FREE AT LAST

On December 18, 2023 I was released from the penal system. My mother and younger brother picked me up early that day from my work release job, and at about 6:30AM my feet hit the soil as a free man. It felt great embracing them. My brother recorded some of the moments before we jumped into the car and drove off, leaving that life behind. Below is a condensed summary of how my first day of freedom went.

Our first stop was the hotel that they’d stayed at the night before. I went there and was blessed to stumble across the continental breakfast :-) I grabbed an apple, an orange, and banana for later and headed to our room. There we talked, took pictures, and waited a while before gathering their luggage and leaving.  

While walking to the car, my mother asked me if I wanted to drive and if I still knew how? After saying “Yes”, I was doing most of the driving from that point on. My first stop while I’m behind the wheel? “Waffle House”!  I didn’t eat anything, because I wasn’t hungry. However, I watched as my mother and brother ate a little something before we hit the road. But, while at the “Waffle House” two friends from work called and asked me to come back to the job site to receive a gift they bought for me. I drove right back and was pleased to see them once more. The special gift they had for me was a T-shirt with pictures of us on it. On the back of the shirt it read: "Amigos por siempre", which means "Friends forever" in English. I took some final pictures with them and the supervisor before leaving.  

My next two stops were business related: I wanted to apply for my Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) card and cash my check from work. I was able to cash my check but couldn’t get the TWIC card because of my lack of paper work. I went to Denim Springs to see some loved ones.

Then I surprised my daughter in New Orleans with an unexpected visit from me...that was great! Her mother set it up in such a way that my daughter never knew that I would see her that day. Priceless!   Later that evening I took my daughter out to get a bite to eat. We enjoyed each other's company, ate some good food, laughed, and played on our phones.  

I spent the rest of the night talking with one of my cousins. She came to see me at the hotel and didn't leave until about 4AM.   It feels great to move around at will and make those simple decisions for myself like: Where I want to go, what I want to do, what I want to eat, or who I want to see. The freedom of choice has been the greatest change in my life as of recently...and I'm truly grateful for it.   

Much Love,

Soul