As the days got closer to my release, my anxiety
grew higher. Each day my heart began beating
faster as I got nearer to my release day. I'd would
walk the yard and the voices got louder in my
head. I'd would walk over to the fence and hear
the same words everyday now. “You can do it I will
help”. On this particular day, I ask the guard;“ can
I go to the latrine”. He said,” used the outhouse in
the back; near the back fence.
On September 16, five days before my
release of ten years, I climbed over the fence. I
jump down fifteen feet and ran to my freedom. It
took e all of seventy minutes to climb to my
freedom. I ran so fast and hard. I found myself
facing a big ship, I ran into the boat dock. I
climbed into a big ship and landed on the bottom
with the traveling pets. I laid on my stomach for
two weeks. I ate pet food and never said a word. I
was free and that is all I could think of. The big
ship landed in the port of France. I knew no french
but somehow I learned a few words. I got a job as
a fisherman working on the cold docks every day
and night. I took a small room at Ms. Lilly’s
fisherman Raft room and board, near the
boardwalk. It took forty days working straight, I
finally received my pay. Most of my money went to
pay for my room and board. Ms Lilly was nice to
Americans.
Years have passed. The dock were cold and hard
work. I met a guy working at the dock and we
became friends. My friend would go home to
Germany to visit his family every holiday. I gave
him a letter to mail for me, to send to America to
my sister. I use his return address just in case she
wanted to write back. Two weeks later, my
German friend handed me a letter from my sister.
My sister explains how she and my father came to
pick me up on the release day. The Guard explain
to her that I was release earlier that day and give
her my release papers stating time served. My
sister explained how she and my father looked for
me for two years and my father was not doing well.
I packed my bags
and flew out of France within the next few days.
When I got to Illinois, I ran into my fathers arms.
He cried and laughed at the same time. My father
explains how the guard at the state Penn had lied
about my release because he did not want to get
fired for losing an inmate. Ten years turn out to be
twenty- five years. Trap in a country I did not need
to be.
I often think of
the fences that first trapped me, then protect me,
then made me feel safe. The fences with the
voices. The fifteen foot fence I climbed to my
freedom. I would do it all again. I got my freedom
back. I stayed in Chicago Illinois caring for my
father. Many Saturday afternoons my family would
gather at my house for my father's famous Bar B Q
dinner. Time has passed, I was now forty-five
years old. My father was going on seventy-five.
There was an up roaring about the topic of voting
right for the people of color. A lot of talk about
segregation was now in the courts. I took on a few
odd jobs here and there. My cousin had a fix it
shop, I would help him fix what ever that is
needed.
My father passed away quietly
after Sunday service meeting. He was sitting in his
chair, and close his eyes and passed away at the
age of eighty -two. My sister move right into my
fathers house and took care of everything.
Strapping she knew just what to do. My father left
an estate of good wealth to me and my sister.
Every reastate agent in the country was calling to
buy the five bedroom house that sat on ten aces of
land in the middle of town. The property was in
both our names. I begin to hear the fences talk in
my head. Those fences with the little holds, I
climbed out, jump over and got my freedom.
There was talk
about color people meeting down town in front of
the court house. An old colored womanwas to
drink out of the white folks water fountain in front of
the court house on Saturday morning. This talk
was a big event to the color folks. On Saturday,
I gather my family and went down town to the court
house. I have never seen so many colored folks
gather together in one place before. Soon in the
far distance, I saw an old lady walking slowly with
two ministers from the color church. The color
folks gather around her and she lean over and
drink the water from the fountain. When I was
growing up I was told never to drink from the white
folks water fountain. I always thought white folks
water tasted different. When the old lady stared to
drink form the fountain the people started to clip
and chee for her. I was feeling execrating, I also
felt pround of the old lady who stood for my equal
rights that day.. I got the same feeling when I jump
over the fifteen foot fence. I got freedom back.