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A few years later he gets re-married. Eventually, they have their own kid. The new wife starts bugging Paul about this child support bill. Paul ain’t seen that ex or those kids in five years by now, and calls to see if she’ll agree to less money. He finds out that two of the kids have gone to live with their REAL dads! What’s more, this broad is on welfare and draining Paul for support with only one kid at her house and a live-in boyfriend that welfare is unaware of. He threatens to turn her in if she doesn’t agree to modify the child support. A month later he is arrested and charged with sexually abusing two of the three kids. His public defender told him to plead down to only two of the ten counts and avoid a trial. When Paul asked why he should do that if he was innocent, the lawyer told him all those kids had to do was point and cry and he would do fifty years on all counts versus only ten years for two!

That’s his story. I believe him because I’ve known him since we were ten. But for the rest of his life…he’s screwed.

We had a good visit. He only has about a year and a half left, so we talked about him staying with me when he first gets out. He said it was a bad idea because I couldn’t have my daughter visit me with him living there. I told him I’d help any way I can. When I left he looked me in the eye, shook my hand, and thanked me for taking the time to come and see him. He said his family totally cut him off so he hadn’t had a visit in about six months (the last time I came out). His wife divorced him and took out a restraining order so he couldn’t call his son. That was almost nine years ago. I called my daughter as soon as I got to my car.

Like I said, if you think you’re having a bad day…visit somebody in prison.

Sunday, January 6

My mind is still sorta flashing back on my visit with Paul. Tomorrow, I’m gonna spend a day watching a Bowl game with my daughter. I wonder what Paul will be doing. We played football together and I know he loves the game. Crazy.

Megan has left about twenty messages on my machine. I really don’t care. I mean, I did. That was until I drove by her place last night after I did my route. She musta forgot that I’m out and about in the middle of the night. That car in her driveway
behind
her ugly little Prius was parked
next
to her ugly Prius at work just about five hours later.

No, I wasn’t stalking. Just looking. I barely even slowed down as I drove by. Besides, she’s the one leaving messages on MY answering machine.

Monday, January 7

Last night was one of those nights that you only hear about. It becomes like an Urban Legend. I was almost done with my route and, as I am prone to do, I pulled into a 7-11 for a refill on my coffee. Sitting at the light waiting to turn left and then hook into the store’s parking lot, I can see inside the store very clearly. Two guys with hooded sweatshirts are at the counter…with guns!

I flip my cell open and punch my emergency button. The 9-1-1 operator answers and I give all the information, including the make and model of the car idling in front of the building. I sat there on the line as the two guys run out, jump in their car and peel out in reverse. About the time they almost pull out onto the street, a pair of squad cars squeal in and block the parking lot exit.

I watched the whole arrest. Then I ended up spending half an hour giving a statement. Mr. Singh, the guy who works the counter on the graveyard shift, told me my coffee is free forever! He even gave me this laminated card that I can use in any 7-11 for a free cup!

Tonight, my daughter is coming over for the big game! All in all, I’d say this is a pretty good day. Only five messages from Megan on my machine when I woke up. Maybe she’s getting the hint.

Tuesday, January 8

Crazy world! I got a call from the regional manager for 7-11. They want to give me a reward. The company has some sort of policy. What kind of world is this that there is a ‘Company Policy’ for rewarding “people who assist in the apprehension of the person or persons” who rob their stores?

I had a blast watching the game with Beth. We each started with a stack of quarters and bet on everything from who would convert a 3rd and long situation to who would score last. She’s gonna make some guy a great wife one day.

It’s strange how worked up fathers get over their daughter dating, yet gush over what a great wife or mother they will grow up to be.

