Dr. Gary Campbell hung up the telephone.  His ear was sore and wet with sweat from the long tirade from Senator Orel Slakk.  It was nothing that he hadn’t heard before or didn’t expect to hear again.  It also was not solicited.  Gary had long ago given up on changing the Senator’s mind.  A drifter had murdered the Senator’s wife in their home several years ago.  To the Senator, every convict and ex-convict were representatives of that crime, including Dr. Gary Campbell.  So, Senator Slakk never missed an opportunity let Gary know that he would continue to oppose any efforts that he felt would ease any convicted criminal’s life.  If the Senator had his way he said, I would just as soon weld them sons a bitches in their cell forever!

     Gary Campbell could always count himself among those that Orel Slakk would like to see welded in a cell.  He had grown up in a poor section of Oklahoma City with no prospects or hope of escape.  Schooling had seemed to him a waste of time and energy.  He looked at his teachers and realized that their standard of living was not much better than his.  They were wearing Timex wristwatches, driving economy cars, and wearing off the rack clothes.  And the subject matter seemed to have absolutely no relevance to anything that mattered in his world.  On the other hand, there were those in his neighborhood who drove luxury cars, wore designer clothes, and always were accompanied by a contingent of beautiful women.  They accomplished this by selling a white powder primarily to the wealthier population.  Now this to a streetwise young man appeared to be a much wiser approach to success.  And, these people were always looking for help.  Gary’s standard of living took a giant leap upward.  He had no trouble finding a beginning customer base within the halls of his own high school.  Those contacts led him to new contacts in other schools and in new neighborhoods.  Soon his business was growing and his need to attend school ceased.  A new car, designer clothes, and plenty of time to party were high on his agenda.

     This was when Gary made a critical mistake.  It wasn’t his first mistake, but it was one of those mistakes that proved to be a pivotal moment.  He began to sample some of his own product.  Soon he was using far more than he was earning and was in trouble with his suppliers.  Finally, one night he pulled into a convenience store and robbed it for $65.00 in cash.  In his hurry to escape, he didn’t bother to close his door when he jumped into his car and sped out of the parking lot.  Making a right turn, the door suddenly swung open and Gary fell out onto the street.  He was still lying there unconscious when the police arrived.  His car had rammed into a tree about a half a block further down.  The police found the $65.00, a pistol, and several small bags of cocaine in the car.

     That was the beginning of his life as a convict.  All in all he became a far more successful prisoner than he had experienced on the outside.  He made himself available as a lookout (known as a jigger) for other prisoners who wanted to engage in any illegal or unauthorized activities.  This could include a wide range things including sexual activity, making or using illegal substances, or even getting a tattoo.  He was quickly approached by and joined a gang.  The gang gave him protection and strengthened his position in the population.  His first sentence was relatively easy and soon he was back on the street.  It wasn’t long though before he was back behind prison bars, now considered a career criminal.  In time he had worked his way up the echelon of his gang and had achieved a level of insulation.  This cycle continued.  Never directly tied to any illegal activities, his prison record appeared squeaky clean.  The chance for parole began to look much brighter.  At this time, Gary had served almost 20 years of prison time.  Later, he would calculate a rough total of his ill-gotten gains and would determine that he had been paid only pennies per hour.

     Then, a miracle walked into Gary’s life.  It took the form of a 5 foot 2 inch bundle of energy and enthusiasm by the name of Francie Ledbetter.  Francie was teaching a course in Creative Writing.  Gary, whose demerit free record qualified him to enroll, knew that enrolling in any course of study would enhance his chance of parole.  So soon, he found himself sitting, paper and pen in hand, in Francie’s class.

     The funny thing was, that he began to enjoy and look forward to the class sessions.  He also felt relief from the purging process that he found in his writing exercises.  PELL grants were still available to prisoners at this time, and with Francie’s help, Gary obtained his GED and enrolled in a Bachelor’s program offered through the University of Oklahoma.  Five years later he had completed this program plus his Master’s degree in Sociology.  And, he was awarded his parole from prison.

     Francie blew in the door like a spring tornado.  The next series of events took place in a continuous stream similar to a volcanic eruption.  As she talked non-stop she gave Gary a peck on the cheek, poured herself a cup of coffee, sat in a chair and swung her feet up to rest on the desk.  Have you heard what that old fart Orel Slakk is up to today? (kiss)  He’s been in the Governor’s office all morning trying to convince him to fire Granite’s warden because that trustee stole a car and escaped!  It’s not Johnnie’s fault that a minimum-security prisoner gets a wild hair up his ass and decides to run!

     Francie and Gary were now partners in a not-for-profit organization that prepared and presented educational programs for prisons in an ever-widening circle of institutions.  They were also partners on a more personal sense.  They had fallen in love while Gary was still in prison but had never acted on those feelings.  Now that Gary had earned some real credibility and he was no longer on parole, they had started to act with regularity.  It had come as no surprise to anyone but Gary.  He had ceased to hope for this kind of relationship and joy, so, he loved it when the tornado swept into his office.  Well, what are we going to do about it?  Gary looked up from his papers and gave her a wry grin.  I don’t think that we have to do anything.  I just got off the phone with Orel, and from his mood and the colorful tone of description of the Governor, I doubt that his meeting was all that successful.

     When Gary had been released from prison he faced the toughest challenge of his entire life.  Holding a Master’s Degree, he had to accept the only job available for an ex-convict.  He worked for less than minimum wage at the Oklahoma City Stockyards cleaning up at the slaughterhouse.  In addition he was required to pay victim restitution.  Not that he didn’t accept the fact that he owed that payment and probably more, but he daily had to cope with the knowledge that he knew exactly where and how to score some drugs and probably see more cash in a single night than he anticipated in this job.  So, he shoveled and mopped gore and slowly worked his way up in salary and responsibility until he was able to start taking night classes at OU to earn his Doctorate.  Francie allowed him into her office on weekends to write his dissertation.  He lived initially in a halfway house until he was allowed to rent a small garage apartment.  When he was alone, he slowly and painfully removed his gang tattoo from his right shoulder, burning it away with a lit cigarette.  The nasty scar served as a constant reminder of where he had been in his life and where he never wanted to go again.  When he was finished, he threw the last of his cigarettes in the trash and never smoked again.  When he received his degree, Francie had proposed the partnership and their relationship continued to grow naturally.  Every day was still a challenge, but these challenges seemed small in comparison. The toughest part of his job was making regular visits to prisons.  He never failed to meet someone that he had served time with.  The hardest part of this experience was that these meetings normally resulted in being asked to help get privileges or paroles.  That wasn’t anything that he was in a position to do or anything that he would have done anyway.  He, more than anything, knew that those things have to be earned to be appreciated fully.

     Francie, now calm, sipped her coffee.  A penny for your thoughts?  Gary smiled at her warmly.  Oh, just thinking about how lucky my life has been!