holly`s story

today was the last visit, yes we cried yes so did he.
it was a visiting day so the place was full of people, and Bradley had an interesting story to tell on each and every one of the people. This one had 2 wives, both visit him every sunday and bring him foor. he spends 2 hours with one in the front of the grounds, then he spends 2 hours with his second wife in the back area. This man, an american friend of his, also has 2 women in Costa Rica, demands he move to Costa Rica when he finishes his time in jail, the other insists on moving with him back to the States. He is torn between all these options. And there are these women with buckets full of food, who cook every saturday to bring good food to ALL the prisoners on sunday. Though we have seen him eating a few times, i must say i was impressed with the quality of food served there. Plenty delicious veggies, big pieces of meat, rice and beans. Yes there are worse places to be held than in Adulto Mayor.
and in a few days we will finally know for sure what is going on. Today daddy is feeling less optimistic, he says now that when the psychologist left the meeting friday she avoided eye contact with him.
next posting will be from Holland
Kiss to all

whispers, rumors...

rain rain rain, every afternoon, and not the hot tropical rain. Pouring rain freezing cold, lightning cutting the sky like i've never seen it. But we managed to buy a most ripe Guanabana, which is not a banana not a mango and not a guava, but a mixture of the three.
next week is the big day, everybody think of him on october the third, his fate will be decided, he will hear if gets a parole, or when he will be released, if the stupid marihuana cigarette will be used against him as a proof he has not reformed, whatever. yesterday while we were visiting they were having this big meeting, the prison shrink (who makes him write down what he likes about himself and what he doesn't like) the guards who seem to like him well enough, the doctors, the director of te prison... Everyone said it is a GOOD thing we came to visit every day that week because that shows he has a family that cares and loves him. That makes him look good! And when they walked out of the big meeting the shrink looked at him. she didn`t smile but she did look at him. If she had said something mean, if she had given a negative report about him, she wouldn`t have looked, now, would she?
Anyway Bradley is waiting but we have decided that whatever happens we`ll deal with it, we`ll keep on sending books and clothes. and paper and good pens. Because he is reaching new heights in his writings. I don't mean the quality, everyone has to decide on his own. I mean the quantity! He was a bit upset that i edited a few words here and there, softened the edge... But i told him my mother is reading this too!
Last week the guards sang a song he wrote about la libertad, they smile and greet us, they are fair.
Now he is interested in the antipopes. I ordered a few books on the subject to send him.
One more visit tomorrow, then we are on the return journey. we will be back in februari if he`s still there, to eat another perfect guanabana and enjoy the sun in the mornings.
Will keep you posted!

Holly' s story

We are getting in some kind of a rhythm here. we have a permission to visit almost every day, we spend the afternoon shopping for Bradley, and in the evening we cook fabulous meals and crash.
Yesterday his shopping list was: a few packs of cigars for someone he woed a favor to, 2 pizzas as a treat to a few americans imprisoned there and a grammar book for spanish. The day before he needed loads of paper and pens...
San Jose is an ugly flithy noisy city. I love it! in all the times ie been here i haven understood the lay out, and we get lost every sngle time we step out the door. sometimes we find the mercado cerrado, the closed market, where we amble for hours looking at herbs toys spices fish meat candles prayer objects straw dolls... other times we fall on the post office and hurriedly mail a few cards.
The hotel is fobackpackers from all over the world. don let the name fool you, there is a big kitchen a swimming pool, an enormous television and a fabulous garden, the dorms are clean and so is the pool.
the ride to the jail on the other hand is hellish. Takes an hour in this greasy smelly bus, in the incredible traffic of the city, and the driver once out of the city makes up for lost time by speeding up these narrow paths relying on his horn to warn oncoming traffic. Linda is plunged in a book the whole time (Angela`s ashes at this moment) but i stare outside and think of all the things i should have done and should have said to the people i love... and all of a sudden we are THERE and daddy is standing at the gate with an expression of hope despair and pride that once again we made it!
kiss to all
Love to all

Brad's writings

They called him Picolenio, he ran errands around the prison yard. he ambled with the stride of a man, crippled since birth with three fingers missing from his left hand, no fingers on his right both elbows twisted to an obscene and obtuse angle. The paralysis of his wrist movements is what attracted my attention but he did not seem bothered by these infirmities as he hobbled around with a permanent smile on this distorted body.
This man fascinated me. after discreet inquiries i discovered Picolenio was inside for the theft of high tension electrical cables from the power company. He and a partner would climb up the power distribution towers, disconnect the wiring for the copper scrap, then disappear in the darknes leaving the city wondering why the power was off, again.
One nioght the unforseen occurred, as it always does. The partner slipped off the tower and fell into a tangle of high tension cables, electrocuting himself. Picolenio charged into the tangle to save his doomed companion, and in the energized mayhem burned his fingers, arms and legs, barely escaping with his life.
I have a new respect for this heroic man.

holly, again

so this is in his own words. I have seen the papers, it is written out that he will hear on the 3rd of october if and when he will be released. The joint and papers seem to weigh heavily in the balance: is he really fit for society if he is still abusing illicit drugs?
can they believe him, when he says it isnt his? is it relevant?
whatever happens, weĺl deal with it.