Wednesday, January 9

There is a bit of a co-worker type relation with my fellow Muses. To be honest, music might take a lot of work but it ain’t “work”. I love it. I enjoy playing. Sometimes we get in a groove on a song and will jam for twenty to thirty minutes straight. Music is something you feel. A job is something you do. I respect all you folks who park yourself in that cubicle and grease the American Wheel. I just choose not to join you in your slow, death-by-boredom lifestyles. Sure, I may not be loaded, but I pay my bills, tend to my support obligations, and that is something a lot of those nine-to-fivers can’t say. I mean I just never got caught up in the “gotta have the newest, biggest, brightest toy” sickness that is so prevalent in our society.

On more entertaining fronts, I’m going to watch my daughter’s basketball game tonight. Erin was sweet enough to warn me that her boyfriend, Brandon, would also be in attendance. I think she’s gonna marry the guy. He seems nice I guess. It is funny to watch him get a little irked when Erin hugs me in her normal greeting. If the guy paid attention, he would notice that Erin hugs everybody “hello” and “goodbye”. I do think that guy makes her happy, and Beth says he is a good listener and helps with homework…all that stuff.

Thursday, January 10

I had to go to this “ceremonial” thing to pick up my reward. They gave me $1000 and a plaque for my wall. A lot of fuss in my opinion. I just called 9-1-1. Well, it was a really nice gesture, and I’m glad they felt that the officers who made the actual arrest deserved wall plaques as well. Plus, to sweeten the deal, Mr. Singh’s manager gave a Free Coffee card to each of them. That was nice.

Beth was mad that I hadn’t told her. Then, Erin called and chewed me out for pretty much the same thing. Now, they want to take me out to dinner. THAT is why I didn’t say anything. Now I gotta sit through a whole meal with Brandon trying to pretend he’s not totally uncomfortable. That, in turn, makes me uncomfortable.

By the way…my daughter’s team lost. However, Beth scored nine points and had six rebounds. She’s pretty fierce on the court. She must get it from her mom; I was a band geek in high school.

Friday, January 11

Erin called this morning. She wants Beth to stay the weekend. The hospital she works at is getting a planeload of some of those poor Indonesian folks that survived a series of big mud slides a couple of weeks ago. I guess they have to prepare a whole floor for those people. Also, a bunch of the rescuers are getting sick. Erin says that there might be some nasty virus involved. She said that this weekend her entire nurses’ shift was selected to prep the floor, and I guess a couple of the doctors are going to go over some sort of battle plan.

I realize that we are the wealthiest nation and all that. It’s just, we run around and help these poorer countries, and what does it get us? The world hates us. I bet if we cut off all our aid and pulled all our troops and just sealed off the country, then these countries would be at our door begging within a year. Maybe not Iraq or Russia.

Seriously, we have our own disasters to deal with. Starving children for one. Sure, they can play football in New Orleans again, but what about those poor folks who still don’t have a place to live? How about all those sick first-responders from 9-11? I don’t mean to sound heartless, but until there are no children going hungry in Detroit, gang warfare is ended in South Central LA, and you can actually eat a fish you catch in the Columbia River without sucking in more mercury than you would from a gross of old-fashioned thermometers, we need to focus our attention inwards.

Saturday, January 12

Brandon—Erin’s boyfriend—called…I guess this Indonesia thing is nastier than the papers say. Of course with the NFL playoffs rolling towards the Big Game, the election politics, and the insanity that is the Middle East, nobody is talking about Indonesia. I’ll bet almost nobody heard about the “Lost World” find in a jungle never touched by modern man. Mudslides and volcanic activity are just grinding that place. Hospitals all over Europe and the states are preparing to take in a whole slew of people. The CDC is overseeing the United States’ participation by having representatives at each of the approved wards. I guess there was some attempt at quarantine, but too many relief workers had come and gone. Whatever these people have is already popping up all over the place. They (the CDC) are hoping to gather as many people as they can and try to control the mess. I thought they were bringing in people from Indonesia. Turns out they are scooping up our own people who have been exposed by returning relief workers.

I guess Beth will be staying with me for longer than the weekend. The band has a gig next Friday at some frat party. She wants to come and help with set-up. So, my choice is to leave her home alone for an entire day on the rare opportunity I have to spend a large block of time together, or bring her to a frat party.

