FBK--The Truth Hurts (From College Student to Bank Robber -My Prison visit with Andrew)
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Posted By: FBK Kidd on May 17, 2008 My Visit with Andrew. May 7, 2008. Can I really do 12-20 years of visits? It's the same with every visit. Check in with the guard. The guard is friendly and flirty enough that he's kind enough to remember me and refer to Andrew by his last name, instead of his inmate number, as is customary, or as he does to most visitors who check in at the window. I'm getting better at the visiting process. I only carry a single car key, no more than 20 in cash (singles, fives and change), and my id. No longer will I stick items not allowed in that filthy locker that cost twenty-five cents. I even remembered the plastic bag this time. Usually I'm dropping stuff everywhere because they don't allow visitors to carry a purse inside, and I never wear anything with pockets. This visit was more interesting than usual. As I waited for Andrew to be let out (yes it provokes the image that they are animals being released, if only temporarily). I'm always caught off guard when Andrew appears from behind the tan, steel, door. I don't know the process that inmates go through behind that door. All I know is the guard is always wearing gloves. I don't even want to think about it. As I wait on Andrew to appear I follow a customary routine. I select a table. I try to select the least filthy-IST table away from the least filthy-IST inmate and his visiting family. I put the complimentary dirty deck of cards and wooden library pencil provided by the guard on duty, on the table to hold the table, as I make my way to the vending machine to purchase Andrew's favorite items. He likes the orange 20 oz drink, although lately he's been requesting lemonade. He likes the steak sub, if it's really steak. The thinly sliced "steak" meat is greyish green. He'll eat any kind of chips. He loves sweets and I usually get him a pop tart or some white powdered donuts. The aforementioned are the food items that I have waiting on Andrew at the table. Usually after he's gobbled up everything, he points to the machine, and grunts the additional food items that he wants. Inmates can't touch the vending machine or money. They say it's for precautionary reasons; I say it's an additional way to dehumanize a person. But hey, they are prisoners. Usually Andrew requests another steak sub (wink, wink) and more sweet items to eat. I don’t usually by myself vending machine items, except coffee. Strong vending machine coffee is the only way that I can visit that hell hole of a prison and see my beloved son, former college student, serve his 12-20 year sentence. As I get my vending machine cup of coffee, I look over at an inmate and I immediately recognize the back of his head. Why it's Leonard Walker. Leonard and I go way back to the streets of Avondale where we grew up. Back than Leonard held the neighborhood fight title. He was the knock out King. Hey... he was a teenager. Anyway, I knew Leonard way before I gave birth to Andrew. Leonard is Andrew’s Dad best friend. In fact he was the person I turned to when Andrew’s Dad wasn’t acting right. Anyway, when Andrew was about, I'm guessing, ten, Leonard got a life sentence in prison for murder. They say he attempted to rob the man, but when he didn't get anything he became so outraged--murdered the man, stuffed him in a trunk, and ripped his eyeballs out. Yeah, I was shocked about the eyeball thing. Leonard use to beat people up, but mostly they were bad people, guys who picked on girls, or neighborhood bullies. Those were 99% of the reasons why Leonard would fight. Leonard had a good heart. I remember he would walk me and my friends home from neighborhood parties. That’s the Leonard I know. Anyway Leonard was always talked about a lot in our household. Andrew was aware of the crime that Leonard committed, and that he was serving a life sentence. Also, Andrew's Dad shared stories about Leonard, and Andrew would share the stories with me. (Memo to me--write Leonard a letter and asks him to look out for Drew, even though I'm sure Andrew's Dad has already done that, and that Leonard is already looking out for him.) Anyway the fact that Drew is in the same prison with Leonard, is just one of many ironies that involve around Andrew (or Drew) being in prison. Andrew looks very different. His hair is now braided (he told me he paid a guy a pack of cookies to braid his hair). Which raises two questions in my mind. First, what kind of guy braids hair? Second, what kind of guy braids hair for a pack of cookies? Anyway, Andrew has a lot of facial hair. If he was on the outside I wouldn't like the hair. But on the inside the hair distracts one from his boyish good looks. The hair makes him look older, tougher, less likely to be bullied, or raped. Keeping it real. The institution requires the inmates to wear dark blue pants and light blue shirts. I'm used to Andrew wearing button down styled polo shirts with a t-shirt underneath. I call it the hip, preppy look. But this new look--I'll never get use to it. I'll never get used to my young son being in prison. As Andrew chumps down into his food I gaze around the room. I notice that several other of the younger inmates have braids in their hair. I think to myself that guy must be making a killing (no pun intended) , and he must be getting very fat from receiving so many packs of cookies for braiding hair. Peace. FBK sugarfreefranki@yahoo.com (HOW LONG AM I GONNA WRITE ABOUT THIS, YOU ASK...UNTIL I HEAL, HOWEVER LONG THAT TAKES, BLOGGING ABOUT THIS IS GOING TO BE MY HEAL PILL. Humor-Healing-Writing) If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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