A Good Man

Dear Charlie,

Sometimes I forget what a good man your father is until he does something so unexpected like what he did today. I tend to focus on his incessant use of the computer, leaving of dirty socks inches from the laundry hamper, and little things that in the end don't really matter. I realize that underneath his desire to conquer the virtual world lies the heart of a good man.

Your dad called me up this morning at 7am and said that he was going to be bringing someone home that he met at the checkpoint, and she was going to be taking a shower in our house. "She?" I questioned. "Yes . . . you'll see," he replied. I figuered if she needed a shower and he was bringing her to our house while I was there, she wasn't much of a threat to me. I also know that your dad would never put his family in danger, so I trusted he knew what he was doing.

About 30 minutes later he texted me, "Don't know if she has deseases . . . Hepatitis . . . blah blah blah." "This is weird. I am trusting you will tell me the whole story later," I replied. "Nah," he teased.

Around 8am she came into the house, and I immediately recognized her smile, but nothing else about her. "That looks like my old student Jenny. Maybe it's her sister," I thought to myself. While she was in the shower, I asked Dad if he knew her name. He said that another agent there knew her name was Jennifer Peters. It was my student Jenny. The Jenny I knew had bleached blonde hair and was a bit curvy. I would always seat her in the front of the room because she couldn't see the board well and she often needed help. She was never a discipline problem, and she was always sweet to me when she saw me in the hallways both the year I was her teacher and the year after. This Jennifer (who told the agents that her name was Alexis Devine) had stringy, uncombed brown hair. She was thin, her legs were unshaven, and she had a difficult time completing sentences and answering questions. She was obviously on drugs and mentally unstable.

While she was in the shower, Dad instructed her to put a towel around herself and put her clothes outside the door so that I could wash them. It took several times of repeating the instructions before she understood what to do. I took her clothes, threw them in the wash, washed my hands, and then got some of my clothes out for her to wear (including a Gila Ridge High School t-shirt). When she got out of the shower, I asked her if she remembered me, and she nodded with a smile. She sat on the couch watching Bolt with you, Ella, and I. When I was looking at her sitting on the couch, I noticed she had a scab from a slit on her wrist. She seemed nervous, but she would frequently turn and smile at us and Madi. I wanted to cry the whole time she was sitting there. It broke my heart to see her in such a dreadful state.

Apparently, she had been picked up by a trucker, and she was trying to hitchhike to Tucson to get away from her pimp. The trucker dropped her off at the checkpoint. She was planning on continuing on foot (and hitchiking) to Tucson in 115 degree weather with no food, water, and only flip flops on her feet. Dad called DPS (who are the highway patrol here in Yuma), and asked them if they could do anything for her. They wouldn't do anything because she hadn't broken any laws and she wasn't a minor. Dad tried to get other agencies to help, but no one wanted to help this poor girl.

When she got to our house, she said she wanted to go to Phoenix instead of Tucson. Dad was going to take her to the bus stop and send her on a bus to Tucson, but then when she said she wanted to go to Phoenix, he was unsure what to do. I told him that neither Tucson nor Phoenix would help her. She needed help, and he should take her to a rehab facility or try to get ahold of a family member. Dad decided to take her to Crossroads Mission, which is a local homeless shelter. They have a detox program there and a facility for her to have food and shelter. Apparently, she was angry with him for not taking her to the bus stop as he had promised, and she hit him in the face when he told her where she was going. He called the Mission later in the day to check and see if she was still there. They said that she was, but she wanted to leave. They thanked him for bringing her there and said that she had been there before, but this was the worst they had ever seen her.

I want you to know what a good example your dad is to me. I am sure he was taking a risk by brining a drug-addicted prostitute into his own home, but he did it anyway because it was the right thing to do. I don't know if Jenny will stay in detox or even if her life will change because of his generosity, but I do know that your dad did the right thing at the right time. It warms my heart to know that I married such a good man.

Love,
Mom

Your First 4th

Dear Charlie,

This year you celebrated your first 4th of July with your Nana and Papa while I was away at girls' camp in Tucson.  You stayed with Grammy and Pa during the week, and you were getting two new teeth in, so you were feverish and a bit grumpy.  I think you also missed your Mom since that was the longest time I had ever left you two kiddos.  Even though you were grumpy, your Nana still managed to get some happy pictures of you.

Your Nana got you this cute onesie.

Once you were able to get some medicine and a nice nap, I think you were much happier.  I'm sad that I missed your first 4th, but I know you had a good time hanging out with your Nana, Papa, and Dad.

Love,
Mom