Monday was a good day in Tulia, and Lord knows there haven't been many of those over the past four years.
There were smiles and hugs everywhere on Monday as defendants were reunited with their children, their parents, other relatives and close friends. But if you paid close attention it was easy to see signs of discomfiture, wariness, anger and even rage behind many of the smiles.
The events over the past four years were not just bizarre, they were profoundly destructive. Some of the defendants seemed bewildered, not fully understanding all that had happened to them, or what might be in store.
None of those I spoke to had solid plans for the future. And no one had any money to speak of. Their liberty had been taken away from them capriciously and, in their view, almost as capriciously returned.
So Monday was a good day. But given everything that had happened, no one was placing heavy bets on Tuesday.
So how DO you give someone back the four years of their life that has been taken from them? How do you restore their lives, their livelihoods, their reputations? Perhaps it's not possible to do that, but you know, an apology would sure be a good place to start. Would that be too much to hope for?
