Dustin Clemens may be down to his last dollar, but he’s bound and determined to make life better for himself, his partner, Jessica Farland, and her two children. The couple met two years ago and planned to marry before a drug offense and a stretch in jail put that on hold.

Life’s not easy when you’ve only made the down payment to settle a big mistake. Clemens, who just returned from 120 days in prison, is now struggling to find work, but is determined not to return behind bars. “It was miserable in there, I don’t ever want to go back there again,” he says.

Jobs, already hard to find in a bad economy, seem even more scarce when you have a record. But both Clemens and Farland continue to hope and look; and take on small jobs to help see them through. The limited employment opportunities in Macon, may make a move to a bigger city inevitable. But first they hope to earn enough money to cover rent and utilities and have enough left over for their wedding.

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Dustin hugs Jessica while she makes lunch for him. Jessica and the children decorated the home with streamers, welcome posters, balloons and threw a small party for him on the day he was released from prison. "They hugged me and did not leave me alone for forty eight hours,"he said.