by Karen Arellano
I was checked in along with two other women, and we walked together towards the family visiting rooms. We were each directed to a room, but while my neighbor was being checked in, I opened my gate and walked in. As the officer walked towards me, he asked me if my gate was open. I replied “yes,” and he said it wasn’t supposed to be open. I began to feel skeptical about my surroundings so I said, “Hold up, is there someone in there?” The officer laughed and assured me that no one else was in there as he locked me in.
It felt like a kennel for humans. I briefly wondered if this was what it felt like to be my dog, Junior.
This officer was nice. As I pushed my custodial cart along the path towards the visiting room door, I couldn’t help but notice everything that was wrong with the place. The sound of my cart made me feel sluggish, and in the spots where there was supposed to be grass, there was nothing but dirt.
I opened the door and left it wide open. I entered the place before putting my stuff inside to verify that there was no one else in the room. It was dirty, stained, unkempt, and I didn’t feel comfortable touching anything. To make the place look nicer I unpacked my supply box and neatly laid all the dried food on the table. At least it added color. I unpacked my clothes and neatly placed these on top of my cart so that the place felt a little more livable, a little more like home.
I was excited to show my dad movies I’d seen between 2018 and 2019. I couldn’t believe the prison had them. When I was finished setting everything up, I sat down on the “dining chair” that was directly facing the door. I waited with the door wide open until my dad was brought to me. When my dad was finally brought in, he walked over to me with the biggest smile. He hugged me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. He looked around with his big smile and excitedly said, “This place is nice!”
◊♦◊
Get the best stories from The Good Men Project delivered straight to your inbox, here.
Visit Popstheclub, or find them on Twitter @popstheclub and on Facebook
Discover what POPS the Club is all about.
—
What’s your take? Comment below or write a response and submit to us your own point of view or reaction here at the red box, below, which links to our submissions portal.
◊♦◊
Sign up for our Writing Prompts email to receive writing inspiration in your inbox twice per week.
If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project, please join us as a Premium Member, today.
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS.
A $50 annual membership gives you an all-access pass. You can be a part of every call, group, class, and community.
A $25 annual membership gives you access to one class, one Social Interest group, and our online communities.
A $12 annual membership gives you access to our Friday calls with the publisher, our online community.
Register New Account
Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here.
Stock photo ID:1043441246