The last time he celebrated Christmas was with his mother, second partner and son. But because of his drug addiction, he wasn’t in his right senses. Fighting to remain conscious, he spent Christmas lunch arguing with his partner and ruining the occasion for his mother and son.
He used to give his partner a hand at decorating the house, most of the time around a month in advance. On the eve he would go out, more often than not to parties, go to Mass the following morning and then have lunch at either his mother’s or mother-in-law’s, still under the influence of the drugs he was addicted to.
He became addicted when still a teenager. Since then, his parents have separated and he’s fathered a daughter from his first partner. His daughter is about to give birth. Middle aged, he’s been convicted of trafficking drugs, his second sentence.
But he’s adamant on reform and longs for rehabilitation.
“Your addiction becomes worse when convicted, it doesn’t just remain alive”, he explains. “Moreover, it becomes worse as the festive season approaches because we resort to drugs to relieve ourselves of our sadness.” He admits that drugs are available within the compound with relative ease.
Christmas is celebrated in prison only in a number of sections. Last time, he explains, a well-known band was invited to perform there but some sections weren’t allowed to watch so as not to interact with other inmates. “I couldn’t believe it. It was like in foreign prisons. In this section I’m not even allowed to go outside.
“My mother last week brought me a home-cooked meal. But because the prison guards thought there was more than enough, she was asked to take some of it back and leave just enough for one person. Even though I didn’t have much, I still shared it with the other inmates. It’s unbearable, how can I not resort to drugs when I’m in such a place?”
Still, he can soon leave... But against a fine. “I have to hand over some five thousand. I don’t have that much but since I want to leave I have to borrow it from someone else. Including interest, it’s going to cost me some fifteen thousand but I’m desperate. I want to continue living, regardless of the cost, and I can’t do otherwise.”
Once a free man again he first has to get his life back on track, sort out licences and get himself a job. But he doesn’t intend to leave his mother’s, wife’s or son’s side and promises that he’s going to give them the best Christmas ever. “I’ll purchase more decorations, give them better presents and cook the biggest meal we’ve had so far.”
And what does he want for Christmas? “To be put on the rehabilitation programme. Other than leaving this place, I can begin working on the drug addiction. I hope to stop taking them once and for all; I’ve had enough and want to start a new page in my life. Friends got me into this and now I know those weren’t friends at all.”
It was then that the prison guard supervising him asked him to end the call. He was given permission to spend a total of 10 minutes on the phone, a considerable amount over his usual stipulated time. So with regret, he said his farewells to the outside, put the phone down and turned to go back to his cell.