As I said before, I did time in Federal prison for taking part in tax fraud for my company. My sentence was a year and a day, which is a little over 10 months with good time. I spent seven of those months in a very nice women's prison camp. I'm not being sarcastic here either. It was soft time, as soft as you can get. 'Club Fed.' I'll go into this later. The main purpose of this post is to explain how I ended up married to Dart.
You don't get released from prison straight into society, at least not in the Federal system (I can't speak about the County Jail system since I don't know about it.) You go from prison to a half-way house.
A half-way house is a privately run business that feeds, houses, and helps reintegrate newly released prison inmates. You live there while trying to find a job and save up for your first month's rent to get an apartment and so forth. The half-way house where I was sent was pretty awful. I'm not going to say it was horrible, because I know there's a lot worse out there.
You have to understand, though, I came from this really nice prison where we all took care of each other. Where the food was good and we lived two to a cubicle. We had beautiful mountains all around us, fresh air, a track to walk on, a fitness center. I never felt like I was in danger, and that's not because we were guarded all the time. The women's prison camp had one guard for 200 inmates and they only checked on us during count. They never hassled us. The atmosphere was very friendly. We were all non-violent offenders.
Then I get to this half-way house where all the newly released Federal prison inmates are grouped together. From me, who helped in a tax fraud, to a guy who brought enough chemical weapons into Las Vegas to kill everyone in three city blocks. I was side by side with the rapists, murderers, drug addicts, mobsters, pimps, and so on.
When I got there I was pretty determined to stay the Hell away from the scary men that filled the place. I tried to hide in the girl's dorm and just play around on the computer until I started my job. I still had my laptop from before I was incarcerated and my old neighbor let me use her USB stick to connect to the Internet.
But, of course, the other women in the dorm didn't have laptops or any way to connect online. I was harassed by one of the women constantly to let her use my computer. When I kept refusing her she would sit on my bunk next to me and watch what I was doing. I got fed up, so I brought my computer out to the common area and used it there.
The men had the courtesy not to badger me. I was left alone, and after a while I got more comfortable around them.
I was able to go back to my old place of employment two weeks after I was released. As I said, I could no longer work in accounting so my new position wasn't as lucrative as what I'd had before. Compared to all the men in the half-way house, however, I was a millionaire. None of them could seem to get hired anywhere. It was 2011 and it was hard for someone with a clean record to find work, much less an ex-convict.
I took pity on some of the guys and shared my instant coffee or gave up my half-way house meals when I ordered take-out instead. I found myself getting along better with the men than the women. The women's dorm was tyrannized by the large woman who was always trying to get my computer from me. She bullied another woman in there who was 7 months pregnant. I couldn't stand to be around her.
The men, however, didn't seem to want to hit on me, and liked having me around. I started joking around with a bunch of different guys, including Dart. Dart had a fast wit and could always make people laugh. I didn't feel any particular affinity to him, no more than some of the other guys. I was just passing time in an enjoyable way. There was no romantic vibe between us.
On weekends I was stuck in the half-way house both days. One Saturday a male ex-convict came into the women's dorm--terrifying all of us. Before the women could start shrieking at him, he said, "Annie, Annie, Martinez likes you!" I was too mortified that a man had come into our area to even register what he was saying. Three staff members burst in and threw the guy out. We were all shook up. This was where we had to sleep, shower, and change our clothes.
Later that day I went out to get lunch. I was in line behind a Mexican man and Dart was in line behind me. The man in front of me, a young guy but very stocky, turned around and gave me a leering smile. I was a little freaked out by this. Then I realized he had his hand in his shorts and was fondling himself.
I lunged back away from him and crashed into Dart. I was beyond horrified. The revulsion just gripped my whole body. I was scrambling to get away from the pervert while making sounds of disgust. Dart was confused a second, but then saw what made me freak out. He pounded the guy in the chest with the butt of his palm.
"The fuck you doin', man? Get your fucking hand off your dick!"
The pervert started laughing and kept holding himself. "What? I like her."
Dart grabbed him by the neck of his tee shirt and yelled in his face. "You think this is a joke, fucker? You fucking pig!" (Something like that. I don't remember exactly what he said).
I was standing beside one of the bench tables where we would eat watching all of this. My face was so hot it felt like I'd been slapped. I was grateful for Dart. The pervert had made me feel like a victim. Dart was vindicating me. He was letting me know that perverted freaks didn't have to make me feel powerless. I was protected here.
Martinez, the pervert, grabbed his lunch and left, while no longer smiling. Dart and another guy stuck around to console me.
This is when I first let my guard down with Dart. He was noble to me now. I also noticed how he'd take the trash out even when it wasn't his day for chores. If he saw the trash full he'd do something about it instead of piling on more trash. He told me that his mother taught him never to ignore a problem. He'd gained my respect.
