ACT IV
Its normally just a typical day for Maddie Sawyer in her prison in which she cleans up some areas of the prison, worked in tech support at her church, interacted with her cellmates, and most importantly making a difference in the community as part of the Straight Path program. Later on, it seems not the case because she and the rest of her cellmates had to attend a meeting in the meeting area about living with the consequences of your actions as well as returning to the community. "Listen up everyone, today we have a very special guest to share their struggles in life as well as overcoming those obstacles to be a better person. Please welcome Mr. Dominic Antol" said the speaker as Dominic arrived to the premises dressed in a buttoned down blue shirt with a black jacket with matching shoes on his feet. Maddie was surprised to see Dominic once more in her life after so many years and slightly older than the last time they crossed paths. Years back, Maddie tied up her former friend Amber Halligan and threatened to burn her house down and everyone in it because Dominic refused to take Maddie's heart and instead took the rightful heart: Kelly Halligan. Kelly would then smash a skillet onto Maddie's head foiling her plans once and for all. As a result, Maddie was sent to prison for several years of which would never return to Maddie as well as being estranged from the Halligans and until now Dominic Antol. Butterflies had entered Maddie's stomach causing her worry and fear of whatever repercussions she must face head on. At first, she would be glad to see him again but now she feels sad and resentful at him. "Thank you all for coming to this seminar this afternoon. There's a saying that 'everybody makes mistakes' and that saying is true" said Dominic "In extreme cases, mistakes would cause someone to get hurt, worried, and terrified among others. You see several years ago, I used to be a rebellious teenager, the 'cool kid in school if you will' during which, I threw a couple of parties during the semester having some fun while drinking in the process. I got into the wheel wanting to show off my new car to my friends and in doing so, I did it while I was intoxicated along with my associates. As a result of that, I ran over a pedestrian who was simply going back to his home after a long day of work and it was one of the worst evenings of my life. Luckily, the pedestrian survived and is alive and well but unluckily for me, I had to spend some time in jail due to my actions and it made me realize my drinking habits was going too far. During my time in the slammer, I was introduced into a sports program for troublesome youth which included soccer. At first I was hesitant to join in but after awhile and some practice, I became a star player for the team. Ultimately, that was the beginning of my soccer career that lasted for many years. There's a saying that life gives you lemons and in some cases if you choose to, you make lemonade. It might be corny but the saying is true". Just as Dominic is finishing up his lecture to the prisoners, Maddie witnessed one of her fellow prisoners pull out a knife concealed from her pocket in an attempt to hurt Dominic. Immediately after, Maddie confronted the prisoner who has dirty blonde hair, a slight resemblance to Uma Thurman, and a lack of makeup on her face . "What are you doing?" asked Maddie concerned "Its none of your business, Maddie, I've heard alot about your deeds to this man and his family over the years. I'm doing you a favor right now." said the prisoner. "Guess what, since you brought up my name and what happened years ago, it is my business as well" said Maddie as she grabbed the prisoner's arm dropping the knife from her hands. "I'm going to ask you again, why are you attempting to hurt Dominic?" "If it means so much to you, a while back I was working for his wife's company in an office area and my family and I can barely pay for our rent for our house. I needed to get some more money that was beyond my normal paycheck." said the prisoner "I had to embezzle the money from her business and unsurprisingly I got fired from my job and everyone in the community knows what I did. Kelly delivered me pain and suffering after taking my job away from me and that's why I had to do what I had to do right now. Like I said earlier, you had problems with them as well in your life."
"Listen, I'm not disagreeing with what you're saying. Both Kelly and Dominic had changed both of our lives forever regardless of the situations we faced. But we all have choices we have to face and we just happen to pick the wrong ones which led us here for a long time. I know what it's like to defend your family's' honor and I used to have my parents to take care of me and you taking care of your family. Just because you're down on your luck doesn't make it right to steal money to provide for your family when your pay isn't enough. In addition, just because being fired doesn't mean you have to give up and hurt other people. It just gives you an opportunity to see what other skills you have in the world and other bosses would be happy to hire you. And if there's a small chance Kelly would hire you back since you've paid your dues." said Maddie empathically to the prisoner. "What was I doing, that's not what my kids would expect of me" said the prisoner after hearing Maddie's words getting through to her. "It's gonna be ok, lets just chalk it up to a learning experience and you have a long way to go" said Maddie parting with the prisoner. "That's a great speech you made there Maddie, I think you kinda outdid mine" said Dominic thanking Maddie for saving his life from doom. "Thanks Dominic, surprised to see you here after all these years. Looks like I'm not the only person in this world that has skeletons in their closet" said Maddie with some chuckles "Heard, that you're a father now with your wife." "Yeah, it's not easy being a parent but it's worth it when we put in the work to raise our kid. I'd read your letter regarding what had happened years ago and you had been through a lot in your life. It kinda reminded me of when I met a younger fan years ago during one of my soccer games I hope that she's able to find some happiness in her life" said Dominic "Me too" thought Maddie since she's the young fan in question. "But you still take away Riley from this earth and threatened me and my family" said Dominic with a serious look to Maddie "Nonetheless, I heard nothing but good things with the straight path program that you're involved in." "Thanks Dominic, I'm glad you and Kelly are having a great life. Speaking of which since you've more or less forgiven me, do you think Kelly and Amber would forgive me as well?" asked Maddie with butterflies inside her stomach. "When it's all said and done, it's not up to me for Kelly and Amber to forgive you Maddie. That might be something you have to do on your own." said Dominic. "There will come a time that you would have to forgive yourself and if you get out of here, you have to figure out what's best for you. I gotta head out Maddie hope you have a great day" "Goodbye Dominic" said Maddie as she began to process what had transpired.
