Frank Hoetker looked out at the dozen teen boys sitting before him.
They sat in chairs leaned against the back wall of the room, arms folded across their chests. One fidgeted with a music player. A couple of others used colored pencils to sketch on paper.
Hoetker greeted the boys — all patients at Daybreak Youth Services, a Vancouver inpatient substance abuse treatment center — and explained the reason for his visit. Hoetker wanted to tell them a story. But not just any story — his son Darby’s story.
Hoetker revealed a large picture frame with a the photo of a teenage Darby. The blond-haired teen is sitting on concrete steps and smiling.
Then Hoetker walked over to a small wooden box sitting on the table. As tears welled in his eyes, Hoetker lifted open the lid, exposing a clear plastic bag filled with ashes.