Dated 10/23/15
The First Visit
Friday was finally here. After being able to make the first call to my wife the previous day, she planned to come visit the following day. The excitement this morning was none like I have ever felt. True butterflies to the point of nausea. I was so pumped, I was up at 4:30am, ready to seize the day. By 6:30am, I was in line at the commissary to by basic toiletries and supplies. A very limited amount of my funds had cleared, so I had to use those few dollars I had wisely. The past year, I have lived on a very modest budget. However, none quite like this. I had $61 to spend and I needed toiletries, basic snacks, and some athletic apparel. I bought the essentials: Coffee, Coffee mug, mesh shorts for working out, a notebook, pen, and some hair gel so I could look dapper for my wife. That all I would be able to get for the week, since we are only allowed to shop once every 7 days.
My wife had left at 4am drive 4 hours in an effort to arrive here by the start of visitation. She ended up being the very first person in line when visitation opened at 8am. Shortly thereafter, I heard on the loud speaker my name called to the visitation room. I have never run faster in my entire life. When I first saw her patiently waiting in the visitation room, she was absolutely angelic. The most perfect face I had ever seen.
We spent the next 7 hours staring at each other. Our conversation was so engaging and we both had smiles that could not be breached. Numerous moments throughout the visit, we shared some tears, sad that this is our new reality. But we quickly recovered because we were just so thankful to be able to hold each other.
Not only was my wife the first one in line, but she was one of the last to leave. Saying goodbye to her was just as painful as saying the first goodbye 3 days ago. It was like reliving that same moment. The lump in my throat inflated as I tried to hold back the tears. As she turned back, she opened her hand, and placed it along the side of her cheek. That was our thing, It was her way of telling me from a distance, that she was holding my face to comfort me.
The day continued on an upward trend as I came back to the dorm to find that I had 4 pieces of mail! And I also received my email password, which was a huge relief. After logging in, I saw that I had 14 emails waiting for me. wow, I felt so loved.
This was the best day I have had so far. I spent time with my wife, and received loads of letters and emails of support. This is exactly what will keep me going strong through the next week until I get to see her again.
