A force to be reckoned with

Chapter 2

Leo

“Leo, look at this picture of my daughter man. She keeps growing up so fast” my cell mate Ignacio said and put the picture of his daughter above my face.

“She really does grow so fast. The photo you got last month and this one don’t even look like the same kid” I said sitting up.

I envied Ignacio in a sense. He had a wife and a daughter that would come visit him every week. Although I did have a family, and they did come visit me, I always wondered how it would be if I had a family of my own. If I had a wife.. A child. How amazing that must be. For someone to call you dad.. I can only dream that will even happen to me.

Ignacio takes the photo back from my hands and lies down on his lower bunk bed, just staring at it and smiling.

“Two more years and I’ll be able to go back to them..” he said in a low voice, almost a whisper.

Ignacio was in prison for what I’d like to call, the failure of the judicial system. I’d say I genuinely deserved to be rotting in this jail cell, but Ignacio? No. He was a truck driver who transported food to and from the border in Mexico to Houston. At least that’s what he thought he was doing. Turns out, the cans of food contained several stashes on cocaine in them. Obviously wasn’t his doing, he was just the truck driver. The bosses of the company he worked for were drug dealers, and ultimately, he had to pay the price for it when he couldn’t prove that he wasn’t involved. He’s served 12 years so far.

Ignacio was 10 years older than me. While I was 26 now, he was 36. Within the last 3 years that we’d been cell mates, I started looking at him as an older brother. Someone I could talk to and rant to. He didn’t deserve what he’s gone through.

“Leo, you have a guest” the cell guard said as he unlocked our cell. It wasn’t the time of week for either my parents or Ella to come by, so it must be one of the guys.

The guard handcuffed me and lead me to the visitation room. I stood in the doorway looking at who was there. There was no way.. I couldn’t be seeing things clearly.

“Maia?” I asked, dumbfounded.

She looked at me and smiled but she looked like she was in pain. I hadn’t seen her in 6 years. It took me every ounce of self control and restraint to not go look for her. The thought of ever seeing her again seemed impossible as soon as I entered this place, yet here she was.

“You told me to come find you after I get back right? You said you’d be mine if I still wanted you right? Is that offer still available?”