Holiday Greetings

An entry from my journal dated Tuesday, December 30, 2003:

Yesterday I received the first note from my jailed deaf dad since last May. He's been busy, I guess. It was a Hallmark Christmas card. The front read, "God made all the nights and days and all the world to sing His praise." The inside read, "The very sweetest song on earth once brought the news of Jesus' birth – And as we sing His praise today, may you be blessed in every way." Then my dad wrote a warm and fuzzy Christmas note in his "deaf speak" handwriting that included this sentence, "I had been solitary confinement four times since April for fighting with niggers cause me mad because stealings – all offenders are haters, thief, jealous, etc."

Seven months is an awful long time without word from your dad, be he jailed or not. In this case, no news isn't necessarily good news. Luckily the warden's assistant is very kind to me when I call to check on his status. "He's still alive, not in solitary and hasn't had any fights in a couple of weeks." What more can a girl ask for for Christmas?

At the time of this note, he had just marked his first full year in prison. Obviously the last 12 months were an adjustment spent establishing his pecking order amongst the other inmates.

Thankfully Dad writes more often these days and with less vehement anger and racism -- his commands have not lessened. Please note the card was a Hallmark so despite the lengthy delay in writing and the hateful, demanding message inside, he did care enough to send the very best.

The Entertainer

When: Spring 1988 -- Age 16

Where: UIL State One Act Play Competition; University of Texas; Austin, Texas. Cutthroat and serious competition. We youngsters were on our best behavior.

Witnesses: Hundreds

What: I heard a smattering of gasps and giggles mixed in with familiar guttural noises and high-pitched nonsensical sounds reverberating through the sound system. Everyone who looked up to the stage observed a deaf-mute man doing his best gyrating Elvis impersonation into the microphone. A few people rushed the stage and the emcee wrested the microphone from the offender's hands. The deaf-mute Elvis didn't leave but rather continued to perform more enthusiastically to the crowd.

Frustrated, the emcee announced, "If he belongs to you, would you get this monkey off the stage?!?!"

My friend Scott turned to me and queried, "Hey Kambri, isn't that your DAD?!"

Always the entertainer, Dad had left his lasting impression. Later when I asked him just what the hell was he thinking, he replied very coherently so I doubt he was drunk...just spontaneous. He reasoned that since the UT students had just bawdily spoofed all the plays -- a way to keep us occupied while the judges made their decisions -- it couldn't be all that big a deal for him to take the stage for a minute.

Good point.

Dennis Rodman, Muslims & Blogs

Dad is still on restriction since his fight with the Jailhouse interpreter.

"Now I live at north Wings and I am on restriction (punished) cell and Commissary. It means I can't stay in dayroom or buying at Commissary store for 30 days. What I did insulted Interpreter Mrs. Heath "Bitch Whore" after we agrued over discrimination & A.D.A. laws. Whew. Any way I don't care if I stay in cell for 30 days. And I don't have money in Commissary anyway."

He must not have gotten my last payment of $20. I sent it promptly after my return from L.A. Since I had been gone so long, I knew he would be lonely for letters and craving his "sweeting foods". Despite his restriction, he seems very upbeat and interested in learning a few things about current events:

"I read newspapers about Muslins got mad and complained over Jyllands-Posten (newspaper company) of Denmark published 20 cartoons. The prophet Mohammed drawing that triggered deadly protests by Muslins worldwide. I ask you would find in Website about 20 cartoons and send me what Munlims pissed off for that jokin gof cartoons. I really want to see what picures looks. And I can't find that word "Blog" in dictionary book and I asked inmates but They don't know what it means. Can you tell me what Blog means?"

This made me laugh in a warm, loving way. I love that he's interested in learning more about the cartoon controversy, disappointed that he can't seem to get the information he wants from the mainstream media and kind of sad that not a single inmate he asked knows what a blog is. Not that the knowledge of blogging would be of any use to them, but they are clearly not keeping up with the world in which they will soon be living again.

He needs information on one other item:

"And Will you copy from Website about Dennis Rodman NBA "Pro Basketball player". One Guy and I agrued about him. He say that Dennis never played in college just in High school then Pro N.B.A. But I told him That Rodman were playing college in small town of Oklahoma. I really want to make him get shut up and shit in his pant. I hope you can find one and copy it and send me. :-) "

Oh, yes, still up to his stubborn, argumentative ways. Luckily, Dad is right about Rodman. I would have hated sending him information proving the other guy was right. Instead, Dad can, and most certainly will, gloat to make this guy shut up.

I can't explain why but this letter made me happy. Not that Dad is on restriction, that he called the interpretor a "Bitch Whore" or that he's still fighting with other inmates over petty differences. I can just tell that he's feeling positive. He cares about current events, he is still interacting with others and, selfishly, the tasks he asked me to do in this letter were things I can do easily without cost to me.

Read page one in full. Read page two in full.