Dear Jimmy,

I made the house out of garbage in the back yard for a couple (very good) reasons so don’t let your mom tear it down. I know she’s gonna try so don’t let her. One reason I made it is cause the deserts of France, people make houses out of cow dung. Don’t laugh, now. TV said it don’t stink too bad cause it gets all hot in the sun and dries out and next thing you know it don’t stink at all. Trust your daddy on this one. When that garbage gets good and hot this summer, it’ll do the same. Just you wait.

I made that little house for you and those kids I saw you playing with the other day. Y’all can have a party or something. Don’t you let them boss you round none, hear? It’s your Goddamn house and I made it for you. You tell them that. Tell them I’ll come back and kick all their Goddamn asses. Daddy’s only gonna be gone for a while, ok? See, he’s got some real good ideas that are gonna take off once he gets somewhere people don’t treat you like shit for trying.

Your mama’s gonna tell you a lot of stuff about me when I’m gone and I’ll tell you it’s all a bunch of goddamn bullshit. I never hurt nobody, least of all her. Any of the stuff that happened to me, the drinking and all that, wasn’t because I meant to hurt nobody or nothing. I tried to stop a bunch of times and I even quit once for 8 weeks. I would have kept quit too if it wasn’t for all those fellas down at Kelsey’s Corner getting me back into shit. Well, I can’t rightly say that my drinking was all those guys’ fault - your lying bitch of a mother had something to do with it too. And I’ll go ahead and say that yeah I do like drugs, ok? I don’t care. I admit it. I fucking love drugs and there’s nothing wrong with that if you can handle them. I would have had no problem at all but there’s always somebody trying to wreck shit for you. People got too much damn game in this town which is why I have to go now.  I don’t owe anybody shit, so don’t let your mama talk that kind of trash, ok? I don’t know who keeps calling her and talking about doing shit to your dad. I never done anybody wrong and I especially never ambushed no one. Ok? No one.

Daddy will be back for you as soon as he can, and he’s gonna take you off in his car and we’re gonna get ice cream and show you what the good life is all about, ok? Just you wait, son.

Remember that your daddy’s a good man. I love you.

Daddy

p.s. I’m pretty sure that Kevin Tyler is gonna be coming around to see your mom so tell him fuck you and he’s an asshole for me. Just kidding.