Thursday, October 11
It had been a week since Constance had seen Nick. By now, she was getting good at controlling her emotions when she saw him-her composure was nearly normal. But today she was particularly excited because of his introduction to active consciousness. She wondered if he'd had any success.
"Hi, Nick. How's the meditation going?"
He grumbled loudly. "Awful. I can't get any time to meditate without my cellmate giving me shit. If I try to do it while lying down, I fall asleep. And if I sit up on the side of the bed for too long, my back hurts."
Stupid me. She hadn't had enough time to explain meditation fully. "Okay, that's my fault. I never told you about proper posture. Let's start over with some simple meditation techniques."
"Ugh. I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this anymore."
"Look, I'm still working on your case. The prosecutor is starting to back down from his stance. He's willing to waive the fine. That means you can get out if you accept community service and sex-offender status. I know it's not much, but I think it's progress. It tells me that he's aware his case is weak. I'm going to keep after him." She wished she had more to report.
"But in the meantime, I think we should refine your meditation skills. Like I said last week, what else have you got to do?"
Nick groaned, "Oh, all right."
"Good. Now sit straight in your chair with your feet flat on the floor. Don't lean against the seat back. You don't have a seat back in your cell when you're sitting on your bed, so let's work with that."
Nick sat forward and Constance continued the lesson. "Now straighten your back. Imagine you're a puppet with a string running through your body. The string comes out right at the top of your head. Pretend you're being lifted by that string. That is the right posture. Head forward, chin slightly down, not pointed up. Back straight, shoulders relaxed. Got it?" Nick squirmed around to get the right posture.
What a hunk. Sitting calmly but properly, he looked more handsome than any man she knew. Solid, powerful, and incredibly gorgeous. Constance walked around to inspect him further.
"That's good. Your arms should be relaxed in your lap. You can lay them separately on your legs, or you can touch your hands lightly. But don't interlace your fingers-that's not comfortable for very long." She watched him get into the right position.
"Okay. Now let's meditate. Here's another technique you can use instead of focusing on your body. Imagine that your mind is a metal cage and your thoughts are lightning bolts that zap around in it. You can step back and watch your thoughts as they spark through your mind. Every thought is visible to you. But don't get caught-up in these thoughts-just notice whether they're about the past or the future, then ignore them. And don't be upset that you have these thoughts. Everyone has thoughts. Just keep focusing on that cage. Try that now. . ." They meditated together.