Just Another Episode

My sister Angel has been in a coma at the Bridgeport Hospital for several days. She has been asleep after being found unconscious in her apartment. The primary cause is life style, a side effect of diabetes, substance abuse and poor nutrition. It is hard to imagine Angel being still for so long. She has always been bigger than life, most energetic, as an Angel should be.

There are a total of nine King children. About 10 ½ months separates Angel and I. She was born in late January; I arrived in mid December of 1952. As kids, we competed in various kinds of social activities, from dancing to sports. Being the oldest, she enjoyed the role of mentoring me and often displayed marvelous performances. During our adolescent summers, our neighborhood would compete in the city's junior Olympics. Numerous races, softball throw, pie-eating, tug of war, etc. Her primary goal was to obtain more trophies than the other kids in the family as well in the community. Often times she was successful.

One of many times she came to my aid involved a fight between me and another kid during a third grade recess. As I began to dominate the fight, an older brother of the kid jumped into the fracas. Suddenly I hear Angel yelling loudly as she enters the circle, and we fight on with our backs touching each other triumphantly. I often felt my back was covered by her through the years.

Bat and Angel provided my first nephew, (Tony) in 1969; then a niece (Autumn) in 1979. With my incarceration in 1971, Angel continued to maintain close family ties via correspondence and regular visits. She insisted upon sending dollar bills in envelopes to me for canteen expenses. I told her to stop, but she continued, until I began to send her money from prison. Then she realized that I could survive without her monetary contributions.

I am sure there have been a thousand "Angel" stories circulating these past few days. During a prison furlough in 1985, I was married in Jamaica Plain. Many family and friends made up a large diverse gathering. Angel sensed a wonderful opportunity to party, reflective of our teen age years. She designated a side room at the reception, displayed some products on the table, and when I confronted her, she hugged me and said "just in case brother, you never know".

In the past few years I have seen less of Angel as she has battled some personal demons. Often I would hear of her missing in action and knowing of her great survival skills, I'd be confident that she would surface in high fashion. My hope is for her to withstand this set back, as with previous obstacles and return to her precious journey. My recent interaction with Angel was this summer (2002) in the visiting room at Bay State Correctional Center. Instead of discarding a cigarette butt prior to entering the prison, she placed the stub in her pocket. It was discovered several hours later and she was escorted out of the visiting room by three guards. Thereafter, I was isolated and my property was thoroughly searched for suspected contraband. Such insanity!

We will share laughter no doubt about this incident and many others very soon and I am sure Angel will offer her spin to the stories. God will continue to provide Angel with a flashlight but she must allow it to shine on her road to recovery.

Footnote:  Just Another Episode was written in 2002.  Angel passed away in February 2006. Further medical problems, due to the lifestyle she chose to live, took her from those who loved her. I was not allowed to attend her funeral, but I sent these words to be read:

"By the time I arrived, Kazi was almost 3 years old and Angel had been hanging around for about 11 months.  Even then she had a little attitude, as if I had been late.  She may have thought that I should have entered the world with her, but it wouldn't have mattered.  She was always a step ahead of me.