24 hours with the devil!!!

A New Dawn 3

I had successfully passed the security check and had filed the necessary documents needed to meet the inmate. I stood a bit shaky as the door to the holding cell was opened and I was escorted by one of the prison wardens. I passed through a black metal door which had a bold inscription ‘VISITATION ROOM 3’. The room was a small room, it was fairly illuminated, it had two fluorescent bulbs at each corner of the room, it had a window which was well protected with iron bars and copper wires, the floor was tiled but the tiles seemed a bit old and worn-out, it had a speaker at the right-hand corner of the room and the room had two black metal chairs meant for the visitor and the inmate. The letter that was given to me by my boss earlier was from the directorate of Ministry of Justice and was successfully delivered to the Head of security of the prison. I sat on one of the black metal chairs in the ‘VISITATION ROOM’ taking some notes on my jotter and then the black metal door of the visitation room was opened by one of the prison wardens who walked in with a young man, average in height, had a low haircut, dressed in a white prison cloth and his hands handcuffed. “You have one hour” the prison warden said with a stern look on his face as he unlocked and removed the handcuff from his wrists and locked the door behind him leaving us both in the room. I stared at him for a couple of seconds ignorant of what to do or what to say as I observed the sad and weary look on his face. This young man did not look older than twenty two years old and he had a gentle innocent look on his face. For a second, I wondered “What could he have done which led him to this terrible situation?” “Hi, Mr Davies, I am Mr Johnson” I said shyly. “Henry” he replied. “The Phils defence committee sent me here to tell you that they do not have a lawyer for you yet but they hope to get one for you soon”. With a disappointed look on his face, he replied “You are not a lawyer?” “No, I am still in school, I am just interning here for the summer” I said. He replied albeit disappointingly “So you cannot tell me anything about my case?”, he said with tears already forming around his eye lids. “No, but I was sent to tell you that you are not at risk of execution any time within the next year”. The tears slowly dropping, he asked me to repeat what I just said and I said the same thing “You are not at risk of execution anytime within the next year”. He looked at me once more with a teary eye and said “That’s the best news I have heard in a very long time”. I could clearly see the pain in his eyes and how much the news I told him meant to him. I leaned forward, extended my hand for a handshake and when he reciprocated, I gave him a hug like a father would give a son who has been missing for so many years. I felt his relief and I was glad that for those few seconds, I was able to instil hope in his heart once more. He cried uncontrollably and said “I didn’t want my wife and daughter showing up on my execution date, I couldn’t bear looking into their eyes just to see pain, suffering and sadness. I couldn’t bear them seeing me draw my last breath and I couldn’t help but think about all the pain they would be going through if that day had come so soon. Thank you very much Sir! Now they can come visit. Thank you! For the remainder of the hour left, we laughed and talked about our childhood experiences. He told me how he joined the church choir at a very young age and how his mother loved hearing him sing during church service every Sunday. I was also in the choir when io was young and I loved playing the piano while I grew up. I told him my experiences in the church and how I loved playing the piano as a kid. I was glad to see that for those few moments Henry and I spent together, he could finally laugh again. He revealed he had not had reason to laugh in a long time and my presence here with him brought him hope and joy. “What school do you attend?” he asked. “I am at Harvard” I said. With a shocked expression on his face, he said, “Seriously, you go to Harvard? Damn! That’s some white boys’ status bro!” “What are you doing slumming up in this town bro?” he asked further with a shocked but impressed expression on his face. “I am in law school because I just want to help people but I just have not figured out the best way on how to do that yet and honestly, this internship has been the best experience so far”. “Working on death row has been the best experience so far for you? Honestly, you need to get out more bro” he said laughing. Suddenly, the metal door was opened with so much force that it startled us both and in came the prison warden with a very stern, angry and irritated look. “Your time is up asshole or do you want to spend an extra two hours in here?” “I am sorry, I didn’t realize” I cut in and before I could say anything else, he grabbed Henry off the chair forcefully, hit him very hardly on the wall with his faced pressed hard against the concrete wall, forcefully put his hands behind his back and handcuffed him in a totally unwarranted fashion as if he were arresting a hardened criminal resisting arrest in a crime scene. “Calm down, he did not anything!” I said. “You need to shut your mouth!” the prison warden said back rudely. “It’s okay bro, don’t worry about me. Just come back and visit me when you can bro”. Just before he was taken away, he gave me a wink and sang a song of hope that my mother used to sing to me as a kid back then after church service. I stood there numb, I could not say a word or do a single thing even though I wish I could. I stood by and watched with tears circling round my eye lids as Henry was taken away by the prison warden in a very violent manner. I felt pain for Henry, I felt anger and above all, I felt immense sadness. Despite the troubles he was currently facing in prison; the weight of a death sentence hanging on his shoulder and a family he clearly misses immensely; I saw something in Henry’s eyes just before he was taken away by the prison warder. I saw hope. The wink as well as the song he sang gave Henry a new lease of life and although I was immensely pained at the fact that I could do nothing to help Henry at that moment, I could take solace in the fact that I had not just made a friend on that very day but I made a brother as well and the fact that Henry was able to smile for the first time in a very long time filled my bleeding heart with joy and for once, I felt a feeling that I had not felt in a long time. I felt hope. I had hope for better future; a future that there would be no discrimination based on skin colour, gender, race, ethnicity or religion; a future where equality will prevail and love and kindness will be the order of the day. I had hope and this hope was inspired by a new friend I had made on this day.