My First Visitor

If you notice, the next two blogs are out of sequence. Paul mailed these right after they were written. However, the envelope came back to him for more postage. So, it had to be mailed again and I received this after the other blogs were typed and posted.
This one was written on July 14th.

Today started just like yesterday at 5:00 am for breakfast. The only difference from yesterday’s breakfast was the type of cereal. Today it was bran flakes; everything else was the same. I sat in the same seat and ate the same way I did yesterday.

A little prior to 8 am, the guard called me because I had a visitor. I knew who my visitor was but I was surprised by the early hour. I went out with three other inmates where we were padded down, then told to go upstairs for our visit. The guard remarked to each of us to have a good visit. I thought that was very nice and it was nice to see a genuine display of human kindness in a place like this.

I walked into the visiting room which is a room 15 feet long and 3 feet deep. It has a floor to ceiling wall of bullet soundproof glass. There are six stations separated by a small glass portion and each station has a telephone for the inmate and one for the visitor. At the ends of each room is a separate area for attorneys and inmates. In this room, papers can be passed from the attorney to the guard to the inmate. There is no physical contact whatsoever. And the only method of communication is via the telephone.

As I arrived in the visitor room, in walked my wife and her best friend. I knew my wife was coming today because she was flying back to NJ later this afternoon. I just didn’t expect her to arrive so early. My wife is not a morning person and even though she had a great deal on her plate before she departed for the airport, I didn’t expect to see her until at least 9:00 am. I was pleasantly surprised when she walked in.

My wife looked great as usual and I was happy to see her beautiful smile. The last time I saw her was in court as I was being led out in handcuffs. As I looked back, she was crying with her head resting on her best-friend’s shoulder. It was great to see her magnificent smile and would have given anything to give her a great big hug, but unfortunately that was not possible.

Her best friend was there so we could fill out some legal forms and as always for moral support. We did have the misadventure of entering the attorney’s cubicle so I could fill out the forms, but it took a few minutes for the guard to realize he had to come over and pass me the forms. Once he came up, I signed the forms and all was well.

My wife and I then returned to the regular visitor’s area so we could complete our visit. It was great seeing her and hearing her voice. I am not sure when will be the next time I see her, so I was glad to have a very positive last impression to carry me through the next few months. My wife, as I’ve stated before, is an exceptional woman and now she has the weight of the world squarely on her shoulders. She is in charge of taking care of the children, finding a job, and cleaning up the loose ends of my legal case. I know she will do a great job with all three and I can’t wait to hold her in my arms again.

The visit went so quickly and when the guard turned off the lights to notify us our time was up, I was sad to see her leave. I was happy knowing we will make it through the next two years even though 3000 miles and barbwire separate us because our love has no boundaries. Knowing my wife has come this far is all I need to know because the next two years will go by so quickly. I love her so very much!

As we departed, we put our hands on the glass portion to simulate a touch and we each blew kisses to one another. I felt my heart skip a few beats as she walked out the door. I will miss her very dearly along with my two lovely children but we will all be together soon and it will be better than ever.

After our visit was over, I returned back downstairs. The rest of the day was almost like yesterday with two exceptions. One – there was no rec yard because that is only on Thursdays and two – lunch was a peanut butter sandwich! I was excited about that because this was an unexpected protein bonus for me. I had no idea a peanut butter sandwich was one of the lunches served every few days. It looks like I maybe able to maintain my weight while I await my transport to state prison.

Dinner came and went which was some sort of beef burrito which I happily gave away for my rice. Then we were able to move about the common area. Around 7:00 pm I had another visitor. At first, I thought maybe it would have been my attorney because my wife informed me earlier my attorney would try to visit me today. I had my doubts about that because he said the same thing last year when I was here and he never showed up. Obviously, my expectations were fairly low. Seeing that it was nearly 9:00 in the evening, I knew it had to be someone else. And, it was my very dear friend who was the only one to visit me last year. This person embodies the true definition of a friend and has done so much for my family and myself over the past sixteen months.

I was so happy to see him and we had a great visit! We made some tentative plans so he could come and visit me. These are tentative plans because I have no idea where I will be situated and California is a huge state. I would never expect or ask anyone to drive 400 plus miles to see me. Who knows is these plans will come to fruition? However, it was a great visit and we mimicked touching fists through the glass portion and we both departed.

Yes, two years could be a long time but there is so much love in my life, I know each day will pass quickly as long as I don’t dwell on the past and enjoy all the blessings I have today. I have so many blessings in my life from so many different sources. I am truly a blessed person and continue to be blessed each and everyday.