Glimpse of the future, My first crime

  I was 10 years old in 1987, we lived in a predominantly Puerto Rican neighborhood. For fun we would pick up hypodermic needles and fill them with water and shoot them at each other as water guns. I remember searching for them on the way to school and on the way home. We would also go in the many abandoned house to play. Or to make club houses. Someone that I frequently played with told me about a house that had a bunch of Playboy mags in it. So me and two other friends went to check it out. It was a row home situated between two other homes. We went to the back yard where the door was open. Once inside we found the stash and checked out the pictures. My friends got spooked by a noise and ran out of the house while I continued to search around.

    I found there was a safe in the wall of the house in a bedroom and I went to investigate. To my surprise the safe opened and inside I found a 1/4 stick of dynamite what I originally thought was a M80. Right next to it conveniently placed were a pack of matches. I started yelling out the window for my friends to come back in to check out what I found. And I could not get them to come back in. So I did what any other mischievous kid would do, I tried to light it. I found a spot on the floor in between a large pile of clothing and placed the explosive on a flat spot.  The wick came off the 1/4 stick at an extreme right angle. I lit the match on the first try and place it to the wick. It lit quickly and I turned to run but before I could even get my head turned all the way around it exploded. The wick instantly ignited and zipped straight down and exploded not even four feet from me.

  I saw stars, I was dizzy, I could barely see. What I did see were the flames, the pile of clothing was on fire. I tried my best to pick up clothing that was not on fire to try and smoother the flames. It did not work and the smoke was making it hard to see or breath. I tried for about 20-30 seconds to put it out and could try no more. I immediately  ran to the neighbors house to tell them that the house next to them was on fire. Once both homes were clear I ran home.

  I was in the shower when the fire chief came to the house. When I came downstairs he was talking to my mother and they asked for my clothing. The proof that they needed was right there. They found the kid that burnt down the house and it was me. I still remember the clothes I was wearing that day. It is so vivid. I was the youngest child on probation at the time just turning ten years old. All my friends were gone since I was now the trouble maker. Read more and please subscribe.

Birth year and siblings

I was born in the late 70's to a seemingly normal mother and father.My father was a trash hauler and my mother a homemaker/waitress. I had a five year old brother and a one a a half year old brother. I was here, we were a family. I have some of my first memories from the age of three forward. But for these younger years I will reference photos.

My mother was pretty hands on with me after all I was the new baby in the house. My younger brother is in most of the photos with me. We were pretty much inseparable for much of our childhood. My father was an alcoholic, and a marijuana user. I dont know that he did much of anything else. I do know that he loved all of us kids dearly, and he did everything he could to make us happy.

At two years of age my mother and father got divorced. Of course at my age it is hard to notice but there were lasting reverberations and resentment from my mother.