What My Son Saw

The Alateen speaker, a young teen I named Jon, described his life in the chaotic household of his alcoholic single mother. I listened raptly. I had looked forward to hearing Jon and had driven many miles to this conference in a foreign country. From Juneau, Alaska, the trip to Skagway is several hours by ferry. The road from there to the border parallels the Yukon gold miners trail over the Chilkoot mountain pass and is often closed by snow. I had phoned the Alaska State Troopers frequently during May and learned the road would be open but still icy and covered with snow in spots. I wanted to hear Jon speak, so I packed my car and bought the ferry ticket. After crossing the border, the drive wound through muskeg still covered with snow, but I could see signs of spring. The forest--four-foot misshapen trees standing ten feet apart--was emerging from winter. I was excited about arriving in Whitehorse, with its hot springs and the AA conference.