Passage of Time

They say that time heals all wounds…perhaps there is some truth to that. Though it takes more than time. It takes an effort of the soul to forgive, to reflect, to move on. Time is simply the avenue that the motions take to reach the destination of peace. Some refuse to go down that avenue, and the pain persists, time a foe more than a friend. But most do choose the route of healing, accepting the hard circumstances and moving on. For to live life in the past is to not live at all.

Time also provides the passage of days, as healing takes place. Day by day, each hour increase the hope that soon peace will be attained. A service for a lost loved one is held, providing the opportunity to let go, yet to hang on to the memories that will stay in hearts forever.

And life does move on…slowly at first, but picking up pace with each passing day. And with those passing days, correspondence between two souls helps ease the pain even more, as a neglected love strives to stay alive…


Dear Katie,
It’s quiet here tonight…lights out in half an hour, so I wanted to write you quick. I miss you so much… They say absence makes the heart grow fonder – I say it just hurts.
I’m doing alright though. Getting used to the routine around here. It’s not so bad. Food’s not horrid…

Jason’s fork is halfway to his mouth when a large hand reaches down from over his shoulder, flipping his tray of food onto his lap. Biscuits and gravy ride from his shirt, to his pants to the floor where they splatter, followed by the tray clattering to the floor as well. Jason sets his fork back down, having only had two bites of his breakfast. He doesn’t have to look up to know that seven-foot-tall Tucker is behind him, along with his buddies, Duke and Razor.

Tucker’s hand gives Jason’s head a backhanded slap, provoking him further. “Drop your food, stupid?”

Jason grits his teeth, his hands balling into fists. This was the routine…every morning. And every morning, he held his tongue. And every morning Tucker walked away the winner.

...The nights are quiet, so sleep is coming more easily. Finding the good things keeps hope alive.
Love, Jason



Dear Katie,
Been enjoying the nice weather? I hope you’ve been visiting the beach. If there’s one spot on earth I’d like to go right now, it’s there, with you.
I’ve been getting involved with a few things to keep my hands busy. They got a woodshop here…one of the guys is teaching me some of that. It’s pretty cool, and I’m making a couple friends…

Jason slams into a pile of wood scraps, sending tools and blocks flying. Laughter breaks out, and Zane looks down at him with a sinister grin. “Don’t know how to walk, boy?”

Jason picks himself up, wiping his bloody lip. “Why can’t you just bug off?” he growls.

Zane reaches out to grab Jason by the collar. “Talk to me like that again, and you’ll find out just what happens to someone who disrespects me.”

“Yeah? Well maybe you ought to find out for once what it feels like to be on the other end of things.”

“Oh, and you gonna show me? Huh?” Zane shakes him up a bit, his grating laughter provoking several fellow inmates to laugh as well. He gives Jason another shove, sending him into a table, then onto the floor. “Learn how to walk first, then you can threaten somebody.”

Jason just lies still until the others walk away, knowing it’s useless to try and fight them off. His own threat was proven to be empty.

…working at making a table and learning a lot. Something interesting to pass the time anyway. Maybe I’ll use the skill once I’m out of here, who knows.
Missing you.
Love, Jason



Hey Katie,
I’ve heard it said that given time, everyone changes. But not my heart. One day just to spend with you would be worth a lifetime.
Tried to keep my mind busy lately…They got a library here, and I’ve been taking some time to read to fill in the quiet hours…

“Hey, pretty boy, you’s supposed to be out helping on the ditch team today.”

Jason looks up from his seat at the small table, annoyed at the interruption. He puts his book down, keeping his thumb in the page he was at. “Tucker, you got a problem, see the Warden. I wasn’t on the roster today.”

Tucker slams his hand down on the table. “That’s not the point. You were supposed to take my place, remember?”

“Oh, but then you wouldn’t have the privilege of working.”

“That’s right.”

“You already got other idiots to get you out of work. I’m not going to join the stupid ranks, so you can forget it.”

Tucker snatches Jason’s book out of his hand and tosses it carelessly into a corner. “You better reconsider that, Stevenson. Next week you get another chance. Don’t blow it.”

Jason lowers his eyes. Every fiber in his being wanted to stand up and slug Tucker, but he didn’t dare. He might be miserable, but he didn’t have a death wish.

…Secluded spots aren’t easy to come by, but time for reflecting seems too much. Hope is still within reach though, every time I think of you.
Love, Jason



Katie,
Time flies when you’re having fun, eh? Well, I wouldn’t say it’s a barrel of laughs around here, but it does have some appeal. Not as much appeal as the thought of being with you again though…missing you has become a daily habit.
I know my way around here like the back of my hand now. The facility here is really well-equipped with different areas to keep inmates occupied, and to take care of everyone as well…

“Now what?”

