Welcome to the Family

Chapter 6

            Harvey sat to my right as he dropped his head between his legs. I could tell he was nervous, but I was too. Harvey wore his favorite plaid shirt and cargo shorts. He wouldn’t stop shaking his legs, I couldn’t tell if it was from being nervous or if he was just cold. A voice came through the intercom, Officer Petty, please report to the mess hall. I grabbed Harvey’s knee, “you alright, bud?” He nodded his head. “I’m good.” His voice was shaky and cold.

Almost another fifteen minutes passed until a heavy man walked up to us. “Mr. Caella?” Harvey shot up and immediately followed the man. I grabbed his jacket that he left on the chair and followed closely behind them. “I’m Officer Johnson; your father is right down the hall here.”

The hallway we walked through was long, slightly damp, but well lit. There were doors on either side of the walls, then the officer stopped abruptly, rechecking the clipboard in his hands, then pressed a button. “Are you both going in?”

I shook my head, “I’ll wait out here, Harvey.” I pulled him in for a quick hug, “good luck.” A small smile peaked on his face, then Officer Johnson opened the door for Harvey. I could see through the small window on the door, two men were already in the room with him. But his father was not there yet.

“He has twenty minutes, you can sit out here or you can go back to the waiting room-.” He stopped, “I didn’t get a name.”

“I gave my information to the woman at the front desk, Lara Weston.” He nodded. “Noted.”

After few moments, a faint buzzer went off, similar to the one to open our door. I looked through the window to see two guys holding what looked like his fathers’ arms and guiding him to the chair facing where Harvey was sitting. I decided to let them go for a while and to sit down.

Officer Johnson returned to me handing me a soda and opened one for himself. “You holding up alright?”

I nodded, “is everything going alright with them?”

He nodded back, “they have a few minutes left.”

I sipped at the cold soda, then stood back up. “Do you mind if I take a walk?”

“Go right ahead, there’s vending machines down the hall to the left.” I followed the signs to the visitors restrooms and pulled the door open. After I used the restroom, I stood in front of the small mirror that was on the wall and brushed my hair back into place. I took the time to check my phone, which they said I wasn’t allowed to use in front of inmates.

I dialed Lynn’s number, Harvey didn’t tell her we were visiting his dad. “Lara! How are you? I miss all of you so much.”

I smiled, “hey, I’m not too bad. And yourself?”

“I’m fantastic! Germany is beyond amazing. How is Harvey, I haven’t heard from him since Sunday.”

“He’s good, I’m actually with him and Charles now. I’ve been meaning to ask you, since Harvey didn’t really fill me in, how did everything go with you guys?”

She hesitated, “he didn’t tell you?”

After a moment of silence, there was a knock on the door, “Lara?”

“Hey, I have to go, is it cool if I call you later?” I looked back at the door, “yeah, alright, talk to you later Lar!”

Hanging up my phone, I retouched up my hair and left the bathroom. “Hey, how’d it go?” I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and felt his arms go around my waist.

“Good. He wants me to visit more often.” Harvey walked down the hallway Officer Johnson led us down with me following behind.