Other essays on this theme

Essay: "Second Chance"

by Teddy Leslie
In the winter of '95 I came to prison. The week I was locked up, I had gotten into a bar fight over a girl. The guy I fought with was a really good friend of mine at the time.

Over the years when I talked to him on the telephone, I never said I was sorry for the shit I did that day.

When I came up for parole, I went home and I asked around for my friend. I found out that he had died on me and I just hope he's looking down on me.

I believed I deserved a 2nd chance with our friendship, but my actions prevented me from being there. Now I go into every disagreement with the idea that we all make mistakes, some worse than others. Knowing this and from my experience, I took it upon myself in my friend's memory to give people a 2nd chance, and not just write them off.

I know he would have done this for me.