A Family for Me: Nathaniel

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) – When I first walked into the arcade, I noticed Nathaniel wearing a Tupac t-shirt. I knew right then that music would be the key to relating to this 16-year-old, though I never suspected it would take us as far as it did.

As we bowled frame after frame, his rolls a little better than mine, we talked about sports, life, and how good the bowling alley cookies were. Spirits felt high, from banter about Patrick Mahomes and Steph Curry to pointing out how many gutter balls I’d thrown in a row.

Then, songs like “Ocean Avenue” by Yellowcard and “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield came over the loudspeaker, and I couldn’t help but sing along. Being 12 years Nathaniel’s senior, though, I could tell he wasn’t nearly as familiar with those songs as I was.

So, I asked what some of his favorites were.

He told me he was a fan of rap and hip-hop. Tupac, as indicated by the shirt, is one of his favorite artists, so we started there. We briefly touched on the rivalry between the East and West Coast hip-hop scenes of the mid-90s, which eventually led to us talking about a recent feud between rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake.

“I used to listen to both guys when they first started dropping albums. I was in 9th grade when Drake started getting big,” I said.

“I listened to a lot of his stuff when I was little,” Nathaniel said in response. “That was back in, like, 2018.”

I told him he made me feel old, considering I was already chipping away at a college degree before he lost all his baby teeth. When he asked how old I was, I responded, “almost 30″, half expecting him to tell me I looked even older than that.

But his response was neither playfully rude nor expected.

“That’s about how old my mom was,” he said.

Was? As in, when he was born? That word — “was” — seemed very intentional. I didn’t pry, but Nathaniel opened up, unprompted.

“She was 32 when she died,” he said. “I was 12.”

I didn’t know what to say. All the joy and laughter we had shared to that point took on a new light. I quickly realized that this teenager, so full of life and joy, had been through things I could not even begin to imagine. Yet, he didn’t let that get him down.

We continued our afternoon of fun with more bowling, some arcade games, air hockey, and a little basketball, too. He said his favorite part of the day was beating me in all of our endeavors.

We sat down to chat so I could get to know him a little better. He told me he liked geometry, Mexican food, barbecue, and the NBA. Then he told me about his late mother.

“She died in a car crash,” he started. “When I found out two days later, I cried instantly.”

I asked him how he overcame such an event at such a young age.

“One of my best friends was there to support me. It was hard. I used to try not to think about it a lot,” he told me. “I didn’t think I was going to make it, but here I am.”

The music inside him was muted that day, but it’s crept back over the years. Though it may still be in the background, the hum of his rhythm and blues can still be heard if you listen closely enough.

Now, his song begs to be heard.

When it comes to a prospective family, Nathaniel has very few requests.

“Just someone who can care for me and understand me,” he said. “Whenever I’m down, they’re there for me. Just support me in any way.”

The sky is truly the limit for this resilient teen. I believe, without a doubt, that someday soon, his music will be too loud to deny.

For more information on how you can help, you can visit Nathaniel’s Project Zero page here.

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