It was ten in the morning. The sound of the rusty lock on the last door of the penitentiary, and the voice of the warden, who broke from an excess of cigarettes in the early morning, when he shouted to him: “Ready, you can go,” were the first sounds imprinted on Manuel’s ear after probation.

It was two years in prison. However, the distance from his wife Karen, the lack of a family hug before bed, and the emptiness of not hearing his daughter Amanda’s “I love you” words when he drove her to school made them 2,000, maybe an eternity.

Once on the other side of the fence, he looked a little stunned: he lost track of time, day and night, summer and winter, the world around him.

At home, the anxiety was insatiable, despite the silence outside door number 13. Karen was cooking and had several cuts on her hands from the quick movement of the knife, combined with the constant shivering of her body and the cold sweat on her skin. forehead. But her face reflects only one thing: hope.

Her ten-year-old daughter, restless in the living room, was shuffling her feet back and forth, asking, “Is it far, mommy?” Until that knock-knock when everything froze.

As the door slowly slid open, their eyes met again, breathing stopped, a lump in their throats, unblinking eyes and tears running down their cheeks summed up the immense happiness of the moment.

There was no shortage of hugs; caresses, kisses, the impression on Manuel when he saw how his daughter grew up, the beauty preserved in his wife’s smile, and the pleasant taste of feeling at home again.

His first day at liberty was very short for him: so much to say, thousands of stories to tell, plans to renew, goals to achieve… Although the most important thing has already been achieved: the support of his family, his love without malice, the beginning of a new start.

But it won’t be easy. For the first few months, things didn’t go as he thought. In every institution that appeared, in every dialogue, a stain was raised on the dossier, and prejudices took care of the rest. The comments of the neighbors and those friends who distanced themselves from him were unequivocal: “A thief will always remain a thief”, “A sinner cannot change”, “Oh, look, a prisoner …”.

The distrust around him, as if waiting for a relapse, became his constant companion. Luckily, he had the support of his family and people who believed in him in his quest to be a good person, which was a characteristic of a young man before he made a mistake.

A job here, another there, completely disconnected from the profession he trained for five years, economics, marked Manuel’s work environment. The pain of not being able to be alone in the living room at home, the sleep disturbances, and Amanda’s anecdotes about being asked questions at school about why her father was in jail were a constant worry. The strength was fading away, faith was gradually fading away, and with it the possibility of building a different future.

Five months later, Manuel’s position did not bode well, as did his good deeds, his kindness to others, and his reading of the Bible, a habit he picked up while in prison. Until that rainy day on March 20, when the darkness of her life received a bright beam of light.

As is often the case, the young man went to the center to get a job as an economist, expecting humiliating looks, indifferent gestures, prejudiced words. But this time it will be different. The person you were talking to
it was the director of the company who seemed to understand the situation very well.

“Don’t worry, it was a long time ago. I’m giving you a vote of confidence. We all deserve it, don’t you think?” were the last words of this robust man in his sixties, who had a very peculiar tattoo on his forearm: a crucifix with two words underneath. Second chance (second chance, in English).

Like a roller coaster, the ex-con’s life began to improve. In the district, no one condemned him anymore, they shared with him, they trusted him. His excellent work provided him with new opportunities, including giving seminars and speaking to educate others. Days, months, years passed.

Manuel continued his life without any complexes. In fact, in every auspicious conversation he talked about his time in prison, the reasons he got there, and how he found his way. His experience has become a model for advising and inspiring others.

While there are still people with gestures of reservation or hesitation, behind-the-scenes comments and superficial criteria, security comes with it. He feels that he made a mistake as a human, but he has already paid for it and corrected his course, because, as this man, now his great friend, put it on his forearm, we all deserve a second chance.

Source: Juventud Rebelde