Sixty Second Visit To Taft

Except for the week I went on vacation last year, last Friday was the only time I had not visited Ron at Taft in 62 weeks. It felt strange to be home Thursday night and even stranger to sleep until 7:30am on Friday morning. I'm usually at my Mom's house on Thursday afternoon. We have dinner together, or I go visit my children and grandchildren, then we watch Doc Martin on PBS together. I was so disappointed Thursday night to find out that Doc Martin is not on PBS in San Diego. Anyway, I go to bed early on Thursday, get up at 6am on Friday, and arrive at Taft around 8:15. This Friday, however, I slept in until 7:30, went to the gym, and had a free afternoon. I didn't know what to do with myself!!

I canceled my Friday visit because we had a Sunday evening visit planned. The Jewish community at Taft had arranged with the administration to have rabbis, inmates, family and friends arrive at Taft at 5pm, long after regular visiting hours were over, for a three hour social gathering. Everyone was so excited. I got up early Sunday morning, went to the Y for an early morning class, then headed for Los Angeles. I had heard the weather report and knew that rain was scheduled all day, but I left anyway. Always the optimist.

I arrived in LA at noon, and it was coming down in buckets. I called Cal Trans, the National Weather Service, and looked on line to see what conditions were like through the grapevine. I was so anxious to go. We had been waiting for this visit for a long time, and my mom, David and Brian were also planning to visit. Well, it was not to be.

On Sunday at noon I said to my mom, "Why hasn't Ron called me?" He usually calls everyday, and I wondered why he hadn't called when the weather was so bad and I was scheduled to come. The answer was clear. He didn't want to hear me say I wasn't coming. He took it well when he finally did call, told me the most important thing was for me to be safe, and that I would see him next week. In the end, the family visit was canceled, or so I thought. I assumed no one even tried to get there. It would have been very difficult. Even if we did get there we would have been stuck in Lebec, Gorman or Frazier Park overnight. I was so disappointed and I know Ron was too. Now I won't see him until next Sunday.

Anticipation of a visit always excites me. Hard to believe that after 62 weeks of making the 450 mile round trip drive, that I'm still looking forward to it. Well, maybe I'm not looking forward to the drive, but I am always so excited to see Ron. Who could have imagined that after 41 years I would still feel this way? I know Ron too, was looking forward to this day. Now he will have to make do with a 3 minute phone call and some college basketball on Sunday night.

Ron is in a funk right now, as apparently the rabbi was able to get to Taft, and the visit went on with whomever was brave enough to try to get there. Some people arrived early in the day, and stayed for the family visit. As Ron says, it's just another disappointment. I encouraged him to go in and join the group, but without his family there he didn't want to. As he says, it's just another example of how difficult everything is while you're in prison.

I do wish I could be there tonight, but jeopardizing my own safety doesn't seem smart. Ron will have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with his bunkie, watch a little basketball, and I will go out with my mom and David and have a little dinner. I hope that next week will be better.