Oddity

41

I still am not sure why I ended up there.

Perhaps it was curiosity? Empathy?

I sat in the cold plastic chair, staring at the glass that divided the good from the bad. But each one did not have a definitive side.

I was not surprised at the look of disgust I received when the other person approached, before sitting down on the other side of the glass.

I probably would have looked at him the same way if I was in his place.

Even though we had not seen each other in a year, Michael Turner still had they same sadistic fire in his eyes when he looked at me.

We both reached for the phone on each of our sides.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" he spat through the phone, narrowing his eyes at me.

He was thrown off when I asked him what his parents were like. What his family was like. I did not understand the way he thought. I did not understand his angry tendencies.

But, if I had learned anything while I was growing up, it was that your environment influenced who you were as a person.

I wanted to know if Michael Turner was influenced to be the way he was, like I was.

"I already told you why I hate you. That's that."

I frowned and glanced around, before looking back at him. "But someone had to make you believe certain things."

The conversation did not go how I wanted it to. Michael continued to get angry at me, and a guard had to escort him away. The guard politely recommended that I did not return to the California State Penitentiary ever again.

...

Mitch did not seem happy when I told him about my trip to see Michael Turner, but I had not expected any different.

He told me that some people were just bad, and there was nothing more to it.

I did not want to argue, but I reminded him that that was how my family viewed me for the longest time.

I was bad, and there was nothing more to it.

I pleaded for him not to be close minded like my family, but this statement offended him.

Mitch and I did not fight often, so I couldn't help but feel nervous when he pulled out of my embrace and stood up.

"This isn't the same thing as your parents being ignorant, so don't say I'm close-minded. This is a matter of Michael held a gun to your head. He's not a good person, and you're wasting your time trying to see any different," he ranted.

I shook my head, "But what if--"

"There is no what if!" he interrupted.

I stared at him for a few moments before standing up.

Mitch furrowed his eyebrows at me. "Where are you going?" he asked as I walked toward his door.

I glanced at him for a moment before turning and exiting his room. I exited his home and then went home.