The Fix: The men who didn’t disappear

Paul Lee. (Photo by Maranie Rae Staab/PublicSource)

PART OF THE PUBLICSOURCE SERIES

The Fix

Stories about the opioid epidemic
in the Pittsburgh region.
About this series.

ACT ONE: A Miracle in Beltzhoover

Paul Lee and his younger brother Andy say they witnessed a miracle when they were boys. Now middle-aged, they recall this memory with fondness and fascination. Their belief in it hasn’t wavered.They were boys, Paul 8 and Andy 7. Their mother had given them both new bikes for Christmas. They rushed out of the house. At the top of the hill, Paul went first. Andy followed closely behind. They careened, wind whooshing by their ears, hearts racing. The road made a sharp turn at the bottom of the hill. They knew it would. They’d done this a hundred times.
What they never saw before were two cars. Right in front of them.
Andy was behind Paul and in the fast-slow way accidents happen, he knew his brother was going to smash into the cars. He knew he would soon follow.
But then something unexpected happened. Andy said a man appeared and moved Paul to safety, right between the two cars. The man also guided Andy through the vehicles. Neither driver noticed. The man, angel, ghost, whatever he was, disappeared. Paul and Andy, panting, stared at each other. What had just happened? They were shaking.
Paul grabbed Andy’s shoulder and said to him, “Andy, remember what just happened today. Don’t ever forget it.”
Years later, when Andy and Paul were 19 and 20, they devised a plan to start selling cocaine from New York in Pittsburgh. Andy said they thought their endeavor would be like the movie “Scarface.” Paul had recently dropped out of the New York Institute of Technology and came back to Pittsburgh. The University of Pittsburgh had just kicked Andy out of school. The brothers were young, forced to start over.
READ ENTIRE ARTICLE:
https://projects.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-opioid-epidemic/paul-lee.html

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