Jacksonville Jailtime Part Two

Today is Tuesday March Thirtieth Two Thousand Ten. Its been raining so hard that I posted a pic of a fucking puppy on my facebook page yesterday to cheer some people up. Someone asked if I was getting soft in my old age and I guess that I am. He was a super cute puppy as far as puppies go and god damn do I want a dog of my own. Last nites meeting was interesting due to the speaker and the business meeting afterward. The speaker is a good friend of mine in his second year of sobriety who has shown me that its ok to be happy and relaxed in the program. He def does not take himself too seriously and seems to have a great attitude. The biz meeting sucked because I sorta let it get out of hand, people always seem to make a big deal out of things I don't think are all that important. I was tired and not paying attention and before I knew it there were twenty or so exited & expectant faces looking at me. I am sure I will do better next time and I am certainly going to be better prepared for it. I am having a problem saying anything positive to a member who is going thru a difficult time because I don't want to be patronizing to her. I don't have any idea of what she is going thru and other than saying hello I am for once at a loss for words. I used to be at a loss for words with her because I find her attractive and I've gotten over that only to mumble a greeting when I see her. Perhaps thats all she needs from me right now but I tire of acting like a fifth grader around her.

So back to jail. They brought us into the dormitory in the late morning and assigned us to rooms. We were presented with a pillow, sheet, blanket, and towel and I started worrying a bit. This seemed to be way to permanent for someone who should be released in a few hours. It was obvious that someone was an occupant of the cell I was in so I just placed my stuff on the floor and started walking around. There were a couple of living room areas with battered televisions bolted to the ceilings and most of the discussion was centered around what everyone wanted to watch. Words started getting exchanged so I quickly left there not wanting to get involved in any sort of fight. There was some racial separation so I went over to a couple of other confused looking white guys and started a conversation. The first thing you talk about in jail is why you ended up there and how you are innocent of the crime in which you are accused. My crime of prowling and the story behind it was turning out to be a good ice breaker and pretty soon I was talking with a couple of guys.

One in particular stands out in my memory. He was about my age and appeared to be well dressed and took care of himself. He was incarcerated for crack possession and it was his third offense that year. He told me how he just couldn't say no and that crack was the worst thing he had ever tried. He started tearing up and described how his life was going down the shitter because he just couldn't stop. This was my first experience with an addict and I felt sorry for him because I just couldn't identify with his feeling of helplessness. I was dealing cocaine at the time so I was familiar with the drug but didn't understand the whole deal of smoking it. I still don't understand, I think smoking cocaine is the pits. Since he had been a guest of the Jax sheriff's department on other occasions I asked if it was ok for me to tag along with him so I wouldn't get me ass kicked.

Pretty soon they rounded us up and into a line for lunch. This also worried me because I figured that if they were feeding me then they planned to keep me there for longer than I had previously thought. We were marched into the dining hall and presented with a tray, cupn & spork. I don't remember everything that was on the menu that day but I do remember the following: a fish sandwich, peas, butterscotch pudding, a fruit cup, & punch. I followed my new acquaintance to an empty table and started chasing the peas around the tray with my spork. I was halfway into my pudding when this absolutely gigantic african american fellow came over and asked me something. I did not understand a word he was saying because his accent and vocabulary was very different from what I was used to. I pointed to various items on my tray and it became clear to me that he was indicating he desired my fish sandwich. Since there was no fucking way I was going to say no to this guy and I think that processed fish is really fucking nasty I gave him whatever he wanted. All I remember is how little the fish sandwich looked in his giant paw.

Pretty soon we were herded back to the dormitory and I figured I would check out my cell. When I arrived the other occupant was there napping on the top bunk. I very quietly turned around to get the fuck out of there and he sat up and said hello. He was a black guy in his late forties and if I remember correctly was named Irwin. Irwin turned out to be a pretty nice guy and didn't seem threatening in any way. We talked for awhile and he told me that since it was his birthday that day he had something special planned. A presented me with a pinner joint and proceeded to light it up. Yep, I got stoned in the Jax jail with a black guy named Irwin. I thought it would be rude to say no and figured it would calm me a bit. Wrong. Getting stoned in jail totally sucks, esp if you have no idea when you are getting the fuck out of there. I decided to try an nap a bit since I had not slept in more than forty hours.

I was dreaming I was somewhere else when I heard my name. Irwin shook me on the shoulder and asked me if my name was Todd and if so I better go see what the guard wanted with me. The first thing I thought of was that I had somehow gotten busted for the two or three hits of dirt weed I had smoked a little while ago but I tore ass to where the entrance was. I watched the guard walking away for a few moments before I was able to get his attention and he turned around and asked me what I wanted. I explained who I was and that I heard my name being called and that it was good for me that I had gotten his attention or I would have spent the night there. He asked me if I needed to go back to my cell for anything I since it was Irwin's birthday and I had smoked his present that he could use the extra bedding so I told him no and followed the guard down the hall.

I ended up getting released on my own recognizance at four in the afternoon. I spent roughly sixteen hours in the custody of the Jax sheriffs office and till I met Irwin I was completely sober. My car was towed but the officers didnt seem to care about the stolen sign that was tied to the surf racks of my volvo. I was on a fraternity scavenger hunt and we had to get something large with a picture of a baby on it. There were also assorted other stolen items in the car that the po-po never asked about and I consider myself very lucky on that count. I will never forget the nervous then joyous faces of my pledge brothers that were waiting for me when I walked out of the jail. I will also never forget the Burger King double bacon cheeseburger I had soon after I was released. It and freedom was awesome.