Thursday (November 15th), my Christian Guard walked me to my wound dressing change. I told them all that I had a feeling that I would be leaving on the Fed Bus the next day. The nurses gave me well-wishes "IF" I left. Somehow, their earnestness was a confirmation to me. The medical team has advance notice of who is departing, so they can prepare any medications for transport. The guard escorted me back to my pod and offered me encouragement "IF" I leave.
That evening, I gathered my things together so that I would not have to think so hard in the morning. I sorted my snacks I had purchased from the commissary, so I could give them away to the inmates left behind. There were a few guys that were hovering like vultures over a dead deer carcass. All of them were staking claim to my left overs. I wrote what I thought might be my last letter from that jail. I decided to call Mom and Dad to say hello and then I called Jeannie. I had to cut our call short because they were preparing for lock-down. Little did I know that it would be my last call for a long time.
Morning came and we got our "breakfast in a bag". I was chatting with Will, when the guard's voice came over the intercom. She told me to get ready for transport this morning. I was sensing correctly! I felt excited and nervous at the same time. I took a shower so I would be "fresh" for the trip to "somewhere". I was hoping this would be Northern Minnesota, but it is rumored that the Bus travels South on Fridays. Either way, I was leaving and I had new hope of getting settled into my new home before Thanksgiving.
They had me change into my street clothes for the journey. Unfortunately, this meant I had to wear my dress pants and dress shirt. All the other prisoners were wearing their khaki's. I felt a little out of place! The Marshals chained us up for the ride. Leg shackles, belly chains and handcuffs. The leg shackles are always the most uncomfortable for me, since I have large ankles.
The Marshals lined us up and we did the "inmate shuffle" out to the garage. Once we were all in the garage, they opened up the door to the outside. The morning air was brisk, the sky was clear and dark. The sun hadn't broken the horizon yet. It was so nice to be outside even though it was cold. The fresh air was a welcome freedom.
We boarded a full-size motor coach under heavy security. When I got to the top of the steps, one of the Marshals placed a styrofoam cup in my hands with no explanation. I found an empty seat and sat down while studying my new surroundings. There were just over a dozen passengers so we had plenty of room. The front of the bus had a wire cage that separated the Marshals from us. They had two seats inside the cage; one for the driver and another was mounted sideways so they could keep an eye on the inmates. There was a cage in the back of the bus, as well. It was divided into two parts. One for the rear Marshal and the other with a toilet. They had a water cooler next to the cage, which explains the styrofoam cup! I was hoping for Starbucks!!!!
While the bus pulled out, I looked up and saw my cell window for the last time. They did not give us any information on the bus. We did not know where we were going or how many stops we would make. My hopes of going North were flattened when we entered I-94 Eastbound. I had no idea where I would end up.
The ride was mostly quiet. Many tried to find a comfortable position to sleep. I, on the other hand, wanted to take in all the beauty God's creation could offer. I watched the sun rise and I didn't mind when it was too bright for my eyes. I just closed them and thanked God for the beauty He made.
We rolled past Madison. That was the last place I had seen my wife and family face to face. The bus continued on South to Rockford and then East to I-90. It was likely we would be going tot he MCC facility in Chicago. Perhaps they would have me stay there for my intake process and send me back to Minnesota after that??? One could hope....so I did.
The driver pulled off on the Belvedere toll plaza. There was a black unmarked Crown Victoria parked and we pulled up the bus next to it. I was hoping they would bring us coffee and donuts. They did, but they did not share it with those of us in the caged area. It was not long until they swapped drivers and headed towards Chicago.
The buildings of downtown Chicago were getting larger as we headed toward them. The driver was driving fast the entire trip. He would often brake hard when he spotted a trooper in the median. Traffic was backing up quickly and he changed lanes abruptly until he could find one that was moving. He road the bumper of cars in front of him, which forced him to brake even harder if the car had to slow down.
We crossed the river and I could see they had Wacker Drive closed for construction. (Made me think about the "Blues Brothers" movies -- you know that part, right Jake??) We passed the John Hancock building. I had forgotten what it felt like to be dwarfed by such a tall building. We made a couple of turns and we passed by the MCC building. The windows were small and there were lights mounted all over the building. It seemed so out of place. Why would you put a prison in a high-rent district? I'll let you wrestle with that as you wrk on your 1040 forms!!
We pulled around to the other side. One of the Marshals blocked traffic and then lowered the crash barrier in front of the garage door. We backed into the garage and the door closed behind us. One of the Marshals read some names off his list, but mine was not one of them. There were six of us left on board. One inmate said, "I guess we are going to Terre Haute." My heart sank. I knew it was a medium security prison and I was eligible for a low security prison. They handed us some box lunches (bologna sandwiches, chips and a cookie). I didn't have much of an appetite, but I thought I better eat something. After we got out of the city and off the interstate, I quietly chuckled to myself as I recalled the movie "The Fugitive". Considering how fast they drive, they could land this bus on a railroad track. Fortunately, there were no tracks along the highway. I'm sure I couldn't do all the stunts Harrison Ford performed.
When we crossed into Indiana, the driver pulled into a Subway. Two Marshals went in to get sandwiches and we watched as they enjoyed them. I wonder what the people inside the Subway were thinking when they learned we were sitting outside?
We were just arriving in the town of Terre Haute and the driver had his radio tuned into a country radio station. It seemed strangely prophetic that the song playing was called, "Time Marches On". I have heard this before but it had a whole new meaning now! We passed over the Wabash River and then headed for our destination. Everyone on the bus was wide awake and our heads were at attention, while we studied the sprawling compound. We saw the large new prison off in the distance. Someone commented that was a SuperMax prison. I tensed up more! The other prison was very old looking. I questioned if it was even still in use. Clearly it was. The exterior was made of deep red bricks that were very weathered. I have watched movies that show a bus arriving through double gates surrounded by razor wire. I just never thought I would experience it first hand. But here I was.
We parked at a doorway and they shuffled us into the historic building. As we walked inside we were greeted with a heat-wave in the building. It seemed unusually warm, but we would soon find out that this is their "normal" temperature. We immediately were given new clothes to wear. By default, they give you one or two sizes larger than you ask for. They decided we needed to eat, so they brought in dinner for us. It was semi-warm fish. Then began the process of Intake.
I met with a nurse who asked if I had a TB skin test. I told her I had one done 4 days ago in County Jail. She told me that the test must be administered inside a Federal facility, so the one I just received at the request of the federal government was not valid!!! She grabbed my arm and injected me again 1/2 an inch from the other test.
While we waited for everyone to go through the stations, we started conversations to learn where everyone was heading. I told them I had no idea. One of them suggested I ask when my picture was being taken for the Terre Haute "Family Photo Album". I wanted to know, but I also didn't want to know. I asked the guard and this is when I learned I was heading to Elkton OHIO!!! I had seen this location in my Federal Prison Guidebook, but I was sure I was going to be in Minnesota, so I did not study it.
I was really disappointed now, because this is so far from home. I knew it would disappoint Mrs. McFreedom even more! I didn't want to tell her yet, but I knew I needed to. Once we got settled here, I would give her a call to deliver the bad news. My stomach was all twisted up now. Surely God has a plan -- it just wasn't what I was hoping for......
To Be Continued....
McFreedom
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