The Story of Howard

Howard is twenty six years old. He lives in Southeast DC near the Anacostia station. He lives with a few friends and his two year old little girl in an apartment with no heat, just running water. This time of year, they all have to wear jackets as if they were outside, and they huddle around each other for warmth.

His little girl has a cold, and her mother has died. The mother has been dead for more than a month now, and while the mother was living Howard’s relationship with her was not on the best of terms. It is rumored that they were both cheating on each other, Howard has a VD right now because of her. However now that she is gone he insists that he loves her. He claims that she was the one, and will tell you his tragic story of dead baby mother and hungry little girl who he cant feed for a few hits off a joint.

Howard gets high everyday, he does not have money, but he can get high because the people he stays around always have weed. Everyday Howard sits in the apartment with his friends not wanting to leave or go anywhere, he sits on the couch, talking about how hard he has it in his life. He cant get government assistance for his daughter because his name is not on his daughters birth certificate. Howard says he cannot find a job, because he knows no one is hiring, even though he has no criminal record he feels trapped by his situation.

Howard will not listen to anyone who tries to tell him about himself, he would rather fight them or turn away from them, Howard just wants to sit on the couch with his shivering daughter and get high.