by Amy Stephens
The sound of Jaime calling out my name suddenly brought me back to the present.
“Sorry. I was just thinking about something.”
“Obviously.”
“So, how did you know I was here?” I asked again since I didn’t know if he had already answered my previous question while I had been lost in my thoughts.
“I watched you.” His accent tonight was more prevalent than it had ever been before.
“You watched me?”
“Yes, from the window back there. I was standing there staring outside when I saw your car pull in.”
“But you didn’t know I was going to get here early.”
“And you didn’t know I would be here early either.”
Jaime gave me a once over and I suddenly felt a school girl. Looking down at the floor I couldn’t believe I had walked out of my house dressed like this. Jaime stood up and walked over to me since I still hadn’t taken a seat yet. Using his finger, he lifted my chin so I was looking at him.
I was captured under his spell. I was mesmerized.
“Is something wrong?” He asked, noticing my behavior. “And what’s up with this?” He pointed down at my clothes.
“I just thought maybe the clothes I’d been wearing were a little too revealing.” I cringed as I said this.
“Do what? According to whom? I was actually enjoying the little show you were giving me each night?” And what would he have thought last night had he seen my low cut wrap around top? Ray had surely noticed.
“Show? What show?” For the first time I started to feel uneasy.
“Come on Erica. You know you were dressing like that just to turn me on.”
“I was?” I bit down on my tongue, suddenly wishing I could take back those words.
Jaime laughed. “You’re such a tease.”
“No I’m not.” I lightly pushed at his chest and realized the uneasiness was suddenly gone and I was flirting with him once again.
Jaime reached up and grabbed ahold of my hand. Holding it for a few seconds, he continued. “You know you drive me crazy.”
If I could scream right now, I would. I would scream as loudly as I could until I woke up from this dream. Wait. I’m not having a dream. This is really happening.
“Jaime, I …. I need to ask ….”
“Come on, grab your things and let’s get away from this front area. There’s a quieter place in the back.”
Quiet? There’s no one else around here and he’s worried about it being quiet. I’m worried about Hector or Ray walking up and catching us carrying on like this.
Not resisting him at all, I followed him around the corner walking past rows and rows of bookshelves. There were several computer stations set up but no one using them tonight. It was apparent we were the only ones on this floor.
All the way in the very back, I noticed another clearing between the rows of shelves with several more tables set up only there were no computers here. Two more couches sat across from one another, their leather more worn than the couch I’d previously sat in before. One thing was certain. This library was massive. I’d almost be willing to bet hardly anyone frequented this part of the library. Who knows what could happen up here? And that’s what concerned me. What could happen?
I noticed a row of windows off to the side.
“Is that where you watched me?” I asked pointing over to the windows.
Jaime stepped closer to me, so close that I could feel the heat coming from his body.
“You don’t like me watching you?” He reached up and lightly ran his finger down the side of my cheek and I took a step towards him.
“Uh, of course I don’t mind.”
Jaime twisted a piece of my hair that had fallen loose from the clip around his finger.
“Aren’t you afraid someone will see us together? Isn’t that against the rules or something?” There, I had finally said something that pertained to him being in prison. I had to wonder if I was nuts for allowing this to come this far.
“Hardly anyone comes back here. And even if they did, we’re working on a project, right?” If he’d picked up on my subtle hint he didn’t show it.
I knew that’s what we were supposed to be doing but we were far from working on any assignment. The least we should do is pull out our books or something to make it appear like we’re working.
“But aren’t there cameras? What if they are watching us?” I continued to ask questions.
“Dang it Erica. What’s with all the questions?” His tone shifted and I could tell he was getting frustrated.
All of my questions had clearly killed the moment.
Or so I thought.
“I just …. Ray said …” And before I could say more, he leaned over and kissed me gently on the lips. His own were soft and moist. I was uncertain how to respond.
I stopped my body from leaning more into him and pulled back. If I was struggling to get my words out before, I was absolutely speechless now. Jaime kept looking down at my lips like he wanted to kiss them again. I caught myself running my tongue over my lips to dampen them. And yes, I wanted him to kiss me again too. It was interesting, to say the least.
“Jaime, we can’t. Someone might see us.” But I did it anyway. I leaned forward and he responded by bringing his lips to mine.
This time, I heard a slight moan coming from him. He, too, was enjoying this moment.
“Mmm. Your lips are so soft.” He whispered. “I’ve dreamed about kissing them since the first night of class.”
Do what? I nearly melted onto the floor just hearing him say this.
A few rows over someone cleared their throat. Startled, we both jumped and separated quickly. We thought we had been up here alone. Not sure if the other person saw us or was just in the area, but we needed to be careful. And speaking of being careful, I was suddenly reminded of Ray.
“Um, Jaime. Can I ask you something?” There was no easy way to broach this subject with him other than being straight forward. Please, just let Ray be making this up. I kept saying to myself as I gathered in my head the right words to say. I took a seat down on the couch.
