Michael was raking up leaves in the yard when a C.O approached him.
"Scoflied, you got a visitor!" the CO shouted.
Michael handed his rake to the nearest guard and followed the Co the visitors room.
The room itself was much like the rest of the prison, gray and cold looking causing a sense of depression and hopelessness to all how look upon it. The little sunlight that did reach the room was filtered through iron bars that spread long shadows along the floor. To some the sight of the restricted sunlight alone was enough to drive a man mad, and these men who were considered weak were fresh meat to those inmates who were higher on the food chain.
Michael refused to let this get to him. He would not become some ones prey.
The CO lead him to a table near the back of the room away from the other inmates with their visiting family members and loved ones. That was when he first saw her. Her back was to him. It was the last person he expected to see here. And the last person he wanted to see here.
The fact that she was here at all was more then a complete surprise to him. She had made herself very clear at his trial that she never wanted to see him again. His actions that day in the bank and his being sent to jail were like a knife in her back, and she hadn't healed yet. She never would.
He walked around the table and seated himself across from her. She never once looked up at him. Part of him wanted to look at her beautiful face and lose himself in her dark eyes. Another part of him felt small like a child who had done something wrong and hoped that she would never look at him, just so he wouldn't have to see that pain and disappointment in her eyes.
"What the hell is this" she asked harshly, tossing an envelope on the table and finally looking up at him. She had tears in her eyes but she would let then fall, she wouldn't show any weakness to him.
"It's called a gift. People usually give them to someone they care about." Michael replied calmly, but inside he wanted nothing more then to hold her again and beg her to forgive him. He didn't really know why he sent it to her but he felt that he should. Just to show that he was still thinking about her.
"I don't want anything from you!" she said snatching the envelope off the table and dumping out the small stone charm into her hand. She picked it up with her thumb and pointer finger and held it out to him like it disgusted her. "Especially not this. What is this anyway and how did you get it in here?"
"I made it." Michael said"
"Really? A little too Shawshank Redemption don't you think? Next thing you know there'll be a poster of Rita Hayworth covering a hole in your cell wall"
The anger in her voice cut into Michael and he cringed at her tone. "If only you knew" he thought. But he said nothing, he just looked at her. She was crying now.
"You know what? Forget this, I don't even know why I came here." She stood up and made to leave but Michael reached up and grabbed her arm. She looked down at his hands, her eyes were fixed on the handcuffs that held his wrists together.
"Don't go " He begged her standing up. He lifted his arms and slipped them over her head so that she was caught in his embrace. They broke down at the same time. Michael was crying into her hair and she had wrapped her arms around him neck and was crying into his chest.
"Visiting hours over!" A CO shouted. Her arms became tighter around his neck.
"I'm so sorry" Michael whispered to her. He lifted his arm to frees her, and she took a step back wiping tears from her eyes. Without looking at him she simply said, "I know" She then picked up her coat and the envelope and walked away from him. He stood there for a moment with tears still on his face before her wiped them away and went back to his cell.
Once back in his cell his cellmate trying to make small talk asked "So Fish who was that girl you were talking to back there?"
Michael stood that the cell door with his arms through the bars lost in his thoughts.
"My wife."