Bad things happen to good people. Life shows up at your door and either your prepared or your not. Good hard working people have to prepare for difficult times. Behind the Glass is the first in a series of books about a mans journey through an unjust legal system. His tools for spiritual development and his preperations for a possible long prison term.

BEHIND THE GLASS

BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLEBy Charlie B. Mayson

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2010 Dr. Charlie B. Mayson
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4520-1344-2

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS........................................................viiPREFACE................................................................ixChapter 1. Ain't Life Great............................................1Chapter 2. A New Ministry..............................................9Chapter 3. You Look Like You Have Seen a Ghost!........................16Chapter 4. I Gotta Call Someone!.......................................24Chapter 5. Man I Hate Lawyers..........................................33Chapter 6. You Know Who I Am, Right?...................................42Chapter 7. Honey, I'm Going to Jail....................................51Chapter 8. Hey, I'm Going to My Cell Now!..............................58Chapter 9. This Orange Jumpsuit is Not Flattering!.....................67Chapter 10. You the Preacher We Heard About?...........................75Chapter 11. It's Time to See the Judge.................................84Chapter 12. Just Follow the Man in Front of You!.......................93Chapter 13. If You Don't Like It Here, Make Bond!......................102Chapter 14. Bail Granted!..............................................111Chapter 15. Man, Am I Glad to Be Out!..................................120Chapter 16. The Two New Ladies in My Life..............................129Chapter 17. How Did I Get Here?........................................139Chapter 18. Showers in Jail............................................147Chapter 19. Emotional Rollercoaster....................................156Chapter 20. Hey, That's My Wife!.......................................165Chapter 21. Thank God for Family, Friends, and AA......................174Chapter 22. Behind the Glass...........................................183Chapter 23. Here Comes the Judge!......................................193Chapter 24. My Name Is V!..............................................203Chapter 25. Filling a Flight Plan......................................212Chapter 26. Mistrial!..................................................221Chapter 27. All Rise, the Court Is Now in Session!.....................234Chapter 28. Please State Your Name for the Court.......................247Chapter 29. Has the Jury Reached a Verdict?............................256SUMMARY OF SCRIPTURE...................................................265

Chapter One

AIN'T LIFE GREAT

It is a warm summer day in southeast Virginia. The sun has not begun to get real hot and the spring breeze is working lazily through the countryside. The early spring rains have done their job, so the summer grass is green and growing rapidly. The hummingbirds are back. There are just five so far, but they are busy hovering at the feeder. They are marvels of compact muscle structure. They come to the feeder in shifts, one eating while others guard or watch overhead. The bird feeders are teaming with many varieties of birds indigenous to this part of the world. The golden finches hog the feeder with the thistle. Actually, the thistle is like the gourmet of birdseed, and once the finches leave, others fly in for a bite. The bluebirds, doves, cardinals, crows, and the rest of the birds indigenous to the area fly to and from the feeder with the low-budget birdseed in their beaks.

The grass has been recently cut and still looks good. Keeping up with the grass is a chore. I like the exercise so I push it instead of using the riding mower. There is an acre to cut, so I rotate the front and back yards each week. This time of year it is tough to keep up with it, but I try not to get too anal about it. Of course that is my nature at times, but I am learning to control those tendencies. I'll speak to my obsessive compulsive tendencies later, I promise. I made up my mind that getting the "yard of the month" award was not a goal, but I did want it to be neat. So, with a lawnmower and lots of Roundup to kill the weeds, I manage to keep from getting kicked out of the neighborhood.

The neighborhood is deep in Sussex County, about ten miles southeast of the courthouse and six miles east of I-95. The houses sit on five- to seven-acre lots with lots of road frontage. There must have been a land auction within the last several years, because new home-starts on these parcels are popping up quickly. Gravel driveways, well pumps, and septic tanks dot the landscape. No one actually cares if you cut your grass, and if you have a problem with theirs, they will be more than glad to let you finely manicure their yard.

The doors on our trailer home are open, and the breeze fills the house. The curtains on the windows are gently flapping in the breeze. The pollen has finally blown off the places inside that we forgot to dust. The wind tunnel we set up this time of year to cool the trailer has been very effective. It is great not to have to run the air conditioning during this time of the year. The wash is hung on the back porch; I never did like to "air my dirty laundry." Speaking of dirty laundry, a clothesline is great until you are mowing grass. It's amazing how, when you're deep in thought, those lines can become hazardous, or so I am told! There is just something strange about your boxers hanging around for the world to see. Anyway, the laundry is drying out of view of the neighbors, and Sheila, my new wife, is cooking supper.

Please do not jump to the conclusion that I feel like it's her job to cook. I am not the hunter-gatherer-type male where I just bring home the bacon and then should be allowed to do nothing else within the home. All jobs within the house are to be shared; supporting each other is the name of the game, not duty assignments. Again, Sheila actually likes to cook and when she has time does a great job. To tell the truth, even when she is rushed, she does a great job, certainly better than what I normally turn out. With no kids in the house dinner is simple and will probably be consumed in front of the TV. We have a kitchen table, but it tends to be the collection place for all manner of items, so eating on it happens only rarely.

Having satellite TV with the option to record shows when you cannot actually be there to watch them is truly a gift from God. I just love technology. Don't you? The old antenna was fun because it beat the "rabbit ears" we'd become accustomed to. The fun of going outside and moving the antenna on its pole around to find better reception was great, then! Now, we are blessed to have greater technology, where we can get hundreds of channels, still very few good things to watch, but they are available. Of course watching too much TV probably violates a commandment or two of God's, but the technology is still wonderful.

Sheila and I were married back in April of 2008. My first two marriages ended in divorce, so you would think I would swear off the whole institution. Actually I did, yet through God's grace and patience, I ended up marrying a lady from Buffalo, New York. Go figure, me from South Carolina and still stinging from the war and all. It had been eight years since my last wife left me; actually, it was a mutually agreeable move. I took the time to see what part I played in those breakups, and God helped me move forward socially, spiritually, and mentally to the point where I was able to share my life like never before.

Being single and pastoring a rural church had its challenges, I would not recommend it to anyone I...