THE SYSTEM

The System
09-17-98
Wednesday

Wednesday 10:15 p.m. Here I am, wasting away the hours in Waffle House until I feel that I am adequately tired enough to fall asleep. What have I got to show so far? Let's see; I've updated the Kung Fu School diary, I've re-read the information on Jook Lum, and I've read another chapter in Zhuan Falun.
I have already eaten a waffle and an egg and I had originally planned to eat an additional plate of food after that, but that coffee is filling me up and is keeping me awake.
I can't really go home because my car is screwed up; it keeps flashing up in my face "OIL! OIL!" Even though I have put in one and a half quarts of oil, not to mention the fact that I've put in a bit of transmission fluid also. But, the stubborn thing just keeps its engine getting louder & louder and chugs along at a maximum speed of 35 mph. I'm afraid that if I try of drive home it will either do further damage to the engine or it will simply break down for good. Being Wednesday, I don't yet have the cash to pay to get it fixed.

So, it looks like I'll be camping out at C.J.'s Cleaners for a few days. I wonder if Stacey's mom and her boyfriend, John, will even care that I do this to simply ensure that I will be able to be at work tomorrow?
I doubt it. When I called them on the phone earlier, to tell them that they would have to pick up the clothes, because of my situation, they just laughed. Of course there was no "Oh, we will pick you up and take you to work in the morning." And definitely no "We'll advance you the money from your paycheck, to get the car fixed; that would be pretty much out of the question! Yeah, it sucks!

Today is Wednesday and normally I would be up in Athens at this time just finishing up the Kung Fu class. There are some new students that need me to be there. I hope they attend the next class.

I don't know; maybe this is payback for yesterday's good luck.
What luck is that? Hmmm...

Back in May, I got a D.U.I..
Yes, I was driving drunk.
I make no excuses for my mistake, yet I would like to describe my life during those times, to give you an idea of the stress levels.

My parents told me that by the next month, they would be moving into a retirement home they had finally been accepted. That meant that I had to find a place to live that was somewhat close to work, a place that I could afford (even with my horrible credit), a place that would be big enough for all of my stuff (including the stuff that my parents couldn't fit into their tiny new place).
Stacey had just informed me that she was definitely moving to Houston.
I was working for a computer wholesale company that was almost entirely made up of Chinese people (not including me of course), and I began to see that all of my big sales accounts were being routed to someone else's database.
"Quota!Quota!" the boss would shout.
So, I guess you could say that the pressure was pretty much on.

And, I needed a beer.

This was on a Monday. I remember, because the previous Friday I had bought my first car in years. I couldn't afford the insurance payment yet and the title office was not open on the weekends. For $300 cash, my vehicle made the world seem a little bit closer to me; and my once unattainable dreams now moved a little closer within my reach.

So, Monday night I went off for a beer. And three hours later, I went off to jail. Of course, the police called my place of employment to inform the previous owner of my car that I had stolen it.
Needless to say, I was fired as soon as they heard I was in jail, regardless of the reason.
Released on bond, I went in search of a place to live as my not-too-proud parents slowly moved into the retirement home. I found a house on the opposite side of the city as my parents' place, and I moved in.
There was no lease; just a $150 deposit.

I liked the house. There were three bedrooms upstairs and one downstairs, alongside the dining room and kitchen. The living room was on the middle-level, just of the foyer as you entered the front door.
One roommate was Disc Jockey from Poland, who had an uncanny grip on the deeper philosophies of life; even though his demeanor nearly scared away any visitors to the house.
There was a kid (whom we affectionately called "kid") living in the room across the hall from my room, who was an obvious rebel and drifter(like I didn't look the same way), and was also terrified of our `Polish brother.'
In the downstairs room lived a pretty normal couple. The girl was attractive, though I wouldn't have noticed if I didn't peep out the window to catch a glance at what the guy kept sneaking her in the back door. Talk about not having trust! I didn't know it then, but they were constantly doing any and all drugs they could get their hands on and the guy was beating her up. The Polish guy told me about it when I asked him why there was a potted Marijuana plant up on the roof; it was theirs.
It began to make sense then, why her boyfriend said "She's beautiful, but clumsy; always bumping into things and falling down all over the place. Obvious excuses for his beatings.

During my stay at `the house,' the time finally came for my court appearance.
They slapped me with a fine to be paid during a 12 month period, report to a probation officer once a month & pay her a $25 "observance fee," 120 hours of community service, revocation of driving privileges, and a requirement to attend an alcohol treatment program; not to mention a few days in the slammer.

Now, `the house' was in a county devoid of public transportation. And all of the community service and probation payments & visits were to be done a total of 50 miles south of town;. Of course, trying to find a new job, pay rent, groceries, car insurance, help out the folks with medication, etc., was a task. For two months I was only able to afford $100 for probation, and not able to get to community service.
So guess what happened the last time I visited my probation officer?
That's right, she said "Mr. Kiessling, tell it to the judge...Your probation has been revoked!"

So, yesterday I went to court.
You can bet that I was pretty scared; I thought that they would put me in jail for at least a year or two. At first, being antagonistic towards the system , I felt that the judge would be relentless in her attack and not give two squats about the particulars of the situation.
"Yeah judge, you're right; no matter what I should have done what the courts said. Jeez. Would that be a bit sarcastic? I was peeping through the courtroom and saw all of the "orange-suits" - the ones that have already been sitting in jail, awaiting their hearing, which had finally come.
I thought to myself "Face it, Craig, those are going to be your new pals."
Then it hit me. I had to make them see it my way; they had to hear exactly what my life is like.

The judge called for a lunch break.
I had one hour.
Across the street I ran as fast as I could to the public defender's office.
Normally they require one day's notice for an appointment but I explained quickly my case to the receptionist and she rushed me back to the best guy's office.
About an hour and half later, there I stood before the judge. In each of the other cases, the defendant was heard for about five minutes, if that; sentences given and all. My story had everyone, including the judge, almost to the point of tears. I was before the judge twenty heart-wrenching minutes. When I stepped down, the results were... amazing.

The probation revocation charge was dropped.
My payments were now spread over 18 months instead of 12.
I still report to my probation officer once a month, but I only had to pay a $10 observance fee.
I got a driving permit - to and from work.
No treatment program, just attendance at AA meetings locally every once in a while.
No jail time, and no community service.

The 16th of September, 1997, was a full moon. The night before, my friend said "The full moon; tomorrow it could either save your, or kill you."
Well, now we know which. It was a good full moon...

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading The System.
Please send me your comments and/or editorial notes
on the chapter and make sure to
check out some of the other chapters as well!