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Just another part of a debilitating statistic

"And sign here," the lass at all de the paperwork toward me, the pen attached to his side of the desk with a bunch of interconnected rubber bands tied together

A precaution against pen theft? Or fear that one of us h the soft of his eye and into his brain?

Like we'd risk our freedoranted to us

"Hope we don't see you again" It was a phrase that was likely meant to sound hopeful or supportive But it always ca And hty percent of us alked out these doors as free women would return in the next five years

And while I never would have thought of o, I had a sneaking suspicion that I ht very well be shackled and shuffled back in within the next year Though, next tihtfully so

"The bus stop is at the end of the street," he added, a plastic pre-paid debit card to me On it, I kneould find thefor the last few years,et me back to my hometown, back to Navesink Bank whereme into his life

I'd never taken a bus - save for the ones that would shuttleto be a learning curve to figure out how to get from where I was now - in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania - to the coast of New Jersey A Google search a week ago had told h I would likely be getting into Navesink Bank sometime around dinner time

I could haveone ofthem that I didn't know my release day yet, that I would let them know as soon as I did They already did toomoney in my commissary so I could buy extra tampons or pads on heavycontraband was nowhere near enough to get et extra socks or panties, soap, toothpaste, shower shoes, deodorant, Tylenol If there was one thing you learned quickly, it was how important personal care items were in prison

On top of the generous monetary contributions they made every ithout fail, there were the trips they made out to see me Not as often as when I was first sent away, but at least a couple times a year

And noas going to be leaning on theot back on my feet as well