Be Sharp

When I was about 2 years old, my parents split up. I don’t know much of the details about the why, only that my bio dad had some problems. While I don’t know for certain, I believe there were also some issues with hard drugs. He and my mother split custody, and during one of my weekend visits with him, he left the state with me. I was gone for about 9 months, and no one knew where I was for much of that time.

As for how I was found, that’s a “dumb criminal” story by itself.

My grandmother kept a notebook of everything the entire time I was “away”, . It was a plain, yellow, spiral-bound steno pad. She used it partly as journal, a way to document developments in the situation. Unsure of how long I’d be gone for, it also became her letter to me with my story.

Now, with him in jail, and me doing whatever I can to get him out, I’ve found myself with my own notebook. It’s not as simple as my grandmother’s was. Mine is a hardcover journal bought on clearance. I’ve been jotting down everything in it. I make notes of which lawyers I’ve contacted, and how I contacted them. There’s daily updates on his status within the immigration court. Any phone number I’ve dialed, or any identification number that might apply to him, gets into the book. I add notes when I talk to someone. Today, I managed to finally add some funds to his commissary account. Now, he can buy himself some shampoo.

I mentioned my book when I was texting my mother last night, comparing it to my grandmother’s. “Well it kept her sane,” she said. “I realize that now, I didn’t know about it then,”