Jason began to be very depressed. Fewer things seemed to make him excited. Sometimes I would find him crying on the couch. He didn't know what was wrong; he just knew he was very sad.
I tried medication - he didn't want to take it, and I had to fight him, but it didn't seem to work. He dropped out of high school and took his GED, succeeding with a very high score, without any preparation. I tried to make a place for him with a missionary friend of ours in Guatemala, but that door closed firmly in our face. I sent him to my aunt's home, and she had to return him because he refused to follow the household rules. Back he came, to more strict rules and the same old hopelessness. Finally we tried seeing a psychologist. He prescribed more drugs that Jason wouldn't take. It was during one of these appointments that our lives changed forever.
Sitting in the waiting room was a pretty blond girl. Jason was smitten and did his "drive-by dating" as we used to call it - he slipped her his phone number. I don't think it ever worked before, but it did with Sarah. They talked that first time for hours. They had so much in common and connected so instantly. I was happy for him. I agreed, because he had been working with us on following his regimented life, faithfully going to his job, to allow him to meet Sarah downtown for a date. He was 17. He didn't come home for several months.
