I can feel the breeze a bit too much. It tickles my nose, and then disappears. I don’t want to feel this. I want to feel natural, but with a person almost thirty years older then me standing by my side that isn’t possible.

He’s my judge, for my trial that will take place in a few hours.

He said that this walk was my last time to explain to him why I stole from him. And if I didn’t get it right by the time we get to my house, then he was 100% sentencing me to 6 months in jail.

My words- they were jumbled up like a wad of gum in my throat, choking me. He was staring at me. It was so scary, stressful, and worst of all… AWKWARD!

“You know” he said before we left “no one else has ever been given this opportunity. You are lucky.”

Honestly, I’d rather be locked up in a cage right now then walking in this freezing weather with this guy I barely know, and this guy who is also judging every step I take.

I take a deep breath, but all I can say is “What’s up?”

He huffs and shakes his head. No response.

Darn it.

I try again “Look, dude, I’m sorry, I was stupid. You forgive me?”

“Dude!?” He stares at me with wide eyes “Really?! You are the opposite of intelligent.”

“Can’t you just say that I’m stupid?”

“I don’t believe in such foul language. You’re wasting your time, Mario.”

I sigh. What the heck.

The streets start to look familiar, which means we’re nearing our house. I don’t know what to do or say. I can’t get the right words out. This is probably one of the worst social situations I’ve ever been in.

Okay, I think, What would I say to Him?

Then I scratch that thought, because I still hate Him. (Him meaning the guy I stole from. I call him Him because of confidentiality purposes as well as ythe fact that I just don’t like that guy at all.)

I stole from him because he stole from me. I had everything until he started playing with my kids, and my wife as well. Then it went too far. However, he felt bad and disappeared. My wife and I are forever different now though, he changed everything. Now I can barely sleep in my bed, knowing someone else was in there.

We walk, in silence, and the more I think about this, and the more I feel the breeze tickle my nose, the less I want to be here. The less I want to go home. I’d rather be anywhere else right now.

Maybe jail isn’t paradise, but it is anywhere else.

I turn around and face the judge. I say fiercely, “I don’t want to go to jail, but I feel like I deserve to be locked up after what I’ve done. I didn’t deserve this chance because I have nothing good to say. That’s why I didn’t use it. I deserve to be locked up in a cage, isolated from everyone, with only me and my thoughts. I need this. I promise it will help me.”

That’s how I got proven innocent.

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