“Right now I’m waiting for a ruling based on evidence.”

At home, I sat on the floor of my room, emptied the contents of the prison-issued bag I’d kept beneath the bed, and stared at the worn zipper.

There were things in that bag I would never want again.

There were also reminders that I had survived.

I put it in the closet rather than throwing it away.

PART 19

The ruling arrived on a rainy Thursday morning.