Madison's Gift

He jumped at the sound of the door closing behind him. For so many years, that sound had haunted his dreams. 

Then he smiled. Today, it sounded like freedom.

Standing under the sky with no walls around him was the best feeling in the world.

It was no surprise that he thought of Madison and wished he could share it with his friend.

No time for that kind of nonsense Madison would say. 

Billy smiled as he remembered the old man he spent most of the last five years with. He'd been a good friend until the end.

Taking it a step at a time. he zipped up his jacket to keep out the chill and began the long walk into town.

He had a bus pass, an address, and Madison's little black book in his pocket.

Billy had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

He'd been hanging around with Jimmy and his two friends, Ed and Rick. He knew they were trouble but he wanted to belong and his brother was the only family he had left.

They'd been drinking all weekend, talking shit about the past. A run of bad luck had dogged them lately and they really needed to make a score. 

Jimmy decided it was time to pay a visit to Leon, a guy who owed them money. He talked it up with the guys and soon they were all piling into the car, ready for anything.

In one way, Billy had been lucky. 

When they got there, they made him stay in the car so he didn't see what happened.

He didn't see them kick in the door only to discover Leon wasn't home.

He wasn't there when Rick found the girlfriend, hiding in the bathroom with her teenage daughter and he wasn't part of it when they decided to send Leon a message. 

He wasn't there when it all went bad, but he was the driver when they left and that was enough. 

He was found guilty, an accessory to murder. Two counts. 

One bad lawyer later and he found himself following a guard, shuffling his feet in an attempt to keep a pair of oversize canvas slippers from falling off.

His t-shirt was two sizes too big and he'd rolled up the legs on his sweats so he looked like an undersize child dressed in orange.

When they told him he'd be sharing a cell with the infamous Madison Mike, he was sure he'd never get out of jail alive. 

Madison was a lifer, in for murder, and his cellmates didn't last long. The other guys told stories of what he did to them in the long nights. 

The guards were running a pool on how long they'd last. A young guy like Billy was sure to increase the odds.

'Just keep yourself over on your side of the cell and we'll be fine,' was the first thing Madison said. It was also the only thing he said to Billy for the next two weeks.

That was alright with him. Billy knew how to keep his head down and his mouth shut. His father's fists had taught him that and when he disappeared, Jimmy kept him in line. 

Life in jail wasn't so bad if you didn't mind being told what to do.

He stayed out of everyone's way and kept to himself. In that way, the two of them were alike.

Billy was observant and followed Madison's cues.

He kept himself neat, folding up his blanket every morning, smoothing out his bed, and placing it on his pillow just like Madison did.

When the call came for chow, he was always respectful, letting Madison go first, then following him, but not too close.

At first, it bothered Madison. He was a private person, set in his ways. But Billy reminded him of the younger brother he'd never had and it won him over. 

One day in the cafeteria, Billy was sitting alone and some guys from the next block sat down and started in on him. They were taking his food and talking smack, trying to get a rise out of him.

Billy was keeping his head down, trying to stay out of it but Madison could see it wasn't going to work. He was going to get into trouble.

When Madison picked up his tray and walked over, the thugs watched him approach but they didn't leave.

When he smashed his tray into the neck of their leader, they got up and slunk away like coyotes in the twilight. 

After that, the two of them were inseparable.

Madison took him under his wing and taught him how to survive in prison. 

They spent a lot of time in the library and every night they'd take turns reading to each other. They studied different religions, comparing the Bible with passages from the Koran and sometimes the Talmud. 

At the end of the first year, Madison gave him a little black book.

He encouraged Billy to make notes of his dreams and sometimes he gave him life tips to write down. "So you don't forget," he said.

He taught him what was important in life. What it meant to truly be a friend, how little choices made a big difference in life.

When Billy's release date grew close, Madison shifted the conversation. 

He talked a lot about what it would be like when he transitioned into the world and how different things could be in just a few years. 

'Keep to yourself', said Madison. 'Focus on getting a job and take it slow'.

Billy got on the bus and found a seat at the back. He was headed for a rooming house that took ex-cons. The county had secured him a place there as part of his release.

Billy had a plan to follow. He was good at doing that. 

And Madison's book was a big part of it.

He taught me to decide what I wanted and told me if I was willing to work hard, stay positive and stay away from bad company, there was nothing I could not achieve.

After six months, his parole officer congratulated him and told him he was free.

Billy was finally able to leave the rooming house and travel to the small town in Maryland that Madison always talked about.

When he arrived in Oakland, it felt like he'd been there before.

The main street was lined with Victorian buildings and he made his way to the historic square. There was the library on one side, just as Madison had described, and at the other end of the street was the bank.

Billy found a room to rent, and the lady running the house was friendly, offering to give him a tour of the town. He thanked her but told her he had business to attend to and set out for the bank.

When he arrived, he told them he wanted to open a safety deposit box. When he was asked for the key, he opened the little black book and peeled a layer of paper from the back cover. 

There it was.

He signed the book Madison Smith, exactly as they had practiced it for months and his signature matched perfectly.

"Ah, it's one of the larger boxes," said the young teller, walking to the back of the vault. Billy watched her walk, enjoying the swish of her skirt.

She used her key and his to unlock the box, pulled it out of the narrow slot, and set it on a small table.

"You'll have some privacy here," she said, smiling at the polite young man. "Let me know when you're finished Mr. Smith."

Billy sat, and slowly opened the box, revealing more cash than he'd seen in one place in his lifetime.

Madison had told him there would be money, but he didn't quite believe it until now.

He counted it, twice. The large pile was exactly $20,000 in bills.

He also found the deed to a house, Madison's house. Billy put the bills in his coat pockets and left the deed for another day. 

Now he was ready to make a life for himself. His friend had helped him get a new start and he would always remember him.

The rest was up to him.

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