TJ Ryder
Chapter 1
Reform School Romance!
I couldn't believe that all I got from my uncle
Bill when he died after all he said to me about my being his
favorite grand nephew was an old diary from World War II.
I mean I thought we got along pretty darn good, and its
not like he had any money or anything, just another old
geezer in an assisted care center who if he ever had anything
had to get rid of it all for the state to provide nursing
home care.
But then when I read the note in the car, "Dear Tim,
this is especially for you! I hope you, unlike me, find your
real path in this world, because you only go through once,
or at least I'm about to find out!"
Bill always had a good sense of humour, and for some
reason of all the great nephews and nieces and extended cousins
we hit it off somehow. But you know you could always tell he
wanted to tell me something, and I guess this was it, an
old leather bound diary.
That's when I lost two days of my life, because
when I got back to the sophomore dorm in college,
I didn't put it down till I finished it, and then my life
changed a lot, but that's another story.
**********************************************************
Diary of William Terence Phillips!
"April 3rd, 1944, Akron Ohio! Ohio State Reformatory
for Boys!"
Yup, still here, and I was hoping now that I turned
18 they'd give me early parole, or at least let me join
the army, but no such luck. Looks like I'm serving the
full 3 years for car theft.
Funny thing though, this place isn't all that bad, I
made some new friends, and since my family has practically
disowned me I need em! Finished my GED testing, did
pretty good. While I liked being an older boy here,
I'm sort of still in the middle. I stopped growing
at 5'6" and remained small boned and beardless like
dad I guess, which has like, good and bad points, like
everything in here. It's not like hard time, in fact
its pretty safe. But after lights out, well, a boy like me
has to adapt to reality.
I was learning a trade even, electrician, and I seem
to develop an aptitude for it. And then, the military
recruiters came by, well, they were actually officers of
this new group from the USO and the Veterans Affairs something
although I didn't know that then.
I was playing baseball during our free period at
the reform school when someone in a suit came out and
read my name, and I was already wondering what it was about
and if it was worth going over the wall for when they
had three other names before mine.
Taylor, Present!
Coleridge, Here!
Jackson, Yassuh!
Leroy Jackson was the one name that convinced me to
answer here, because he was 1: black 2: a sissybottom and
most important, 3: he never did nothing wrong!
Well, before lights out that is.
I mean I had a Plan B! I had long figured out the weak spot!
My route planned to the laundry truck; a reform school isn't
like stir, it isn't all that hard to get out of, the problem was
what to do in the world with a felony record if you exit.
I'd just get picked up right away again and I was due
for parole in less than a year!
It has to be worth it, and for the first time in a year I
really hadn't done anything that bad.
"Phillips!"
"Here!" I said.
Later, standing in a hallway inside, still wearing baseball
uniforms, I wondered how they would continue the game without
us, as I was looking at the other guys. Kind of like me,
I thought! Two white boys totally clueless and being constantly
victimized and Leroy, who knew the score even before I did!
Leroy was the only one to ask, and he just shook his head.
"Ah don know nuffin bout nuffin! Fo real!"
The last sentence was looking me right in the eye and I
nodded.
Okay, I says to myself, sitting on the wooden bench like I
had been a dozen times, not recently though, getting ready
for parole, I just leaned back and instantly dozed off. Nothing
like being just outside the Reform School Warden's office for
security and an excellent spot to take a snooze! You got to
take advantage of whatever you get there.
I must have been gone off for thirty minutes or more
cuz the bench was empty when I heard my name.
"Phillips!"
"Um, y-yes, Here!"
"In the office, Phillips!" the guard said tiredly.
"Yes Sir!"
Inside I was facing two men in army dress uniforms and
the assistant warden. Apparently what was going on wasn't
important enough for the warden so I just adopted my usual
shell-like stance, neutral totally.
The middle aged Major with the doctor's insignia
smiled at me, surprising in itself.
'So, Terry Phillips, just turned 18, kind of hoping
for early parole I guess, huh?"
You get used to being talked about in the third person
while still in the room. I just nodded, my face blank.
"Iv'e been looking at your record here, Phillips, may
I call you Terry?" I said nothing, they would talk to me
anyway they wanted anyway.
"Two counts of car theft, not a lot for a maximum
sentence, did you ever think of that?"
I shrugged! Never give em anything!
"Course your family not showing up at court probably
didn't help much!"
That one stung a little but I just stood there like
a wooden indian! Tears dried up at least two years ago.
"He's tough, hard!" the other one said about me, a
lieutenant I think although at the time I didn't know ranks
so well.
"That might be an advantage here!" the major said
without breaking eye contact. "Listen Terry, we can offer
you an out and also do your country a service. We noticed
your interest in the file of joining the armed forces if
you made that last parole!" I might have flinched but still
managed a slight shrug. Never give em anything!
"We have a slight problem with our veterans groups.
So many young men, traumatized, shell shock, even disabled,
concentrated in single spots, with no women. Some ready
to rejoin the active service, but they need," he paused,
'socialization!" He caught my eyebrow and smiled.
"It means, they haven't quite returned to normal yet,
not enough for the war, if that is normal! They need
some socialization experience. Some who cares for them
as a person instead of a nurse or doctor or company
commander!"
At this point I was totally lost and it must have
showed in my face. I was prepared to deny a lot of stuff
that I did and didn't do but this was completely strange
territory.
"We need more girls!" The lieutenant said bluntly!
My mouth definitely dropped open!
The major smiled, "frankly put, but true. Do you
have any idea what its like to be without a woman in months,
years even for many of these young men? And facing many
traumatic experiences and now we need them to face them
again. We have no resources in our budget for this, recruiting
women for our social venues, dances and such.