Prison visit

Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I saw a real prison. Well, it's not so much a prison as a summer camp with a large fence around it.

As N, G and I walked into the visitor's lounge - a large single room with 20-odd little coffee tables and chairs, Mary was seated at the far end wearing a fetching pink tee-shirt, her own black jeans and ankle-length black boots. She looked like she was on a date. And she acted that way too when N walked up to her, gave her a hug and a brief kiss. She hugged her son fondly too, and turned half-away from me as I hugged her too. Not an auspicious welcome.

But she was positively radiant. She was cheerful, flirtatious. Genuinely happy. I can't remember the last time I saw her in that mood, and I certainly didn't expect to see her like that while inside. For a few minutes, she talked almost exclusively with N, catching up on the goings-on at home, and with G and what he was up to. Then, noticing that I wasn't talking, G said,
"Daddy, you're very quiet."
I asked her the first thing that came to mind. "Why?"

She gave me the same answer she apparently gave everyone else: "I don't know. It was a mistake, a one-off, and it will never happen again." A one-off!? Pull the other one.

She still blames me for giving the story to the press (which I didn't), for alienating most of her friends (again, she did that), and for trying to use G as a weapon against her. She is paranoid. And worst of all, I don't believe that she fully understands the impact of what she has done on those around her, nor will she until she gets out and tries to pick up her life where she left off. At that time, she may find that she has few or no friends, no-one will trust her, she has no assets, no money and no prospects.

On the way home, I asked G if he intended to go back and live with him mother when she is released, probably at the end of July. He confirmed that he would. Whether that is the best thing for him then, only time will tell, but I intend to at least make him think about living with me as a viable alternative. And Mel seems to be prepared to live with the two of us as well.

We'll see in three and a half months.