chapter 5

In September on Labor Day weekend we got the call.  At three a.m. the phone rang. 

     "Mom I'm in jail," Mike stammered. 

     I called out to Big Mike.

     Pleading, Mike begged, "No, mom, don't tell dad!" 

     "Too late, why are you in jail, Mike?" I questioned! 

     "They busted me buying crack, I wasn't buying it for me, though, I was buying it for a friend," Mike lied.

      "DENIAL!"

     Big Mike having picked up the extension sneered, "I guess you'll have to learn the hard way." 

     "What are they going to do with you?"  I asked. 

     "They said $3,500. bond, but tomorrow I could get out free on pre-trial release, so I'll stay here and see what happens in the morning."  Mike sighed.       

     The phone rang again at seven a.m., "This is a lawyer for pre-trial release.  Your son is eligible for pre-trial release, a drug treatment program.  Could you come to Court at nine a.m.? It always looks better to the judge if a parent is present."  

     "Yes, I'll be there, where do I go?"  I asked bewildered.  He told me where to go and what to do. 

     I hurried to get a baby sitter for Amy, went by the bank to get some money for a bond, the bank is closed! 

     At the Courthouse I am directed to the Courtroom.  There, on closed circuit television, was everyone who was arrested and on trial. 

     Two hours later they call the "State vs. Mike."

     He stands in front of the camera. I stand at the podium. The public defender states he is eligible for the pre-trial release program, but his fingerprints haven't come back yet, in other words, as soon as they see he isn't wanted for anything else he is free to go.  They had explained earlier, his prints might be back today or maybe not till Tuesday, this being a holiday weekend. 

     The judge asked me, "Do you know why he is here?" 

     "Yes, Your Honor, I do." I responded quietly.

     The Judge inquired,  "Are you aware of how dangerous it is when they swallow it?" 

     "No, I am not."  I answered honestly.  

     "Well I suggest you educate yourself!!"  The judge spat at me.

     "Yes, Your Honor."  You son-of-b***h, I think to myself,   "If his prints aren't back by the end of this day, would you consider reducing the bond?"  I plead. 

     "Yes, I will take that into consideration.  Have a seat and we'll call you back when we've finished."   

     Here I am left to wonder when I went on trial.  My son is twenty-one years old, I didn't raise him this way, and he’s been away from home for over a year now, on and off.  Why is the judge yelling at me? 

     I saw lots of people that day that had been arrested the previous night.  There were prostitutes who got off for fifty dollars and time served; there were their customers who got off with one hundred dollars and time served.  The lawyers were screaming discrimination, why fifty for the hookers and one hundred for their johns?  So the judge agreed and reduced the fines for all to fifty bucks.  There were drug dealers and users, DUI's, DWI's, it was all very interesting, except for the fact that my son was among them.  Finally the day came to an end and the fingerprints hadn't come back yet.  They called me up to the podium and reduced his bond to fifteen hundred dollars.  I said, "Thank you" and left. 

     Now to come up with fifteen hundred dollars with the banks closed, my only hope was Big Mike, I could let him sit in jail overnight, but three days would kill me, let alone him. 

     His dad and I came up with the money, went and got our car out of the pound, and I went and posted the bond.  It was now three-thirty in the afternoon.  They said it would take two to six hours to process him.

     I went home and grabbed some of my things, some of Amy's things, food, pillows, blankets, and took it to the other house.  This son of mine was going to have the pleasure of my company for the rest of his life.  How did it get this bad?  Now he is a felon!

     Amy and I went to the jail and waited, and waited, and waited.  Amy, my 9-year-old daughter.  Very alert, always inquisitive, with a personality all her own, it reflected her independence.  I knew from the day she was born, she would be one to reckon with.  She has a mouth on her, very outspoken to say the least, she is older than her years.  Finally about eight-thirty, he came out. 

     I greeted him with, "You and I are going to kick this if it's the last thing you do." 

     "Mom, I've been so alone, maybe this is what I needed." 

     We went home together and for the first time in what seemed like months, we were a family!  Amy was happy to be with her brother, and I was happy we were together.  Be it ever so humble there's no place like home.

     We stayed up till five the next morning talking about how Mike was going to kick this crack habit.

     "It'll be easy,"  he said.  "I don't want a felony on my record, I'll go into this drug treatment program when I go to Court and I'll quit, that's all.  I just want to smoke one more joint," he said nonchalantly. 

     "Oh, Mike, how are you ever going to quit?" 

     "I'll show ya, I'll be the only one who goes into the Program clean.  I'll quit right now!" 

     "Okay, in order to take your mind off drugs what would you like to do, what are your hobbies?" 

     "Hobbies?"  Mike asked puzzled.  "Well I don't know." 

     "Do you want to put models together?"  I offered. 

