IGA FOODSTORE.ATLANTIC CITY

JIMMY WAS SUPPOSSED TO COME HOME TODAY...BUT NOW HIS FURLOUGHS HOME ARE SUSPENDED UNTIL HE GETS ANOTHER JOB, OR CLEARS THINGS UP AT THIS ONE.......ALL I CAN SAY, IN 3 SIMPLE WORDS, ABOUT THE   "GENERAL MANAGER," IS THIS........."HE IS MEAN."

YES, THAT ABOUT SUMS IT UP...THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO SAY IT.

HE WAITED UNTIL MY HUSBAND WAS ON FURLOUGHS HOME, TO DO THIS TO HIM...........TRUTHFULLY, ALL ALONG, I WAS TELLING JIMMY THAT I THINK THIS "GENERAL MANAGER," WA ALMOST JEALOUS OF ME....YES, ME HIS WIFE.........THAT I SHOULD BE PREFERENCE TO JIMMY ABOVE HIS JOB..........THIS GENERAL MANAGER....I WILL CALL HIM "MISTER P,"  WOULD NOT ALLOW JIMMY 2 DAYS OFF IN A ROW, SO HE COULD COME HOME FOR 2 DAYS..........HE HARDLY EVER  GAVE JIMMY HIS ONE DAY OFF/WEEK...JIMMY'S DAY OFF WAS ALWAYS A BIG ISSUE FOR HIM........BEFORE HIS FURLUGHS STARTED, HE WOULD CALL JIMMY FROM KINTOCK, TO COME IN ON HIS DAY OFF............HE WOULD CRY ON THE PHONE TO HIM, THAT JIMMY WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT COULD CLOSE THE STORE AT NIGHT........HE CONTINUALLY SAID THAT NO ONE ELSE CLOSES THE STORE LIKE YOU...........

THROUGHOUT JIMMY'S EMPLOYMENT, HE FOUND CUSTOMERS AND THOSE WORKING STEALING FROM THE STORE..........ONE EMPLOYEE WAS STEALING ROASTED CHICKENS FROM THE DELI, ONE DAY......I SAIS TO JIMMY, "CAN'T YOU JUST LET IT GO?  MAYBE HE'S HUNGRY, AND I CAN'T SEE A PERSON GOING HUNGRY.'.....JIMMY'S REPLY WAS, "NO FRAN, I CAN'T LET HIM GO. HE IS NOT STEALING ONE CHICKEN, BUT SOMETHING LIKE 10 OR SO CHICKENS.  IF I LET EVERYONE GO, WHO ARE STEALING, THE STORE WILL SUFFER A BIG LOSS, AND PLUS THE FACT THAT IT IS WRONG TO STEAL."

MY SISTER STOPPED IN TO IGA FOODSTORE, A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, WHEN SHE WAS IN ATLANTIC CITY, AS SHE OFTEN GOES THERE..........SHE TOLD ME THE STORE LOOKED SO BEAUTIFUL.......IT WAS CLEAN AND HAD A SHINING GLOW TO IT......EVERYTHING WAS NEAT AND ORDERLY....SHE WAS REALLY IMPRESSED BY IT, AND WILL STOP BY THERE AGAIN, AS SHE LIKED THE PRODUCTS THEY SELL......JIMMY ALWAYS KEPT THAT STORE CLEAN AND ORDERLY SINCE HE GOT THERE, AND WAS PRAISED MANY TIMES BY "MR. P" ABOUT IT........THAT JIMMY CHANGED THAT STORE FOR THE BETTER SINCE HE WORKED THERE..............AND SO, I STILL HAVE ONE WORD FOR MR. P.........ONE WORD THAT IS SIMPLE..........."HE IS A MEAN INDIVIDUAL.".........THERE IS NO DEFENSE FOR A MAN WHO IS SIMPLY CALLED "MEAN.".........ANY PERSON HATES TO BE CALLED "MEAN."...............AND EVEN THE STRONGEST PERSON FEELS IT IN HIS GUT WHEN HE IS IN BED SLEEPING AT NIHJT, TO KNOW WITHIN HIS HEART THAT HE IS KNOWN AS A "MEAN" PERSON.............."MEAN" IS OK, IF IT IS FOR  A JUST CAUSE , LIKE DISCIPLING A PERSON WHO IS AT FAULT, BUT JIMMY DID NOTHING WRONG....MY HUSBAND HAS A STRONG PERSONALITY, AND THAT IS THE WAY IT IS.