Brad`s story

Abruptly my transfer papers arrived for the senior citizen reformatory, aptly called " adulto Mayor". Collecting my belongings, i said numerous goodbyes to my friends. The penal Godfather owed me money and he handed me a sausage shaped packagewrapped in tape ready for insertion. I believed this to be a wad of cash. I dismantled the package and discovered about 2 ozs of weed! Remembering my situation, i discarded the dangerous bundle. Then the officials came for me and i was off to a new jailhouse.
Costa Rica provides special habitation for Senior citizens. the first thing i observed was an idleness of older men almost in a state of repose, lounging around on foot or wheelchairs as they conclude life repenting their various transgressions.
Inside the office they opened my luggage and in full view of everyone, there lay a marijuana cigarette!
Horrified into a state of mental derangement, my knees buckled as the room revolved. What! How! this is impossible! Closer inspection revealed rolling papers also. This is not happening to me, but the contraband is very real. I try to hold on to my sanity as a drug sniffing dog appeared. The trainer instructed this joyous hound to inspect me and my belongings. The canine performed with his tail wagging almost to disconnection. He stuck his nose p my ass and would certainly have discovered the dope i almost had carried. Not carrying it spared me an additional 8 years here.
Every life holds moments when reality merges with infinity. I have smoked every joint i have ever rolled, then i always ate the roach. So how could i ignore a joint in my bag? how could i have left it there along with rolling papers? Did i deliberately place myself in jeopardy? do i have an unconscious desire to miscarry existence? This all flashed through my brain as the officials wrote me a violation for possession of drugs and paraphernalia. Like i said this is unreal!
The calamity f these events weighed me down. They assigned me a bunk inside a reasonable dormitory full of old men. Still frightened of what could happen next i tried to compose myself and think. short time later i was called, for a phone call.
This was one of my ex-mates from Puntarenas, inquiring about my health, we chatted. The trip was uncomfortable, the place appears clean and quiet, without the mischevious kids playing grab-ass. He asked " did i have a problem with the dogs?" No nothing much i said... then i was thunderstruck by the idea: He knew about the dogs! The dogs! he knew of the dope-sniffing dogs!i ended the conversation, and hung up.
This was inconceivable, this was real. I was set up. Yhe entire episode makes perfect sense now. My "friends" wanted me back, they wanted me to remain in prison. I was a good customer, a good cell mate, sharing the bounty when i had it... They placed the joint in plain sight knowing the dogs would be called... i am losing faith in humanity outside of close family.
we will see what happens.

holly`s story, suite

i crashed last night before i could finish writing Brad story. Jet lag i guess, fell asleep, woke up at 6 to prepare him a picnic lunch, and off we were to visit.
This reunion was less emotional than yesterday`s, we now know he is fine and we could actually talk, not just stare and gaze at each other!
He told me there have been complaints by readers that i do not update this blog as regularly as i should... sincere excuses to all, it will not happen again. Today he wanted to know all about internet. How do you make a bank transaction without a cheque, what is virtual reality... He is also very worried about what he hears on the radio and reads in the news. Is the ice cap actually melting? are people worried about it? what's that about alternative fuel for the cars? how can you book a ticket online, how does that work? when/how do you pay? how can you pay in a supermarket without cash or cheques? and... will he look like a fool when he comes out, and doesn know all that? will they laugh at him if he pulls out his wallet and pays cash?
enough of this, iĺl write his story.

holly`s story, live from ALAJUELA!

Been a while, i know. But there was so little to tell.
And all of a sudden, last month a great change to the better. Bradley was transferred to a different prison, reserved for the elite and the well behaved elderly men. Many of them have spent years in jail and have adapted to the there is lots of space, lots of green and much more privileges. We have been able to visit him on a saturday, which is exceptional considering the special visiting pass had not been confirmed, we sat outside and talked.
He is looking good and much happier, he gives english classes daily, GOES TO REHABILITATION CLASSES and does all it takes to prove he can still be a valuable memeber of society. He says the rules are simple, make your bed, cut your hair, clean up and don't fight. These men all say `this is not a jail!"
we brought him loads of books, new sneakers and socks, writing paper and pens. so we can expect all ew writings and plays in the coming months. Maybe. because here comes the 2nd piece of news: on the 3rd of october there will be a hearing, and he will hear exactly if and when there will be a chance of coming out early.
there might be a problem: when the guards at the :new`place opened his suitcase, right there, lying on top of his clothes, there was a joint. Surprise. He believes it was put there by someone at the previous place, to get him in trouble. he says he isn't stupid, he wouldn't have put it there knowing the guards will always look through a prisoner's possessions when they come to a prison. But they found it, and because of that joint he might actually lose his 'good behaviour' credits, and be forced to sit out his complete sentence, 5 years instead of 2 and 9 months... Who put it there? was it a goodbye present or was it to try to keep him at the old place? whatever happens he will not be returned to Puntarenas, so ... we'll deal with it.
Funny story. After a week in Alajuela, the director of the previous place phoned him and asked if he wanted to come back to Puntarenas... He politely declined. They miss the english classes he used to give.
But we will be visiting him daily, and i will keep you all posted.