Our James.

Episode 34: A Fucking Headache!

James walked over to see Zoe and noticed Sophia was watching him approach with real fear in her eyes. He saw it was only Zoe's grip on her hand that kept the young woman from fleeing.

James sat down across from her and saw she was trembling.

He wondered what had brought her to this level of fear. It couldn't be him.

"Hello Sophia," he said.

"Hello Mr. Landis." Sophia squeaked.

James looked at her cautiously. "You can call me James. Are you ok?"

"Please don't hurt me," she whined.

"I would never hurt you!" he gasped.

Sophia looked at James like she didn't believe him.

"Why would you think I would do that?" he said incredulously.

"Don't play with me!" she growled and the guards looked over at them with a scowl.

"I swear I'm not! I hold no grudge against you. I'm not mad at you. I forgive you. James said as bluntly as he could."

"What?" the young woman gasped, staring at him, clearly shaken.

"I don't hold grudges. That behavior never really made sense to me. It's over. It happened and we all move on. There is already too much other stuff happening in life to waste time on, stuff that happened in the past. I forgive you. You should forgive yourself maybe and think of things you can do to ease your conscience. It makes you feel so much better," he said with a smile.

Sophia began to cry. Zoe looked at him and mouthed 'thank you' to him. He felt embarrassed to see the young woman falling apart. He stood and pointed to the exit. Zoe nodded.

As he left he noticed that Victoria and her lawyer were no longer there and it looked like Zoe was the last visitor. According to the clock on the wall there was just fifteen minutes left anyway. The guards let him out and he walked back to the front doors. Looking out the window he noticed the snow was coming down really hard. He walked back to the registration desk.

"You weren't planning to drive back to the city were you?" the man behind the counter called out.

"That was the plan, yes, he said.

"Interstate is closed. County roads are almost impossible as well. You'll have to wait until the plows come by in the morning."

James felt fatigue settle on his bones. An ache began in his head. He needed to eat. "Is there a hotel nearby? And place to eat"

"Just the Cloverleaf Roadhouse and Inn about a mile east of here. Clean rooms and a good restaurant but the bar there can get pretty rowdy. Being so close to the penitentiary it gets more than its fair share of the rougher element. You be careful if you go there."

James nodded. It didn't look like they had an alternative. "Where did the lawyer go?"

"Kendra? She has family nearby," the clerk explained.

"Ah."

James found himself a chair and waited for Zoe. It wouldn't be long as visitor's hours were almost up. He watched the storm outside the window and its ferocity seemed to be increasing. This was what the other visitors had been fleeing for. He rubbed his temples as the ache grew.

Zoe showed up at exactly 8:30PM and rushed over to hug him.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she cried into his chest.

"What? What did I do?"

"For the first time in years I got through to my baby. After she broke down I spoke with her and we really connected. I could finally see my little Sophia behind the poison her father filled her head with. She sees it too now! Oh James, this is too wonderful!"