MIKE BEHIND BARS
New York City, 1984
Gloria looked at her former husband as he sat in the jail cell. When she'd first seen him, she couldn't believe this was the same man she'd once been married to. His hair was graying and thinning, he hadn't shaved and was thin and gaunt.
Finally, she asked, "So, Mike…what happened?" So far, all she knew was that he'd been arrested for vagrancy and loitering.
Mike shrugged. "The commune I was in didn't last. Muffy left me. I just couldn't handle what people call the real world anymore. I mean, we've got a former actor in the White House now. This wasn't the way things were supposed to be."
Gloria sighed. She'd always admired Mike for his principles, even when it cost them their marriage. She hated him for leaving her and Joey, but now, seeing him like this, he just seemed defeated.
"Real life usually never is," she said. "I never thought I'd be a veterinarian, but here I am."
"How is Joey?" Mike asked.
"He's doing fine. He's doing great in school. In some ways he's a lot like you. He loves to eat, for one thing."
Mike chuckled. "Taking after his old man?"
"Yeah." Gloria hesitated. "I called Daddy. We've agreed to help pay your bail…but you need help, Mike."
In the old days Mike might have objected, saying that he was staying behind bars for a cause. However, he simply nodded. Finally he said,
"Help me."
THE END