Marrisa Bonifacio
It’s been two days since the old lady at the clinic offered to help me, I have been contemplating on her offer, even though I made up my mind to accept the offer I still wanted to be sure I wasn’t making the wrong decision
She has been good to me these few days, she secretly sticks in meals for me, she helps me with multivitamins, which is good for my baby since there’s no proper food in the prison.
After a long thought, right now we were asked to cut some grass, I already finished my own portion and I’m under a tree shade resting and thinking.
After much thought I decided to go see the old lady in the clinic, I’ve decided to take that risk one more time, it’s for my baby’s sake, I told myself I was ready for whatever the consequences may be, be it good or bad
I know if I really want to get out of the fore walls of this prison I have to take a risk, and maybe if everything goes well I’ll be free from this hell called prison.
My baby bump is already starting to show and very soon it will get more difficult here, I don’t want my baby to grow up in this kind of environment, I don’t want him or her to grow up thinking that mum is a criminal, no…. I don’t want my baby to have that mindset
Making my way down the clinic I faked a painful face, using my tummy every officer that comes across me looked at me weirdly but when they see my tummy they ignored me and walk away,
I continued that trick till I made it to the clinic, I entered and saw the old woman writing something down on a notebook
“Good day…..” I greeted looking at the floor
She sighted me immediately and drop the notebook on the table, in a fast pace she walked toward me and help me sit on one of the bed
“How are you doing, are you feeling any pain, do you need any medication?”
She asked all these questions at once making me wonder why she cared so much about me, I sighed and look up at her staring right into her eyes
“Why do you care so much about me?”
“Because I was once like you, and trust me I understand everything you’re going through”
“You know nothing about me, don’t act like you care, to show your through colors..!!”
“Why do you want me to accept who I’m not, I’m sorry if people treated you badly and made you have trust issues, but you don’t judge everybody with your past experience, I’m a mother and I know the pains of being in this type of place, especially in your early trimester, you need care attention and a peaceful environment, your baby is not safe here and he or she should be your priority”
“You don’t have to remind me of that, I’m aware of what’s best for my baby….” I snapped looking away
“I’m not a harmful person” I heard her say in a calm voice,
“What if you turn out to be one?”
“Don’t judge me”
“I’m not judging you, I just don’t want the past to repeat itself”
“If we must escape then we have only tomorrow to do that, a day after tomorrow the security will be tightened and we will no longer have a means of escape
“So what do we do?” I asked looking at her hoping for God to make a way for me and my unborn baby
“You have to leave, I’ll make plans for us and in the evening I’ll come and see you, but before that do you have anything to pack?”
“No…. I came here with nothing so obviously, I’ll be leaving with nothing”
“Hmmm…. alright” She nodded
“Wait….” I said to her and she look at me giving me a listening ear
“You don’t even know if I’m a criminal, what if I kill you?” I ask, she smiles shortly and parted my back
“I’ve seen the look in your eyes when someone is been shot dead or punished, obviously you don’t belong to the bad girl’s category”
“Still…. you don’t have to trust people easily”
“I’m a mother and trust me, I know you need help, I’m not going to ask you about what happened to you, of your story, I believe when we get out of here, as time goes on, you’ll learn to trust me and probably open up to me on your own, I want you to learn to trust me, I know it’ll take time probably months or even years, but I’m good at waiting hopefully one-day things will change” She smiles thorns of emotion visible in her eyes
Why do I feel like she’s doesn’t mean any harm
“I don’t mean any harm” She winked, her wrinkled face glowing making me wonder how she know what I was thinking
“How did you know?”
“Ohh come on its normal ” She smiled, I didn’t know when I ended up smiling as well,
“Wow….. you just smile….” She giggled
“Of course your smiles are contagious” I blush for the first time in three months, she must have been so pretty in her youthful days
“You’re pretty too….”
“Can I know your name?” I asked
“Call me Mrs. Katherine”
“I’m Marrisa, you can call me Rissa”
Evening
I have been waiting for Mrs. Katherine to show up like she said, so I can know the next plan, it’s already dawn and soon we will go for dinner in the dining,
I want to see her before we leave for the dining, I continue looking at the door at every slightest sound hoping she would pass through it
My prison mates were starting to look at me awkwardly
“Get ready you will all head to the dining in five minutes” We heard the announcement
I sighed giving up hope already, how foolish was I to think I could leave this place,
Just when we were starting to leave the prison for the dining, I saw her walk in through the door with some medication maybe for a disguise or excuse to avoid being caught
My heart skipped as joy overwhelmed me, I waited for her to come closer, she started acting like she was administering a drug for me, and then she whispered into my ear
“Get ready, the bus which disposes of the waste bin will be leaving early tomorrow morning, we will hide inside the bus and leave this place”