Riding the Bluebird

My brother was sent to prison for two years and two months. It was an eternity for him and for those of us who love him. He is my only brother and he is the youngest of four. He has made some bad choices and big mistakes. He has had to learn the hard way.
My brother was nearly at the end of a five year probation (for drugs) when he was stopped by police for a burned out tail light. He was moving his things from a lakehouse he had leased in one state and bringing them home, to the state we live in. Once stopped, the Highway Patrol discovered he had a record and searched his packed suburban. Among the things he was moving, was a gun. He wasn't supposed to have one. There he was, crossing state lines with a weapon and somewhere packed in all of his stuff was an old pipe he had used for drugs. It was a very sad day when they took him away and locked him up.
After he completed his sentence, we spent time together and he told me lots of stories. Stories from the inside he didn't tell me when I would visit him.
During his two year and two month sentence, he was moved from prison to prison all over the state. He told me the move was called "Riding the Bluebird." I asked him "Why?" He said because the bus had an insignia on the side with a small bird and it read BLUEBIRD. He also told me it was the same insignia on the side of the old school buses we rode when we were kids. I had never noticed. Inmates (an odd word) are moved in the middle of the night from one prison to another. It makes sense now. Have you ever seen an old white school bus full of prisoners with guards carrying guns? Me neither.
The prisoners were never told where they were going or how long the ride would be. My brother said they were shackled together at their ankles and wrists for the transport. One night, very late, while traveling to who knew where, the bus broke down. They were ordered off the bus. I think he said a tire had blown and while one guard changed the tire, the other held a shotgun aimed at them. He said it was one of the most frightening times he had ever experienced. They stood together, in the heat of the dusty night, in the middle of nowhere. The guard who held the gun on them said, "...if one of you moves, I'm shooting you all." My brother knew it could happen. He said not too many questions would be asked about 5 prisoners shot in the middle of the night on the side of a dark county road. He had a crash course in how to Hold his Space.
I'm glad he's home.