5-16-19

Dear Reader,

Hey. I hope you're doing well!

OK. Free from prison and I'm in need of a job, a home... etc. I'm starting anew. But no longer fending for myself, but for my daughter as well.

I was sitting by the phone at Salvation Army. Wearing my prison release khakis, white button up shirt and my prison Converse sneakers. Oh - and I'm carrying a small bag with my last name and prison ID# on it. So I stood out to say the least.

As you see I've rewinded (if that's a word :/ :P) back to my first day out of prison to tell you of the non-relationship part of my life.

As I'm sitting by the phone waiting for it to come on so I can call my lady (whom you now know soon became my ex) and two women who were sitting near me asked me the obvious. "Are you fresh out of prison?" Well, long story short they knew someone who needed their house painted and asked me if I wanted the job. Painting!! $1,200 for the labor of painting the inside of a two story house! You're damn right I accepted that job. I can paint well and this could lead to other painting jobs. Things were looking up real quick... :/ So I thought.

I got to work after meeting the owner of the home. The job was going to take me about three days. Working by myself. As I worked, people were coming in and out and I began to notice that the people who lived here were more like me than upstanding citizens that worked 9 to 5 jobs. They were hustlers. On the last day I finished up, got paid and chilled. It was real late so I wasn't going anywhere that night. A rowdy crowd came home. Apparently there was a problem. As the next hour ticked by, I became aware of a particular situation. A woman was afraid to speak because her abusive boyfriend had threatened her. At least this is what I was told. Then it escalated when that guy was accused of stealing from the owner of the home.

Then I was offered $500.00 to fight this guy. I thought about it... it was a slippery slope, so I declined. A few minutes goes by. I watched the guy. Looking for a reason to accept the money with a clear conscience. And then it came to me. He turned his lady's face to his and said something that terrified her. And as he let go and leaned back a little, I saw the words tumble from his lips... "I will fuck your ass up!" He spat at her just as this happened. As if they were waiting for this moment, I was propositioned again. But this time it was more money. With anger I accepted through clenched teeth. I cleared someone from in front of me and closed the distance in two steps and leaped over the coffee table. Landing on top of him, pounding on him. He covered his face so I dropped to his ribs. He cried out that I broke them and lowered his hands - mistake! I caught him square on the bridge of his nose. I felt it crunch and then a right hook on his temple put him to sleep. I thought about doing worse to him. He does every time he abuses a woman. But I checked myself. He was unconscious so there was nothing to teach this coward. The lesson will be when he awakes. The pain and the speech I gave about abusing women was it. I gave her a speech too. In short, any man who abuses a woman does NOT love her. He loves the fear he has over her. The subjection. And that is all she has to look forward to if she stays with him. She did the wise thing and left him. I saw her about 1 1/2 years later. She was engaged to a man she met at her mama's church! Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!! :D Awesome outcome, huh?

Moving on. It turned out that my actions that night was the equivalent of stepping, no, jumping into quicksand. I had no idea what was in store for me. But I enjoyed every inch I sank into that quicksand that had now become my life.

Until next time.

Yours truly,

Doug