A policeman’s son befriends a homeless man and his dog and brings them food every day. Then the dog appears unexpectedly and alerts him to an injustice.At twelve, Brian Devlin was small for his age, and not very athletic. His father, Gary, didn’t really understand his shy, bookish son. His son was nothing like him…
He had been a tall, strapping, boisterous boy, always up to his ears in mischief. Gary tried to build his son’s self-confidence, but the harder he tried, the more Brian seemed to pull away.
Brian was smart, that Gary couldn’t deny, and he had a scholarship at a prestigious private college on the other side of town. The boy was scared of taking a bus, but since the school was close to his work, Gary picked him up every afternoon.
Gary was a desk Sargeant at the local precinct, and by the time his work ended at 5:00 p.m., the school day was long over. In the winter, Brian waited in the library and did his homework. But in the summer, he sat on the school steps and waited for his dad, soaking up the sunshine.
One afternoon, when Gary arrived, Brian wasn’t on the steps. He was outside the school gates petting a dog. Brian looked up at his dad with a happy grin.
Don’t make assumptions about people before you know who they are.
“Look, Dad,” he cried, then he said to the dog, “Dance!”
The dog hopped up onto its back legs and did a little jig, front paws up in the air and its tongue lolling out happily.
“Isn’t that so cool?” the boy asked.
“Yes,” Gary said, surprised by the enthusiasm Brian was showing. “Whose dog is that?”
“It’s Carl’s,” Brain said, and pointed at a man sitting on the pavement and leaning back against the school fence. The man was in his forties and he was clearly homeless.
A ragged bundle of blankets lay on the ground next to him, and he was unshaven. The dog, however, was well cared for. It was a Golden Retriever, and its fur was groomed and gleaming.
The man shrank back when Gary looked at him, so he said to his son, “Come on, now, it’s time to go.”
On the way home, Gary said, “Listen, Brian, I want you to stay away from that man and his dog, OK?”
“Carl’s OK and I love Goblin!” Brian protested.
“Goblin?” Gary asked. “Is that the dog’s name? Well, I’m sure Goblins’ a good dog, but I don’t want you befriending vagrants, Brian. Do you understand?”
“But dad…” Brian protested.
“Not another word,” Gary snapped.
The next day, when Gary came to fetch Brian, the boy was studiously sitting on the steps reading a book, but that night, his wife co
mplained that half a roast chicken was missing.
“I don’t understand!” she cried. “I set it aside to make sandwiches for Brian’s lunch and now it’s gone!”
Gary looked over at Brian and the boy looked so innocent that he was immediately suspicious. Was Brian taking food to school for that vagrant and his dog?
Gary started keeping an eye on the pantry and noticed that tins of sausages kept vanishing. He now knew that his son was stealing so he could feed the dog and the homeless man every day. Gary felt a pang.
His son, who had such difficulty making human friends, had bonded with the dog. It was a pity it belonged to a vagrant, a man who might be dangerous.
Two days later, Gary got off work early and when he arrived at the school, he caught Brian outside the gates. He had a bag in his hand and he was saying: “Hey guys, I have your favorite spaghetti, Carl. And for you boy, your favorite sausages!”
“BRIAN!” he thundered. “What are you doing?”
The boy looked up at him, and for the first time, Gary saw fear in his son’s eyes. Immediately he felt a surge of anger
It was this derelict’s fault that his son was afraid of him! He stepped forward and clenched his fists. “Get away from that man,” Gary shouted. “Get into the car!”
That night, Gary and his wife sat down and talked to Brian about the dangers of befriending strange men. Brian shrugged it off. “Dad, I know about stranger danger and bad touching. Carl is NOT like that, he’s nice. You can tell he’s a good person because Goblin loves him so much, and Goblin’s the BEST, smartest dog.”
“Brian,” Gary said quietly. “I’m sure Goblin’s a great dog, but you know what? Hitler had a great dog and he loved him, and I’m sure the dog loved him back. A good dog does NOT make this vagrant a good person. Please stay away from him, Brian!”
“NO!” shouted Brian, and he pushed back his chair. “Carl is my friend and I love Goblin! Why do you always have to spoil everything? I HATE YOU!”
That night, Gary made a decision. He was going to solve this problem his own way…
That Saturday, Brian woke up early to the sound of anxious barking. He thought sleepily, “That sounds just like Goblin!”
Brain jumped out of bed and looked out of his window. It WAS Goblin, and he was standing on the porch barking anxiously and looking very unhappy.
“Goblin!” Brian cried as he opened the door, and immediately the dog ran to him. Goblin put his head in Brian’s lap and started whining. “What’s wrong, boy? Where’s Carl?”
But the dog just whined and shivered so Brian decided to do something he’d always been afraid to do before — go to his dad’s work and ask for his help.
Gary was stunned when he saw Brian at the precinct with the dog by his side. “Brian!” he gasped. “What are you doing here? How did you get here?”