“Sure, babe. What’s up?”
Why did he have to call me babe? It’s like we’ve reached a different level with each other just because of a simple kiss. A simple kiss, not hardly. It’s not making it any easier that’s for sure. Here goes nothing.
“In class the other day, Ray told me something that I’ve been having a hard time believing.” I was off to a good start.
“Oh yeah? What’s that?” Jaime had no idea what I was about to ask him. He sounded so casual.
“With this being my first semester at Bishop and my first time ever being on a military base, I guess I didn’t realize there would be other students also taking classes with me.”
“I’m not following you.” He kept his attention focused on me, obviously confused with where I was going.
I hated to be blunt but he left me no other choice. So I spit it out.
“Ray said the reason why you wear that jumpsuit is because you’re, uh, in prison here.” I said it quickly, hoping I wouldn’t have to repeat myself. “Did I miss something somewhere because I thought being locked up meant you were behind bars? Please tell me this is just a sick joke that Ray is playing on me.” I felt the tears pool in my eyes but I refused to cry. I would not cry about this in front of him. I may be embarrassed but I couldn’t deny the feelings that I’d previously started having for him before Ray had made his announcement.
Jaime reached up and rubbed his forehead.
“You mean to tell me you didn’t know about this ridiculous outfit? The Falcon Club?” Jaime reached down and pulled at the front of the jumpsuit.
I shook my head and let out a deep sigh.
“No, I didn’t. Is Ray right?” I suddenly felt terrible for asking.
“Look Erika. I thought you knew. God, I thought you knew.” I could tell it bothered him.
“Jaime, am I going to get in trouble for being here
with you? I mean, if this is not right…..”
Just a few minutes ago we were kissing and discovering the possibility of something more, but now, here we were, facing the bitter truth.
Jaime reached up to run his fingers through his hair forgetting it had all been cut off.
“We just have to be careful.”
“You can’t be serious. Careful? So we aren’t supposed to be here together?”
I tensed when I realized just how much trouble I could get into. I mean, it’s not like anything really happened, but here I am sitting alone with a convicted felon. What in the hell have I gotten myself into?
“It’s not like that at all. Just listen to me. Okay?” He pleaded.
Jaime began to explain everything and I forgot all about meeting up with Hector and Ray. I listened intently to every word he said. Technically, the inmates weren’t supposed to have any contact with the other students, but because they were working on group assignments, such as our situation, we were allowed to work together only in the classroom and only in the library. Inmates were to remain visible to the instructors at all times and must remain in clear view of military personnel when not in the classroom. Students and civilians were not to engage in private conversations with the federal prisoners and at no time was it acceptable for inmates to borrow or use personal property belonging to students. This included anything from school supplies to cell phones. It was the inmate’s responsibility to provide their own necessary items for class.
I was having a hard time with everything he was telling me and I’m sure the expression on my face said as much. This was some serious shit.
“I’m really sorry you had to find out this way.” He apologized. “But before you get upset or scared, prison here is a lot different than what you’re thinking.”
I honestly didn’t know what I was thinking at this point.
“None of the guys here are bad or out to harm you so you can relax. They’re not murderers or rapists. They’re here for drug trafficking, tax evasion or embezzlement. Things like that. Yes, the crimes are still serious but it’s not like they killed anyone or they’re on death row.”
“What did you do to end up here?” I couldn’t believe I was asking him to confess his crime to me. Was it any of my business?
As painful as it was for him, he continued. “It all started about eleven years ago. I was hanging with the wrong crowd somewhere I shouldn’t have been. I sort of offered to help a friend and he was going to pay me. My mom worked hard raising our family and no matter how much I tried to work and help out, it just wasn’t enough. Good jobs were hard to come by and even being bilingual didn’t help much. Everyone in Miami speaks two languages and I just sort of blended in with everyone else. I had done some work before for this particular guy and since he had paid me good money, I decided to do some work for him again. Only this time, it was a setup and I got busted. I got stopped by the border patrol and busted for trying to smuggle drugs into the States from Columbia. My friend who had done the deal with me, ran, not wanting to get caught and I took the fall. At first I was locked up in one of the many jails of Miami, and let me tell you, you want to talk about rough. That place was a nightmare. My momma would come to see me during visiting hours on Sunday and all she could do was cry. It wasn’t a place to bring young children even though I watched wives bring their kids to visit with men all the time. Mom was so sad I had done something so stupid. All because I wanted to help our family out.”
I listened intently to every word.
“My court date was coming up and I admit, I was nervous. Nervous as hell because this was it. I didn’t know what kind of sentencing the judge had in store for me but I knew this was serious business. My court appointed attorney was doing his best to plea bargain but the district attorney showed no mercy. Drugs are a major problem in southern Florida and the State does everything they can to put a stop to it. In the end, the judge gave me ten years in the federal penitentiary. I guess maybe I was lucky. I don’t know, but it could have been more.”
“You’ve been here for ten years?” I was shocked beyond belief.
