Friend

A friend of mine was released just two years ago.  He writes and keeps me up on his life.  I hadn't heard from him for a couple months, he wrote me last night.

He moved into his mom's after release.  The ex-wife would bring his daughters to him on Friday.  She would come and pick them up on Sunday.  After a few months of this, and the girls going back with her, talking about the fun they had with their day, the ex had a talk with him.  She told him she was falling in love with him.  Could they try at their relationship again.

He agreed and soon after they got a place together.

All was well and his job was paying good, keeping him busy, so he purchased a new work-truck.  After a long day in Daytona, before heading home, he stopped to re-fuel his truck.  While at the pump, he watched a car and truck pull in and park at the front of the store.  They went in to buy beer.  They all came back out, cases of beer in hand, and jumped into their cars. The car speeds out first, full of girls.  The boys speed out after them in a truck.  But when the truck backs out, they smash into the side of my friends truck.  He hears the passenger yelling at the driver-"Take off, Just take off!!"

My friend runs over to the drivers side and reaches into the vehicle to take the keys.  He shuts off their truck but the driver tries to wrestle the keys back.  So my friend elbows him in the face, then snatches the keys back.

He walks into the gas-station and tells them to call the police.  The police arrive.  They inform the truck's driver he's looking at a charge and then inform my friend he's looking at a charge for taking the keys.  He advises them both to simply let it go.  My friend agrees, goes back to his truck and finishes pumping gas.

He sees a second cop pull in.  That cop  comes over to his truck and tells him to turn around and cuff-up.  He was  going to county jail.

Charges are:  assault and burglary.  Assault for the elbow and burglary for taking the keys.

Because of his previous record, his score sheet points turn out for a life sentence.  He notified his wife and mother that the prosecutor is going after him for a life sentence;  my friends wife took her own life.  A week later he had to sign over parental rights to the wife's parents so they can take his daughters.

After a lawyer spoke to the state, they have offered a plea deal of 10-years mandatory.  My  friend lost his wife, kids, and his will to live all in a week.  He wrote me and said, "Mike, if you still pray, please pray for me!!"  And I will my friend.

We had plans to ride motorcycles together.  This is a good friend of mine.  I came to prison and overcame my addiction to drugs.  I'm bigger than that now.  However, when I heard this story, it hit me hard.  This here is something I could have done.  This is a reaction that I could have.

In prison you don't call the cops.  You react.  The faster the better.  Somedays that quick reaction saves your life.  Consequently, long term side effects aren't considered.  The longer you do in prison, the more you're schooled on reflex-reactions-rather than well-thought-out reactions.

This was a wake-up to consider things that can quickly spin outside our control.  And when the cops are called, I'm the one with a record who will be taken into custody.  I'm guilty until  proven innocent.  I won't get your same rights.  Just something I need to think about.