Clothesline

During my one hour lunch break, I once again changed out of my wet, sweaty clothing to dry clothes and instantly felt better. I started to read MARY, MARY by James Patterson. I washed my shirts so I wouldn’t be washing all afternoon. However, I realized I had a logistical problem when all the clothes were washed. I have 3 clotheslines – one at the head of the bunk, one at the rear of the bunk, and one on the side of the bunk. The clotheslines at the head and the rear can only accommodate one piece of clothing. The line on the side can hold up to 5 pieces depending on the size. The front clothesline always has my towel hanging from it. The two smaller clotheslines are made of string and the larger one is made from a tightly wound garbage bag. I hung up my shirts and decided to worry about the logistics later when I come back in.

After the PFT class ended, it also closed another work week for me. It really is difficult for me to call this work because I enjoy it so much. The weeks are ticking by at a very fast rate. The end of this class marked the beginning of a three day weekend. I would like to work six days of week and holidays while I am here. I went to the pill call line once again for the protein drink and much to my surprise there was no line. But, there were no drinks available again and I was told to come back later that evening. I am starting to get concerned of the big controversy over these drinks earlier this week. I hope that I am not caught in a power struggle between the CO staff and the medical staff. I do hope they ran out and there is no conspiracy going on. Also, as I thought about the lack of a line, I wondered if they ran out of other medication for the inmates. My educated guess is that these drinks won’t be available until after Christmas.

As I made my way back to the dorm I had 30 minutes before the unlock. I saw two of my fellow instructors who were also waiting. We had a very good conversation for these 30 minutes and I do get along very well with these two instructors. They are both 28 and so different from each other. One is deep into religion and the other is not. All three of us do share a passion for exercising and getting ourselves better both physically and mentally. In spite of what they did to get into a place like this, they are two good guys. And, I believe they won’t be back here because they are both headed in the right direction.

I went inside after the unlock where I had some serious laundry to do. After wringing out my clothing, I had blisters on both my thumbs. I had to figure out where to hang all these pieces of clothing. All I can say is that the next time I see a washing machine and dryer I very well may give it a big kiss and a hug! I certainly have a new found respect for these appliances.

Once all the laundry was done, I took my shower and the “mail call” came with 4 pieces of mail. I should say I only received 3 pieces because the 4th piece which was from a very dear friend could not be forwarded to me. Apparently, the card or envelope couldn’t be opened without destroying the contents and could not be searched. This card was sent to my wife and someday I will see the contents. So far I received 7 cards and I am touched by all of them. I am a blessed person and grateful for all the love and support I have received through this very trying time. I thank everyone!

I didn’t have a scheduled telephone call because I was shut out on Wednesday night. I was hoping to call my mother but this did not happen. I was shut out again to make a phone call on Christmas Eve which was very disappointing. However, my family has become very understanding of the phone call dilemma. I figured out that on Christmas Eve there are 77 scheduled calls and 150 inmates who try to sign up which means 73 are shut out. This is performed through a lottery system. I sure hope I am not in violation of the GA program because it is the only way I can sign up for a telephone call. We drop our ID cards into a box and the CO draws the first 77 names. There are always open spots except of course for this week. There are some inmates who sign up and when they secure a spot they sell this to the highest bidder. Some calls were going for $5 which translates to 25 soups. Needless to say, they have a very lucrative business. I do have other contingencies and hopefully they will pan out.

Around 3:00 am, I heard some noise in the dorm and realized the CO’s were walking through. Then I heard some noise at my bunk as the CO cut off my long clothesline when all the damp clothes fell on top of me. As he cut it off, he made some comment which I couldn’t hear. I was none too pleased when these clothes fell on top of me. I was not only wide awake but very upset. There was no way I could re-hang the line because it had been cut. I stacked the clothes on top of the other clothes on the other lines. I laid down and got even more angry. Some of my fellow dorm mates hang up sheets on both sides of their bunk for privacy and it is very difficult to ascertain whether they are in their bunks. I make it a point to not only leave one side wide open, but I put my smaller clothes near the front of the bunk so the CO’s could easily tell I am in the it. Apparently, this was good enough last night. Yes, I was very angry but told myself this is only temporary and it will pass. It certainly was an inconvenience to be awakened at 3:00 am with damp clothes falling on me, but it was a clear reminder for me to stay focused in my recovery so I can have my life back.

It took awhile to fall back to sleep but instead of being angry, I had a smile on my face which might have been a wry one but I think about how absurd my situation is and in a short time it will be all over. I thought about my family which always brings a smile to my face. The entire clothesline incident has taught me a lesson in humility and I need to carry this with me one day at a time.