(Updated from a previous blog post.)
You may get the impression that every rider (except you, of course) we ride-sharing folks pick up has some addiction or behavior problems. Most don’t, but they seem to make for intriguing stories—especially this one.
I got a “ding” to pick up someone at the Mobile Airport. This request was slightly different than usual because I wasn’t near the airport. The app tells me it will be a “greater than 45 minutes” ride. Uber tells us that in case we aren’t available for that length of time. Most of my fellow Uber drivers and I love these rides.
I pulled to the concourse and picked up a “middle-aged” woman with a suitcase. She had ordered an “XL,” which usually means several passengers or a lot of luggage.
“How was your flight?” I asked.
“I was supposed to fly out, but my plans have changed. I need to ask you a favor. We’re going to Brewton (about 90 miles away) to pick up my brother. He’s being released from the Escambia County jail today. Here’s the favor I need. When we pick him up, we need to go to Evergreen, Alabama, to the Greyhound Bus station.”
“I’m more than happy to do that,” I said.
She continued, “Once we drop him off, I need you to take me back to Mobile to a hotel. I just booked a room there and will fly out tomorrow. This whole situation has been crazy! He needs to get out of that jail. We were in court in Mobile today, and after our hearing, the judge released him, but for some reason, they needed to take him back to Brewton to release him from there.”
Kate and her brother, Richard, are from Pittsburgh. She’s in her early fifties, and he’s in his late forties. During his twenties and thirties, he stayed in trouble. He was hanging out with the wrong guys, abusing drugs and alcohol, and all of the associated activities. Interestingly, he had secured a job with the Correctional Department in Pennsylvania. He seemed well on the way to straightening out his life, but still found his way to get involved with an addicted woman.
Because of Richard’s challenges, Kate decided early on to become an addiction counselor. Her training and experience helped her identify the “problem” woman who had become attached to Richard. Somehow, this other woman was involved with some unsavory characters who were involved in transporting narcotics to other states. It was one of these trips that Richard had offered to accompany this woman that rekindled his troubles.
Kate had flown to Mobile as an “expert” witness. It seems unusual for the sister to be an expert witness, but it worked out. I’m unsure of the details about Richard’s trip with the other woman, but they were apparently pulled over and arrested. There were narcotics hidden throughout the vehicle. It seemed that he would have to atone for that mistake at some point, but in the meantime, he participated in the AA/NA program.
I was a little confused. How does that get him here in Mobile, or Escambia County Detention Center? Somewhere along the way, he was required to take a drug test. He failed it. But just barely.
Word to the Wise. If you’re doing the right things – KEEP DETAILED RECORDS!!!
This is where Kate’s expert testimony came in. She told me, “Richard kept detailed records of everything he did under the 12-step program. Everything! Every meeting he attended, all of the exercises he performed during his sobriety – everything you could imagine. As an expert in drug abuse therapy, I could see that he was doing the right things. There wasn’t enough time to do otherwise. He lived with our family.”
“Then, how did he fail the drug test?” I asked.
“Well,” she said, “It was positive for opiates but well below the normal positive level. Richard’s history caused them to react more aggressively than they would otherwise. We were amazed because we just knew he hadn’t used! Then it hit us. The night before the random drug test, my mother had served a salad dressing that contained poppy seeds. It wasn’t on the front label but was one of the ingredients when we looked.”
“We brought the bottle to court in Mobile, along with the receipt showing the purchase a day before he used the dressing. At first, the court seemed dubious, but the prosecutors even came aboard with all of the other testimony. We believe the evidence and lots of prayer eventually convinced the court. Our family was raised Catholic, and even though Richard had strayed during his younger years, our faith ultimately made the difference.”
We now arrived at the jail. Somehow, Kate had checked the bus schedules and decided to take Richard back to Mobile with us. He could leave from Mobile in the morning on a 5:00 am Greyhound. They hugged in the parking lot and returned to my car.
Richard was deliriously happy. Apparently, the Escambia County facilities leave a lot to be desired. As we drove back, the conversation was lively. Even though they had been in court together earlier, the atmosphere seemed more like an overdue family reunion.
“All I could do since I’ve been at this jail and the whole time in court was to pray the ‘Our Father’ repeatedly,” Richard said. “I tried to remember other prayers, but this one kept my mind focused.”
“Well,” Kate replied, “I was praying the ‘Hail Mary’ simultaneously!” I know that’s what got us through this whole thing!
We had a great ride back to Mobile. Richard was aware that he would be spending some time in correctional facilities once he got back to Pittsburgh, but he seemed to accept that fact. I was touched to hear that he would serve that time but not let his temporary mistake affect the rest of his life. He had turned the corner and wanted to re-establish the practices he had learned from his faith and the 12-step program.
As I dropped them off at the hotel, I couldn’t help but admire the support and encouragement he received from his sister and apparently from the rest of their family. Yep, I’ve added them to my prayer list!
God Bless ‘Em!
Tommy
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