Category : Notes/work

Sub Category : N/A

I spent the day with my son and it was the most exciting time I had in my whole four months of living here. John, however didn't say more than two words to me. As sad as it was, I still had an awesome time with JJ and we communicated by phone every day, it was nice to have that back. You don't realize what you have until it's gone and sometimes that's what it takes to learn to enjoy the little things in life. For me to hear my baby's voice every day was a milestone. It meant everything to me.

Two weeks later (early July, 2013)

It was a humid, hot morning in July and we were both awakened by a few loud thumps on the front door. It scared the living daylights out of me. Rich rolled over and jumped up. "Who the fuck is it?" He mumbled half asleep. Then another loud knock followed a few seconds later and Rich got up out of bed and threw on a t-shirt and told me to be quiet as he walked out and closed the bedroom door behind him. I could hear everything from the bedroom with the door being closed because the walls were so thin. "Who is it?" Rich hollered through the front door.

"Pennsylvania State Police now open the door." A police officer demanded.

Rich had poked his head back into the bedroom door with his index finger up against his lip, urging me to be quiet. By this time I was shaking like a leaf. Right then and there I knew why they came. What the hell was I going to do, I was on county probation. The first thought that came to mind was crawling out of the bathroom window and making a run for it straight into the field behind the complex but where the hell was I gonna go? That would only add on to what issue I was already facing. I could hear the door slowly open then Rich asked "Is there something I can help you with officers?" As if he was clueless to why they appeared.

"I'm Officer Matson and this is Officer Livingston and we just have a few questions in regards to an incident that occurred at the Fairview Township Maintenance Building in the late evening of June 10th?" The officer asked.

"Okay, I'm not quite sure of what you're implying officer." Rich answered the officer, trying to play it off as if he was clueless to what they were talking about.

"Is there anyone else here?" The other officer questioned.

"Just my girlfriend but she just got here from Pittsburgh last night so she's sleeping." He answered.

A few seconds later, I hear a light tap on the bedroom door, "Pennsylvania State Police, get dressed and come on out here." He urged.

I was freaking out on the inside not knowing what to think or say. This was it, I was going to jail and if there was any possibility of forgiveness from my family in the future, this situation would have made them throw in the towel indefinitely. I was doomed. I quickly got up out of bed and threw on a t-shirt over top of my camy and walked out into the living room where two State Police Officers stood in blue uniforms. Both of them built like linebackers and  intimidating like most cops are. I was nervous. Perhaps nervous wasn't the correct word. I just wanted to crawl up into a fetal position and and die.

"What's your name, mam?" As Officer Livingston reaches for a tablet and pen from his back pocket.

"Holly Lynn Brandt" I answered, trying not make it obvious that I was about to go into panic mode.

"Your birthday Ms. Brandt?" 

"April 22nd, 1977" I said, my palms were sweaty, my heart wanted to explode out from my rib cage as I sat there like a bundle of nerves. The other officer, Matson, was questioning Rich but I was too wrapped up in my own mess to even understand what they were saying.

"Ms. Brandt, are you familiar with a robbery that took place at the Fairview Township Maintenance Building on the evening of June 10th?" He asked, while writing every word I was saying on his notepad.

"No sir I'm not." 

"Like I told you officer's before, she just arrived here late last night." Rich abruptly added.

"Shut up Mr. Wagner, he was not speaking to you." Officer Matson shouted.

"Alright, here's the deal." Officer Livingston said. "You both have one hour to be at the Girard Barracks to get fingerprinted, ok? We can take you in right now, just for the simple fact that we obtained proof off a thumbnail and you both fit the description to a T. We're talking Grand Larceny, along with a prison time. You both better think real hard about this. You have one hour to be at the station." He said firmly.

After the cops left, Rich and I discussed everything that just happened and assured me that he would take the rap and would do anything to and everything to keep me out of it and in the clear. He gave me his word and followed through with it. I never mentioned that I was on county probation when we got to the barracks to get fingerprinted. Of course they never asked. At this time, I had not been assigned to a probation officer due to the substantial amount of people on probation and not enough P.O.'s to take on more cases. Fundamentally, I was still on a waiting list and I'm pretty confident that's what saved my ass from incarceration. Rich had been in and out of trouble with the law since he was a juvenile so he thought that coming clean with his P.O would be the best thing.

After leaving the State Police Barracks that morning, Rich took me for a ride to this beautiful nature trail outside of Girard, Pa. going towards the Pennsylvania/Ohio State Line. It was out in the country and I remember embracing the beautiful scenery on that hot summer day not knowing what tomorrow would bring. The calm atmosphere surrounded by a wooded area with nature trails and a creek that curved gently through it. That day I can remember getting out of the truck and sitting down on a huge rock that sat a few feet from the water, it was clear and I could see the rocky bed at the bottom of the creek. The echo of the water sloshed over the rocks and the beaming sunlight glistened the water. I was enthralled with this place as it soothed me. I sat there for nearly an hour contemplating on the future and what it had in store for me. I was scared to death.