Across the Bridge

Across the Bridge - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The detention center was over an hour away, in Long Island. My mom hated leaving Brooklyn, and so she drove this mostly quiet. I had so many questions for her but I remained quiet, too. It just seem like the right thing to do.

   We arrived right on time and entered the secure area to wait. A guard called us and a few other families in to the visiting room a few minutes later. We sat at a table with plastic chairs and  waited. I could heard quiet voices all around, but both my mom and I remained silent.

   As the door opened, another guard lead about ten kids into the visiting room. Asa was third in line, his eyes wide when he saw us.

   "Hey," he said, sitting down across from us.

   His hair was getting long, but he looked good, even better than the last time I'd seen him. He was holding back a smile.

   "You look really good," I told him right away.

   "I am good," he answered, stretching out his hands onto the table.

   To me, he still looked like a little boy sometimes. But he was taller than me now, and it seemed like he'd been working out in there.

   "Oh, Asa," our mother said quickly, grabbing for his hand. "I'm sorry for not coming to see you. For leaving you here."

   Asa looked nervously at me, then to her. I knew he wasn't going to be quick to forgive her, but he would try.  He was always sticking up for her, when we were younger.

   "It's okay," he told her, even though it wasn't. "My charges got dropped because the lawyer they gave me proved all the things I've been doing to get cleaned up in here. I'm working, staying out of trouble."

   "Asa, that's awesome," I told him. "I'm proud of you."

   He shrugged. "It's a program for kids under eighteen. They pair them with a lawyer and they advocate for them."

   "I'm proud of you, too," our mother agreed. "And I'm clean, too. No more drinking."

   Asa looked at me again for confirmation, so I nodded.

   "I have to get some information to them here, but I'm bringing you home," she went on.

   "What?" Asa looked shocked, honestly.

   "They'll release you to me, soon. I have to get you back into East, and sign some stuff about your probation-"

   "East?" I interrupted. It was the first I'd heard of this. "Really?"

   "The high school in Williamsburg isn't good for him, Penny. I have a meeting with your principal on Monday."

   "Wait, I get to go home?" Asa asked again.

   "Soon," our mother nodded, squeezing his hand. "Maybe a week."

   "Oh my god." My brother looked happy, yet terrified. I knew him. I knew that he knew this wasn't going to be easy.

   "We're going to be a family again," she finished, tears in her eyes. She seemed so sincere.

   When she went to the desk with a guard to sign a few things, I had a minute to talk to Asa alone.

   "She quit drinking again?" he asked, wanting the truth.

   "Yeah, it's been a couple weeks."

   "So, how do you feel about me coming home?" he wanted to know.

   "What? I can't wait. I missed you so much, you know that," I told him.