Jason holds a wet cloth to his bloody lip, sinking down onto the infirmary bed. “I’ll give you three guesses. The first two don’t count.”

Dr. Hinley shakes his head. “Zane or Tucker?”

“Yep.”

“How long is the Warden going to let this keep happening? Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

Jason rolls his eyes. “You tell me what good it’ll do. The Warden turns a blind eye and you know it. Besides…maybe if I ignore these thugs long enough, they’ll quit.”

…Day in and day out, I could bore you with details, but I’ll spare you the agony of trying to stay awake while reading them.
Love, Jason



Katie,
I wonder if days really do become longer…each hour presses on without promise of ending. I’ve taken some time to do some writing. Not a whole lot of inspiration around here, but a few songs have come to mind. I just wish I had my guitar. But pencil and paper have to do…

Jason erases his last line and rewrites it, satisfied with finally getting three verses complete. He was almost finished, and he already had a tune in his head as well. Sitting in a secluded corner of the recreational court was the best spot he could find this time of the day. But it still had its drawbacks…it couldn’t be locked.

“Well, well, well. I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Jason recognizes Tucker’s broad shadow, overcastting the bench. “Tucker, come on. Can’t you leave me alone for one day?”

“Getting tired of me already?” Without warning, Tucker swipes the piece of paper from Jason’s hand. “What do we have here, hmm?”

Jason gets to his feet. “Give that back.”

Tucker starts to snicker, “Look at this, boys.” He shows off the lyrics to Duke and Razor. “He’s up to it again with his frilly little poems.”

Razor gives a sinister smile and takes the page for himself, his eyes scanning the words. “Aw, what a shame, too. He went and wrote on my confetti.”

The sound of the paper being ripped in two is like a slap to Jason’s face. The all-too familiar anger surges through his veins. This was the last straw. He couldn’t take it any longer. He’d been bullied since he got here and had fought his own conscience tooth and nail not to allow himself the pleasure of showing he wasn’t the wimp they took him for. But in this moment, the thought of consequences flees.

Jason’s knuckles meet Razor’s jaw with a resounding smack…


“…Jason, can you hear me?”

Jason blinks and looks up into Dr. Hinley’s pen light. “Wha….hmm?”

Dr. Hinley shakes his head. “You’ve been out cold for half an hour.”

Jason sits up straight on the bed, though moves too quickly, and his head starts to spin. “What…”

Dr. Hinley points to the other three beds where Duke is passed out, Tucker is holding a broken nose and Razor is grumbling about his ribs. “And I thought you weren’t going to do anything about them.”

…Life can be great under any circumstance, if the right perspective is assumed. At least that’s what people like to think. Harder to do than one might realize though. A few joys now and again certainly help.
Jason



Dear Katie,
As days progress, I hunt of things to say, but nothing seems new.
We get to spend a lot of time outside as long as the weather permits, so that’s a bonus. It’s been a bit hot lately, but I’d much rather be enjoying the sunshine than be cooped up inside all day…

“Come on, slackers, pick up the pace!”

Jason shoves the spade into the hard earth for the umpteeth time, bringing up a shovel-full of dirt to toss to the side. All morning on the trench and one could no longer feel the sweat and grime. All that was felt was the hot sun and the parched lips longing for a drink.

“Stevenson, you’re holding up the line,” Zane complains. “Get your wimpy hind end moving before I move it for you.”

Jason grits his teeth. Today was not a day to mess with him – he was in a sour enough mood the way it was. Tucker was off his back now, he didn’t need Zane continuously hounding him with idiotic grumblings. Without even thinking, Jason takes a tighter grip on his spade. He was hot, he was tired, and his tolerance for Zane had ended. The swinging spade slams into the side of Zane’s face and head with such force that it sends him reeling to the side, and stumbling into the second trench.

Another inmate moves in, but Jason stands tall, threatening to wield his tool again.

“What’s going on here?” The Warden’s voice booms as he retraces his steps back to the fourth group.

“Zane fell down,” Jason states flatly.

The Warden looks over to where Zane is just picking himself up, a bit wobbly, and wiping blood from the side of his face. “Is that true?”

Zane shoots a look in Jason’s direction.

Jason meets the stare head on with an icy one of his own, and a threatening gesture with his spade.

Zane finally nods. “Yeah, that’s true.”

…Sorry this is short, but I’ve run out of things. Will write more soon.
Jason



Katie,
Routines here aren’t so bad once you get used to them. Though making some friends, most of my time really is spent alone. You know me though – I like it that way. Keeps things quiet…

“Yo, Ace!”

Jason looks up from his woodworking project and sets his protective glasses up on his head. “What?”

Ethan waves to him. “Got another one.”

Jason rolls his eyes. The Warden could care less about what happened in the compound. But there were advantages to helping out the little people by making the bullies pick on somebody their own size.

