How I Met Your Fiancé (Part 1)
By: Grace
All my best friends are getting married, and I'm in prison. How does the best friend meet the series of fiancés? They make a one-day trip to prison. The first time a fiancé showed up to the Visiting Room was a couple of years ago, Christmas 2024. My childhood best friend came inside the gates first, while her new fiancé filled out his visitation form. When he met her, he knew there was a catch. He'd have to come to prison. Fun fact: when you travel from out-of-state to visit a California prison, you are given the opportunity to apply for a same-day visiting clearance. The way my friends (and their fathers) see it? Free background check! Anna and I are rocking on the swing set with our tippy toes on the ground, as if we are 5 years old again. Growing up in a white picket fence gated community, we realize much has changed---these gates look very different. Our smiles are the same, but no more shark teeth, crooked teeth, or braces. We still have a strong fashion sense. Yes, I am in prison, but cargo happens to be in. We still love to play dress up, fluff our hair, and play with pearls. Although today in our twenties, a diamond is no longer an accessory for our Crocs, or a gem for Cinderella's glass slipper, but a sign we have found our forever prince charming. With Anna's diamond on her finger, I am certain she has found the one. But, in the words of Taylor Swift, all I know is "if today was a fairytale," I wouldn't be in blue. Sorry Cinderella. Mr. Right waltzes through the gates like it's Christmas in July. He wears a soft red sweater with shorts and a comfy loafer. He smiles and waves like he's passing through a foreign country on Santa's sleigh. I wonder if his smile is covering his new-to-prison nerves. His jolly sense of humor makes Anna laugh. Catching the sudden spark of joy, I laugh too. Inside this memorable moment, everything is going to be okay. Suddenly I realize it already is.
How I Met Your Fiancé (Part 2)
The meet your fiancé affair lasted 3 days, but I could have easily done 90. It made me start to wonder if I would ever take up a 90-Day Fiancé rendezvous when I get out of prison. I have never viewed myself as a Bachelorette type of girl, but after you have spent time like this you start to realize you'll take any opportunity you can get, as long as it gives you a chance to live a normal girl life. Swinging on the swings with Anna gave me a glimpse of normal girl life again. The three of us staring out at the ol' country road, watching the sun set beneath the mountains I realize anything is possible. We spent the next couple days doing just this. They came back to visit the next morning in poofy plaid pajama pants and matching ugly Christmas sweaters. We took photos. We laughed. We cried. Kyle reenacted his proposal to Anna. The entire prison visiting room was shocked as he dropped down on one knee and popped the question alongside the diamond ring. We laughed so hard we cried. This is what it feels like. Celebrating with friends while one of your friends is away for a while. It takes away the twisted thoughts and makes you feel like doing time is, in some moments, doable. Kyle and Anna traveled from Orlando, Florida to get here. With Disney World as their home, a trip to Disneyland was promised too. Anna and I grew up next door neighbors. We were inseparable. The kind of best friends who dance together, ride bikes together, then pick each other up off the stage - or the concrete - when the other one falls. We learned at an early age when one falls, we fall together. Today, they call it codependent. Today, I call it giving a shit. When I got arrested, Anna's family didn't know how to tell Anna's grandmother. We call her Mimi. When we were about 10 years old Mimi refused to make a Facebook, so I created her a Facebook page titled "Mimi Rocks." I'd post as if Mimi was sending us young gals messages. I'm not sure this was totally legal.
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