Every day we ate together. I learned that he was selling his plasma and wiping off cars as they came out of a car wash to try and get tips. He was saving up to pay for the physical exam and permit required to become a taxi driver. (So he claimed.) I liked his initiative. Taxi driving was one gig an ex-con could get into. It just had a high cost of entry. Dart had goals and was taking action.
So I gave him $120. This was what he told me he needed to pay for the physical exam. Well, it was a lie. I know now that he used $100 to get into a poker tournament. I don't have any proof of this, I've just learned how he works over the years of being with him. When I think back it's obvious to me.
But at the time he had fooled me and there was enough chaos for him to get away with it. I don't know exactly what really happened, but I know he wasn't truthful with me. He never is when it comes to money.
When I came back to the half-way house that day after work one of the staff sat down with me and asked if I knew where Dart was. He'd never returned from his 5 hour pass. My stomach sank. Dart was breaking a rule that was going to get him sent back to prison. I told them to please wait and give him another chance. They said they would have to see.
He didn't come back at all that night. I called into work the next day because I was too worried about the idiot to go in. That morning I saw him coming through the guard station. He was with them for a long time. When he came out he looked at me with a sad face. I felt so glad that he'd come back that I hugged him.
He held on to me and squeezed. I was surprised at how tight he held. I was just hugging him as a concerned friend. He was hugging back like someone in love with me. This didn't sit too well, but I felt that it wasn't important at that moment. I'll admit, I didn't have much romantic experience. I should have known that a guy is going to see a hug as a sign you're attracted to them. I was pretty clueless.
We sat down and he spun one of the yarns he spins so well. I don't know what really happened, but here is his story: The father of his grandson tried to take his baby from Dart's daughter and he had to take a bus to Flagstaff to get him back. This is what he spent the money I gave him on.
Yes, he has a daughter who has a baby son. That's the only thing true about what he said. I know he blew my money on some other bullshit--more than likely a poker tournament. Why he didn't come back to the half-way house that night was still a mystery. Something must have happened, because he wasn't going to risk going back to prison just to make a convincing lie for me.
Anyway, I believed him. I gave him more money. Yes I'm an idiot. By this time he'd made it clear to me his interest in me was romantic. I didn't push him away. I still thought he was noble. We kissed and it felt okay to me. I decided to give him a chance. I never felt melty lovey-dovey feelings toward him, but the intimacy didn't put me off. I just went with it.
This second $120 vanished like the first without him every getting the physical. By that time he'd moved out of the half-way house and in with the aunt of his daughter. (Though thinking back I bet they were shacking up as lovers.) He said she demanded he buy groceries or he'd be kicked out. That's where the second $120 went. (Yeah, right.)
He was kicked out by her anyway the day after he invited me over while she was at work. It was the first time we'd had sex. The next day he asked me to pick him up and wouldn't tell me why over the phone. (I had paid off my car before I went into prison and still had it.) When I picked him up he loaded my car with all his belongings and asked me to take him back to the half-way house.
He claimed that the aunt, who'd been babysitting his grandson, was trying to get custody of the grandson. His daughter and the aunt had it out in front of him and tried to drag him into it. So he left.
No. That's not what happened. I don't have any evidence, but I'm pretty sure one of her neighbors saw him bring me there and I was the reason she kicked him out. He was cheating on her...and on me.
But at the time I believed him.
OKAY. WAIT.
I know you're probably so frustrated with me at this point that you want to stop reading. Believe me--I know how you feel. I'm cringing so much as I type this. Was I ever really that stupid? I was well into my 30s by this time, you realize. I wasn't some dumb kid. I should have known better.
Well, I did wise up about the money. It was obvious that he was going to keep conning me for cash without ever getting his shit done. So the next time I said I'd go with him to the taxi company and pay directly to the person who does the physical. While I was there I paid the fee for his permit too, and some other bullshit the taxi company charges. It was $480. This time though, he actually started a job as a damn taxi driver.
And then...then I did something really stupid that should destroy all my credibility with you.
Dart picked me up after work with a huge bouquet of flowers. He was dressed in a tuxedo. He said he wanted me to celebrate something with him. I was surprised and happy and went along with it. He wouldn't tell me what he was celebrating.
He drove me to A Little White Wedding Chapel. My stomach started to tighten up. He pulled up to the drive-thru, opened a ring box with a diamond ring in it, and said, "Annie, you're the best thing to ever happen to me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you, right here and right now, marry me?"
He was celebrating Septemer 9th, 2011. 9-10-11. One of the days everyone wants to get married. He had actually won a poker tournament and used the money to buy the ring and book the chapel. (I found this all out later.)
I said yes.
We had been dating for one month.
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