"I spent my last night in solitary confinement last night. It was an endless night. My body ached; not from the uncomfortableness of this cramped, incommodious twin sized cot, but from the pain I knew I was gonna be in when momma picked me up. We hadn't spoke since I'd first got incarcerated..a year ago. I worried how she'd been handling things at home, alone with the kids an all.
Before I got to this hellhole confinement, I was sent to a Juvenile detention along with 23 other black girls around my age. We all had the same stories; fighting, prostitution, stealing, or getting involved in some bogus drug deal. Most of the girls made it out of here after a week or two, some only a few days. I watched as an old face left, and a new face entered, each face just as scared to leave this place as they were when they came. Scared of they momma's and daddies waiting patiently outside the building to take them home to a world of hell and cruel punishment. The car ride home would be silent, not a word said or song played, but the minute they opened that front door they'd be wishing they were back at the detention.
I would have left juvi after a few weeks, I mean I was only in for a couple of bad fights. But then I met Navaeh, that’s heaven spelt backwards. Navaeh had long black hair with brilliant blonde highlights, that glowed as it cascaded past her firm dainty shoulders and layed gently on her back. She had eyes as beautiful as my grandmothers pearls that I only get the pleasure of seeing on Sunday mornings for Church. Her smile was bold and inviting, I'd never seen a girl so beautiful. I could tell she didn't belong here, all she needed was a halo and I'd say she was an angel. I didn't have any friends outside of juvi so I longed for a new friendship.
I met Navaeh officially during eating hours, I don't call it lunch because I never really considered slop to be appetizing enough to call lunch. She sat quietly at a table to herself, running a plastic spork through her slop. I picked up my tray and went to formally introduce myself. “Hi, my name is Syriah may I sit with you?” I said, hoping I didn't come off as a weirdo. She looked up at me for a few minutes ,stared into my plain brown eyes. I began to walk away confused as to if I said something wrong, but then I felt a moist hand grab me by the arm. I turned around and she released my arm, I took that as my cue to sit down. I had an awkward feeling running through my body as I sat there looking everywhere but directly at her. We sat there the whole eating hours, not a bite of food eaten, not a word said from either of us. The guards took us back to our rooms and we went our separate ways. "
0 comments:
Post a Comment