Ninety Days to Go

Mick Whitlock

The workplace adventure continues. I began working nights at Thor Motor Coach in December. I simply had to. I was practically starving to death. You see, when we'd exit the bus at work, we received both a breakfast and a lunch sack. But the food was pitiful; basically unfit for human consumption. And as bad as it tasted, the nutritional content was even worse. For example, most lunch sacks contained a bologna sandwich. But as bad as the bologna is for you in the free world, the bologna we receive is simply hideous. So I'd go all day and hardly eat a thing. I lost 18 pounds in two months. I was down to 172 pounds, a weight I hadn't seen since high school more than 40 years ago. Then as fate\karma would have it, Thor decided to start up a new shift, and I jumped at the opportunity.

I began working from 8:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. six nights a week. The factory was quieter and more laid back, yet my production level increased. I was now able to eat three hot meals a day at the Work Release Center and sleep during the day. Only I couldn't fall asleep during the day. The intercom was constantly blaring and someone seemed to be constantly going in and out of the room I stay in (and share with 17 other men). I was soon running on empty at work and literally falling asleep on my feet.

Finally, I found a solution. I apologized to the other men in the room before hand, put my headphones on, and cranked the radio up. Then I lie down on my back. I don't normally snore when I sleep on my side, but if I roll over onto my back, look out. Fortunately, the men that surround me during the day are few in number and very understanding. My production level at work has gone back up. And I enjoy conversing with my fellow employees about their daily lives and their families. Because in ninety days, I'll be released and get my own life back. And my entire family will be waiting when I walk out the gate to freedom. And what a glorious day it will be!