“Dad!” he cried. “I think something bad happened to Carl. Goblin came looking for me and he’s very scared…” But Goblin wasn’t looking scared, he was looking up at Brian’s dad and growling.
Brian had never heard Goblin growl before. “Dad!” he asked. “What have you done?”
Gary flushed. “Carl was loitering near a school and he was warned off twice, so we arrested him!”
“But dad!” Brain cried. “He did nothing wrong! He’s not well, he needs help…You don’t know anything about him! He’s a veteran and he was in the bomb squad and he worked with sniffer dogs to find explosives. That’s why Goblin’s so well trained. He’s a good man and you arrested him because he’s sick!”
“He’s not SICK!” Gary cried angrily. “He’s a bum!”
Brian had tears in his eyes. “No, dad,” he said softly. “He doesn’t drink or anything, and most of the time he talks to people who aren’t there. He needs help.”
Gary was ashamed of himself, mostly because he couldn’t admit that there was a part of him that was jealous of Carl and his easy friendship with his son.
He did some investigating and discovered that Carl had a sister in a neighboring state who had been looking for him for years. He contacted Carl’s sister and she was overjoyed.
She took Carl home and enrolled him in an outpatient mental health clinic immediately. Goblin went too, of course. Brian missed Carl, but mostly he missed Goblin.
Then one day his dad came home with a big grin on his face and a strange lump under his jacket. He lifted out a wriggling puppy and presented it to Brian. “There you go,” he said. “You have to name him!”
Brian started crying, he was so happy. “Goblin,” he gasped. “His name is Goblin Two!”
What can we learn from this story?
Don’t make assumptions about people before you know who they are. Gary assumed Carl was a drunk and a danger before he knew anything about him.
Kindness and compassion are the greatest of virtues. Brian’s empathy led him to befriend Carl, and he helped him find his way back home.
Former child star, Amanda Bynes spotted out and about with new unrecognizable look
The past few years have not been easy for Amanda Bynes. The former child actress has completely given up on her Hollywood career after experiencing several crises connected to her mental health.
She has since debuted a fresh appearance that has truly taken folks by surprise.
Amanda Bynes used to be one of the most recognizable young people on the globe. But when her battle with mental illness began to worsen, the budding young star ceased making appearances on television and in movies.
The actress has recently been transparent about her struggles with substance misuse. She described her life after acting as “just stuck at home, getting high, watching TV and tweeting,” adding, “I got really into my drug usage and it became a really dark, sad world for me.”
At the time, Bynes said, “I’ve been sober for almost four years now,” and she g
Lynn and Rick Bynes, her parents, agreed with her decision to end her conservatorship. Since 2013, the former child actress has been under conservatorship. In 2017, her guardianship of the property ended.
In a statement provided by her lawyer David Esquibias on March 22, 2022, Bynes stated, “I have been working hard to improve my health so that I can live and work independently, and I will continue to prioritize my well-being in this next chapter.” Regarding taking back control of her life, the actress stated, “I am excited about my upcoming endeavors — including my fragrance line — and look forward to sharing more when I can.”
Judge Roger L. Lund of the Ventura Superior Court ruled to dissolve the conservatorship, stating that there were no longer “grounds for establishment of a conservatorship of the person.”
For up-to-date photos of the former child star, continue reading.
However, things kind of fell apart last year. The actress called emergency services herself and was put on a 72-hour psychiatric detention. “She hasn’t been in contact with her family for quite some time,” according to a source who was close to the situation at the time.
On March 19, the actress was spotted strolling around Los Angeles’ streets nude. In order to receive assistance, she then flagged down a passing car and dialed 911 for herself.
The actress reportedly explained to the driver that she had been recovering from a mental episode. After that, she was brought to the local police station, where staff members decided she needed to be placed under a 5150 mental hold.
The actress hasn’t made headlines since the 2023 episode until now. It appears that Amanda Bynes has changed, as seen by recent images of her.
The 38-year-old former child star, who had jet black hair and incredibly long nails, was spotted last week.
She had on khaki shorts and an oversized gray t-shirt. She accessorized her ensemble by wearing a crossbody purse on her shoulder.
The former actress, who cut her hair late last year because she was unhappy with how it was “growing out so awkwardly,” announced in March of this year that she was “going to start wearing wigs now.”
She has already discussed how her unhappiness this year caused her to acquire a lot of weight, and she is hoping to reduce more than 50 pounds in order to reach her desired weight goal.
When images of her new appearance surfaced online, some comments were not too flattering. Very disturbing, wrote one person. She’s turned into a monster. Another said, “People are becoming the white walkers.”
However, other people were offended by the image and the hurtful remarks. “This should never have made it onto the Internet,” one individual commented. This woman is experiencing a severe crisis related to her mental health. You deserve so much humiliation. Give her space.
Another supported Bynes by saying, “My heart hurts for her.” Another person had a similar feeling, writing, “Please stop posting Amanda; she’s had enough scrutiny and hurt in her life. I wish the internet would leave her alone.” She has endured enough suffering.
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