It’s done

There will be no trial, the battle is over.  This afternoon Alberto plead guilty to the lesser charge against him: Riot in the Second Degree.  This is still a felony-level conviction, which means we have to submit a criminal waiver as well as the waiver of inadmissibility.  As Lance is out of the country, the attorney at his office that was helping us today told me that the chances of getting the criminal waiver approved are about 35%.  I tell myself that 35% is better than 0%, but the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach says that we are watching our chances blow away in the cold October wind.  This conviction comes with a sentence of 240 days in the workhouse, credit for time served, and Brian says he may not have to serve the full amount.  We have a sentencing hearing in November, which should be interesting if nothing else.  At the time of that hearing he will have been locked up for about 184 days, with 56 days left to go on his sentence.  God willing we could have him home on parole in time for Christmas this year, our first Christmas in 3 years and his first ever with Ashley.  This nightmare is over, and a new one will come forward to take its place.

I’m feeling ok considering I have been plagued with a series of tension headaches since Friday when the negotiations began.  As long as Alberto is still at the county jail I will be able to see him tonight although I am not bringing Ashley with me.  Every once and a while I need a break from the routine, and then there’s the fact that my sweet little Ashley never allows me to have a conversation with her Papí.  I wonder what the attorney told Alberto during this negotiation that I don’t know about yet.  I hope they didn’t use any underhanded tactics to get Alberto to agree to plead guilty.  Alberto is smart and can handle himself, but the language barrier concerns me at times.  I know there was a court certified interpreter available for the proceedings, but I guess I would have felt better if I was there and witnessed everything. 

The holidays are fast approaching and I am not ready for them!  I haven’t started my Christmas shopping with my family in upheaval when I usually have purchased a few things by now.  Then we have to consider my reduced income and the uncertainty that lies ahead.  Can I afford a few presents for my daughter or husband?  I’ll figure out a way to make it happen, somehow.  I know that I don’t need to buy either of them presents, but it makes me happy to be able to do so.  It made me happy to buy Ashley a present even when she was more interested in the wrapping paper or the box than the gift itself.  Just yesterday I bought her a pillow and a Mickey Mouse pillow case and she thought that was the coolest thing ever.  It’s so funny when Ashley comes home with a new word like ‘cool’; it catches me completely off guard.  I think I need to teach her some Mexican slang like ‘chido’.

I would like to take a moment to discuss the telephone system in place for the prisoners to call their loved ones.  ¡¿Pinche compañía sangrona que no le dan vergüenza estar robando la familia de la persona encerrada?!  ¡Que mamadas!  I have now finished my discussion on the telecom companies that provide service to the jails in Minnesota.  For anyone who is offended by curse words, I suggest that you do not look at my handy Spanish translation located at the bottom this post as I have nothing good to say about said company. 

I went to visit Alberto tonight and after talking to him about the plea bargain I feel better about his decision.  Brian told him we could beat the more serious of the charges against him, but the Riot 2 was the only one we wouldn’t have been able to prove his innocence on.  Even the testimony from one of our witnesses would have made him guilty of this particular charge.  He could have been sentenced to up to 5 years for that offense, so I feel like Alberto made the best decision available.  The difficult part will be explaining this all to my mother-in-law tomorrow when I go to pick up Ashley.  I know that I won’t be able to get out the door without explaining this in detail to Gisela.  I just hope that I can explain this without either fighting with her, or getting emotional.  Wish me luck!  ¡Suerte!

Blessing in disguise:  If some bad luck or misfortune ultimately results in something positive, it is said to be a ‘blessing in disguise’.



Ciao



Interesting Spanish Words/Phrases:

Chido                             Cool
Pinche                            Damn
Compañía                       Company
Sangrona                         Bloodsucking
No le dan vergüenza        Aren’t they ashamed
Estar                              To be
Robando                         Stealing
La familia                       The family
La persona encerrada       The person in jail (or locked up)
Que mamadas                  What bullshit!  (extremely vulgar)
Suerte                             Luck