Chapter 10
Dionne Henry
Free Dionte
“Ithought you said you wasn’t doing that this morning,” my mama called me out. I was in a black Mercedes sprinter with her, my sisters, Blake, and Tank. I tried to be discreet by keeping my head down, hiding the fact that I was crying, but my mom caught me.
It was the day of my daddy’s parole hearing, and I was scared shitless.
I had been brave every day leading up to this, but my emotions started getting the best of me late last night.
The devil was busy, planting fears, and fucked up scenarios in my head of my dad not getting out and possibly having to serve the rest of his life in prison.
I didn’t even sleep last night. I was in Tank’s closet, with my bible in my lap, crying, and praying to God, asking Him to bring my daddy home.
My sisters and Blake came with me this morning for support.
I needed all the support that I could get.
My mom and Tank were going to be the support that I needed as well.
Just about everyone from my dad’s side would be at the hearing, and we would be supporting each other as well.
He had so much love waiting for him outside those doors, and I couldn’t wait to finally be in a setting with him that was outside of that damn prison. I waited 37 years for this day.
“I could have told you that she was going to do exactly what she’s doing right now. She started last night,” Tank replied to my mom, snitching on me, as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder.
He was sitting right next to me, and instead of responding back to what he’d just said, I just elbowed him in his arm.
“Dionne, he’s going to come home. I can feel it. Your daddy is going to come home, and your ass is about to start acting different,” Free said to me, sitting right next to me, and she picked my hands up that were folded in my lap, holding them in hers.
Tears dropped down my face, as I nodded my head with a smile, letting her know that I heard her, and that I hoped the things that she was saying to me were true.
We eventually pulled up to where the parole hearing was taking place, and I somewhat calmed down.
We had a driver bring us here, and before any of us got out, my mom stood in the middle of the floor because she wanted to pray before we went in.
She walked over to me, standing right in front of me, putting her hand on top of my head, and this lady prayed this sprinter down!
Her prayer had tears falling from my eyes.
Blake, and my sisters, who were sitting next to me, I could hear them sniffling as well, which let me know that they were probably crying too.
My mom may have fucked up at a point in time when we were kids, and she didn’t always get it right, but she knew the church, the bible, and God.
She knew how to pray, and that’s exactly what she just did in here.
I heard her voice crack a couple of times, but she never broke.
When she finished, I stood up, so that I could hug her. She hugged me tight, rocking us.
“I don’t think I ever heard you pray like that before, ma. You ready for your man to come home,” Tommie cracked, making us all laugh.
Tommie’s eyes were a little red, so I was right about her crying when my mom had been praying. My mom just waved Tommie off.
Tank eventually stood, getting off first, and he went outside the door, extending his hand for each of us to grab one by one, once it was our turn to make it off the sprinter.
When it was my turn, he pulled me into him for a quick hug, tapped me on my behind, letting me know that everything was going to be fine, and it would work in our favor.
We walked inside, and right in the lobby, my entire family had showed up for my dad.
Everyone had cleaned up nicely too, just like I told them.
So many of my baby cousins were here. So much love that my dad had waiting for him.
Sevyn was here as well, so when we walked up, he was standing amongst my family, just giving them a brief rundown of what was getting ready to happen.
When he saw me come in with my mom, Tank, Blake and my sisters, he paused for a second, so that he could give hugs, and I could introduce him to Tank, Blake, and my sisters, since he hadn’t met them yet.
Him, and Tank shook it up in a way like they were friends in a previous life.
“Did you see him yet?” I asked Sevyn, referring to my dad.
When I asked him that, he smiled and then laughed at my question.
“I saw him. I needed to give him a little pep talk. He’s nervous.
He’ll probably be ready to fight me if I told you this, but he was back there crying.
Dionte going to be good. He coming home,” Sevyn assured me, sticking his fist out for me, so that I could put mine out as well, and we could do a fist bump.
I was truly grateful for Sevyn. Aside from my family, Blake, and my man, he’s been someone in my life that’s been keeping me calm during this hard process.
I liked the work that he was putting in for my dad.
He was paid to do a job, and that’s exactly what he was doing.
He wasn’t cutting any corners. This man mapped up an entire plan on how this parole hearing was going to go, and he did it in a way like my dad was his family, and it was important for him to bring one of his family members home.
I went around the room, loving on my family, giving out hugs, and before I knew it, it was our time to walk into the room where the parole hearing would be taking place.
I wanted to be on the first row. I sat with my mom on my right, and Tank, Free, Tommie, and Blake were sitting to the left of me.
My family, and I literally took up the entire left side of the room.
It was just a plain, institutional conference room, but it was large enough to hold us all.
The setup wasn’t like what court would typically look like, where you had members of the jury, and a witness stand.
In fact, there was just a long table that sat at the front of the room, and that’s where the members of the parole board were.
I sat here with a rapid beating heart, paying attention to each member of the parole board.
It was five of them, and I noticed that no two looked alike.
There was a variety of members. On the end, there was an older white man.
He sat up tall in his seat, with confidence in his eyes that proved that he’d been doing this for decades.
Next to him, there was a black woman, that looked to have been my age.
She sat up high in her seat as well, and I could tell by her body language that she was tough, and she didn’t take a bunch of bullshit.
There was a black guy sitting next to her, that looked like he could have been a little younger.
Then, I saw a Latina looking woman. Very beautiful, with her hair hanging down loosely, pen in her hand, looking like she was ready to start.
At the very end, there was an older white woman.
It was her that kind of scared me. Her ass looked mean as hell.
Mean, and ready to get out of here, so that she could go on about her day.
Moments later, the side door opened, and I saw one of the guards come out.
He kept the door open, and right behind him was my handsome daddy.
I hated that they had him shackled, but I was already prepared for it, since Sevyn let me know, and I wouldn’t crash out about it like I did the last time.
His legs and hands were shackled. You could tell that he made sure to get his hair lined up for today because his hairline was sharp, and his waves looked so nice.
His chocolate skin was so beautiful, and I watched the way he looked around the room, and he smiled when he saw all the family that he had here for him.
His eyes went for me, and even in his chains, he raised his hands, so that he could put it up and make a heart for me.
I melted at that, picking my hands up, so that I could do the same.
He then went over to the front of the room, so that he could stand next to Sevyn, who was already standing, ready to get this going.
I watched as Sevyn hit my dad on the chest, probably doing that to rid him of the nerves, and I released a sigh, said another silent prayer, and it started from there.
“Good morning. At this time, the hearing is now in session. We are all here to consider the parole eligibility for Dionte Henry, inmate number 76745532. Mr. Henry, please step forward,” one of the members of the parole board started.
It was the older white woman that was sitting towards the end.
She spoke with no kind of life in her voice.
She sounded mean as hell, just like I thought she would.
That worried me and because it did, I turned my head, so that I could look at my mom.
She nodded her head, and I knew that was her way of telling me that she was thinking the same thing as I was, but for me to remain optimistic like I’ve been doing.
My dad stepped forward like he was asked, and he stood in the middle of the room, facing the members of the parole board. He took a deep breath, followed by him clearing his throat.