     "No."  Mike answered flatly.

     "Do you want to write?"  I questioned.

     "I can't write, write about what?"  Mike replied flustered.       "Well" I said, "I used to write about what was bothering me, and it helped, a kind of therapy. Write about how you got to this point in your life."

     "Yeah, I'll write about how Dirk got me involved in this."

     So he started writing everything he told me that first night home, and he said it did feel good to write it down.  He realized after he read it back, how he could now make some sense out of what he had been doing, wrong as it was, the reasoning to Mike was there. 

     This being a Holiday weekend, we kind of just cruised through it, talking, being together, and doing puzzles.  Mike seemed to be holding up pretty good.  The nights, though, were rough, he was used to being up all night, and I wasn't.  I couldn't let him just be alone, so I tried to keep up.  His dad had to keep an eye on the other house.  He stayed with us until about 11 p.m. then went home.  We were still worried Dirk would do something there.  About the third night I was exhausted.  I had to sleep! 

     I started a puzzle, he got interested in it, and I went to bed. 

     I had to get him on a day schedule, so I bought some Tylenol PM and gave him two.  "This should help you sleep at night."  It did, but he was groggy in the morning and he was getting antsy.  Amy had to be at school by eight, and I had to go to work.  I couldn't get him up in time to get her to school so I took her to school and came back to wake him up.  I couldn't get him up and get to work on time so I went to work.  As soon as I could I called and let the phone ring off the wall.  No answer!  When my afternoon help came in I went back and got him.  I would go a little earlier every day to ease him into a day schedule. 

     One day he screamed at me "Leave me alone!" 

     I screamed back "I will never leave you alone again!" 

     He got up and grudgingly went with me to work, He worked in the office, typing address labels.  He was so angry that I would make him come to work; he didn't speak to me all the way to work.  After about an hour of working he looked over at me and said, "Thanks mom." 

     "Thanks for what?"  I asked.

     "Thanks for making me come to work."  Mike said smiling.

     As days turned into weeks I felt I could trust him that what he said, "no more drugs” was what he meant.  So when he asked if he could use the car to get a haircut, I said, "Yes, you’ll be back within an hour right?" 

     "Right!"  He answered. 

     "You'll only go to Super cuts, and come right back, right?" I quizzed.       

     "That's right mom, now can I go?"  Mike cajoled. 

     "Mike, I'm sorry I have to act like this, but I'm still afraid." 

          He took off looking back with that adorable smile of his.  An hour passed and I was pacing back and forth, I beeped him and paced back and forth, for about a half hour until I heard him pull up in the driveway.  He came in with a sheepish look on his face. 

     "What did you do Mike?" I asked. 

     "Yeah!"  He said. 

     "Yeah what?  What did you do?  Where did you go?"  I asked again. 

     "I went to Rick's and got some weed, I just have to have it before I go into the program.  I need it to sleep!" 

     Mike had about two more weeks before his court date, his dad had to go out of town on business for a week and redirecting Mikes energy was getting harder every day.  He had cleaned the sidewalk, fixed the garden, moved the heavy appliances out of the house; put together three 500 and one 1,000 piece puzzles.  I was a nervous wreck!  With Big Mike out of town, Mike started playing me. 

     "Come on, mom, let me go out?"  Mike pleaded. 

     "No Mike, you don't need to go."  I cried. 

     He even got angry with me, because his car wasn't working, but I did pretty well, hell, I did very well! 

     His dad got back and we were no worse for the wear.  Then he talked his dad into letting him go out the weekend before his court date.  We discussed it and his dad said yes.  He looked so happy to be able to get out.  His smile was bright as he showered and got ready; it had been so long since he'd been out. 

     He waved good-bye as he started the car, and said, "I love you, don't worry."

     The next morning he still wasn't home.  Panic set in pretty quick as I beeped him, a million thoughts clogged my mind.  Could he be in a canal somewhere, could he be dead?  The phone brought me back to reality; it was Mike.

     Where are you?"  I asked. 

     "I'm at the old house, I was too drunk to drive so I spent the night here.  Sorry I didn't call."  He spoke calmly. 

     "Did you go to Rick’s?"  I asked, trying not to sound accusing. 

     "Well not till late, but yeah."  He stammered. 

     "Did you get high?"  I didn't hide the fear in my voice. 

     "Yeah, well I didn't at first, then I said just a little, then well, I fucked up.  But I'm going into the drug program, so I won't ever do it again."  "DENIAL!"

                              

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

I sure could use a review on this. I wrote it 14 years ago so I understand if it needs work even if I need to start all over I would appreciate knowing it. Thank all of you who leave a review.

Reviews

[teddybard]

Peggy I feel this is a gripping story and I have seen worse presented on true movieswithout the quality of writing