A small crowd was gathered in the corner of the basketball court where Tucker was beating on the littler Shawn. Though the number of onlookers wasn’t great, it was a noisy bunch as they took sides, most betting on Tucker to win.

Jason’s shadow precedes him, and suddenly someone slaps Tucker’s arm. “Don’t look now. Ace is coming.”

Tucker lets go of Shawn’s collar to turn and see Jason’s tall, muscular frame coming towards him. “The lone ranger rides again, eh?”

Jason holds his chin high, and folds his arms across his chest. He’d gained back the muscular weight he’d come with, and now wasn’t someone anyone else wanted to go up against. “You got a problem? Or do you just want a third broken nose?”

Tucker grits his teeth, but after a short stare down, he backs off. “You wanna spend your time with losers, go ahead.” Scoffing, he spins on his heel and stalks off.

Shawn brushes some dust off of himself and wipes his bloody lip. “Thanks, Ace, I owe ya one.”

Jason assumes his now-typical negotiating stance without so much as a friendly nod. “Next time you wanna work the line instead of me, just say so, and you might find yourself in fewer fights in the future too.”

…And quiet is often good. It’s lights out now. More to come.
J



Katie,
Business as usual. Days all melt into each other, without hardly taking the time for the sunrises and sunsets to separate them. I can hardly believe it’s been over two months since I saw you.
One could fall into this life and get used to it pretty easily. Camaraderie makes things tolerable…

Jason carries his food tray down the row of tables, aiming for the four empty seats across from Ethan and his bunch. The newcomer, Keith, though, purposely beats him to the spot.

He stops beside the chair and glares down at the shorter man. “There’s an empty seat across the row,” he suggests with a threatening edge.

Keith looks up, his eyebrows rising in a challenging statement. “This one wasn’t taken.”

“It is now.” Jason can feel Tucker, Duke and Razor come up behind him, creating a force not even the Warden liked to confront anymore.

Keith stares at Jason for a moment, giving him a cocky once over. “You’re Ace, aren’t you?”

“What of it?”

“I heard about you…They say you don’t throw the first punch, but it’s the second one everybody’s scared of.”

Jason’s eyes narrow. “Don’t make me give you a demonstration. You’re in my seat.”

Keith opts to surrender. He picks up his lunch and leaves to go find another place, though throws Jason a glare to let him know he would be back to challenge again.

Jason ignores him, and plops down in his usual spot and digs into the not-so-great chicken.

“Better watch it, Ace,” Ethan warns. “The Warden likes that one.”

“You think I’m afraid of the warden?” Jason shoots back. He had a reputation now, and knew how to use it. He didn’t beat the innocent to a pulp nor bully for the fun of it. But no one dared to stand up to him, and crossing him meant the infirmary for sure. Survival of the fittest was the rule here.

…Interesting facts seem to be lacking, so I’ll end here.
J



Con leans on his side, propped up on his elbow, enjoying the breeze as he and Jamie sit on the spread blanket on the sandy beach. He takes a bite of his sandwich and sighs with satisfaction. Taking advantage of one of his few days off, it felt good to get out and do something different. His body was exhausted, but he wasn’t going to give up time spent with Jamie. “Mmm, you sure do know how to make a sandwich,” he comments, a smile playing at his mouth. He’s quiet for a moment, thinking. “I haven’t made it out to TJY much lately…how’s Katie holding up? I heard Reese thought they might have a slight lead on the case with Jason, but nothing solid.”


Two months. Carson wasn’t sure he believed that much time had passed. It seemed impossible. He taps his fingers absentmindedly on his steering wheel, tempted to turn back. But he was here now…and he knew its where he belonged.

Stepping out of the car, he slowly makes his way to the door. He walked tall, a quiet confidence in his step. An air of humility underlined his disposition, a contrast to the past. His eyes are clear, life showing through, though there were areas of darkness…areas that reflected parts of his heart that had grown dim. But he held onto them as reminders… reminders of mistakes that should not be repeated.

Hesitating, Carson enters the building. It felt so strange, yet familiar at the same time. He had no idea what he would be walking into, nor if he would be accepted.

Opening another door, he steps onto the main floor of TJY. It was quiet today…late afternoon, probably some people had gone home already. Carson swallows hard. The feeling of the worn chain around his neck feels heavier. He had not been back since… He quickly replaces the thoughts with something else.

Walking slowly, cautiously, he finally nears enough to be able to see Nate at his desk. He stops and simply stands, not knowing how to approach. Not knowing what to say. He had been silent for two months…he didn’t know what to expect. For all he knew, everyone here blamed him for the past as much as he did himself. But if he didn’t at least see for himself, he would always wonder, and that was something he was no longer willing to do.

Catching Nate’s eye, he waits.