Her grandmother was visiting. The...
Illustration
Her grandmother was visiting. The visit would be brief, but Alicia had been looking forward to it for several days. And now, as she sat with her grandmother, Alicia saw tears in her eyes. Her grandmother, who was always the strong one, the one who loved her children and grandchildren through even the most difficult times, was crying. And then it was time for her grandmother to leave. Family visits in the county jail were limited to 15 minutes. Her grandmother's tears had puzzled her. Alicia knew that her grandmother was sad that she was in jail on drug charges, but her grandmother's tears seemed to go beyond her pain for Alicia. Alicia was puzzled. Sure, her brothers and sisters, as well as her cousins, were often in and out of trouble, but they always landed on their feet. Two of her cousins were in a gang, but Alicia knew they would be okay, protected by their strong gang. Then, Alicia's thoughts turned to her parents. In many ways, they had been great parents. They had given her lots of neat stuff when she was young, and as she grew older, they gave her a generous allowance and never asked how she spent it. When she was 13, they had given her the freedom to come and go from their home whenever she wanted. Her grandmother had disagreed frequently with what she called her parents' "overindulgence," but she was always willing to listen to Alicia and to tell her stories about her own quiet, but interesting life. Until last year, Alicia had spent two years each summer at her grandmother's home in the city. Suddenly, the guard's voice broke through her solitude, instructing her to get her things together. Bail had been paid. She was released from jail, into her grandmother's custody. In the waiting room, she walked straight for her grandmother's waiting arms. Her grandmother was smiling. But Alicia could tell that, on another level, her grandmother's tears still flowed. -- Spencer
