My Not-So Extended "Vacation", Part 3

June 22

Solitude after hours has arrived in Cell Block L. I guarantee I will have a field day when I get back home and add this to my blog! Getting used to the new surroundings, yet the mat that goes on top of this metal bunk bed is not making my sleeping habits any better. Having an actual mattress to sleep on is a far cry from what I’ve been laying my head on since coming back here. First that plastic “boat”, now plain flat metal. Each time I try to sleep I ball up the blanket they give me to use as a pillow. Let’s just say it made my back pains a lot worse. Hearing about how the other cellmates made one person’s family history an instant punch line. I did hear he was supposedly related to that Motor City Madman himself, rocker/hunter/political activist Ted Nugent. Well, stupid is what stupid does, right?

I had written in a few other blog pages about my time in the big house. This has without a doubt been the longest tenure I have ever had in my life. There were some other pages to explain this mess I was in, too.  However, after the judges’ verdict,  They got tossed like a bad Ceasar salad. I wondered when I would be free again. When July comes, it may be a total of 25 days that I have ever set foot behind bars. Not a pretty sight. So many folks that snored in the cell with me, and I’m the one whose snoring gets called out? I have been told my snoring can be compared to a chain saw. I don’t believe them.

When served lunch and dinner here, we all get these little pouches of drink mix. Kinda like a Kool-Aid knock-off. They do act like money, mind you. Many inmates trade them like baseball cards. They usually come in about four flavors-orange, black cherry, fruit punch and lemonade.  They do come in handy after a long night of playing spades or dice. The longer you’re in here, the more packets you keep. The water wasn’t as cold as you’d want it when mixing in this stuff, but it’ll do for the real thing. It’s 1:00 am on this kiosk. I am not sleepy at all. What am I going to dream about until CNN or the Looney Tunes gang comes on at 5:00 am?

The guards have let me use the larger shower upstairs a few times because of my size. I get to have maybe a good 10-20 minutes to myself while getting cleaned up and trying to talk to God about missing the outside of jail. They did give me some shampoo for my hair, but no conditioner, leaving my hair in more of a groomed mess than when I came in. The beginner’s kit, given to all new inmates, has a puny bar of soap, a small deodorant (which doesn’t work well), a toothbrush, and a very small comb that I wound up using not for my hair, but for grooming my ever-graying beard and quite a hassle it was. The escorting guard mentioned me that they do have razors for the inmates.  I said there was no way I’m using a single-bladed razor for a beard like this. It needs usually three or four blades! I forgot to mention that I had to scramble through some abandoned laundry just to find a washcloth. 1:08 am. I actually have nothing to write about now. I still can’t sleep with all this silence.

I am very greatful that my church, Spring Creek United Church of Christ, has been wondering about me. I have been thinking about them a lot, as well. So much for celebrating my first anniversary as a member of the church!

June 23

Sunday morning watching one of my growing favorite people to watch on TV, Melissa Harris-Perry on msnbc.  Of course, if I was back home I would only get to watch part of it. I DO go to church, of course!

These damn showers only give me about 20 seconds of spraying water at a time. How am I supposed to get clean on THIS? I think Ogle County is conserving water by doing this. Thank God I only have one week to go in this dump. Each day I write a reminder to myself to PAY ON THAT TICKET!!!! So I won’t come back here. At least I know I need to make one last appearance in front of that evil judge at the end of July. I know this blog will be a multiple-part series, like a trilogy or something close to it. At least I’ll be out to watch the fireworks. I’d love to go to Beloit and sneak some back into Illinois and light ‘em up!

These days have become SO boring I almost asked one of the guards to use my Link card and get me something. Getting used to being as much of an early bird as I am a night owl. Something will have to give. Not shaving until I get home, that’s for sure! Next Tuesday can’t come soon enough. Must contact last place I applied for employment. Tell them I’m still interested. Sooner I get hired, sooner I can pay this off. I am having a strange craving for string cheese. I am a native Wisconsinite, after all!

June 25

Six months until Christmas! Whoopty-shit! It doesn’t mean anything if I’m not with anybody! Watching The Big Bang Theory. What an odd show.  Nice to hear Barenaked Ladies (they wrote the theme song) are still around making music.  There’s nothing good on TV, especially since both the NBA and NHL playoffs ended. If this jailhouse had HBO or even Movieplex, maybe something is worth watching there. I can get both the National Geographic and Science channels here, yet I can’t get either of them at home at the motel!