AND SO, I AM HERE.......I GOT UP AT 4 PM....I MADE THE COFFE, FED THE ANIMALS, AND TOOK IN THE NEWSPAPER.....IN A LITTLE WHILE I'LL GO OUTSIDE WITH PRINCE..............I DID ALL THE USUAL MUNDANE THINGS, A PERSON DOES THAT LIVES ALONE...........JIMMY HAS BEEN CALLING ME EVERY 2 HOURS TODAY........I TALK TO HIM, FROM THE BED, ON MY SPEAKER PHONE.........

I KIND OF GOT USED TO JIMMY COMING HOME ON THE FURLOUGHS.........IT WAS ALMOST LIKE A DREAM.......LIKE A DATE.........AFTER 2 1/2 YEARS, IT MADE ME FEEL LIKE I HAD A HUSBAND , AGAIN..........

BEING A WOMAN WITH A MAN IN PRISON, IS A PLACE DIFFICULT FOR MOST PEOPLE IN OUR WORLD TO FULLY UNDERSTAND.......BECAUSE, YOU BELONG NO WHERE.........YOU LIVE WITHIN THE CRACKS OF SOCIETY...............BETTER TO BE SINGLE, OR A DIVORCEE.........THEN YOU HAVE SOMEWHERE TO START.........YOU CAN TALK TO PEOPLE, AND BECOME PART OF THEIR LIFE..............WITH YOUR HUSBAND IN PRISON, YOU BELONG NO WHERE, AND FEEL TERRIBLY LOST WITHIN YOURSELF, AT ALL TIMES........

AND SO, MR. P., I'M HAPPY YOU GOT JUST WHAT YOU WANTED.  MY QUESTION IS, "ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?"........I DOUBT IT, BECAUSE AS I UNDERSTAND IT, YOU ARE A VERY UNHAPPY PERSON, ANYHOW.

MY ANSWER TO 'MINDERCELLA33," WHO LEFT A BEAUTIFUL COMMENT IN THE LAST ENTRY.........THANK YOU O MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR STORY.  YOU UNDERSTAND, AS YOUR OWN HUSBAND WAS ONCE IN PRISON.........YOU SAID THE RIGHT WORDS OF UNDERSTANDING THE SITUATION OF A PRISONER'S WIFE.  THAT IS    "YOU ARE IN PRISON JUST AS MUCH AS HE IS."...........................YOU ARE RIGHT.  THAT IS JUST WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT, AND FEW UNDERSTAND THIS CONCEPT, UNLESS THEY HAVE BEEN THERE THEMSELVES.......IT IS NOT ONLY YOUR HUSBAND'S PHYSICAL PRESENCE AT HOME....IT IS THAT LIFE ITSELF, TAKES ON ANOTHER DIMENSION......AND AT THIS TIME, AS THE SEASONS CHANGE, AND WE ARE INTO AUTUMN, AND THE HOLIDAYS ARE AT OUR HEELS.......I JUST DON'T THINK I CAN KEEP GOING ON FOR THE 3RD HOLIDAY SEASON.....AND THEN GO INTO THE 4TH YEAR.............WELL, YOU ASKED HOW MUCH LONGER DOES JIMMY HAVE...........HIS PAROLE IS DEPENDENT ON HIS JOB.........AND MR. P KNOWS THIS............IS IT ANY WONDER I CALL HIM  "MEAN?"