JIMMY'S LAST NIGHT IN BAYSIDE PRISON

WELL, THE TIME IS FINALLY HERE!  TONIGHT IS JIMMY'S LAST NIGHT AT BAYSIDE STATE PRISON......HE WILL BE TRANSPORTED, PROBABLY AROUND 5 AM, TOMORROW MORNING, 3/21/2006, TUESDAY,  TO LOGAN HALL, HALFWAY HOUSE, IN NEWARK, NEW JERSEY....

TOMORROW, MARCH 21, 2006, HE IS OFFICIALLY OUT OF THE DOC, AND ON PAROLE.....

I SPOKE TO HIM MANY TIMES TODAY....5 OR 6, I THINK........HE WAS SO HAPPY AND EXCITED.  HE PUT ANOTHER INMATE ON THE PHONE, WHO SAID TO ME, "YOUR  HUSBAND IS WALKING ON AIR!".........EVERYONE SEEMED IN A HAPPY, JOVIAL MOOD!...........JIMMY'S LAST WORDS TO ME, IN THE LAST FEW SECONDS OF HIS CALL WERE,  " FRAN, THIS WILL BE THE LAST CALL I'LL EVER MAKE TO YOU FROM A PRISON."

AND SO, I WAS BUSY TODAY, GETTING HIS THINGS PACKED......I TOLD HIM, "I AM YOUR WIFE, AND I AM THE KEEPER OF YOUR THINGS.  YOU WILL NEVER AGAIN HAVE THINGS LOST OR STOLEN, IF I CAN HELP IT."

I ENJOYED DOING IT......PACKING, THAT IS.........5 SHIRTS, 3 PANTS, 1 JACKET, 1 BELT, SOME TIES.....SHOES....TOILTRIES, NOTEBOOKS, PENS AND PENCILS....A FEW MAGAZINES, AND A BOOK  (THE LATIN BOOK, THAT NEVER GOT TO HIM!)...A WALKMAN RADIO, AND A WRISTWATCH

I HAVE EVERYTHING IN 1 CARDBOARD BOX, AND 2 LARGE PLASTIC SHOPPING BAGS.  YOU SEE , THE WAY IT WORKS, IS THAT WHEN LARRY BRINGS HIS STUFF THERE, THE OFFICIALS TAKE OUT EACH ITEM, EXAMINE IT, WRITE IT DOWN, PLACE IT IN THEIR OWN PLASTIC BAG, WHICH WILL BE GIVEN TO JIMMY.  SO, NO SUITCASES OR TOTE BAGS ARE ALLOWED......NO BATTERIES, AND NO CASH................THIS WHOLE THING IS ALWAYS A LEARNING PROCESS FOR ME.......

AS FOR MYSELF, I AM VERY HAPPY, BUT A LITTLE TEARFUL, AT THE SAME TIME....I AM A SENTIMENTAL PERSON, AND THIS WHOLE EXPERIENCE MAKES ME CRY......

I CRY FOR A LOT OF THINGS.....NOT ONLY FOR MYSELF, AND THIS PREDICAMENT WE ARE IN, BUT I CRY FOR THE WORLD, TOO.

AND SO, IN A FEW HOURS, JIMMY WILL OFFICIALLY BE ON PAROLE!

IN A FEW HOURS I WILL GO TO BED, AND THINK OF JIMMY.  TOMORROW WE WILL GO TO ANOTHER STEP OF THIS NEVER-ENDING PROCESS...............AS I SAID TO MY HUSBAND ON THE PHONE TODAY,"I LOVE YOU EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY HAVE COMMITTED SOME CRIMES........TO ME, YOU ARE A WONDERFUL, SMART, LOVING MAN, ...DESPITE YOUR WRONG-DOINGS IN THE PAST"........ONE CANNOT HELP LOVE, WHOM THEY LOVE.

SO TOMORROW, LARRY WILL BE AT MY HOUSE AT 6 PM, TO PICK UP JIMMY'S  BELONGINGS AND TAKE THEM TO NEWARK..........IN THE MEANTIME, I WILL BE WAITING FOR JIMMY'S CALL, WHICH SHOULD COME IN AROUND 5PM, GOD-WILLING...A COLLECT CALL.

GOOD-NITE, EVERYONE!.................FRAN