Chapter 5

Spending a couple of years in prison for killing someone already dead would have been almost unbearable except for what some would deem divine intervention.

A few months into my term, I was told that I had a visitor. I was skeptical of the nature of the visit since no one but nosy reporters bothered to come by, but a visit was something to break up the boredom. At Sing Sing Correctional Facility, boredom ranked right up there with fearing for your life as a daily condition.

Nothing, however, prepared me for this visit.

It was Lisa!

I just stood there with my mouth open. She waved me over.

“You look pale. Before you pass out, I’m not Lisa; I’m Michelle, her twin sister,” said the splitting image of Lisa seated in front of me.

I gathered what remained of my composure and sat down.

“I was away at college for the trial, which is why you never saw me there, but I’m on break now and wanted to meet you. For what it is worth, I’ve looked at all of the information, and I believe you.”

I sat there silently for a moment. “You do.”

She nodded.

“Why?”

“Not because I know you or have any special insight into you, but because Lisa told me what a douchebag Michael Jarden was. She was sorry,” and she paused for a second, swallowing, “sorry that she ever hung out with the guy. I never knew what she saw in him.”

“So why are you here?”

She flushed slightly, and that brought back some memories.

“I felt that you got a raw deal, and while I can’t help, I thought I could at least tell you that someone believed you.”

I studied her for a little longer.

“Is that the only reason why you are here?”

“Pretty much so.”

“Okay then, I guess we’re done,” I said, starting to get up as I felt awkward as hell around her.

“Wait,” she said, “there is one more thing.”

I sat back down.

“Lisa mentioned you once, a few weeks before, well, you know,” I nodded. “She said that she had run across some essays that you had written and that it changed her perspective on the world. She said that she was going to be a sociology major and that she hoped someday to have you as an instructor.”

“Proverbs, Take Two.”

“Yes, yes, that was it. You know, I’m not even sure I know what sociology is. Could you ... enlighten me?”

She seemed interested, not patronizing, so I gave her the pat answer.

“Sociology is the study of relationships among people through the exploration of human activity: politics, technologies, economies, cities, culture, media, religion, and more. We seek scientific answers to human questions such as inequality and social injustice, but we don’t focus on individual components like economic issues or political discord. Rather we embed them within the complex whole of the social world. We are a global community, homogeneous yet different, and a sociologist’s job is to unravel the mysteries for the benefit of all.”

I stopped and could see that she was drinking this brain milk, much like a baby who sought Mama’s milk.

“That’s, well, that’s incredible. I thought it was sorta’ like philosophy...” she started, but I cut her off.

“Those who can become sociologists. Those who can’t become philosophy majors.”

We both smiled.