Phase Two-Week Nine

This is the last week of phase two. This is the last week that Ron will fill out his weekly schedule detailing where he will be, with names and addresses of where he will be, every hour of the week. It will be the last week that someone comes by the house randomly to makes sure he is here if he's supposed to be, the last week that he'll be called multiple times in the middle of the night, and the last week that he'll be asked to come take a drug test. We both look forward to Friday, October 7, the day Ron will go early in the morning to get his release papers.

While Ron was at Taft, his favorite time of day was the half hour or so that he showered. This was really the only time he was truly alone. Walking on the track might start as a solitary activity, but soon there would be others who wanted to walk and talk. He might lie in his bunk in the afternoon alone, but there were always people nearby, noise (music or talking) and light. The shower was his escape, and he mentioned to me last week that every day when he takes a shower, he thinks of Taft. Those thoughts that he has while showering will take a long time to fade. They're not bad thoughts, but just reminders of how shower time was his thinking time at Taft. That's when he'd do the math. He'd figure out how many more days he would be there, how many days he'd already been there, and sometimes figure hours and minutes as well. Shower time was HIS time alone. Today he can be alone whenever he wants, but the shower is the time that brings back memories of Taft.

There are definitely bumps in the road at this stage in our journey. Ron finds it hard not to forget what he had prior to 2003 and where he is now. He accepts all this, enjoys each day as it comes, and looks forward, but there are always reminders of the past. Forgetting and forgiving people that wanted to distance themselves from him during his ordeal is most difficult to get past. Time does not heal all wounds, but some of the hurt will fade. It's hard to forgive those that were around for the good times, then vanished when the going got rough.

It's also difficult not to be cynical about the judicial system. Only when you've gone through the process do you understand the "justice system." When Ron tells stories about overagressive procecutors and relentless pursuit of the government to get someone, most people are shocked. They almost don't believe it. We are taught to believe that America is the land of the free and that we have the greatest justice system in the world. Until you've experienced it first hand you may believe this, but after going through, your beliefs will change.

It's behind us now, and we're ready for phase three. I'll start writing about that next week. That is when our day to day lives will get back to "normal." I'll let you know how that goes.