Describe your friendship with Becky and her family.

My friendship with Alan began when Becky started writing him. I never met him when he was living in Grovetown. Our first visit to the prison was the first time I ever met him. When he writes Becky he writes to me as well. He really appreciates me being a very good friend to his wife and everything and when I first met him, me and him just hit it off it’s like he’s known me forever. We took pictures today. I think was the best one, the one that made me feel good was the one where he was standing in between me and Becky and all three of the boys were standing in front of us in line. It was a nice little ceremony.

He has pictures of me and I seen the pictures of him. I had Becky send him up a couple of pictures to show him what I look like and everything and know that I had dreads and everything and that me and her are cool and he wrote me back and thanked me for being such a good friend for standing by Becky and being there when she needs someone. So he he’s really a great guy.

Becky has got five more years to wait until Alan is released from prison. Do you think their marriage will survive?

I think she’ll make it. I feel deep in my heart she really loves Alan. She’ll make it. It was hard on her today because today was the last day that we’ll be up here because we’re leaving in the morning. But when they first saw each other it was like they were never apart.

Describe the last prison visit.

I knew it was going to hurt when we left him and she cried on my shoulder there for about five minutes. And she pulled herself together and said she’s going to have to deal with it for the next five years. She said each time it’s going to be harder - but you know I can understand that I really can. The love of your life is over eight hundred miles away from you and you can only get to see him once a year and when you see him it’s hard to say goodbye.

I feel very, very deep for her and she’s standing strong and she’s made it so far and I think she’ll continue to make it. She’s a very good buddy to him - so I’m figuring she’ll do good. Plus anything I can do to help her I be there for her. You know she’s my best friend. She really is. She’s my very best friend in the world.

How do you think the boys are reacting to Alan’s incarceration?

Well to me I figure they need a father they need a male figure in their life right now. Cause it’s like mom is mama. But I noticed that when we were at the prison visiting, daddy only had to speak one time and daddy got that deep voice and it was like they fall in line. And I think they need that male figure in their life and it’s a little hard on Becky to try and be the mom and the dad at the same time. Knowing that they really need their father that they don’t have.

I got a tendency to kind of, how can I put it, of being mean. And they listen to me. Donnie is not a problem. You could just turn the TV on to Nickelodeon and he’ll just sit there and watch that all day. Josh on the other hand Josh sneaks out of the house. He’s the one she really has problems with. But when we was up there at the prison - when daddy speaks he listens. Same thing is with my brother Joe. You know when Becky can’t handle it alone all she got to do is say well I’m going to call Uncle Joe up here. And Josh straightens up. He really needs a father figure in his life. A male figure anyway at least. But I think his father would be the best person for that job.

How did it feel to visit the gazebo where Becky and Alan got married?

Oh wasn’t that beautiful? Well I had seen the pictures and at that moment I felt that like finally. I never thought I’d be able to see that that I was really a part of her family. I felt very special for her take me to the exact spot where her and her husband got married. It was really nice. Very nice. Yeah and god that harbor that little… that little lake oh it was so beautiful.

Is this your first time out of the state of Georgia?

I’ve been to Jersey. But there are more mountains here – that’s what really captured my eyes. I’ve always wanted to go camping in the woods and this is the first time that I got to camp and to really see real mountains even though I’ve never. I’ve only seen mountains on TV. And to take the Appalachian trail all the way up this way and to go through all these mountains all around me it was beautiful. It was like something you’d see in a movie and I really enjoyed that. I got pretty little pictures.

Going back down it starts in Virginia so me and Malcolm can catch the Appalachian Trail all the way to the end and we want to pull over and take pictures of the valley down in North Carolina. I think that’s going to be very exciting. And Malcolm of course is having a great time. He’s never… he’s never been as far as South Carolina.

Do you think Malcolm is enjoying himself?

Yes. He lives in the water. He loves to fish. He’s a good swimmer. I didn’t think so. I was very protective at first and then Becky got on me “oh all just let them boys be in the water!” I think he swims real good. I think he swims a little further out with you. And you swim good too.

Any final words?

I think Becky is a wonderful, wonderful, person and deserves a friend like me. Someone who’ll be there for her when she needs ‘em. You know all it takes they says that one special person to help things get through the hard times and right now I’m trying to be that special person because she’s a very special friend to me. And there’s anyone in her situation a true friend will stick by you till the end and that’s my plan to stick by her through this till the end. And no matter what I’ll always be there for her. And there ain’t no way that I can’t. Cause she’s my friend and I love her a lot. She’s just like a sister to me. And that’s something very hard to find - a special friendship like the one we have and we have a very special friendship.

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