The Ambien Made Me Do It

Friday, September 11

On Wednesday I got a call from Parrish in jail.  He said he just got back from Georgia Regional Hospital and he said the doctor there told him he had an allergic reaction to Ambien and that’s why he was so crazy on Friday.  He said he has no memory of any of the events of Friday, doesn’t even remember coming home from the hospital.  He’s good at having selective memories, especially when he has been up to something.  But you ask him some obscure trivia question and he’ll answer without hesitating - and be right.

Apparently the people at the jail here in Brunswick could not deal with his crazy and shipped him off to the state hospital in Savannah.

Or it’s entirely possible that he made up the whole thing to try to get me to bail him out.  The call was free for one minute and I only had one chance to tell him I would pay his bond.  I meant it.

Yesterday I got a postcard from him postmarked on Tuesday and written in pencil.  Here is what he said:  

“Mama, Please activate my (SSI) card when you receive it and put some money in my (jail) account.  Leave the card in my property here @ the jail.  Write me and give me the pin #.  Make it ****.  I didn’t steal the bike.  Something else happened.”

Thursday morning, before he completely lost his ability to cerebrate, Parrish called Social Security and ordered a new debit card.  That’s how he gets his benefits.  He’s disabled by his craziness but he’s not too crazy to keep that money coming in.

When the card arrives I will keep it until he gets out of jail so he will have some money to get a room somewhere.  He doesn’t need any money in jail.  He does not deserve the means by which to purchase junk food.  He doesn’t deserve anything from me right now.


© 2013 cjschlottman