I didn’t really go back to Lee much after I left for school. I had never felt like Judith much wanted me around, and it’s a long drive to Birmingham and back. Judith wasn’t going to do that and no one one from there was going to be headed toward Lee, so weekends were spent on campus.
I did go back to Judith’s for that first Thanksgiving. LuLu had that long weekend off, so I didn’t see her or Eddie.
After that, by unspoken mutual agreement, Judith and I found alternative arrangements for me. Except for Christmas and summer, the campus was open to students, so I just stayed there. Judith didn’t actually farm me off for the Christmases; we usually went to Atlanta or Dallas, where I’d stay in the hotel reading while she went shopping and to the theatre. It wasn’t as bad as it sounds. I like reading. I like being by myself. Summers were at camps, university camps, camps for nerds and geeks, followed by two weeks at the beach.
When I look back, I know it was a pretty terrible childhood. But I also know it wasn’t the worst childhood. I didn’t receive a lot of things every child should, but, at the same time, I had food and shelter and an education. And I learned to make do.
Did I miss Eddie?
I should be able to answer that. But I can’t.
What I know now is that both of us — that Eddie and I — were both really just focussed on survival. Those years were all about finding a place to belong, even if that place might kill us in the end.
Dear Billy
I’m telling you, this Substance Abuse Program (SAP) is really taking up a lot of my time, but like you said, (no excuses). I guess this class is so boring to me because this is only my fourth time taking it under the court’s order. I stopped drinking and using drugs, 2003 on April 28th. That’s when LuLu dropped me off in front of the court house and told me to call her when I’m finished. Needless to say that was the very last time I seen her.
So why did you go off to a boarding school?
So basically what happened when I got home after having to go away was a lot seem to have changed then. You had long moved to B’ham, LuLu use to always talk about you, but she never mention anything bad going on.
You asked me about how I got shot, which time. I got shot in 1998 and I got shot in 2000.
In 1998 I was dating this black female name Teresa, she had a boyfriend, which she claimed it was over between them. She lived in Andalusia at the time and she was a few years older than I. Well it got to the point she would come to Lee everday, sometimes she would stay in Lee at her cousin’s house or in the motel. Things got sorta out of hand with us meaning, we started spending a lot of time together, needless to say, her boyfriend soon popped up in Lee, trying to find out who she was fooling around with. Well her cousin ended up telling her. One night she came and picked me up and went to pull off, he jumped on the car with a big knife. I told her to drive she hit the gas and he fell off. She went to the police station, I jumped out and ran back to the neighbourhood because me and the police don’t mix. I head back to a place called ‘The Wreck’ (a neighborhood store) I was stopped and tried to run me over. I was tired of this guy and his threats, so I prepared myself. So one night him, his brothers and his cousins came to Lee to jump on me. I ended up arguing with one of the brothers his name was Bob Calloway. He pulled out a .22 cal rifle. I told him I wasn’t afraid to die, stepped to him and slapped the gun down that he pointed toward me. He then put the gun down and said ‘fight me’. I had no intentions of fighting him fair, because I already knew they came to jump me. So when he put that rifle down I pulled out a knife and took chase after him. I soon felt something hit me in the side of my face that made me stop instantly. One of his cousins blindsided me. When I stopped all I could see was seven guys around me, as one would the other hit me in the back. I ended up sticking one of them and another one hit me with a jack post. It hurt so bad I dropped the knife, which gave me no more leverage on the situation. They beat me down to the ground, I looked and saw the knife I had dropped and the first leg I saw I stuck the knife as deep as I could. They all scattered when I came up off that ground some people said I had this killer look on my face. I chased the one that started all this mess. It was him that I cut and stabbed in the leg. He was hopping, but as fast as could run I couldn’t catch him. Something told me to stop and turn around, as I turned Bob shouted (I’m gonna kill you for fucking with my brother) and shot me in my hip. I was grazed, but god it hurt so bad. I looked at him with this surprised look and said (you shot me) and took off toward him. He ran with the rifle in his hand, but somebody yelled out get this one he started all this so I looked and there he was the boyfriend Julious Calloway He jumped in his car, crunk it and put it in reverse backed out, but the car would barely move when he put it in drive. I ran up beside the car, leaped in the window and started punching him in the face. His car stalled out, I told I gotcha now. He threw it in park jumped out to run, but his foot got caught up, I was on him like a black cat. Kicking, stomping and punching him. Glen Lane gave me a jack post and said him him with this. I hit him a couple times and he grabbed it and I could not get him to turn it loose for nothing. Someone yelled they got guns, so I took off running toward the wreck (game room). They were about to close the door but I made it. I asked Robert Teauge to look and see if they were still out there. (He said yes with guns) Then he asked who was bleeding I said I got shot in the hip but it wasn’t bleeding bad. He said its blood smeared all over the door. Glen asked me to turn around and my back right shoulder was cut to the bone and I had a sweater on and it was soaked with blood, plus I was hit in my arm with a jack. My whole arm when numb. I had to get out of there and get home. When Teague opened the door I grabbed him and held him in front of me until I got to the corner of the building and I ran home. I was just bout to go in the house and I thought about LuLu and knew I couldn’t let her see me like this. I heard sirens (Ambulance) and I said (they gonna place all the blame on me so I headed back to the The Wreck and fell in the middle of the road and screamed I been shot. They called a Ambulance for me too. I went to the hospital and got stitched up and released. The boyfriend had to stay in the hospital for 3 days. I messed him up pretty bad. When I got home LuLu told me to leave that girl alone right now. So I went and met her and broke all ties with her. Later on I found out she was pregnant. That’s a whole nother story. But that’s how I got shot in that one incident.
You asked me how it was in here. Its days that you can feel tension in the air. You have nothing but criminals here and every man for himself. You have gangs (Bloods, Crips & Black Gangster) Oh you also have (Aran Nation Southern Brotherhood) which is the white gangs. You got your gays and that one person that tries to run every thing. You got the religious groups and you got the ones that hide behind religion for protection. This camp is drug infested so 80% of this camp is on drugs. And its bad! Guys selling themselves for (Ice, Suboxone, Flakka & swerve which is synthetic weed). When they open the yard, I try to make my way out there for fresh air and a peace of mind. They got a full basketball court and weights. They got a Law Library and a Library which has hardly any books. But still I make it through the day, by either watching television playing chess, reading and walking.
The food here is horrible and its days its not fit to eat. The little money I get, I try to use it wisely. That’s a typical in Alabama prison.
Well let me prepare for class you take care, hope to hear from you soon.
Eddie
