The time had come for me to get on the road for my trip to see L in Michigan. I was ready and excited to see my love once again. I was overpacked and ready to go. I left on a Thursday night after work. Luckily our Greyhound bus station isn't that far from my job, so that I didn't have to go far with all of my luggage. I didn't even have that long of a wait before it was time for people to load the bus. I had plenty of things with me to keep me occupied and not to mention that I planned on getting much much sleep while I was on this trip.
I was able to manage to sit by myself for the whole trip. The first stop we made was in Pittsburgh. I'm pretty familiar with Pittsburgh since I use to travel there when I went to school about an hour away. So since we would be there for about two hours, I went out and walked around a little bit. By the time I came back it was time to board the bus again and make our way to Cleveland Ohio. We arrived in Cleveland about 6am so needless to say, I wasn't going to do much site seeing while I was there. I mostly just stayed in front of the building and watched as other travelers made their way to and from the station. When we left there we made our way to Detroit Michigan. We arrived there around 12noon. It actually felt good to be in the same state as L again. I felt a connection with him at that moment. When we left there, it was said that we would arrive where L was at about 6pm. L had called me around that time and I could hear the smile on his face. I could tell he liked me being in the same state as him as well. We were both anxious about seeing each other. I arrived at the bus station where L was and I called a cab who arrived in less then five minutes. I was able to get the cab drivers number and make arrangements for him to pick me up at 8am so that I could make the first visit to see L at the new facility.
Later that night L called again and we were able to talk more and he made sure that I made it to the hotel ok and that I was comfortable. I unpacked and got my clothes ready for the next day. As I got ready, I felt that this was something big. This was something that I had never done before in my life. I had traveled all this way to see L and didn't think twice about it when it came time to think about if I would make this trip or not. I knew that making this trip was the right decision.
That morning I got up extra early and made sure that I had everything ready. The cab was on time and I was ready. I arrived at the Prison in no time and didn't have to wait long for them to call my name for me to be searched and go back to the visiting area. When I walked through those doors and see L, it felt like the first time I seen him back in May. We hugged and kissed and I couldn't stop smiling. I missed him so much. We sat down and the first thing we talked about was the trip there. He was happy to hear that it wasn't as bad as it seemed it was going to be. We talked and talked and talked. The visiting area was smaller then the facility in Pa but it had huge windows to look out onto the grounds which were beautiful. It actually looked like a college campus outside. It felt good to be in L's presence once again. It felt good for him to hold my hands and to be able to look into his eyes again. I had also made my decision to take my Shahadah that day and become Muslim. So, I did it with L. He was my witness to me taking my shahadah. It was a really special moment for us. It felt good being there with him.
The next day was our last visit so I got up even earlier this time since I would have to have a hijab on this day. It was my first time wearing it outside and I needed to give myself plenty of time to make sure it was on right. Once I was ready the cab was there and I was on my way to our date once again. I got there and when I walked through the doors L was already there and his smile was huge. He was happy to see me in my new look. After we hugged and kissed we sat down and he just kept telling me how beautiful I looked. We talked some more and then L gave me the surprise of my life. He began by telling me how much he loved me and how much he enjoyed being around me. How he couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life with me. At that moment I began to cry. Just thinking about all that I had been through in the past and now I finally know what it really feels like to be in love. It felt so good. L went on to ask me to marry him. It was one of those perfect moments that most people can only dream of. I said yes and we embraced and I didn't want the moment to ever end. We took pictures and I had this glow that I never had before. It was an amazing feeling. Knowing that I would soon be his Mrs. was great and I was truley looking forward to it.
I left the facility that day happy as can be. I was getting ready to start a new chapter in my life with L. I knew I wanted to be with him for the rest of my life and now we have been given the chance for it. I was grabbing hold of it and never letting it go. L told me that me making that trip to come to see him is when he knew that our love was real. That made me extremly happy to hear because I felt the same way.
My trip back home was short it seemed. I couldn't wait to share with my family the good news. That I would soon be a married woman. I still hadn't told my whole family about my choice to become Muslim so there was bound to be some mixed feelings but at that moment all I could care about was that I was engaged to be married to my best friend.
