kind of visitor, considerin the crime you have committed. People that go around makin a fool of the U.S. Congress are lucky they don't get thowed in 'the hole' - so get your big ass out here."
I gone on down to the visitors room with him. Outside, a group of carolers from the Salvation Army is singin "Away in a Manger," an I can hear a Santa Claus ringin his bell for donations. When I set down in front of the wire booth, I am absolutely floored to see settin across from me little Forrest.
"Well, merry Christmas, I guess" is all he says.
I don't know what else to say, so I says, "Thanks."
We just set lookin at each other for a minute. Actually, little Forrest is mostly starin down at the counter, ashamed, I guess, to see his daddy in the pokey.
"Well, how'd you come to get here?" I ast.
"Grandma sent me. You was in all the papers and on TV, too. She said she thought it might cheer you up if I came."
"Yeah, well it does. I really appreciate it."
"It wadn't my idea," he said, a comment which I thought was unnecessary.
"Look, I know I've screwed up, an right now I ain't exactly somebody you can be proud of. But I been tryin."
"Tryin to do what?"
"Tryin not to screw up."
He just kep starin at the counter, an after a minute or so, he says, "I went out to the zoo to see Wanda today."
"She okay?"
"Took me two hours to find her. Seemed like she was cold. I tried to put my jacket in there for her, but some big ole zoo guard come up an start hollerin at me."
"He didn't mess with you, did he?"
"Nah, I tole him it was my pig, an he says somethin like, 'Yeah, that's what some other crackpot tole me, too,' an then he just walked off."
"So how's school?"
"It's okay, I guess. The other kids been givin me a hard time on account of you bein thowed in the slammer."
"Well, don't let that bother you, now. It ain't your fault."
"I don't know about that... If I'd just kept remindin you to check those valves and gauges at the pig farm, maybe none of this would have happened."
"You can't look back," I says. "Whatever is, is what is meant to be, I reckon." That was about the only face I had left to put on it.
"What you doin for Christmas?"
"Oh, they probably got a big ole party for us here," I lied, "probably have a Santa Claus an presents an a big turkey an everthin. You know how prisons are, they like to see the inmates enjoyin themsefs. What you gonna do?"
"Catch the bus back home, I guess. I reckon I seen all the sights. After I got back from the zoo, I walked by the White House an up to Capitol Hill an then down to the Lincoln Memorial."
"Yeah, how was that?"
"It was kinda funny, you know. It had started snowin, an was all misty, an... an..."
He begun shakin his head, an I could tell by his voice he was startin to choke up.
"An what..."
"I just miss my mama, that's all..."
"Your mama, was she... You didn't see her, did you?"
"Not exactly."
"But sort of?"
"Yeah, sort of. Just for a minute. But it was only a dream. I know that! I ain't stupid enough to really believe it."
"She say anythin to you?"
"Yeah, she says I gotta look out for you. That you all I got, besides Grandma, an that you need my help now."
"She said that?"
"Look, it was just a dream, like I said. Dreams ain't real."
"You never know," I says. "When's your bus?"
"About an hour. I guess I better be goin."
"Well, you have a good trip home, okay. I'm sorry you had to see me like this, but maybe it won't be too long afore I get out."
"Yeah, they gonna turn you loose?"
"Could be. There is a feller comes here for charity work with the inmates. A preacher. He says he is tryin to 'rehabilitate' us. He says he thinks he can get me out in a few months on a 'federal work-release program' or somethin. Says he's got a big ole religious theme park down in Carolina an needs fellers like me to help him run it."
"Yeah, what's his name?"
"The Reverend Jim Bakker."
So that's how I come to go to work for the Reverend Jim Bakker.
He had a place in Carolina he had named Holy Land, an it was the biggest theme park I