Released

The other the day I got a letter from the Atlantic County justice facility. It had that funny-looking stamp of a hand with the pointing index finger connected to a wrist. “Return To Sender,” it said. The name was crossed out, and the word “released” was handwritten over it. I smiled. My friend Jazz had been let out of jail. She used to look out for me there. She was always telling me she had my back. It made me want to share my story.