Michael in Regular Stuff

I want to make sure I don’t go too long between entries. I think that is the key for me in writing regularly. I do believe it’s helpful to me to write. Plus, I enjoy reading my friend’s entries.

Speaking of friends, I have an old friend staying with me (us) for a while. I have known Michael and his family for practically my entire life. We went to grade school together. His sister Bonnie is my best friend, and paternal grandmother to my two youngest granddaughters.

Michael and I have been through a lot. Some really crazy, fun times and some really dark times. During my years of drug use we also lived together. Actually, I think this may be the 4th time we have shared a home. He was as heavy into the drugs as I was.

Did I ever mention that I spent my entire retirement on crack? I think having access to all that money, escalated my addiction very quickly. I had lost my job a few months before I started using and decided to take my retirement out and pay the tax. It wasn’t a fortune by any means, I had only been at the company for 10 years. But it was a nice chunk and it all went up in smoke.

I almost went to jail because of Michael! And stayed out of jail, again because of Michael. Here’s the story: Back when I was first getting clean, Michael was also doing well. He had moved out and gone to PA to work with a friend.

I had not seen him in about 4 months when he called me to say he was in town. He had been hanging out with an old friend and wanted to see me. So I go around by this guy Scott’s house. I actually pulled into a parking lot right by his house and Michael walked up. I didn’t see Scott at first. Michael said he was around the corner. I thought nothing of it.

Mike and I were chatting away and at one point, we both heard a loud noise. I think. It was many years ago and my memory is not the greatest. A minute or so later, Scott came up to the car and asked if I would give him a ride. He jumped in the back and I noticed he had a boom box. I knew he had stolen it. Scott was always a bad seed, very heavy into drugs and alcohol. In jail several times. I didn’t ask questions because I didn’t want to know. I told them I had to go. I pulled up in front of Scott’s house and sat there for a for a minute or so, saying goodbye.

At that point I happened to glance I to my rearview mirror and see several cops, up on the main road, right by the parking lot we had been sitting. At I knew then I really had to leave. I told them to get out and I went home.

Of course I was worried about Michael. I was assuming that Scott had stolen the radio from a person. I knew Michael was not involved because he was right there talking to me. So I left my house, decided to go to 7-11 for cigarettes. As I rode down the avenue (main drag), I saw at least 4 cop cars lined up. I saw Scott in the back of one of them. I had to stop for a light and here comes this cop, walks up to the front of my car, slams his fist down on the hood and tells me to turn my car off and get out!

He questioned me and searched my car. I told him the truth. I was not arrested but he asked me to follow them to the station and make a statement. I was scared to death even though I had done nothing wrong. The cop was a real prick.

I ended up in a little interview room talking to a detective. Again, I told the truth. Now get this, at one point the door was open and I could hear Scott being interviewed in the next room. And that little bastard was telling that detective that I knew what was going on!

It turns out, he had actually broken the window of a TV shop and reached in and grabbed the radio/boom box. He tried to make it look like it was Mike’s idea and I was the getaway car. Apparently, someone had also seen my car in the parking lot and gave the cops my tag #.

Thank God the detective seemed to believe me and Michael made it clear that I was not involved in any way. He couldn’t save himself, though. He actually got off pretty lucky, no jail time, just three years probation. He never spoke to Scott again.

It could have been a lot worse, for both of us.

Michael has been clean from crack almost as long as I have. He does still drink on weekends and occasionally smokes a little weed. Weed was never my thing. All it does is make me tired and give me the munchies. I much prefer a stimulant high that gives me tons of energy and kills my appetite. I lost a lot of weight when I was smoking crack.

I’m so glad I no longer use and don’t hang around the kind of people I used to hang with. Yes, Scott was bad, a thief and a liar, but I had no problem partying at his house on several occasions.

He’s dead now, killed in a car accident. RIP