The air in the living room hung thick and heavy, like a shroud.
The only sound heard was the faint ticking of the fancy wall clock, as the Shawls family members waited breathlessly for Amelia to state her condition.
Amelia's gaze shifted from her father to her Nana who seemed rather unhappy by her statement.
"I believe a second chance should be earned and not given on a platter of gold. At the core of this gift lies the belief in forgiveness and redemption. If taken for granted especially by undeserving people, it could lead to greater problems."
"Exactly!" Judith concurred, earning her a disapproving glare from Nana Shawls.
Maria smiled, inwardly applauding Amelia without interrupting the family discussion.
"If I am to set Uncle Matt and his cohorts completely free for their heinous crime of; kidnapping, attempted murder, theft and other major offenses, some of which have not been made known to this family, then they must prove to everyone present that they have really changed for good."
Amelia paused, her eyes scanning all the curious and livid faces in the room.
"So what are your terms?" Senator Gregory asked in a slightly irked voice, his brow pulled together.
"They will all be released on a probationary period of six months, subject to supervision, community service and restrictions of travel for that duration."
"Probation! Supervision! Restrictions of movement! Are trying to place them on house arrest?" Senator Gregory frowned at his daughter.
"Do not forget the community service." Uncle Lazarus noted angrily. "Haven't they been humiliated enough by the arrest? How can you subject your own family to community service? Imagine the agony and trauma."
Nana Shawls sighed, massaging her forehead.
Ignoring the negative side comments, Amelia directed her calm response to her father, while Maria signalled the butler, requesting a glass of water.
"Dad, if I wanted them on house arrest, they would be made to wear a GPS ankle bracelet and not leave the mansion or their respective abode. But in this case, they are free to go anywhere aside from leaving the city or the country until the six-month duration is over"
"What about the community service?" Uncle Lazarus reiterated.
"Community service is one of the requirements of prison probation according to the judge I have spoken to, Uncle Lazarus." Amelia maintained a calm demeanour even though she was beginning to boil with anger.
"Individuals released from prison on probation are mandated to perform volunteer work as part of their sentence shortening. If you're not comfortable with it, you can take your complaint up with the judge."
"Understood. But is there a way to shorten the probation period? Six months is too long. They may have plans to travel out of the country to clear their mind and start afresh. How about two or even three weeks of probation?" Uncle Lazarus suggested and other members of the family aside Nana concurred.
"Uncle Lazarus..." Amelia's sharp and cold voice lost its patience, sending a shiver down the old man's spine. "...Would you prefer for them to serve their remaining sentences which vary between two and a half years to fifteen years in prison, or allow them to return to their family and stay out of trouble for six months? You choose."
Another deafening silence fell in the room for a few seconds before Nana's raspy faint voice echoed in the silence.
"Is that all, Amelia or are there any other conditions you'd like to add?"
"These are my terms for full pardon and withdrawal of the case, Nana," Amelia replied, reverting to her calm and soft voice.
"In the next six months, if Uncle Matt and others prove to everyone seated here that they have changed individuals by not engaging in anything illicit, they will be free men and women. But if any one of them, breaks these conditions, that person will be sent back to prison to resume their initial sentencing or face new sentencing depending on the gravity of their new offense. These are my terms and they are not negotiable."
Amelia let out a sigh through her mouth, already feeling exhausted from talking too much.
"Here darling, drink this. You should be dehydrated from all that talking." Maria offered Amelia the served glass of water, which the latter received with a warm smile.
Harriet, who had been quiet all this while for fear of Maria finally opened her mouth to contest Amelia's terms.
"Amelia, I appreciate the fact that you are finally agreeing to forgive your uncles and mother-in-law. But I don't arrangement. Six months probation with the clause of imprisonment on defaulting feels like a setup. What if someone decided to frame them just to see them go back to jail."
"You have just spoken my mind, Harriet" Uncle Lazarus interjected. "This whole thing feels like a big setup."
"If I may, Nana..." Maria sat up, tapping on Amelia on the lap to sit this response out and let her take it from there.
"...Why would anyone want to set up your convicted husband and the others, Harriet?"
Harriet looked to her left and her right as if searching for her namesake.
"Are you referring to me?"
"I'm sure you are not blind, neither are you deaf at the same time." Maria shot her a distasteful glare while maintaining a calm tone.
Harriet was so flustered that she sheepishly apologized.
"So, are you in any way suggesting that your husband and the others are involved in other shady deals that could mar their reputation outside prison? If that is so, please do share."
Harriet's face reddened in both suppressed anger and embarrassment. "No! They are good people."
"Who got imprisoned for their goodness, right?"
Judith suppressed a chuckle as she waited for Harriet to disgrace herself even more.
"What I was trying to say..."
"Just keep quiet Harriet and stop talking nonsense." Senator Gregory rebuked her harshly, causing tears to pull at the corner of her eyes.
"Listen, I am not trying to stir trouble here. If the convicted focuses on the path of redemption, six months will be like six days. They won't even notice a thing and that goes both ways." Maria stresses the last past, hoping it sinks in.
"My daughter-in-law has been explicit in her explanation. She has been very kind to give you options. So please, let's move on to the next agenda. We have other places to be."