuous and wanted to bolt. He was beginning to sweat but he told himself he had to do this, he had nowhere else to go for help.
The lunch club leaders were friendly and they didn’t seem to judge. He’d watched them for weeks. Aiden had heard people talk about Christians and they weren’t usually good things. So when his best friend had first invited him to the lunch club and told him what it was about he’d only gone out of curiosity – he didn’t expect to enjoy it! Aiden had found that Matt and Amy, who usually led the lunch club, were friendly, open, chatted easily about God and Jesus and Christian stuff as though it was all normal. They didn’t even bat an eyelid when people said the most outrageous things. He and his friend Steve went every week, enjoying the games, the stories, the confident answers to questions. They both looked forward to the lunch clubs. But not even Steve knew the difficulties Aiden had. Today Steve was off school with a heavy cold, so Aiden didn’t have to think up an excuse for staying back after the meeting finished. Feeling a bit shaky and desperately close to tears, Aiden squeezed his eyes tight shut and rubbed his forehead.
“Hi Aiden,” said a voice quite close, “you look like you might want a chat. Shall we sit here?”
One of the lunch club leaders, Matt, had approached without Aiden noticing. Matt’s tone was quieter than usual, more confidential. Aiden liked Matt’s openness and honesty and sat down where he indicated.
“I’ve asked Amy if she’ll stay at the other side of the room and pray, she won’t be listening, we want to respect your privacy. Is that ok?”
Aiden nodded. He wasn’t sure what good praying would do but he knew that’s what these people believed in, so he was ok with it.
“Aiden, I want you to know that I will treat anything you say to me as confidential, but I can’t promise that I won’t speak to anyone else about it. That’s because it may not be in best interests of either of us. I need you to understand that before you tell me anything. How are you with that?”
Aiden could hardly speak he was so wound up and he couldn’t look at Matt. An odd noise came out of his throat and he coughed to clear it, then managed to say it was fine.
“That’s good. I’d really like to help if I can. I don’t want you to feel embarrassed at all, and I can see there’s some strong emotions going on inside you, so, take your time and just say whatever you need to.”
Aiden glanced up at Matt, grateful for all he was saying, but the struggle inside him was so intense it felt as though it would get out of control if he tried to speak. He tried to smile his thanks but a lump formed in his throat. He swallowed hard. He saw Matt glance across at Amy.
Aiden squeezed his eyes tight shut and rubbed his forehead again. Then he let out a long sigh, took a deep breath and said
“My dad’s lost his job …” but the lump in his throat stopped him saying anything more.
Matt allowed a pause before commiserating.
“That’s tough. How long ago?”
A question. Aiden felt he could answer a question, focus on one thing at a time. There were so many confused thoughts spinning round his brain.
“Since a little while after me mum walked out with me little sister.”
Matt nodded and waited for Aiden to continue.
“He … they’d been rowing … mostly about money, I think. Then she left. Said sorry to me because she couldn’t take us both, Trina and me. Dad seemed to go down hill .. he got so sad. Really sad. I’ve never seen him so bad. Then he lost his job. He tried to get something else. He did get a few things but they never lasted. Now it’s got really bad. We don’t have any money.”
Aiden had to swallow hard, the lump was rising in his throat again. He had to squeeze his eyes shut and rub his forehead again to keep the tears back. Matt seemed to sense his difficulty.
“That’s really tough, Aiden, I’m sorry it’s got like this. Do you get on alright with your dad?”
Aiden nodded. “Yeah, he’s a good dad, you know. Better than some of me mates, but he’s just really, really sad all the time. It’s like he’s giving up – can’t cope with stuff.”
Aiden glanced up at Matt, who nodded that he understood. Aiden had got this far, but now he wasn’t sure what to say next. He felt confused, a bit disorientated. There was a big struggle going on inside him. Matt seemed to sense his inability to continue and asked another question.
“Is there something specific I can help you with today?”
That question hit Aiden like a punch. His emotions reeled. But it was a question, and he could form an answer if he could get round the lump in his throat. With a great effort he said,
“We’ve got one frozen pizza left. When dad and me eat it tonight we don’t have any more food. Can’t get any more, no money left,” he added, desperately.
Aiden looked up at Matt and as his tears welled up he didn’t have the strength to hold them back any longer. He folded his arms across the table, laid his head on them and sobbed. Matt put a strong hand on his shoulder for a moment, allowing Aiden to release all the emotion he’d fought so hard to hold back.
After a few moments Matt got up quietly and spoke to Amy. She left the room with the keys to Matt’s car. She reappeared a short time later, clutching a handful of leaflets. Aiden was wiping his eyes on his sleeve as she came back into the room and Matt had sat down opposite him again. Amy walked quietly over and discreetly left the leaflets on the end of the table.
Aiden felt drained. The struggle to tell Matt had been immense, but although he felt worn out he also felt some relief. And Amy had left something on the end of the table – what was that all about?
“Aiden I’m really sorry you and your dad have had to go through all of that and get to this stage without getting any help. But I think what you’ve said about your dad is right – he’s having trouble coping with everything. Sometimes adults get that way and don’t know what to do about it themselves.”
Aiden nodded. He wanted to help his dad, but he didn’t know how. He didn’t know who to go to for help either. Until today, the idea hadn’t occurred to him that he could speak to Matt and just see if there was something he could do. It was desperation. He had been hungry for ages. His dad had just stopped going shopping, he didn’t understand why at first, then he’d asked and been so shocked. The sorrow in his dad’s voice as he told him made him feel so bad. Aiden wanted to make it all right, but just didn’t know how.
“The good news is we can do something about your food situation today,” Matt said confidently.
Aiden couldn’t believe what Matt said and stared at him wide-eyed.
Matt recognised the shocked and questioning look and nodded as he continued,
“We will need to get a few people involved to set the ball rolling but we’re very fortunate in this area because there is a local organisation called Foodbank. By involving the right people, we can ask them to supply some food for a short while until your dad can get some help.”
“Thank you!” Aiden blurted out. It was all he could manage. Emotions were starting to rise again, a different sort, better, but the initial wave of them threatened to overwhelm him. There was help. And today! It was amazing!
“From what you’ve told me,” Matt continued, ”it sounds as though your dad might benefit from visiting a doctor so he can be advised what’s available to help with his sadness. Sometimes drugs are best, sometimes counselling does the trick.”
Aiden brightened even more at the thought of his dad getting help, too. To see his dad happy again, to have his dad back as he was – that would be great!
“Aiden,” Matt was asking, “will your dad be at home at the moment?”
He nodded and managed a simple, “Yes.”
“Well let’s get along to the office and see who’s available there. We’ll need to start by getting you off school for the afternoon to sort out everything.”
Matt stood up, so Aiden did too. Aiden felt as though he was in a dream. He’d been so desperate, so confused, so hungry – and now it was going to be sorted. Just like that! He was glad Steve had invited him to the lunch club; glad that these Christians had turned out to be fun, normal and approachable; glad that he’d summoned up the courage to talk to Matt and so glad that there was help – immediate help. Maybe, Aiden thought, just maybe the God that Matt and Amy talked about really did exist …
