by Peggy Gildon

Created on: July 22, 2009

Curtis is a tattoo artist, a father of three girls, a son, a brother, and my daughter Amy's soul mate.

He is also an addict, a car jacker, a liar and a thief. He is personable, a hard worker, a friend and an enemy.

He had been in prison twice; when he got out the second time he was thirty years old. He said he wanted a life for his family; he wanted to be part of his family. He wanted his parents to be proud of him.

Curt stayed with his mom and before long he was back in the hood, he called me from his hospital bed he had been stabbed in the chest. His mother thought she had lost him. When he arrived at the hospital he had no vital signs; the doctors worked hard to save him and they did. He was prescribed pain medication and in a few days left the hospital only to return with a swollen pancreas. Soon he recuperated and again promised he would get straight.

His mom bought him a car and a cell phone so he could go to work and within a week he was out there again. He would go to gas stations and panhandle then go out and use. When he had nothing left he would give up his phone then he gave up the car for a twenty dollar rock. He would live out there on the streets stealing, breaking and entering, and taking whatever he needed to chase that high.

We would hear from him occasionally mostly after a stint in the Broward County jail and I don't know how he did it but he always and I mean always walked out of there a free man. No probation, no trial, the most time he did the last year was four months and that was the third car theft charge in about seven months.

December 23, 2008 the girls and I were baking Christmas cookies when there was a knock on the door, we all raced to the door, I never let them open the door by themselves, I opened the door and there he was. The girls saw him and ran outside to hug and kiss him. He told me this time was going to be different he was already in a halfway house; he had to clean up his act. The judge told him next time he'd be looking at thirty years. Then he asked what Amy was doing these days.

He promised the girls he'd be back and after a short visit he left to go to a meeting.

As hard as Amy tried to stay away from him, tried to get over him, when the two of them were together you could feel the electricity between them; the magnetic pull, that pulled them together.

He was there on Christmas Eve when Santa came by boat with presents for all the kids. He was there on Christmas day and

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