Train Wreck

Chapter One: Fathers Be Good To Your Daughters

Fathers be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers be good to your daughters too...

Daughters by John Mayer

*unedited* (WORD COUNT:)

Audriana

Georgia is hot, but nothing compares to where I grew up. As of right now, sitting in this waiting room with all these people is making me sweat even more. There are men and women here, but primarily women. I wonder if they get conjugal visits. My mom did at one point but stopped visiting. I'm the only one that visit's now.

"Audriana Austin, Gio Lombardi! Come on!" A correctional officer yells.

I stand up and walk over to the macho man. He looks past me before turning around. We get through several doorways before coming to an empty room. I look over at the man beside me as he broods.

He has a pretty rose-beige skin tone and honey-colored eyes. His hair is peppered black and shapes his oval-shaped face. He's skinny but broad with some muscles. He is attractive, although I would rather have a thicker, more muscular man.

"Take everything out of your pockets and put it in the bin, take your shoes off, and spread your legs and arms out." The correctional officer speaks in a lower tone. "You will get everything back when you leave."

I do as I'm told as a woman enters the room. She has a big hairy mole and a five o'clock shadow. She starts patting me down thoroughly. She drags a metal detector across my body before giving her approval. I slide my shoes back on as we are ushered into a large room with tables.

I spot my father sitting the farthest away from the door. He doesn't see me yet, mostly because he's looking down at his tattooed hands. I walk over to his table and sit down. A ten-mile wide spreads across his face. He quickly stands up and pulls me into him. He squeezes me tightly and shakes me around like a kid with a puppy. He lets me go and steadies me before sitting back down. I sit across from him as the guy who got searched sits at the table directly beside us.

"I haven't seen you in months," my dad murmurs.

"I know! I got hired at this shitty company; I didn't get the job I wanted," I reply. "I've been working overtime and saving all my days off so I can come here to visit you."

"You don't have to do that," my dad replies. "I get out soon."

"I also wanted to go to this event in Atlanta. You were number one on the list before the event," I reply. "I came with my friend, Grace."

"What is this event?" He asks as he narrows his eyes. "Does it involve drugs? Drinking? Always have a DD."

"It's a one-day festival that randomly pops up in places. The theme for this one in decades.

Specifically, the 90s and 2000s," I reply.

He narrows his eyes at me. His head is almost bald. He is starting to get wrinkles. His blue eyes are duller. His build is still the same. He still looks like a criminal.

"I'm also attending a country hoedown-type bar before I leave," I reply.

"Let's talk about your job. What's it like? What's the name of the company?" He changes the subject. "Do you get paid a decent amount? Is it enough to live on?"

"It's called La Rosa Inc," I reply. "I work in the mail room and sort the mail before delivering it."

"You interned at that company for how many years? Three?" My dad asks.