Serving Six: The Beginning.

This is the beginning. As the title so eloquently puts it. I'm trying to keep it simple here folks. The day that changed my life.

It was Thanksgiving week of 2006. My favorite week of the year because my birthday was at the end and there was substantial amount of time off work without actually having to use vacation time. There was family time. There was food. There happiness. It was a great week. This year was different. This year, this week, was the worst week of my life.

This was the week my brother got arrested.

My entire world was falling apart. Right before my eyes. And there was nothing I could do about it. I need my brother. We talked often and I could always count on him. And now he was gone. I knew, hoped, prayed, that it wasn’t forever, but he was still gone.

George had been at our house Sunday afternoon watching football with Steve. Nothing out of the ordinary. He seemed totally fine. When he left he hugged me. I didn’t know the next time I would hug him would be in 2008.

Sunday, November 19, 2006 my brother robbed a 7-11. He took some cash, cigarettes, and beer. And he went home. Never said a word. Monday was a normal day. Monday night he went out again. This time to 3 gas stations and back to the same 7-11. Money, cigarettes, beer. Not a lot of any one of them.

He was picked up after hitting the 7-11 again. But not after a car chase and then a little foot race action. He was arrested on the spot, brought in, and held without bond. While the rest of us slept George was changing our lives.

Tuesday was an ordinary day. Get up, get ready, go to work. Try to work but can’t because it’s the day before the holiday and all focus is gone.

Then my phone rang.

It was my dad asking if I’d heard from George. I had no idea where my brother was. And it wasn’t unusual that I didn’t hear from him during the work day. Plus he was supposed to start his new job that day. My dad said that it he’d gone out last night and it didn’t look like he’d been home.

He said there was no answer on his cell. I told Dad I’d try and get back to him. I try my brother. And I try. And Try. No answer. He doesn’t usually ignore my calls. Now I was worried. I left work and headed home.

Where I would get the phone call that would forever change my life.

My dad broke the news to me. He had called the police station just to see if he could find anything out. The policeman asked him if he was sitting. He was. Then he told him what George had done. It was unbelievable. He’d done some bad things in his life, but this was not like him. He knows better. At least we thought he did.