3. The Red Envelope

"A ship in port is safe, but this is not what ships are built for."

Grace Hopper

Now what happened next I would not want anyone else to ever even consider. What I did was very dangerous. It was only God's grace that protected me from a more serious outcome. It's kind of like those disclosures you see at the beginning of a stunt show, "don't try this at home".

After watching that tidbit of the Serrano trial on Court TV I went to my computer and googled Polk County Sheriff's Department. On their site I followed the link to jail information. I typed in the name Leslie Todd Jones and up came his file which included his picture and his Department of Corrections number. That number, #022141, would be just one of many I would learn to memorize. There was also instructions on writing an inmate on this site. I grabbed one of the kids' school notebooks, and began to write.

(excerpts from the actual letter)

10/4/6

Dear Leslie (or is it Todd) -

I hope this letter gets to you. I saw you on Court TV today. You are probably the most famous jailhouse "snitch" right now. I could see that you have quite a personality. You made me laugh out loud a couple of times when you were being cross examined. I also noticed how articulate you are - you're no dummy.

I feel kind of sorry for you being in isolation though I can understand why. I thought you might need a pen pal (and I just might need a little entertainment).

I live in a wonderful small town where everybody knows everybody. And everybody knows everything about everybody. I have to chuckle when I think about what my mail lady is going to say when she picks this letter up in the morning. I've never been the kind of person who worries what other people think anyway.

I hope this letter brings a smile to your face. Sometimes you have to create your own entertainment. And this is safer than robbing paint stores.

I've enclosed a self addressed stamped envelope and some paper if you'd like to return a letter. I was afraid to send you a pencil - thought maybe they wouldn't let you have it.

I'm Catholic, although I haven't been to mass in a couple of months. I have a deep belief in God and an all around love for humanity as well as all the creatures that inhabit this Earth. I have two Siberian Huskys named Vegas and Reno. (by the way, they're vicious)

There's a scripture in the Bible about visiting folks in prison so if there's anything I can do for you, or send you (within reason), drop me a note and let me know. Don't consider it a hand-out. Just think of it as a way for me to do my Christian duty.

Hope to hear from you, if not, hang in there and rest assured you are not alone in this world. There's people thinking of you.

God Be With You,

Norma

I threw the part about the dogs in the letter just in case he decided to pay me a visit. In reality, Vegas and Reno were about the most worthless watch dogs anyone could imagine. The only danger they would cause to an intruder was to jump up on them and lick them to death.

I had a friend who worked for Hallmark and kept me stocked with colorful envelopes. I picked out the biggest brightest envelope I could find, a red one, addressed it, sealed it and placed it in the mailbox. It was only then that I was able to lie down and sleep.

The next morning I was up at 5am as usual. I watched the news over coffee and then headed out for my early morning walk with my best friend, Maureen. I didn't mention the letter to her, nor anything about the trial on Court TV I had watched the day before. Afterwards, I got my son fed and dressed and off to school and got ready for work. -The thought about what was waiting in the mailbox outside for the mail lady was in the back of my mind. I locked up and went out and started my car. I sat there for what seemed like an eternity, staring at the mailbox. "It wasn't too late to take the letter out", I thought to myself, "The mail lady won't pick it up until 11:00". I just sat in the car with the motor running, just staring. Finally, I shifted the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway.

I had trouble concentrating the entire morning at work. I kept looking at the time on my watch. 9:15 then 9:30 etc. What was I thinking? He was a criminal for crying out loud! A convict. An inmate! He could be a killer! Oh my god, I've got to remove the letter!

I finally made up my mind that I'd skirt home on my lunch break and remove the letter before the mail lady had a chance to retrieve it. But, as a wise man once told me, you can not change God's will for your life. And as luck would have it, about 10:30 that morning, a wealthy client, Dr. Smith came in.

Dr. Smith was a general practitioner who bought a new house every six months it seemed. She loved my decorating expertise. She came in that morning to tell me she had bought yet another house and would need lots of new furniture. I worked with her till 12:30. After she left, I looked at my watch and raced home. I ran to the mailbox but it was empty. My big red letter was well on it's was to Polk County Florida. There was no stopping it. No way to get it back. I was doomed.