So I'm standing there at Cole's Flea Market in Houston, and a couple young Hispanic dudes and their girls walk up to the table to see what we're selling... and one of the guys says "Say, didn't you used to work at the Giddings State School?"



Well!  If it wasn't old whatshisname and whatshisface!  How nice it was to see them, both out "in the free".  One had grown his hair pretty long in the 3 years they had been out; one had a little goatee action going on.  We had heartfelt embraces, actually, and introduced the ladies to each other and did a little chatting.

The guys were appropriately respectful.  They seemed to be doing well.  I didn't ask about current employment, and they were REAL interested how I had managed to "get out" of working at GSS.  I just told them.  I said I had done the best I could for as long as I could, and then simply had to do what I had to do -- get another job.

They were rather amazed, I think, to hear we were doing tattoo equipment sales for a living.  I also told/reminded them how I had many times told the guys there if they managed to stay clean/sober/out of trouble for only THREE MONTHS after leaving GSS that I would give them a FREE tattoo kit to help them maybe make some money and get a head start on a potential occupation.  But no one, NOT ONE kid has ever contacted me.