Nettie Boo

As the days got closer to my release, my anxiety grew higher. Each day my heart began beating faster as I got nearer to my release day. I'd would walk the yard and the voices got louder in my head. I'd would walk over to the fence and hear the same words everyday now. “You can do it I will help”. On this particular day, I ask the guard;“ can I go to the latrine”. He said,” used the outhouse in the back; near the back fence. On September 16, five days before my release of ten years, I climbed over the fence. I jump down fifteen feet and ran to my freedom. It took e all of seventy minutes to climb to my freedom. I ran so fast and hard. I found myself facing a big ship, I ran into the boat dock. I climbed into a big ship and landed on the bottom with the traveling pets. I laid on my stomach for two weeks. I ate pet food and never said a word. I was free and that is all I could think of. The big ship landed in the port of France. I knew no french but somehow I learned a few words. I got a job as a fisherman working on the cold docks every day and night. I took a small room at Ms. Lilly’s fisherman Raft room and board, near the boardwalk. It took forty days working straight, I finally received my pay. Most of my money went to pay for my room and board. Ms Lilly was nice to Americans. Years have passed. The dock were cold and hard work. I met a guy working at the dock and we became friends. My friend would go home to Germany to visit his family every holiday. I gave him a letter to mail for me, to send to America to my sister. I use his return address just in case she wanted to write back. Two weeks later, my German friend handed me a letter from my sister. My sister explains how she and my father came to pick me up on the release day. The Guard explain to her that I was release earlier that day and give her my release papers stating time served. My sister explained how she and my father looked for me for two years and my father was not doing well. I packed my bags and flew out of France within the next few days. When I got to Illinois, I ran into my fathers arms. He cried and laughed at the same time. My father explains how the guard at the state Penn had lied about my release because he did not want to get fired for losing an inmate. Ten years turn out to be twenty- five years. Trap in a country I did not need to be. I often think of the fences that first trapped me, then protect me, then made me feel safe. The fences with the voices. The fifteen foot fence I climbed to my freedom. I would do it all again. I got my freedom back. I stayed in Chicago Illinois caring for my father. Many Saturday afternoons my family would gather at my house for my father's famous Bar B Q dinner. Time has passed, I was now forty-five years old. My father was going on seventy-five. There was an up roaring about the topic of voting right for the people of color. A lot of talk about segregation was now in the courts. I took on a few odd jobs here and there. My cousin had a fix it shop, I would help him fix what ever that is needed. My father passed away quietly after Sunday service meeting. He was sitting in his chair, and close his eyes and passed away at the age of eighty -two. My sister move right into my fathers house and took care of everything. Strapping she knew just what to do. My father left an estate of good wealth to me and my sister. Every reastate agent in the country was calling to buy the five bedroom house that sat on ten aces of land in the middle of town. The property was in both our names. I begin to hear the fences talk in my head. Those fences with the little holds, I climbed out, jump over and got my freedom. There was talk about color people meeting down town in front of the court house. An old colored womanwas to drink out of the white folks water fountain in front of the court house on Saturday morning. This talk was a big event to the color folks. On Saturday, I gather my family and went down town to the court house. I have never seen so many colored folks gather together in one place before. Soon in the far distance, I saw an old lady walking slowly with two ministers from the color church. The color folks gather around her and she lean over and drink the water from the fountain. When I was growing up I was told never to drink from the white folks water fountain. I always thought white folks water tasted different. When the old lady stared to drink form the fountain the people started to clip and chee for her. I was feeling execrating, I also felt pround of the old lady who stood for my equal rights that day.. I got the same feeling when I jump over the fifteen foot fence. I got freedom back.