The Illusion of Freedom

Tony woke with a start, as suddenly as if he had been shaken. He lay in silence for a moment, his gaze fixed on the ceiling above him. It was the same color as everything else, the weariest possibly shade of murky grey. Tony slowly rose from his cot, sitting down at the edge.
For the last time. A grin split his features at the thought.

Hearing footsteps echoing from out in the corridor, he got to his feet and quickly approached the cell door. The corrections officer who stood just outside had a small smile fixed on his olive complexioned face.

"Today's the big day. I hope you didn't get too attached to wearing orange, Tony."

"No worries Rick, I'm gonna see if they'll let me take a couple jumpsuits with me. For the fond memories." With a laugh the uniformed man clapped a hand on Tony's shoulder and they walked together down the corridor. For the last time.

Tony's eyes scanned every detail of the walls in the corridor as they moved. This place had been his life for the past seven years, his reality. And during his stay the world outside had become a foggy image that had grown hazier with each passing day. The very thought that it was really out there seemed ludicrous.

"Go get some tail you bastard!"

"I knew this shithole couldn't hold ya!"

"That's my boy!"

Tony's grin widened at the cries from his fellow inmates. He lifted a hand in recognition as he passed their cells. For the last time.

A fat officer looked up from behind his desk as Tony and Rick entered the office. He glanced quickly at Tony and then placed a very large plastic bag onto the polished surface.

"One pair of sneakers, one pair of jeans, a white t shirt, a pack of gum and a wallet containing 13 dollars."

Tony changed out of his jumpsuit, for the last time, and he straightened up wearing the jeans and t shirt. They felt strange on him. Foreign.

"Something wrong?"

Holding up the pack of gum, Tony looked into the fat officer's face with his eyes twinkling. "You steal any of my gum? I think I had a few more pieces in he- "Get your ass outta here, before we change our mind."

The air outside was damp, the sun had only just risen and the streets were mostly deserted. He stood in front of the facility for a moment, his eyes open wide. The sheer openness of it all afflicted him, so accustomed was he to a world of corridors and holding cells. Here there were people walking in all different directions, with no semblance of order. The sight made him suppress a shudder.

Tony found the journey back to his house both uneventful and alarming. He kept jumping at sudden noises, such as the blaring of a car horn or the screeching brakes of a bus. An elderly woman gave him an unsettling look, accusation in her eyes. Even after she had long passed by Tony could feel that gaze. She knew what he was. An outsider.

Seven years... more like an eternity.

It was a relief to make it to his house. The eggshell white structure stood there, stirring memories he had long thought forgotten. It was as though he looked through a window into his past. Or into a previous life. His legs moved seemingly of their own accord, and the finger that rang the doorbell trembled as it made contact.

Despite his misgivings Tony felt an uncertain smile forming on his lips as he heard the lock turning in the solid oak door in front of him. He was finally home. The door swung open, and the man locked eyes with his wife for the first time in five years.

"Tony. I... wasn't expecting you."

He eyed her darkly, surprised at her lack of excitement. If anything she had recoiled upon recognizing him.

"You would have been better informed if you didn't stop visiting, Sarah."

There was moisture in her eyes now, giving them a distinct glassy appearance.

"I... couldn't deal with it anymore. I had to move on."

Tony felt a spasm of hot rage, and his voice rose even as he took a step forward.

"Move on? This is a marriage woman! You don't just give up!"

Her face was red now and streaks of tears were flowing down her cheeks. Her voice escalated, nearly to a shrieking quality.

"I gave up plenty Tony! Do you have any clue what you put us through? Your wife? Your daughter! You didn't give a shit! You never did!"

Throughout her tirade Tony heard footsteps approaching from within the house. The man who now appeared at his wife's shoulder looked familiar to him. It was his best friend.

"Jimmy. I don't understand."

Tony was shocked at how calm he felt. As if his life wasn't turning upside down and shitting on itself before his very eyes.

Jimmy shrugged, his features unapologetic.

"You was away a long time Tony. The woman needed some..." He looked from his best friend to the woman beside him, and shrugged again. "Company."

Tony ripped his eyes from the man's face. He now watched his wife, and the woman knew what he was about to say before it was voiced.

"No."

"She is my daughter."

"I spent too long getting it into her head that you were out of her life. I'm not undoing it now. Let it go, Tony. She's better off."

Despite the years that had passed Tony remembered where the pipe was, hidden beneath a bush. Hearing screams in his ears, he watched the pipe collide with Jimmy's head, twice, three times, until the life was gone.

He was in a fog.

The sirens sounded, their lights flashing in his peripheral vision. He smiled as they tackled him.

While they cuffed him, freeing him, he looked up at his house.

For the last time.


WORD COUNT: 1000

SUBMISSION FOR WRITER'S CRAMP 5/5

PROMPT: LIBERTY IS CELEBRATING YOUR FREEDOM IN MORE THAN ONE WAY