“No, the first prison I was in had tighter security. I had to do different things just to earn certain rights. Eventually, because I had been following the guidelines and maintaining a good track record, I had the option to transfer to another facility with the chance to take some college courses and an opportunity to work. And that’s how I ended up here. I’ve not seen anyone in my family in over six years now.”
“Six years? Wow, that’s a really long time. Can you talk to them on the phone? Or write to them?”
“Before I came here I did get to visit with my mom. She was still very bitter with the system. And she’s right. There are more serious crimes being committed everyday but I happened to be the one who got caught. I didn’t even do the stuff, I just delivered it. In fact, the first few times I made deliveries, I wasn’t even aware drugs were involved. I thought it was just top secret government packages or something. But it was easy money and the deals were quick. I could make several hundred dollars just by working a few hours. It was money my family needed to survive. Believe me, I’ve paid my price.” He paused, as if he were thinking about everything he had just shared with me. “On the brighter side of things, I’ve gotten the chance to attend college. The government took up the tab the first year, but after that, it became our family’s responsibility to pay for it. That’s one of the reasons why it’s taken me six years just to complete a degree program.”
“So your mom is having to pay for it now?”
I could tell this was a tender subject with Jaime when he looked away from me. I’m pretty sure I may have even seen a tear in the corner of his eye but he quickly wiped it away.
“She contacted my grandfather back in Columbia and they worked out some kind of deal. All I know is the money was transferred into my account and she told me not to worry about it. But how could I not worry? I mean, my mom is the only one working in the family and she works ten hour shifts just to provide. Can you imagine six people living in a two bedroom apartment? If it weren’t for my younger brothers and sisters looking out for one another, I’m not sure my family would be making it right now.”
“But look at you now. You’re getting ready to graduate and then you’ll soon be getting released. How does it feel knowing you’ve accomplished that?” I wanted to be positive for him.
“You don’t get it do you?”
“Excuse me? I don’t get what?”
Jaime quickly changed his tone and I didn’t understand what had caused the sudden mood swing.
“Can’t you see how hard this has been for me? Not only have I been an embarrassment to my family, but I’ve not exactly been a great role model for my brothers or sisters. Every day I wonder if they’ll even recognize me once I’m released. My mom refused to let them see me while I was locked up in Miami. She made up some kind of story to tell them about me and that’s the way it’s been ever since. They think I’m off doing something good for our family. They know I’m on a military base and probably just assume I’m a soldier and not a convicted felon.”
“Jaime, I’m sorry.” I reached up to rest my hand on his shoulder but our conversation tonight had obviously been more than what either of us had planned. He pulled away and suddenly I felt all alone. I had to wonder if I had done the right thing by bringing it up. But I needed to know. I needed to know what that jumpsuit stood for.
I couldn’t have gone another day without knowing the truth.
Chapter Seven
I awoke the next morning feeling totally different about Jaime. Yes, I did feel sorry for him but I know that’s not what he would want me to feel. He’s had enough sorrow the past ten years and has had plenty of time to think about his wrong doings. Jaime and his family had been through hell, literally, but life still went on and he had apparently made the most of what he could with the situation. I had to believe in my heart that he was sincere with me and not just using me.
I believed he was telling me the truth.
In my mind, I replayed everything over and over again. Jaime and I had shared a passionate kiss and I wondered just how far things would have progressed had I not stopped him. I knew we were in a library but with no one else around, what kind of risk would we have taken? Then, I wondered if there had been other girls. Did he meet someone new each semester? Was I just a play toy for him?
I struggled to make it through the day at work. I felt fine but I was eager to see Jaime again. I needed to know more. He was interesting and I was determined to see where this led.
I spent my lunch break working on homework and before long it was time to get off for the day. I was thankful the day had passed quickly although I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Ray and having to explain to him why we hadn’t met last night. Apparently Jaime and I had remained hidden enough that Ray hadn’t discovered our hiding spot. For all Ray knew, none of us had showed up.
When I got in line to drive through the gate on base I noticed it seemed to take a little longer than usual for the cars to advance. In fact, the guy manning the guard station walked around each car, peering inside. I found it peculiar but then again I wasn’t used to proper military procedure either. For all I knew this was something they did randomly and not just now.
When it was my turn to pull forward, I stopped and allowed the guard to view inside my car. If this had been done from the beginning I don’t think it would have seemed odd, but my gut told me something wasn’t right. Still, I felt relatively safe being on base, even now knowing there was a prison here, and quickly forgot about it once I pulled into the parking lot and found a place to park.
There seemed to be more students than normal mingling outside and I soon learned it was because the main door leading inside the building was locked. Students began forming a line as the time drew near for class to start and I noticed everyone pulling out their ID’s prior to going inside.
I heard the sound of the bus as it pulled up and the guys stepped out one by one. It didn’t take long for me to spot Jaime and he took his place at the end of the line along with the other guys from the Falcon Club.
