Dear Billy
I hope this letter find you in the best of health. I was so overwhelmed by your letter, because people that write really don’t have much to say, so that limit my words on what to say because of their short response. I decided to stay up, basically because I can’t sleep, for some reason, so I took this opportunity to write you back.
I want you to read this words very carefully. My life hasn’t been so peaceful. Growing up was rough for me, because of all the name calling, being jumped on by other children. I couldn’t even go to the swimming pool, without being chased home. This and other similar situtations caused me to have a low self-esteem, which later on caused a lot of anger in me. I wanted the ones that caused this pain to hurt like I did but a lot worser. I was afraid, ashamed and hurt. I also wanted to fit in with the in crowd, so I started drinking. It had a affect on me, which made me feel good. So I would sneak off from time and get a beer or a drink of liquor from some of the older guys. As the years pass, this became a every weekend activity for me. I realize that so much started to change about myself. Its like the alcohol, started to bring this anger out of me and I wanted to fight anyone that looked at me funny. The first person that got in my way I vowed to hurt them bad. I remember one night I was out drinking and my cousin told me these white guys tried to jump on him over by Barnes Street, so I said lets go, I wanna say it was probably 30 of us that walked over there and every one was talking about what they were gonna do when we found those guys. I knew what I was gonna do. As we approached them, I remember get a knife from someone and I started talking crazy pushing them, so as they turned to walk away, I started poking one of them in the back with the knife. My cousin begged me not to hurt them, but as we walked away one of them yelled out (“I’m gonna get you niggers Monday at school”) All I remember is seeing this junk pile beside the road and grabbed a iron rail, because they took the knife from me. I ran back toward the one I thought said it and hit him in the head, cutting into this ear, which caused him to get stitches. This was when my real troubles started. I ended up going to court, and was placed on probation for assault. I didn’t stop because I was on probation I continued to drink and fight. I finally started to get some respect from those that gave me problems in the past.
1985 was the year Eddie was not taking anything that people had to say crazy about him. That next year as I was at the end of coming off probation I was out, just hanging out drinking and this female was bothering me, with the name calling all I remember, was zoning out and beating her with a mop handle. Well back in court only this time I had to go to a Detention Center in Dothan until I went to court. Well the courts released me back to LuLu (may peace and blessing be stowed upon her). When 1986 approach I was drinking heavily and snorting a little bit of cocaine and smoking weed. No sooner than I got home, I was at it again, this time I took up for my brother L. He said some guy tried to jump on him. I ended up cutting the kid’s neck with a box cutter. That put me in the Dept of Youth Services for 9 months. It was a different experience being away from home, but the kids that were there treated me with much respect. I didn’t like being away from LuLu, but I learned to hide my feelings when it came to that part. But when I was alone in my room, I prayed and I cried to make it home. I got visits pretty regular, so it eased the pain a wee bit. There were females there that we actually got to sit with, go to school with so there was never really a dull moment, but I was home sick. I was released April 5th 1987 and returned home to my family on probation. It was tough because I had to be home at 9:00p, So it was difficult for me to go to a football game. As soon as 4th quarter hit I had to run home and I mean run, but I always made it home on time. I knew if I didn’t LuLu would get the switches and whoop me good. These events was a starting point of all my problems.
Billy I do not mind you asking me questions. How would you know a person if you never ask? And most people I meet or have met get the wrong impression about me, because I’ve never been the one to smile a lot, so they say I’m mean. Actually I’m not really mean, I’m just a little bit to serious.
Anyways, I got out of prison in March. I went back to the place I was working at to see will they continue to let me work for them, but Elba Work release messed that up for me. Okay back in December a few weeks before Christmas, I got off work that Friday and went by Dairy Queen to get me a bite to eat, I really didn’t have time to eat it so I said I will just sneak it back in, well that din’t work, so they caught me and took my food. The next morning I get ready for work and go out to catch a ride on the van to work, I was informed that the Captain said I couldn’t go back to work until I seem him that Monday. So Monday came and I went to see the Capt. He asked me did I have enemies around Lee, I said not that I know of, but I’ve hurt a lot of people in my past. Then he hit me with (someone said they seen you in Lee with a wad of money in one hand and a big bag of synthetic marijuana in my other hand. He said they call in on me. All it was, was they couldn’t never catch me in the wrong. I’m not gonna tell you I always obeyed the rules because that would be a lie. They had people telling them every move I made, but when they came to me, I never had anything that was contraband. So then they said I was the mastermind behind the drugs coming. They felt like I ws moving drugs from my job, when we made deliveries. I had a cool Boss, and I told him my mother was sick and if I paid for the hours could I visit her, so he agreed. And when she died, they wouldn’t let me go to the funeral because thye were under staff. I was so mad, but I continued to go to Lee. So basically that’s why they took me off that job and made me look real bad and theres no telling what they told them, so there went that job. I placed applications in at jobs that I knew was hiring. Well I never got a interview. I asked around, I even called the companies when I didn’t hear anything from them. I got so frustrated, but I didn’t give up until, my cousin asked me did I know how to wax and buff floors, I did because I use to do that very thing at Lee Nursing Home. So he got me the job. Well I couldn’t do it because I couldn’t got out of the state. They only went a few miles past the state line. I went back to what I knew best selling drugs and soon as they found out, they put a informant on me to set me up. Used the female that rode with me to make the sell and got both of use. They were texting her phone for us to come to Florala to this trailer and soon as we pulled in DTF pulled in behind us. So here I am back in facing time with time I already got. I’m still waiting to go to court to get the 12 years. I suppose to go up for parole Feb 2019. This prison is a big dorm that house around 150 inmates. They even took down the top racks that sit in the middle of the dorm which eliminated about 40 or 50 people and its till cluttered up in here. So many fights and stabbings it doesn’t make sense. This new drug called Flakka has taken over the prison system in Alabama. I have never seen anything like, a couple of people have died from it and they still flock to it.
Billy I realise that each and everytime I get out of here that they are waiting on me to slip one time to put me right back in here. Yes its hard for me to just pick and leave and even if I had a place to live out of state, I would have to wait six months to transfer.
Well it was a pleasure to write you back. I’m tired and sleepy so I’m gonna call it a night.
Well take care!
Eddie
