Deceitful | Book 3

| T H I R T Y - N I N E |

BRUCE

I looked around the cold cafeteria at all of the people waiting patiently for their loved one to come out. They all looked like this was something they did every week. I'm sure none of them was as nervous as me. It was like meeting my wife for the first time.

    I checked the time on my watch, but realized that time wasn't important. What was important was that I was finally getting the chance to see her after a couple of days.

    Truthfully speaking, I started to wonder if this is what Martray felt like during his visits. Did he feel as nervous as me? Was he excited to see whoever was coming to visit him on that day? I shook my head at myself for thinking that. I don't care how he felt. What I cared about was getting Tereny home safely and catering to her and my children.

    Damn, I miss Britney and Britten. If they knew any better, They'd be worried sick. I just know it.

    A dark skin lady in uniform, wearing a black jacket walked into the room with a clipboard in her hand. She looked into the cafeteria almost as if she were counting us. When she was satisfied, she looked back at a line full of people. Tereny had to be in that line.

    The people in the cafeteria stood to their feet, so I assumed that I was supposed to do the same.

    The lady called out names and the people answered to them. Some of the people looked like they needed to be locked away with the key thrown away while a few looked as if they didn't belong in a place like this—Tereny included.

    My wife looked so restless. I knew she wasn't getting much sleep. The bags under her eyes told it all. The dark circles around her eyes made the shape of raccoon eyes. Her hair was pulled away from her face and into a slight rigid ponytail. Her clothes were loose and uniformed almost the same as the ones people wore in jail. So were the other women.

    When she saw me standing there, her eyes started squinting and widening.

    She walked over to me in a fast pace. It took her closeness for me to realize that she was crying. The tears streamed down her puffy cheeks as she held her arms out. I walked to meet her halfway and wrapped my arms around her, listening to her silent cries. Damn, I felt so bad that she had to be in here. I also wanted to know what happened to her that led her in here like this. I wanted her to talk to me today. Not tomorrow, but today.

    I was leading to let go, but she held onto me so tight that I couldn't. So, I just stood there and held onto her as long as she held onto me.

    "Mrs. Golden. Breakaway please." The lady had finally spoken after we held onto each other a little bit too long.

    I broke away from the hug first and held her hand to help her sit down next to me. When I was seated, I realized that Tereny's earrings had been taken out. In fact, she wasn't wearing her wedding ring. All of her jewelry was gone.

    I touched her hand and intertwined it into mine. She looked over at me, tears still falling from her eyes. Shaking my head, I wipe them away as best as I could, but more tears continued falling.

    "I've been missing you." I told her.

    She sucked in her bottom lip and sniffled like a toddler. She had snot coming from her nose so I lifted up my shirt and wiped it away. It felt like taking care of Britney. Their features were so similar. I held my shirt to her nose and gently grabbed her nose.

    "Blow." I tell her. She obliged and I could feel the snot from her nose run into my shirt. Although it felt nasty, I just wanted to clean her face off a little bit.