Freedom Day...DON'T COME BACK..

​The dormitory phone rang and I could feel it, this was it. He hung up and immediately the Officers yells “ Apparicio…pack up and carry your stuff to the B Building.” The day had finally come, 1,095 days of being incarcerated had come to a close. After being up seemingly all night, push-up after push-up, thought after thought, it was finally Freedom day. As I walked through the yard for the final time I can hear the shouts through the iron-barred windows, “Congrats Dre, DON’T COME BACK.” I look and realize this is the day I no longer had to call this 4 building hell-hole home. The air seemed to lack oxygen, thick and dense. As I entered the building, I felt as if people could hear my thoughts and feel my emotions, but I kept walking. “Stop right there!” an officer shouted, bringing my feelings to a peak. “Where are you headed?” “Home.” I replied, showing him my pass to go to the front. “Aahh Freedom day” he stated, “DON’T COME BACK.” As I went through the final processing, finger printing, signatures, uncomfortable conversations with officers along the way who decided to get their last jabs in for me as an inmate; my thoughts began to come at a slower anxiety-filled pace and it really, truly hit me that it was time to go. I was handed my $40 and a metro card as promised by the state, not a gift, being that you began to work towards that months before you go home. I turned to another individual that was being released and asked how he was getting home. He stated he would be taking the bus and that he didn’t care if he had to walk or crawl, he was leaving. My sentiments exactly. As I laughed, I told him he wouldn’t have to do either while simultaneously handing him my metro card and $40. He thought I was joking at first, but after further assurance we began to part ways and my final words to him were “DON’T COME BACK.” As I watched his eyes light up, I couldn’t help but think ‘did he really understand I meant that whole heartedly?’ Walking out was like a scene from a movie, everything appeared to slow down, the sun was brighter, air was fresher, I saw a bunch of cars in the parking lot. As I looked to the sky and thanked God for keeping me these thousand plus days, I fell to my knees and kissed the ground. Cliche’, I know, but it just felt so right. I thought to myself ‘what a wonderful feeling.’ I stood up and instantly noticed one of the civilians that worked in the prison smiling at me. “Hey congrats, there is a really pretty young lady waiting for you, stay strong, and stay focused, and most of all DON’T COME BACK.”