DOING BETTER ON THE INSIDE, by Archie Wilder

I’m doing better.Me and my friend had the opportunity to talk.And it felt good getting an understanding.I just wanted them to understand that my friendship is real.And that I’m a friend who will face the storm with them and not run when things get rough.Good friendships can be built in prison.I have a friend name James Walker,who was killed by the police in 1999.He was running away from the police and was shot in the back.Back then we didn’t have all the social media coverage and news coverage that we have today about such matters.So their was little or no investigation into the matter.But that’s another story for another day.Today I want to speak about our friendship.He is one of my closest friends ever.He was about 5or6 yrs older than me.We met in prison and we were tight.He got out about a year or so before me.He would always write me and stay in touch.People I had been knowing all my life didn’t even do that.Once I was released He introduced me to his family.Now he was an only child on his mom side, so his mom adored him.And the first time I ever met her,her exact words to me were:I’M FINALLY GLAD THAT I GOT A CHANCE TO MEET YOU.BECAUSE YOU ARE ALL THIS BOY TALKS ABOUT.You can’t imagine how that made me feel inside,that someone thought so highly of my friendship.I get emotional thinking about it. He didn’t want me getting into any trouble, so he always stayed on my back. When everyone else was trying to lure me to the streets.He had a family and a lot of kids, and every time he went grocery shopping he would split it down the middle with me just so I wouldn’t go without.Unconditional love for sure.I never really got the chance to tell him what his friendship means to me.But the point is that our friendship was started in prison.Prison cannot stop you from growing or building good friendships while you are here.It’s all about who you befriend.Because I’ve made other friends in prison,but those friends were not conducive to me being a better person.They wanted me to be the old archie.True enough when you meet people in prison you have to be careful.Because everyone is wearing a mask.Both the people that live here and the ones who work here also.Time and situations reveal what a friendship is made of. And I’m just glad that my friend knows that I care about him and that I have his back no matter what. And even if I’m mad,I’m still your friend and I would never do anything to harm them.And by us meeting in prison I know he doesn’t know a lot about me just yet.I have been through and seen a lot of things.and my life isnt just a open book to anyone.I really have to trust you to open up to you about my life experiences.I have a lot to offer a friendship.I don’t know everything but I know a lot.And I’m pretty sure between the both our brains,the skies the limit :-)What I do know about him and his qualities thus far is enough for me to feel like the friendship is worth salvaging.I just want it based off realness. Always keep it TRILLThats a combination of the words true and real.LOVE AND RESPECT

ARCHIE WILDER
DOC #414-917