Spent last night reading a novel about a murder in a small Maine community. Read the whole book just in time for breakfast. Like I really had something ELSE to do in jail! You can only play cards and dice so much, right?

Thinking about Mariah and me. We’ve been living together since 1999, so that going on 15 years. So much we have done over the years. Things will get better, I think if I ever get out of this place. I didn’t try to use her as a way to move out of my dad’s house so quickly. I’ve spent so many nights thinking about what would I be doing had I stayed back home in Milwaukee. One thing I could say is that there is a proud LGBT community there, which would help my travel business quite a bit. Simultaneously, I would have a following in the African-American community as well. Just saying. My eldest sister and I have never quite gotten along. We haven’t spoken to one another since we almost came to blows in 2002 after she learned from her son about my “lifestyle choices”. She called me an “embarrassment to the family”. What would they know or care about me expressing my femininity here in Rockford? At least I don’t have to bump into anyone of my family here.  I still may consider going full-time in a few years should everything in my life go my way. All I need are those friends who DO care about me. They can become my new family.

Yuck! Turkey croissants for dinner?  It already sucks having to once again have my peace interrupted by the garbage shown on BET’s 106 & Park! All you hear on that show is hip-hop/rap and some people who think they really worked their way up the entertainment ladder. I’d rather watch something more fun, like MythBusters or something.  Well, I may have some company coming back with me to Rockford. Seems like another guy is scheduled for release for July 2^nd.  I think we’ll just be glad to get out when that happens.

June 27

The clock is ticking closer to my getting out of here! One thing to do…PAY ON THE TICKET!! I got this planned out, of course! In the meantime, Nelson Mandela is holding on down in South Africa. He may be passing away soon. The 94-year-old has left a legacy for everyone to be inspired by, including President Obama. I know when he is called home, God will welcome him with open arms. I believe Mandela is being rewarded with his longevity for his enduring 18 of the 27 years incarcerated on Robben Island, off the coast of Cape Town. Maybe I’ll visit that place one day.

At least got to enjoy this Thursday evening by watching Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? on AMC. The song Man of Constant Sorrow is one of my favorites! Next Thursday, I will be back home in time for the fireworks. Can’t wait!

June 28

It’s another sleepless night on this damn flat-ass mat on metal bunk. I have been trying to think about something on my mind just to keep my eyes closed for a while. The weekend in 2010 where I got to attend Be-All near Chicago. Got to meet my now-sisters Denise and Juanita in person. Ate dinner at the Olive Garden and did some window shopping…both with no makeup on! Went out to Club ICON across the state line in Kenosha,WI. The garlic spinach pizza didn’t agree with my stomach.  The limo ride to the Saturday Night Banquet was awesome!! Looking back at it now, I should’ve taken more pictures…with a better camera!  Keep in mind it was when I was driving back to Rockford that Sunday afternoon is where I first got that traffic ticket.

Thinking about catering my business strictly to the LGBT crowd. I know there is a growing market there. I just need to get my foot in the doorway at some of the local LGBT events…and some financial matter wouldn’t hurt, either. All this time being locked up will set me back a little. I can’t quit this. It does take time to have a business to grow.  My new magnets are still in the mailbox. I must get to them when I get out of here. Also must retrieve the $10 confiscated from me at the time of my arrest.

I’m still on track to be released on Tuesday, July 2^nd. One problem-It’s at 5:00am. Oh great! Who’s getting up early to come down to Oregon and pick me up? I tried to send a message to the local chaplain, but I guess he’s not available.  Just a few days away now. Maybe I’ll splurge on the Link card when I’ll get out Lord knows Mariah must be needing some food or something.

June 29

Same thing, different day. Couldn’t get the remote to watch Melissa Harris-Perry today. Only a few more days to go. The elder inmates are sitting at a table near me, drinking lukewarm coffee and talking about what they’ll be doing on their work release.

There’s nothing on TV. Tried to get some sleep after lunch, which I believe is getting a bit worse. The dessert looked like a science project gone horribly wrong. So was the dinner of chicken salad sandwiches.

Another night of cards, books and whatever seems appealing on TV. In a word-nothing.

