My Prison Pen Pal

Chapter 8

I find myself, again, walking down the white hallways of Washington State Correctional Facility with Cynthia.

"So, Lucy, how did the last visit go? Was it awkward meeting Braden for the first time?"

Cynthia asks as she walks to the visitor room where I will meet Braden for the second time.

"It was great! He really is nice. I feel bad though, I wish I would have known him sooner so he would have had more visits."

I got paired up with Braden basically two months before his release. It is only my second visit and he gets released in three weeks on parole. If only I signed up for a pen pal earlier I could have offered him more support.

"It's alright sweetie, I am sure he is grateful for any time with a pen pal, even if it is just a few visits."

Cynthia keeps putting her hand over the pocket of her black slacks where her phone is placed. With her shoulders tensed and her eyebrows slightly raised, it looks like she is anxiously expecting a call.

"Everything okay Cynthia?"

Breaking out of her trance, she quickly tears her hand away from her pocket and flips her head to look at me.

"Yes, sorry. I- well, my husband Lorenzo got into a small car accident this week. He feels fine, but the doctor wanted him to go in today to have a checkup. He is very stubborn and won't admit that he feels off, but when he sits down or stands up he scrunches up his face like he is in pain. I am just anxious to hear what the doctor reports."

Cynthia smiles grimly and looks down to the floor, trying to avoid eye contact. I feel horrible, I hope her husband is alright. Hopefully Cynthia gets good news from the doctor soon.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry! Please, don't feel bad checking your phone while I am here. Really, I don't care. I hope everything turns out okay."

Cynthia looks back up at me and gives me a quick hug.

"Thank you Lucy."

The two of us keep walking until we reach the visitor room, where Cynthia leaves me at the door. Turning around, I make eye contact with Braden's dark eyes from across the room and move towards him.

"Hey, good to see you."

Braden says and stands up to put his cuffed hands over my head to bring me into a tight hug. I deeply inhale his amazing scent and snuggle closer into the hug. He chuckles and I feel the vibrations across my chest. We pull away and sit down at the circular metal table together.

"How are you today?"

I ask while taking my phone out of the back pocket of my pants and stashing it in my white purse.

"I am doing pretty good. Nothing super eventful until you got here."

I smile.

"Me too. Thankfully, I don't have to work today, it's my day off. Work has been kicking my ass. I have been working non-stop 12 hour shifts for the past 4 days."

Braden's eyes bulge and he reaches for my hand.

"Wow, I am glad you have today to rest. Do you have any plans for today other than sleeping?"

I tell him about how I just started watching a new series called Love Island, and how I got Michelle interested in watching it with me. I am sure that tonight we will be enjoying at least two episodes while Kiera joins us only for the wine. We continue talking, and it feels so comfortable. I feel like I can open up about anything in my life and he won't judge. I don't even know if I felt this comfortable with Kyle who I've known most of my life.