The Three Sides Of The Coin

Sarah Jacob opened her eyes, coughed violently and spat up a mouthful of blood
over the side of her bunk. Rubbing her eyes and scowling against the sunlight,
she slowly and painfully pulled herself to her feet. She limped, dragging each
step to the metal basin to perform her morning ablutions. In prison there was
never a need to hurry. She stared, pensively into the mirror.
Her childhood in the back streets had robbed her of most things her family, her
innocence, and her memories. The struggles during the civil war had ravaged the
only thing that remained: her youth. The day before had been her 20 th birthday
but she had the hunched back, wrinkled skin and sallow face of someone twenty
years older. That wasnt the worst of it. She was sure that she wouldnt live to
turn twenty-one. Her execution had been scheduled for the next day, the warden
had looked at her coldly, malice glinting in his eyes but he didnt have to tell her
for her to know. She knew she preferred death by the states modus operandi to
death by cancer. She lived in modern times , civilized society so that, when the
government did away with someone they made it painless , quick and easy .in
contrast what her illness would do was poison her from the inside , claiming
organ after organ till her body succumbed . The thought did not bear thinking
about. Her brow furrowed as she made her decision, Sarah Jacob, prisoner 43584
would embrace the death sentence with both arms. She coughed again, a
hacking cough she hurriedly silenced but it seemed to be bringing her insides
out, along with it.
She didnt have to turn to know Bettys eyes were on her. Their green greying
with concern. Since their incarceration shed started to regard Betty as the
mother she had never had. She watched as the slow smile blossomed and lit up
the lines on her face. Sweet old Betty. The poor soul was the only reason she
retained her sanity in this hellhole. Shed need a better excuse this time.
Otherwise Betty would insist on her visiting the prison doctor. She didnt need
Annes long face grimacing, her sombre voice, constricted with emotion, telling
her the cancer had reached the final stage. The only good a formal diagnosis
would do was make sure everyone on prison found out .Why did it matter
anyway? Her execution meant a less painful death and for that she was grateful.
She willed away her restlessness. Death didnt scare her, mostly because Life
had never given her much of a reason to appreciate it. Most of her memories
were tinted with strokes of poverty and sorrow. The only moments she cherished,
the only encounters she relished, had been with the revolutionaries but that too
was short lived, far too short-lived. She had known, right from the moment she
joined that capture was inevitable, and confinement, assured and an early death,
a surety. What she hadnt counted on was genuine affection from not one, but
two people. Anna may have been in the pay of her gaolers, but the doctor
showed a true spark of humanity. She smuggled in treats whenever she could,
sweets, gifts, small silly things. They helped break the monotony of prison life
and morphed it with a sliver of reality. She would have to tell them how much she
appreciated it soon, real soon. For now she spent her time counting down the
hours...........
The noise woke her first. Her dearest Sarah, stifling a cough again. She flinched
inwardly, deciding to herself that if it didnt heal in one more day she was going
to have to march Sarah to Anne. Betty didnt care much for the doctor, a bossy
standoffish sort of woman in general, but it was clear she doted on Sarah. The
affection was clearly mutual. She had lost a good part of her vision years ago
and now her sight showed her a blurred world but her hearing was still sharp and
she could easily pick out every nuance , every inflection in Sarahs voice. The girl
had been fretting ever since she returned from the wardens office the previous
day. For some reason though Sarah refused to tell her .Despite her adoration of
the child she wasnt one to pry. She shook her head, she still didnt know what it
was that Sarah had been found guilty of. That was prison etiquette; one couldnt
enquire about anothers crime or her punishment, till she volunteered it and
Sarah played those cards very close to hand .She waited for the child to come to
her. She knew that whatever it was they were going to find a solution, together.
After that she would tell Sarah of her plans .She wanted so badly to give that
child something. Her parole was sanctioned to start from the next day. After
leaving the gates her first action was going to have her lawyer transfer all her
worldly assets to Sarah. Once that was done he would initiate the procedures to
get her out of jail. There was enough to buy her her freedom if thats what it
took. Betty sighed. She wondered what Ronald would have thought of her giving
away all his wealth to some orphan. She hadnt thought of him since her prison
sentence began. The charming reclusive billionaire who had pursued her
relentlessly, made her fall in love with him, married her, and then tortured her
physically, mentally and emotionally for years on end till she finally built up the
courage to shoot him point blank with the Colt he hid under his pillow. The
money could have gotten her out, given her a second life but what second life
was there for an eighty year old. It deserved to be used for better causes. The
judge had issued her life imprisonment. She had no use for money but Sarah did,
she could buy herself a better life. Incarcerated she was prisoner 45863, a
number. She knew she was going to die with just that identity but before she did
she was going to do some good in the world. After years she had plans, and
things she had to do

Anne had slept fitfully the entire night. Being a prison doctor meant she had
experienced her fair share of horrors, incidents terrible enough to propagate
frequent nightmares. This time however, the emotions roiling within included
guilt, hurt and sorrow. The warden had told her that the next morning she was
going to have to administer that fatal dose to Sarah. He didnt even know Sarah
by name , just told her that the excecution of prisoner 48584 was scheduled. She
smiled, a fleeting involuntary smile as she thought of Sarah. The smile was
chased away by the frown Sarah was just so nave. An innocent, lost little girl
who unfortunately only found meaning when the revolutionaries charmed het to
their cause. Now she was paying for that mistake with her life. In prison, most of
the people she met were lost causes, people with no hope. Sarah was different.
Anne was sure she could make a difference. All she needed was time. Time till
she could raise enough money to fight for Sarah in court. Time they had now
taken away from her. There had to be something she could do. The germ of an
idea blossomed into her mind. Her guilt doubled. Yet it was the kindest thing she
could do. She was helping three souls find peace at once. She could get away
with it, she was sure. She would have to tell Sarah about it though. Tell her, that
her action ghastly though it was had been her only choice. He only chance to
give Sarah another chance .Tell her that Betty would approve of it too. Sarah
would understand. She perhaps would assume Anne did it out of dislike to Betty
but the girl would agree eventually, wouldnt she? She didnt even have to ask
Betty to know she would approve wholeheartedly. They both loved Sarah and
wanted the best for her. Betty had always said that life imprisonment was the
cruelest joke that life had played on her. She had mulled and pondered and
changed her mind several times . In the prison world death was after all treated
with nonchalance. It knocked on doors with more frequency and less theatrics
than it did in the free world. She was just directing his course. Most importantly,
nobody would know. All the inmates were sheer numbers to the authorities. She
made up her mind.
Rushing to the documents room, she took out the execution order she was given.
She filled the syringe with the poison and pulled out the Sarahs medical records
folder. With minutes to spar she pulled out Bettys folder and swapped the
contents. The death she would bring about was no longer Sarahs.