FIVE YEARS LATER:
"Madeline Elizabeth Sawyer, you are free to go" announced the prison guard just as Maddie was about to get herself dressed for her now-former prison duties. "Really and are you serious?" asked Maddie "Yes ma'am are you going or not?!" asked the prison guard. "I'll be out momentarily." said Maddie as she began to gather her stuff to take with her including her money that she had earned during her 10 year incarceration that was commuted from her life sentence thanks to her involvement in the Straight Path program. As she is packing her belongings, it was a bittersweet moment for Maddie because she had made a difference in the community thanks to the program, learned some lessons and not to mention, gaining a new perspective on what was going on in her life over the years. Even though she won't be seeing her fellow prisoners again for a very long time, Maddie is looking forward to returning to society. After Maddie gathered her belongings for release and as she made her way to the gate, one of the prison guards told Maddie, "You know, even though you've finished your time here in prison, you're still inside a prison Maddie. Abiet a metaphorical one that would probably last for at least a couple of years." Upon hearing that, Maddie is ready for her next chapter in life! Just as Maddie is about to board her bus, she saw the words 'I'm not finished' on the windows of her bus right in front of her. Feeling horrified, Maddie rubbed her eyes and soon after, the words were gone. "Just another bad daydream, off we go!" said Maddie as she boarded the bus. During the bus ride, Maddie would figure out what her next steps are going to be. Just then to Maddie's surprise, she saw a billboard advertising a dual book signing by none other than Kelly and Amber Halligan! "I think I'm ready to make things right with Amber and Kelly Halligan and it's been a decade after what had transpired between us. Hope they would understand why I did what I did" thought Maddie determined to make amends to her former best friend. After a couple of stops, the bus made it to Target where the book signing is held and wasting no time, Maddie is set to meet with the Halligans once more. "Let's do this" said Maddie to herself as she set off to see them and in her path, at least a couple of the customers recognized Maddie. "Aren't you one of the soccer players we saw on a couple of movies" asked one of the customers "I used to play soccer but not anymore if that's what you're asking" answered Maddie "I think that's the one that killed that Riley fella" mentioned another customer in their group as they walked away from her fastly. "That's ought to be expected" observed Maddie as she continued on her path. After walking numerous aisles, she reaches her destination: the dual book signing of the Halligans' new projects; 'Kick it with Amber Halligan' and 'How to make your Business BLOSSOM' written by Amber and Kelly Halligan respectively. In front of Maddie, she saw the Halligans signing autographs for their fans as well as taking pictures with them. Amber is dressed in a dark red tracksuit with white stripes on the sides along with white sneakers on her feet as well as her hair tied into a ponytail. Kelly is dressed in a grey suit and dress with matching shoes and her long blonde hair is flowing to her shoulders. On their booth, there were a couple of security guards one male and one female. "...and that autograph goes for you youngster!" said Amber as she signed a young fan's copy of her book "And here's one for you too Mom" said Kelly playfully as she signed a copy of her book to his mother. "I'm sure Gibson is going to have a field day with these sales Amber! I bet the hard work we put into these books are worth it" "I agree Aunt Kelly, I'm glad that a new generation would learn a thing or two about soccer and business management" said Amber feeling accomplished. Just then, it was Maddie's turn to step up to their booth and as soon as Maddie laid eyes on the Halligans, they were shocked to see Maddie in person and in the flesh! The presence of a former best friend that used to be in their social circle and a lovesick stalker who attempted to ruin their life as a result of a man would cause them to be petrified and shocked at the mere sight of seeing her for the first time in years. "Look, I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now and I'm not here for Dominic. I came here to apologize for what I had done to you all these years ago. I want to make amends and reconcile with an old friend of mine…" "Save it Maddie" interrupted Kelly "I thought you'd known better by now that Dominic is happy right now in his life and so is Amber. As a matter of fact, I'm asking you to leave. Right. Now." Maddie after hearing those words coming out of Kelly's mouth was shocked that the Halligans would refuse to listen to her and rightfully so. Moments later, Security stepped up. "Is there a problem ma'am?" "I was just leaving the premises" said Maddie barely containing her heartbreak as she began to walk out of the store but not before picking up and buying a pack of ramen noodles. After a long bus ride from the store, Maddie was finally back to her apartment for the first time in many years. As she walked to her entrance, she saw looked down on dried up blood from Riley that was spilled years ago during his stabbing. "Home sweet home" said Dark Maddie as she made her return. "Knew you'd be back here sooner or later since its the only place you'll be able to live at. Why are you surprised about how Amber and that whore would feel about you?" "I'm not in the mood right now" said Maddie as she opened the door (and closed it), her place was filled with dust, dormant security cameras that were deactivated after the cops raided her place years earlier and finally, the remnants of her shrine of Dominic Antol in her room along with scattered pictures of him below her unwashed bed. "Lots of memories you have right there. First day back in society and what did you do, you found out that the Halligans and the customers at Target hate you and speaking of which, according to an excerpt from Amber, your 'bestie''s book you've been a thorn on their lives and they'll never forgive you for what you've done to them" said Dark Maddie and to Maddie's surprise, she was right when she an excerpt from the book in a newspaper ad for the book. "Let's face it, you'd rather be back in prison or better yet be an outcast like you were all these years ago before you met Dominic." said Dark Maddie as she goes into the mirror. "Go ahead, punch me, attack me it's not going to change a thing here." After listening to the words coming out of Dark Maddie's mouth, "Damn, damn you! Damn you Amber, Damn you Kelly!" said Maddie as she punches the mirror as hard as she can which caused blood to come out of her fist and collapsing in a puddle of tears. After the turmoil, Maddie saw a card that has Janice's phone number on the ground. "I can't live like this anymore, it's time for me to start over…"
END ACT IV