A Tribute to Life in Washington D.C.

Kicked Out of the Halfway House; No Surprise

It was inevitable, Cheryl was tossed from the "transitional house" for violating the house rules. My sister doesn't like when I refer to the sobriety center as a halfway house. Halfway to what, I wonder? Cheryl is an addict, serving out terms of the state’s judicial court ordered probation. This was the court's solution to possession of a controlled substance with intent to transport and distribute. She previously dabbled with weed, coke, crack and meth, but most recently transitioned to the BIG H, heroine. She got intense probation and has a suspended sentence hanging over her head.

The rules are simple, don't cross them and the state will provide you with a place to live for 60 days. After your first two months of proven dedication to counseling, AA and a drug-free life, one can continue to reside in the transitional house for up to six months, at $175 per week. But there are rules: no drinking, no visitors, go to counseling, get a job (or at least try...) and pass the occasional urine analysis (UA) test ON DEMAND; easy-peasy, right? "Keep your probation officer happy," Cheryl was told often.

So you wonder, what did she do to get tossed? Violation number one amounted to acquiring minis, an assortment of miniature bottles of liquor from an elderly wheelchair bound gentleman living in my mother's senior complex. Yes, you heard right. My 50 year old sister dabbled in debauchery with my mother's eighty-eight year old wheel-chair confined neighbor. Mom says, "He was probably just looking for a friend."

"And he picked Cheryl," I questioned? "How bad can this be," I thought? At least it was not crack, crank or meth. That's not so bad, strike one. Alcoholics stumble, a couple minis, a couple shooters brought into a drug free sobriety house cant be a deal breaker, not on a first occurrence, right?

Roll the clock forward twelve hours. The family Christmas party just wrapped. However, Cheryl was prohibited from attending because the halfway house "mom" penalized Cheryl with house-arrest for violating sobriety house rules. Cheryl brought alcohol into the drug-free environment.

Her children were pissed off, but not shocked. Cheryl's history predicts a bleak future. After fourteen attempts at sobriety though countless rehab centers in numerous states over the past 18 years, falling off the proverbial wagon is quite predictable. Her train derailment is expected. It's not if, but when.

So back to the Christmas party. Her children wanted to see their mother and expected her to attend. Bringing the family together is a challenge. Cheryl's youngest daughter, Teresa lives in a car in north Baltimore. Teresa's son, (Cheryl's grandson) lives in the adjacent apartment with the father's mother. The parents rotate, alternating nightly between the car and couch of a tiny efficiency apartment. The second youngest daughter, Kathy now lives with the father of her second child (not counting the abortion). It is true that he faces a court ordered prohibition from being in proximity to Kathy, they seem to have worked things out. He may have beaten the crap out of her a few times in the past, well... enough to generate court ordered oversight. Nonetheless, they still live together, in defiance of a court mandate and ankle bracelet. He is trouble, his abused wife, Kathy (like her mother) is an alcoholic. Cheryl's third child, the youngest, a son, Jim was also at the Christmas party. He lives with his father, Cheryl's ex-husband Donnie. Jim is learning how to extort from the state's department of social services by way of false worker injury claims, unemployment benefits and frivolous lawsuits brought against the unsuspectingly innocent and naive. The children were anxious to see their mother, Cheryl. After all, they thought she was going to attend the party. They all traveled hours to attend. After the party, they visited Cheryl at the halfway house. They hoped to deliver and open Christmas gifts, hug, pray and reminisce, on the sidewalk, near the street, out of doors. Halfway house rules prohibit visitors.

The next scene is sketchy. The story goes that one of Cheryl's daughters had to use the bathroom, so Cheryl let her enter the halfway house. According to Cheryl, the house mom had it in for her and never liked her. Letting Teresa use the restroom was a solid violation of halfway house rules, and enough to get Cheryl tossed; two broken rules in 3 days. So the Christmas party on the sidewalk at the halfway house led to a rule violation and Cheryl's eviction. Her homeless daughter had to urinate. How long before Cheryl blames the eviction on her daughter, I wondered.

The next day, Cheryl moved in with her alcoholic boyfriend (of 3 weeks), Guthry. The gentlemen does not drive and resides in his parent's basement; he is 55 years old. He is currently "in between jobs." Yesterday, Guthry proposed to my sister, Cheryl. The announcement was made on Facebook. "What can go wrong," I wonder?