February 11, 2015
Losing An Unexpected Friend In Federal Prison
My cellie moved out yesterday in preparation for his release from prison. You remember him, a former drug dealer from Maine. People stopped by my cube and asked me how I was enjoying my single cube (temporary). I laughed and said it was great but that was not the whole truth. While it is great to have your own cube (a luxury in prison), I must admit that I already miss my old cellie.
Ours was an unlikely friendship. An older white-collar guy with a young former drug dealer. We did share some things in common. He raced motorcycles, as did I when I was young. We shared many a story about our motorcycle adventures. My cellie was a risk taker, so was I. (perhaps that is why we are both here in prison? ) He was funny and tried to make light of our dismal circumstances. I appreciated his humor as it provided daily relief to the monotony of prison life.
When you live with someone in a 7 x 10 cube, you get to know them rather quickly. You spend hours talking about everything and nothing. I compare it to my experience racing sailboats in multi-day long distance races. You are living in tight quarters with other sailors and you share a common goal, to win the race. Those circumstances produced life-long friendships for me with a great bunch of guys.
Prison is similar in that you live in close quarters with others and share a common goal, to survive prison and return to your family. I guess that is why I formed such a close bond with my cellie over the past 3 months.
My cellie will return home to Maine and live with his family and work at his father's business. He is anxious to see his 2 daughters and to be the father he was not able to be as a result of his 10-year prison sentence.
I believe my cellie will be successful upon his release from prison because of his ambition and his family support.
I truly hope he is successful and happy, after all, he is my unexpected friend, a friend I will never see again.
Ken Flaska