Sunday, January 13

Wow! Erin called to talk to Beth. I guess Brandon was flown to some hospital in Virginia. I might have failed to mention that he is a doctor. He’s some biology specialist. Deals with contagious stuff. Mostly he has been dealing with West Nile. A hospital in Virginia has a pair of scientists who were in on that Indonesian find. They discovered some sort of giant rat that is like three times the size of a large city rat. Seems these things weren’t afraid of people at all and just walked around the research team like it was no big deal.

Erin says every single one of those researchers got sick. But not until after they came home. So, nobody is sure if they got sick from the site, or if it was exposure to the relief workers who came home on the same flight.

She did say they were receiving their first patients tomorrow. Beth is worried that her mom (and Brandon) will get sick.

I wasn’t…until now.

Monday, January 14

Nobody gives much thought as to what happens in the world when they’re sleeping. It is almost as if everything is on pause…like a giant version of the children’s game
Red Light! Green Light!
With our eyes closed, everything stops. We are an egotistical organism.

Things in the night do continue to move, I believe the reason we tend not to think about it is because of fear. Every morning, we wake up one day closer to death. Death cannot be stopped. Genocide in Africa. Unrest in Pakistan. Nuclear threats in Iran and North Korea. Plagues closing the cities of Bangalore and Mumbai in India. And now Singapore is simply shut down. Nothing is coming in or out.

Today, there was a story on page six that claims some small town in Mississippi called Natchez is going under some sort of quarantine. I’ve tried to get ahold of Erin to see if any of this is something I should be worried about. I tried to watch television news last night/this morning as I was getting ready to go to work for any information. All I got was the latest on which Hollywood Starlet is driving while drunk, which movie stars just broke up ending a tired use of two individual names as one to describe their entity as a couple. Well, at least they each got their own first names back. (When did that trend start, and could it please go away!)

I am convinced there is no such thing as actual news anymore. Every event needs a catchy title and a graphic. Since when did I need a panel of experts I’ve never heard of to explain an event’s relevance to me. What it means to the presidential candidates. And, how it may possibly effect global warming? By tomorrow, whatever this sickness is that is causing so much grief will have a market-tested name and a panel of scientists who predicted it.

Tuesday, January 15

Something is definitely not right. Last night, I was doing my route. Nothing new or strange. I was on this stretch of a long, winding, sorta rolling country road where I have a flock of subscribers with the paper boxes attached to their mailboxes. So I stop and, as I always do, grab a bundle. One of my customers is this sweet little old lady who makes me a snack. I usually stuff everybody’s paper, then walk hers to the door. If the porch light is on, I knock…if not, I place her paper inside her screen door. Tonight, the light was on.

I knocked and nobody answered. I got worried, I mean she’s an old gal and, well, she could have had a heart attack or something. I knocked a few more times and then, to be sure, I walked around the outside. When I got to her back door, it was open. She was lying on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood.

I’d like to say I was brave and bold and rushed in to help. Instead…I ran. When I got to my car, I grabbed my phone and called the cops. I had to give statements and all that garbage. One of the cops started to give me the business. Asking me a bunch of crazy questions. That was, until the paramedics came out and word spread that some sort of animal had torn her up. (I don’t want to use her name until I know her family has been told. I never understood why the news withheld that stuff—until now.)

That bulldog of a cop let up on me after he went inside to have his own look. It must’ve been bad, because when he came back, he looked pretty pale. Eventually, I was allowed to get back in my car, finish my job, and go home.

But it is tonight that has made things a bit weird. I woke up to Beth telling me that Erin still hasn’t called. When I called the hospital, I got an “all circuits are busy” recording. At a hospital? Adding to all the really bad feelings I’m getting, the news had a story about an ambulance that went off the road. I looked in time to see that it was the one from that little old lady’s house. It hadn’t gotten far because I could see a few landmarks I recognized. According to the news, no bodies were found at the scene.