CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE
(part six)
Thursday — 6:20 P.M.
Canon City, minimum security
Aden and Pete had waited at DRDC for almost two weeks before a placement was available at Canon City minimum security. Two lonely weeks. Except for the one phone call, Aden hadn’t been able to speak to Sandy or the kids. They hadn’t passed the security clearance yet either. Aden wrote them letters every 
other day. But since he was in diagnostics, the letters wouldn’t be sent until today, the day he moved to Canon City.
God he missed them.
Aden and Pete arrived at Canon City around dinner time. They had dinner, some mushy mass of inedible pseudo something, and were sent to their cell. Outside of workouts, Aden had planned spend the next three months in this cell.
But Aden did needed to workout. Lifting weights was a cornerstone of his sobriety. Aden worried that Pete would relapse now that they were in the general population. They had been here less than two hours and had already turned down two offers for drugs.
“Come on, let’s get a workout in,” Aden said. “We have a couple hours until lights out.”
Pete nodded. So far, Pete had done everything Aden had told him to do. His head was just clearing enough for him to want to be sober.
They walked past the open cells, down the stair well and through the main area until they got to the workout area. Overcome with the noise, smell and buzz of activity, they stood in the doorway for a moment. Aden took a step forward when he heard:
“Well, if it isn’t the little brother.”
Turning toward the voice, he stepped into a fist coming in his direction. Before he could respond, another rapid fired fist broke his nose. The third fist finished the job. Aden crumpled to the floor.
Denver Cereal continues on Monday….