Well, that's that. I've searched each purse, every coat pocket, and drawer in the house and can only come up with fifteen dollars. As I looked in the rear-view mirror, I noticed a couple flyaway hairs out of place, so I brushed them down with my hand. After all I can't afford a professional stylist or any other extras at this point. Not with Chris in jail and two children to support. At least Kaylee and Kyle are sleeping in the backseat and not bickering back and forth.
Dang! What is that noise and why does the ride seem so bumpy? I mean 'for real'! I know this cannot be happening right now. I pulled over to see if I ran over something while being very cautious doing so. It's 6:00 in the morning, it's dark and now I have to find a gas station to put air in my tire. I know I need a new tire...no I know I need new tires, but I am only able to fix the slow leak and keep the tires inflated. At this point I'm grateful the gas station has free air. I have to leave this early in the morning to get to the institution in time. It's a three-hour drive and being late could cause me precious visit time.
The drive was going really smooth while I listened to the gospel radio station, then all of a sudden, the sky turned grey, and I ran right into a torrential down pour. No way is this happening! It was raining so hard I could hardly see. Trucks and cars were speeding past splashing even more water on my windshield blurring my vision. Lord have mercy! I didn't know if I should slow down or maintain the speed limit. So, I began to pray. I remembered the bible saying, "The Lord will never leave me or forsake me" and I know God's Word is true.
So, I encouraged myself with those words and kept driving. I kept driving right through the storm to find the sun shining and waiting on me! At least that is what I told myself.
I couldn't understand though why my vision was blurry though until the tear drop fell on my cheek. I can't have the children see me crying. They're going to see their dad for the first time since he was incarcerated six months ago, and I want them to have an enjoyable visit. I glanced through the rear-view mirror again to check on them and they were both awake looking out the window.
As I exit the freeway, I can see in front of me the monstruous unwelcoming building surrounded by two layers of razor barbed wire. I quickly found a parking spot not too far from the entrance and glanced at my watch to find I had fifteen minutes to check in before count time. If I'm late I will have to wait one-half hour to forty-five minutes for our visit. I wiped the children's faces with baby wipes and put on a coat of lip gloss to freshen up a bit and we walked in to begin the visitation process. I pulled out the birth certificates and my driver's license for the reception officer then went to the temperature area to make sure we were clear. Afterward our hands were stamped, our shoes were removed, and we were given a pass to proceed through the metal detector. After several attempts to pass through successfully we were permitted to directed through the large metal doors. Clearing those doors were very intimidating and seemed to be the portal to another dimension.
I looked at my sweet children and asked them if they were ok and they both shook their heads while holding my hands ever so tightly. I gave them both a kiss on the forehead as I smiled and looked straight ahead. Shortly the second door opened, and we exited to the walkway that led to the visiting area. With my head up, my shoulders back, each step I took felt like walking on a gravel road even though the pavement was smooth. This path seemed so uneven, painful in many ways; some areas were smooth but with the next step my shoe became stuck between the gravel scraping the heel revealing the material beneath it. Yet, I maintained my balance.
It didn't take long to reach the reception area to the visiting room. A room with other visitors and their loved ones with a small play area for children. A room with people who had their own story. There are also several vending machines. I downloaded ten dollars to the vending card earlier because cash is not allowed in the institution. Hopefully, I will be able to get one or two items. After the officer checked our passes, we were given assigned seats for our visit until Chris was bought out.
After waiting twenty minutes Chris was bought out and I greeted him with a smile.
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