It was mid February. Robert was sitting at his desk writing an e-mail to Joseph Knolls, a lawyer at the Innocent Project. It was on a rainy, February day three years ago that Mr. Knolls and his team met Robert outside the prison gate. The team had won Robert's case and he was freed after twelve years of wrongful imprisonment. Robert knew he would spend the rest of his life indebted to Mr. Knolls. They had kept in touch.
After sending the e-mail, Robert looked at the view through the window above his desk. It was still raining. The puddles on his lawn were growing. The trees on the hillside had lost all their autumnal color. New riverlets appeared between the bushes. The dark gray clouds were a reminder of more rain in the forcast. He sighed at the thought of cleaning up after the storms passed.
Robert looked back at his computer screen. The reflection revealed a man in his late thirties. The dark brown hair around his temples was riddled with premature gray streaks. The scar under his left ear told one story of his decade in a street gang. The scar was a constant reminder of the three gang members who had betrayed him and, eventually, sent him to prison.
Robert shut down his computer, limped to the kitchen, took a can of Coke out of the fridge and shuffled to the living room. He paused in front of a silver framed image of his family. At the time the picture was taken, his family life was healthy, whole and happy.
Time had not been kind. While he was in prison, his younger brother was killed in a gang fight. His mother died from a stroke. His father was now in an assisted living facility with early onset dementia. Robert felt completely alone in the world.
Robert sat in his easy chair and turned on the TV. Because he preferred animals to humans, he watched the Animal Planet station. When he started to doze off, he decided to go to bed.
While he was sleeping, the incessant rain continued to wreck havoc. The electricity went out. The road in front of his house flooded. The hillside footpaths disappeared and roots were exposed. Large patches of water soaked soil slid down the hillside creating a massive wave of mud. Taking trees, bushes and rocks with it, the wave of destruction attacked Robert's home.
Robert woke to the sounds of his house collapsing around and on him. When a beam crushed his legs, he screamed. He was trapped. Rain coming through an opening above hin, covered his face. When he felt the mud encircle him, he knew nature would have no mercy.
After sending the e-mail, Robert looked at the view through the window above his desk. It was still raining. The puddles on his lawn were growing. The trees on the hillside had lost all their autumnal color. New riverlets appeared between the bushes. The dark gray clouds were a reminder of more rain in the forcast. He sighed at the thought of cleaning up after the storms passed.
Robert looked back at his computer screen. The reflection revealed a man in his late thirties. The dark brown hair around his temples was riddled with premature gray streaks. The scar under his left ear told one story of his decade in a street gang. The scar was a constant reminder of the three gang members who had betrayed him and, eventually, sent him to prison.
Robert shut down his computer, limped to the kitchen, took a can of Coke out of the fridge and shuffled to the living room. He paused in front of a silver framed image of his family. At the time the picture was taken, his family life was healthy, whole and happy.
Time had not been kind. While he was in prison, his younger brother was killed in a gang fight. His mother died from a stroke. His father was now in an assisted living facility with early onset dementia. Robert felt completely alone in the world.
Robert sat in his easy chair and turned on the TV. Because he preferred animals to humans, he watched the Animal Planet station. When he started to doze off, he decided to go to bed.
While he was sleeping, the incessant rain continued to wreck havoc. The electricity went out. The road in front of his house flooded. The hillside footpaths disappeared and roots were exposed. Large patches of water soaked soil slid down the hillside creating a massive wave of mud. Taking trees, bushes and rocks with it, the wave of destruction attacked Robert's home.
Robert woke to the sounds of his house collapsing around and on him. When a beam crushed his legs, he screamed. He was trapped. Rain coming through an opening above hin, covered his face. When he felt the mud encircle him, he knew nature would have no mercy.
