The Arrival With Vino In Hand

Today, I traveled to a 4 pm closing in Darien Ct., a very pristine leafy Ct. suburban town. Tree-lined streets and manicured lawns surround beautiful homes.

Hence, I began knocking on the door of an older Victorian house. Meeting me at the door was Bob Terricone, a very genial man. I noted on the paperwork that Bob was a Prison Director. Standing tall was Linda, Bob’s wife. She was an attractive blond with a large smiling face. The hostess held a tall glass of red bubbly, sparkling in all the glory of a mature vino. Linda immediately began offering me something to drink. I politely declined as I had business at hand. The couple was engaging and easy-going. Therefore, I knew this was going to be a fun closing.

The Gamer Is In The House

After that, they said their son was upstairs, on his computer. Moreover, he was a nationally ranking video gamer with zero social skills. I kept hearing the pounding of a keyboard. Kids yelled, “cool, wow, nail it, go for it, and you got it.” The parents continued adding that Bob Jr. was an introverted 16-year-old. Yet, he was a cult video gaming hero. But, again, the screaming from his posse continued rooting him on. Bob and Linda had magnetic personalities and a son who could only connect to his video games. Yet, Linda kept lamenting her son’s lack of everyday social teen skills in this colorful family setting.

Personalities Are In The House

Thus, this trekking notary feels like a social worker/ psychologist once again. All I could do was keep listening and listening sincerely. Linda told me their son had a #3 ranking in the “gamma rogue” video game in NYS. Also, he was making substantial money at gaming tournaments.

Moreover, we kept hearing screaming and howling of support from the kids upstairs. Bob is laughing and shrugging in full motion, stating he puts his life at risk daily. For example, he works with violent and wild convicts at the prison. The father adds that his son has peers cheering him and that the kid is making more money than he could ever dream.

Real Life Or It Is Television?

Equally significant if the story about the son was not interesting enough. Bob is the Director of Prisons for The County of Fairfield. As well as holding an MBA in finance. He was still trying to understand how he ended up in Corrections. Bob told me the Network TV series “Orange Is the New Black.” painted his daily work routine. He described how the cast of characters in prisons became more and more colorful over the years. Bob said the most significant change in prisons was that more and more prisoners were figuring out how to register-am I a male or a female?

Whom Should I be Today?

Thus, Bob said that the number of prisoners identifying as transgender was exploding, becoming the new normal. Just like the TV series, many were asking for transgender operations. Bob lamented he needed a new career, looking like a corporate manager, not a hardened prison warden. He said he wanted to get out of prison work and utilize his MBA background very soon.

Therefore, the drugs, contraband, and interracial gang fighting in the prisons kept nagging at Bob. He said everything you read and heard about jails was worse than ever. He said he was living the daily grind of the horrors of prisons 24/7.

Drinking And The Survival Of The Fittest

Similarly, Linda sat listening and continued to drink. Additionally, she kept lightening up the room with her radiating smile. With the conversation and stories, I felt I was at a dining table with new friends. My new friends kept asking me about my background. I told my tale of reinvention and the litany of my notary existence. We all kept agreeing; that you do what you must to survive.

Hence, we all had our challenging stories and tales of life. Linda was leaving shortly to have dinner and drinks with her girlfriend. Linda walked around with the 3rd or 4th glass of wine. Well, we finally started on the paperwork with the continuing banter. I focused on the closing as I did not want Linda to be late for her dinner. I also had to return home to pick my wife up on the train.

What Is All That Noise?

We heard the loudest shrieking and howling from upstairs as we started the paperwork. Bob Jr. was screaming that he was scoring a new high on “gamma rogue.” The howling continued until Bob began yelling up the stairs to keep it down. Finally, Bob returned to the table, settling in his chair. The doorbell was ringing. Thus, Linda got up to open the door as her friend Barbara was arriving just on schedule.

New Friends As the Wine Flows

Accordingly, Linda introduced me to Barbara as their new friend Jeff. She also stated to Barbara that I was “Russian Mafia.” This crazy proclamation had to be a by-product of Linda’s 4th glass of wine. The friend, Barbara, was as attractive as Linda! All of a sudden, Barbara started kissing me on both cheeks. Barbara was a hottie for sure and said she never met Russian anything! I smiled while maintaining my composure. Under the circumstances, this was a first for me!

Hence, Barbara and Linda continued chatting as if no one else was in the room. I kept listening and taking everything in. Furthermore, I could not believe this latest trekking episode. Finally, somehow, I got everyone’s attention. Of course, I concluded the closing with the sound of clinking wine glasses and loud howling upstairs.

Contradictions Contradictions

A notary closing: meeting the head of prisons, a drunken wife, a video gamer, being introduced as “Russian Mafia,” and being kissed. In conclusion, it is all in a day’s work. How could I ever make up these stories? The journey from world trekking to notary trekking and the lessons learned continue. — reinvention, discovery, and keeping it real.