It's just gone ten on a Thursday morning as I hear the buzzer sounding off, releasing the large door in front of me. I look over and nod to the prison guard named Juan that I've gotten to know a little over the past two weeks before I step through the large heavy door and into the outside world.
I'm holding a small parcel of my belongings, some jeans and a shirt that probably don't fit me anymore, along with my wallet and a watch that stopped working years ago no doubt. I glance around and see a guy approaching me from a large pick-up truck, it's my brother Malcolm.
"Hey Justin, the day is finally here." As he gives me one hell of a bear hug.
"Come on, the truck's just over here, let's get you back to mom's, she's cooking us all a big lunch for your homecoming." Malcolm adds as we turn and walk towards his truck. I can see the writing up the side of the truck, 'Rogers and Sons Construction'.
"You didn't bother changing the name after dad died?" I asked my brother.
"No, besides, everyone knows the name already and it costs money to change shit like that. Also, I'm hoping that little Tommy will take after me and his pops one day too."
I nod back to my brother as we drive away from Hutchins State Jail, it's where I've spent the last few weeks awaiting my final release. I've been in Coffield Unit Prison in Texas for the last ten years prior to that, serving time for involuntary manslaughter, which just means murder but by another name.
My name is Justin Rogers, I'm now thirty-two years-old, I was just twenty-two when I went away. I'm just over 6'2 tall, with light brown hair although I like to keep it cut very short now. I'm also what you might call a gym-junkie, there wasn't much else to do in prison but work-out and read, and I did a lot of both. My older brother Malcolm is thirty-five now, practically an old man with a wife and three kids that I've never met.
As we pull up out front of my parent's home, in Fort Worth, Texas, I can't help but feel a little weird knowing that the last time I was here, was when I was getting ready to head out to the gym before going out with my girlfriend Josie later that Saturday night, saying goodbye to my mom and dad on the way out the door.
Well, dad won't be here to greet me on my return, he passed away from a stroke some four years ago now.
As we approached the front door, my mom came bursting through it, arms reaching out to give me a big hug too.
"I'm so happy my baby is finally home." My mom, Rosemary Rogers, tells me as she showers my cheek with kisses.
"He's hardly a baby anymore, mom. Just look at the size of him now. You've spent the entire time inside working out by the looks of you." Malcolm added as mom finally let me go so we could go inside.
"Not much else to do in there to be honest." I reply as I step through the door.
Inside, sitting up at the dining table, I can see an attractive brunette woman along with three kids all staring over at me.
"Little Bro, I want you to meet my wife, Daisy, and our three kids."
"Don't tell me, see if I can guess. You must be Thomas, Felicia, and little Jennifer." I say to the seven, five and three year-olds respectively.
"Yep, but you can call me Tommy." Malcolm's eldest quickly corrects me.
It's not long before we're all sitting down at the table having lunch, and I realize just how much I've missed my mom's cooking. While the conversation flows with everyone seemingly wanting to talk with me, I'm a little less inclined to give them the answers they're asking for. I'm just not used to this amount of attention or talking yet. I've spent the best part of the last ten years keeping very much to myself, only talking when I've had to. This might take some getting used to.
"So, two years knocked off your sentence. Was it hard trying to keep your nose clean once you found out?" Malcolm asked me.
"Yeah, some guys get a bit spiteful when others have their release date set, it's part of the reason why they move you when you get close to time." I respond.
"Do you worry about how you're going to fit back in now? A lot has happened over the last ten years." Daisy asks me.
"I'm just going to try keeping my head down, try to get a job and meet my parole requirements. I aint going back in there, that's for sure." I respond.
"You don't have to worry about a job, I got you covered like I told you." Malcolm reminds me.
"Yeah, you still sure? What are the guys going to think when you hire your ex-con little brother?"
"I don't care, it's my company, not theirs. Besides, I have a few ex-felons on the books already. You'll fit right in." Malcolm states with a chuckle as he winks at me.
"When do you want me to start?"
"Monday okay? Give you a few days to settle in here with mom first."
"Yeah, that's fine, and thanks again."
"You don't need to thank me; half the company is yours too you know."
"I thought we changed it all to you, that we couldn't have a convicted felon as one of the business owners."
"Yeah, but half is still yours even if its not on paper, okay? We'll figure something out in the future, don't worry about it." Malcolm assured me.
"I've prepared your old room for you too, it might be like stepping back in a time machine though, not much has changed in there." My mom tells me.
I smiled a little, that will be a little weird. If only I could step back in time and forget that the last ten years had ever happened too, to have that night out with Josie all over again and that dad would still be here as well. But that's not how life works.
I can't help but see how everyone's life has moved on without me while I was stuck in the same place, like my life was on pause the entire time. All the while Malcolm met and then married Daisy, they've had three lovely children together, my nephew and nieces, but also that I missed my father's passing, his funeral, and being here to help my mom through it all.
"So, Justin. Have you given any thoughts about getting in touch with Josie again now that you're out? She was so beautiful, and you two were so in love with each other back then." My mom asks me, a question I'm not sure how to answer.
"Mom, I haven't spoken to Josie in well over nine years now. I have no idea what she's doing or if she still even lives around here."
"I do, I know." Malcolm replies.
"Well?" My mom quickly responds before Malcolm looks over at me.
"How about you? Do you want to know or not?" He asks me.
I just shrug my shoulders pretending not to care, but inside a big part of me is now intrigued to know the answer.
"Okay, then I'll tell you. Josie got married a number of years back to a guy who was managing a restaurant downtown in Dallas, where she was working as their chef. They then went out on their own to buy a couple of restaurants together, one in downtown Dallas, as well as one out here in Fort Worth. They have two kids together and bought a house as well but have since divorced. I also heard that Josie got the house and one of the restaurants in the split, the one out here in Fort Worth."
"Well, that means she's most likely single again and still living close by." My mom quickly states, forever the optimist.
