Today was a day I had been anticipating for some time. I had the chance to finally meet two women - mom and daughter - that I have been corresponding with for at least a year. It has been really cool to get to know them through writing, but sooner or later I would have to see Sandy and Betsy face-to-face so I could put a voice and personality to the letters.
Moving to this unit so close to home allowed our introduction to come quickly. When I heard from my mom that they would be coming today, I was pretty excited. That excited feeling mutated into anxiety, then nervousness. This would be my first time to meet them, and it takes place in a prison. What kind of meeting is that? Also, I haven't talked with any women I don't know in years. After being around men 24/7 won't it be awkward? As the time drew closer I had all these thoughts going through my head and I wanted everything as perfect as it could be. It felt kind of like a first date with someone you've never met, except in my case it was two someones.
Okay, so I'm waiting in the visitation room for Sandy and Betsy to arrive through the door. Will I recognize them as the people in the photo sent to me? Yep, there they are coming in. Now, are they going to greet with a hug? Yep, arms out from Sandy and a wonderful first embrace. And Betsy, too. We sit at a table and Sandy goes to get snacks. Rumored to be a talker, I was hoping Sandy would get us through the two hours, but now she's gone. What do I talk about?
The first few minutes were strange but I settled into the fact that, yes, these are the same people who had been writing and, yes, they are both wonderful people. We talked all over the place - what prison is like, vacations, living overseas, family, music, on and on. It was as if I had been reunited with two old friends. The two hours flew by far too quickly. As we hugged goodbye, I couldn't help but hope to see them again soon.
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