Joseph Jessup

6/17/2019
ENG2010
Bangerter

Can we help you?

As we pull up to the house, the outside of the building is slightly decrepit, it's an older home and

some of the paint has chipped off. The yard is pretty dead, or in the process of dying, and there's a

plastic bag with some trash in the yard. Someone is home, the lights are on me and Claire discuss

casually as we grab our supplies and head for the door. As we drove here, we talked about the person

we've came to see. He's a military veteran, isn't in contact with any of his family and started out very

stubborn towards receiving help but has warmed up since a friendship between the two has developed.

She works as mainly as a facilitator for at risk drug users or adjacent people, sometimes it is related to

safe use of illicit drugs, things like clean needles or overdose prevention kits and other time's its just

bringing 20$ worth of groceries to a struggling family.

I'm pretty new to this sort of thing, but Claire is an expert. As the director of a small local non-

profit that is passionate about harm reduction, she's done this for years and I don't think anything can

phase her. After a bit of time waiting after knocking (and trying the front door), Claire mentions we

should go to the back and try that door. The idea makes me uncomfortable, but she knows this person

and seems pretty casual about the whole thing. The pathway on the side of the house to the front yard

is overgrown, and cluttered with debris.

She tries the back door, and its open, I step back an inch and let her enter. She half yells into the

kitchen, the counter-tops full of trash and dishes. “Hello? John? It's Clarie” No answer, or any stirring

in the house. As we begin slowly looking her face starts to change slightly, it's becoming more

determined and she's moving faster. We get to the end of the hallway and share a quick glance before

opening the door to the bedroom. Our worst fears are confirmed, she jumps into action attempting to
administer first aid as I call emergency services, but it's been too much time since the overdose

happened, John wasn't able to be revived. As we're sitting on the porch waiting, she says “It never

really gets easier” as a tear begins to fall.