Faded Grey

Chapter 4

The next couple of days were tough both mentally and physically for Elias. 

Ever since the scene at lunch time, the man who had threatened him, along with his friends, always taunted him and threw insults at him. Light shoves and bumping into him by 'accident' became an everyday thing as well. 

Sometimes, they would also steal things from his tray of foods and wave them in front of him, daring him to do something. Knowing he couldn't win a fight against several men, he could only ask them to give it back with a death glare on his face. They always ended up giving it back with a teasing smirk, but it was a clear display of the power they had over him. 

His mood was made even worse now that the thought that he wasn't getting out anytime soon had really started to sink in. He spent most of his time mulling over the things he couldn't do, wondering how Alex was doing with the case and what his mother was doing. 

Adding on top of that the constant noise echoing around him from the other cells made sleep difficult to come by, and the lack of physical activity wasn't helping either. 

When the guard announced that they would receive visits today, Elias felt a wave of relief wash over him. 

Not only he would be able to see his mom, but this also gave him some time away from the other inmates. Even though it was only 30 minutes, he would take this than spending one more minute in this godforsaken place. 

When the guard opened the door to the visiting room and he saw his mother sitting at the table, Elias felt his heart clench. His mother seemed to be as emotional as him when she caught sight of him in his uniform, covering her mouth with her hand in shock. 

Her mother stood up and went to hug him but the guard held her back with his arm while shaking his head.

"I'm sorry m'am, no physical touch allowed between prisoners and visitors." Nadia reluctantly sat back down on the chair facing her son. They both waited until the guard walked away to begin to talk. 

"Baby, I'm so glad to see you! I was so worried about you, ever since you were arrested." Her voice was thin as she tried her best to hold back her tears. 

She didn't even have to tell her this for him to know how stressed she was. There were dark bags beneath her eyes, and her cheeks were hollow. 

"I'm sorry mom, I didn't want you to see me like this." Nadia shook her head.

"No, seeing you in that place and in this uniform is a small price to pay to meet you in person." She leaned forward and lowered her voice.

"Are you doing well in here? The... inmates and the guards aren't bothering you?" 

Elias wanted to tell her the truth. He wanted to tell her that he couldn't handle it, wanted to tell her that he was scared and that he wished he could go home with her. 

At that moment, Elias felt a strong sense of regret. These past few years, he had neglected his mother, because he had often refused to come see her to continue working on his father's case. She hadn't said anything, but he knew she was probably feeling lonely. After all, she lived alone and didn't have many friends except a few coworkers. 

"I'm doing okay mom, as well as you can being in prison." He tried to muster a smile but it must've looked more like a grimace. He had never been good at hiding his emotions.