6 – Gloomy Glasgow Days #LoveStoryChallenge

Kalanne and Sean had taken to letter-writing because the men at the Family of Christ rehabilitation home were not allowed to have mobile phones, in a bid to keep old company away, who could lure them back to vices which had been the death of them. Sean had served four years at HMP Barlinnie in Glasgow for robbery. Before that, he had served time for drug possession and assault. He had been raised by his mother and the Linthouse Goucho Gang in a dilapidated housing estate in the south of Glasgow. Sean had spent much of his childhood getting up to no good, and had left school after his O-levels and worked odd jobs alongside heavy involvement in gang activity. It had ended him in juvenile facilities and finally in prison. When he got out of his last sentence, he decided, unless he wanted to die out on the streets of Glasgow like his friends had, or wanted to be stabbed to death in prison by rival gang members like his cousin had, he was going to have to make something of his life. So when Greg, the reverend who headed the Family of Christ men’s home, went to HMP Barlinnie for his monthly outreach, Sean spoke to him about settling into the home upon his release. It was a difficult decision to make but, at 27, Sean figured that he would either start afresh now or never.