I don’t know if every family has one, but my family certainly does. I’m not referring to the monster yet, however I am talking about an older cousin who thought the world owed him something. I remember BJ as a funny grown up young man that liked to play the guitar and sing and was always smiling and I was a lot younger so I didn’t know all the stuff he had his fingers dipped in.

Seems BJ was a crook and spent a lot of time in and out of jail before he moved to California and then he was a Mafia wannabe, but of course he wasn’t Italian, but it still didn’t stop him from trying. Apparently he was pretty stupid because he spent some time in Folsom and some of those other prisons that I can’t remember the names of.

I will say one thing he was a survivor right up till his death and that was maybe 10 years ago and surprisingly it wasn’t from being in prison or getting shot or something. He had to have a liver transplant and lived quite a few years before complications set in. Of course if he hadn’t started drinking again he might have lived longer, see I told you he was stupid.

Okay back to the monster part now. About 25 years ago or somewhere around there I was living in Reno and my brother sent me word that BJ was in the California Men’s Colony or CMC and would really like a visit from family so since I was the only one out there that meant me. So he put me on his list and I had no idea what to expect. Of course I was sent a list of do’s and dont’s, but I wasn’t really prepared.

I think I took the bus, but as much as I’ve driven all over the country I can’t be clear on that point. I do remember the coastline was beautiful and being nervous about this adventure. Thinking back it was the bus because there were other people going to visit inmates and I remember them telling me about things to expect and where to get the shuttle to go to CMC.

Early next morning I was up on time and very nervous waiting for the shuttle and cussing myself out for saying I would come and what a rotten way to spend my vacation and I certainly hoped he appreciated this visit. When the shuttle came everyone piled on and off we went. They pulled up outside the prison and we were taken into a house called “Friends On The Outside.”

I found out that we had to take all of our street clothes off and change into clothes that they kept there for people on the “Outside” boy you talk about humiliating. I was really cussing myself by now and thinking I was as stupid as him for even coming, but then I thought about my Mama and she would have appreciated this visit I was putting myself out for if she were still alive.

Any personal belongings had to be in a plastic zipper bag so everything could be seen. We were then ushered through the gates and up to the prison and through the detectors or whatever they had and put into the huge waiting area where tables were and machines for refreshments and everyone waited for whoever it was they were there to see. I wasn’t sure if I would recognise BJ after all this time, but I did.

This is getting a bit long and there’s lots more so I will continue this tomorrow and tell you which monster I actually saw up close and I was totally disgusted. Read more about the real live monster.