June 30

I get to watch Melissa this morning!!! She’s so cute with her glasses on. She’s got spunk. Got to take a somewhat decent shower today. Already looking forward to returning to Spring Creek UCC, sans the fanfare.  One of the inmates says he’s not sleeping the night before our release. That’s why he was getting all the sleep he can get now! He even got a better sleeping mat! What the hell?

I just realized my cell phone has been off or three weeks. All those days of minute use has gone to waste. Wonder what I could do to use them before the service date. I also wonder who’s been trying to call me in the past weeks. Maybe that new job. Maybe a debt collector…48 hours to go.

My nails polish has worn off considerably. I forced myself to clip the remaining long nails in order to stop picking on them to kill time. It may take a little time to get used to being back in socialization. There are people in here who would love to trade places with me and get out of here. They probably did something a lot worse than not pay off a traffic ticket or not show up in court. I do feel for them.

I had one of those “What if…” moments again to keep me asleep in bed. This time around, the question was what would my life be like had I attended college in Milwaukee instead of New Orleans. My family would be right there to see me graduate. I could’ve worked the rest of my life there and maybe not seen what the rest of the world outside Brew Town is like. However, I wouldn’t have met my dear college friend Sandra. We first met during my freshman year at Dillard University. She was already two years ahead of me, but I didn’t care. She actually is the one who invited me to the church she attended, Full Gospel C.O.G.I.C. She even bought me a tie, which I still have to this very day. Another thing, Sandra also helped me to understand Christ a little better, too. I’ll always thank her for that. We still keep in touch today. 

Since I’m still here, I should think about re-doing a movie script I had done in college. I thrashed it after reading it, thought it was dumb. I was also working on a book based on my weekend at Be-All 2010. Just never got around having writer’s block!

Oh, great. Sunday night and I’m stuck listening to the BET Music Awards. I already mentioned that I barely even watch the channel. Three-plus hours later, it’s almost time for light out. Wondering how church service was at Spring Creek UCC today. Missed the annual Chicago Pride Parade, again.

July 1 4:00am

The countdown to getting released is on! 24 hours from now I’ll be free as a bird again. Whoo! I got over last night’s BET Awards.  I couldn’t fully get to sleep, again. Finging it hard to believe we are already half-way through 2013. Geez! Where did that time go? At least President Obama’s still in charge.

Football camp will be opening up by month’s end. Those dreaded back-to-school sales will start hitting the airwaves…I’m getting older than I look right now! Somebody get Father Time something to eat!

I noticed just how much material I have written down in the last 10 days alone. WOW! That’s quite a lot. Today’s installment of Our Daily Bread talks about how to bounce back after a tough defeat or, in my case, rebound from being in jail. We all have had our low moments like this. Anybody who knows me knows how much I am a bad loser. I hate losing! But it’s a part of life. God helps us through the rough days to get us all back on track.

In all, I have been locked up for a grand total of 19 days. Even one day in here seems like forever. I am thankful that I had this notebook to express my feelings instead of just keeping it inside of me. I don’t know what I would’ve done without something like this. Probably add more time to the offense and add a felony to this, eliminating my chance to ever traveling outside North America, especially seeing Australia with my own eyes. That’s been a life-long desire of mine.

WHAT?? Ready? Me? Well, look like I may have caught another break. I distinctively heard the judge tell me that I would be released on July 2^nd. Seems like my time behind these jailhouse cell has finally come to a much-relieving conclusion. So I am getting RELEASED RIGHT NOW!!! Uh-oh. How am I going to tell my friends that I got out a day early? My cell phone’s out of range.

It turns out that the guy that was released with me had arranged his own ride back to Rockford. He was nice enough to give me a lift back home. His friend was driving a 1973 AMC Gremlin, with the gear shifter on the steering column. Maybe he was glad he’s wasn’t driving a Pacer! You don’t know how glad I was to cross over back into Winnebago County. They dropped me back at my motel, and said our farewells until another time when our paths cross. Hopefully not back in jail!

It took about 5 minutes for Mariah to realize that I was staring at her through the open window. She opened the door and we embraced. Little did I know she had spent nearly a week in the psych ward after my arrest. She did fear we would be evicted from out motel room, and I understood that. I had to return to that evil judge later in the month after promising to make a payment toward that dreaded ticket. Then I would not have to see him again!  For now, I was just glad to be BACK HOME and to a soft mattress for my back….AHHHHHH!

THE END.