family life in the hood

I was a mailman for 20 years in a very bad inner city neighborhood, alot of crime and drugs. Being a mailman, you pretty much become like a piece of the scenery to people. Almost like your invisible, after all the people see you 6 days a week, day in and day out. With that being said, people will do things in front of you like commit a crime, like you were not even there! So needless to say, I've seen alot! Post traumatic stress disorder is real in the mailmans' life. Let me give you one example: I used to see this little 6 year old boy from the hood all the time, always out in front of his housing project, nice little boy. His mom was never around, had a little issue with crack. Well anyway, this kid I really liked, some kids you know are just destined to make out real well in this world, he was one of them. This kids name was daniel. Daniel was very smart, he could read a book and tell you about the book a year later like he just read it. Daniels mom just could not lay off the crack, owed money to every dealer in the hood, and sex was not going to pay the bills this time! One of the drug dealers was looking for daniels mom for quite a while, but, she was street wise and always one step ahead of this particular dealer. So finally the dealer decides to exact his revenge, only if he could not get Daniels mom, he would get the next best thing......Daniel. I was delivering mail on that sweltering summers day, when I see the dealer driving around the hood. Suddenly, a car swings around the corner on 2 wheels and starts firing a gun in my direction. Bam-bam-bam-bam, it sounded like a fucking cannon, I dove to the ground and rolled behind the dumpster. It felt like forever, but finally all was quite, I got up and looked around me, and that's when I seen him. It was daniel, bullet wounds all over his tiny little body, I knelt down beside him and took him into my arms. I could hear the sirens from the police in the distance. I could hear little Daniel struggling to breath, blood gurgling in his mouth. I told him to hold on, that he was going to make it to the hospital and that everything would be alright. Daniel kept asking for his mommy. I shouted for someone to get Daniels mom, fast! I knew in my mind that daniel was not going to make it, so I wanted him to see the one person who he really loved, his mom. Nobody could find Daniels mother in time. As daniel lay dying on that blood soaked street, he told me to tell his mother that he was sorry......then, very peacefully, Daniel took a long deep breath, exhaled, and died there wrapped in my arms. Daniels mom was passed out in a drug house when he died, she overdosed on drugs a month later. Daniel, I gave your mom the message..............and I miss you...............