A Long Goodbye

My current sadness has found bounds.

I am losing a friend for a long time, a definite time, soon. Just how soon, I don't know, I just know the length. Ten months. The owner of the diner that makes my wonderful grilled chicken sandwiches with bacon and always greets me by name out loudly, in a Cheers teleBision show "Norm!" sort of way, is going away to prison.

From the local Borger newspaper:

Shannon Nicole Washer, 36, Borger, went before U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson on January 24, 2012.

Walker was owner of Shannon's Restaurant in Borger. According to documents, Washer passed $440 in counterfeit currency at Buttons, Bows, and Balloons in Panhandle on August 9, 2011. Then, on August 12, 2011, she passed $180 in counterfeit currency at Allsups in Dumas. Also, she attempted to pass a $100 counterfeit note at the Valero South and Pak-a-Sak in Dumas. On the same day,Aug. 12 ,she attempted to make a $151 purchase at Hobby Lobby in Amarillo using counterfeit notes. The investigation revealed that she had also passed a counterfeit note at a Sonic in Amarillo. When taken into custody, she was carrying extra counterfeit notes and a search of her vehicle revealed more counterfeit notes and some sheets of paper that appeared to have counterfeit notes cut from them. She was also in possession of several $20 bills and two $1 bills. As officers looked at the denomination of the bills, it was determined that the $20s all had the same serial number and the $1 bills had the same serial number. Police reports state, there were 23 counterfeit $100s, 13 counterfeit $20s, and 13 counterfeit $10s all in total at that time. Washer was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison after she plead guilty in October 2011 to one count of dealing in counterfeit currency. The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris L. Drake, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Amarillo, was in charge of the prosecution.

Update: 2012.02.05 - I don't know why Shannon isn't in prison yet, but a few days ago she brought my food to the table at the diner. I told her, "It's nice that while Shannon is in prison she has been replaced with an eXact duplicate, but I'm not sure if she is a human or a robot." She just smiled and giggled. Later I indicated that I didn't need more coffee when she came to the table with the pot, because I was fixing to leave. She just ignored me and kept right on filling up my cup. This time she responded with, "I know what you really need."