The new kid

The date

I walked into the house, after walking Riley home to allow her time to dress and prepare for our date later today, in an hour at the cinema. As I shut the front door behind my, my sister appeared out of nowhere and she wasn't smiling as she usually did. Ashley looked at me, and then where the lounge was where my mom and dad were watching TV together.

"What is it?" I asked.

Ashley looked at me, and then at the lounge doorway.

"He's out, he got out?" She said simply.

"Who are you talking about?" I asked her.

Ashley didn't have to say his name, her wide eyes and the stare told me who; our cousin Ryan.

I leaned against the wall behind me, and stood there staring into nothing.

"When was he released?" I asked her again.

My sister sighed, leaning against the staircase bannister, and looked at me.

"Three days ago, released from Barlinnie, his sentence was cut short."

This surprised me, since Barlinnie was a major prison back home in the city of Glasgow, in Scotland. But when Ryan was inside prison before we left to emigrate to America, he was being held in England in Wormwood Scrubs prison in London.

"Why Barlinnie?" I asked.

Ashley just shrugged at me.

"No idea, aunt Sarah didn't say much other than he was released yesterday on parole."

That made sense, Ryan's mother; our aunt Sarah had been eagerly awaiting his release. To put it simply, one night Ryan got a little too drunk in a pub, and on his way home with a takeaway Fish and Chips supper, he was set on by four youths who were going to rob him. He put up a fight, but they beat him to a pulp. For the next week he was in hospital recovering from his injuries, but Ryan is like me and is not known to forget who attacked him. When he was released from hospital he went after the four guys, and one by one he got to them; and left most of them with fractured skulls, and broken arms. But the final, fourth guy. The one who made Ryan suffer that night, was beaten so badly he had gone into a coma and so my cousin was soon tracked down and arrested for the attack. He was charged with attempted murder, for almost killing the guy, and three counts of GBH. Sadly even when the defence tried to tell the court, that my cousin was fuelled by revenge the Judge didn't flinch.

He was given almost ten years in prison for all charges, lenient most would say for the charge of attempted murder. And so he was sent to Wormwood Scrubs prison in London, where me and my family had been living for a while. My sister took me to see him, in prison and to me Ryan wasn't a bad man; he was never a bully, and went on in life not wishing anyone harm. But he was tough, and that was why he went to exact revenge on his attackers. In the years before we moved America, we visited him a few times in prison and made sure he never went without his needs, giving him luxuries and such like cigarettes and such inside, by paying into his prison account so he could buy such things. People left him alone, but a few times he had to fight and defend himself from other prisoners. So assume that he had to fight, to protect himself before he was sent to Barlinnie for his release.

"Wow, I guess we forgot when he would be released." I said smiling, happy he was free now.

"Everyone has, even mom and dad. But aunt Sarah is gonna call later, to let them know." Ashley told me.

I nodded.

When I went to see Ryan, I learned a lot about morality, and fighting for other people's sakes. He never endorsed violence, but he said if it ever had to be used then better for someone else's sake or health. I guess Ryan helped me hate bullies with a passion, and yearn to help others in their fights and struggles against bullies. The guys who had attacked him that night outside the pub, were cowards and bullies themselves. They chose to attack someone who wasn't in the right position to defend themselves, and enjoyed laying pain on them. They got their jollies from that.