"Visitor" by Michael W. Cox
In "Visitor," the main character recounts his father's interactions with a strange young boy secretly living in their basement. This young teenager's, Jody, existence remains a mystery to the entire family except for the father and the narrator, and even though the narrator's father warns him not to go into the basement, he still does and becomes "friends" with the stranger. He brings him sandwiches and talks with him like a normal human being. (Unlike the father who only uses Jody for sexual endeavors.) As the story progresses, the son seems to know or gather what transpires between these younger boys and his father but doesn't confront his father. The young narrator even comments on how "lame" his father's lies were to other people and called them "stories" (146-7). Due to his inability to confront his father, these boys and his father's actions remain "strangers" to him.
Original Prompt:
Describe the meeting of a stranger either during childhood or as an adult. Was it awkward? Were you original mean to this person? Why did you talk to this person to begin with? What peaked your interest about this person.
I'd try to add more of a wrinkle to that prompt. Though this particular essay chooses an intense subject matter, you could also play on this revelation about a parent through someone not well known. Write of a time in which you learned something about a parent through an acquaintance of yours or your parents.
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