August 12, 2015
Chicago, Illinois
Roe stepped through the doors of the Cook County Juvenile Center with a mug plastered across his face. Even though he was glad to be released after being there for 3 long years, he knew there was nothing good waiting for him once he came home.
His 18th birthday was just 3 days ago, and if it weren't for him ending up here at the tender age of 15, he probably wouldn't have even seen his 17th.
He held a bag with his belongings in it, and he wore nothing but the clothes he had on the day he was taken in. On his feet were a pair of white worn down Air Force One's, and his dark grey sweatpants were sagging off of his hip, partly because they were too big since he had lost a little weight in that time frame.
Up top, he rocked a black Chicago bulls sweatshirt that had a large rip in the pocket. It was 77 degrees outside, and he inhaled deeply, finally able to breathe in that humid summer air that he so dearly missed.
He sat down on one of the cement blocks in front of the building, awaiting his mother's arrival. He probably had only talked to her three times since he'd been gone, so he was quite nervous to see her again after their unfortunate separation.
Roe's mind was racing a mile a minute, but like he normally did, he kept a cool and calm demeanor while his eyes moved around the area, observing his surroundings. It wasn't many people out today, but he did see a few kids around his age walking around with basketball shorts and no shirts on.
One of the kids looked familiar to him, like someone from his block. He wasn't going to say anything to him, but he was almost positive that it was his 'friend' that snitched on him, and landed him in here in the first place.
Rubbing his budding chin hairs, he just pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, figuring he'd deal with that situation later.
His stomach growled loudly, and he immediately rubbed it, desperately wishing he was taking a bite into his mother's fried chicken and macaroni and cheese, with mashed potatoes and kool-aid on the side.
That was all he could think about since being here. He hadn't had a good home cooked meal in so long, and that was the only thing that would put a smile on his face. Along with a big, fat blunt.
Within seconds of that thought, his mother's red Nissan Altima came zooming around the corner on Hamilton avenue, and Roe stood up and walked to the curb, pulling at his long dreads that hung in his face.
She pulled up next to him and unlocked the doors. He pulled on the handle and swung the door open, swiftly hopping in the passenger seat. He placed his bag on the floor between his feet and buckled his seatbelt.
His heart was beating fast as his mother kept her eyes focused on the steering wheel, not even wanting to look at her son in the eyes.
Roe didn't even blame her, because if he was in her position, he would've beat the black off of his child for getting themselves caught up in something that could potentially put their life at risk.
After he was situated, she pulled off from the curb, driving speedily down the street.
She had Faith Evan's playing lowly in the background, and Roe just kept his gaze focused on his hands while nodding his head to the music.
It would've made sense for him to greet his mother, but with everything that had transpired, he was almost certain that she didn't want to hear anything from him. He just kept his mouth shut and leaned his head against the window.
