In this chap­ter from “The Last One at the Wed­ding,” the pro­tag­o­nist describes his vis­it to FCI Cor­bettsville, a min­i­mum-secu­ri­ty cor­rec­tion­al facil­i­ty in New York designed for non­vi­o­lent offend­ers. With a struc­ture resem­bling col­lege dorms, it offers inmates var­i­ous jobs as well as class­es in diverse sub­jects. On the protagonist’s birth­day, he arrives ear­ly to ensure he can vis­it his daugh­ter, hav­ing researched online the best prac­tices for vis­it­ing.

Upon enter­ing, he encoun­ters strict secu­ri­ty pro­to­cols. He expe­ri­ences a mix­ture of pro­fes­sion­al­ism and imper­son­al bureau­cra­cy, fac­ing chal­lenges when his name is not on the vis­i­ta­tion list. These lists are cru­cial as inmates must approve vis­i­tors before­hand. Despite his efforts, the offi­cer informs him that only Mar­garet can add him to her list, empha­siz­ing that he must return dur­ing des­ig­nat­ed hours after get­ting her con­sent. Frus­trat­ed but under­stand­ing, he tries to per­suade the offi­cer to make an excep­tion, but to no avail.

He then reflects on the var­i­ous emo­tion­al ties and dynam­ics unfold­ing around him as vis­i­tors reunite with inmates. The atmos­phere in the vis­i­ta­tion room includes hope­ful inter­ac­tions, tears, and the solemn real­i­ty of incar­cer­a­tion. After some wait­ing, the offi­cer finds Mar­garet but relays the dis­ap­point­ing news that she has cho­sen not to see him. The pro­tag­o­nist learns of oth­er par­ents in sim­i­lar sit­u­a­tions but feels the weight of iso­la­tion as he moves for­ward.

As he pre­pares to leave, he acknowl­edges the con­trast between his life out­side and the pal­pa­ble long­ing of those inside the prison, marked by a mix of hope and despair. He express­es grat­i­tude for the love and sup­port from friends and fam­i­ly wait­ing for him, all while grap­pling with the absence of his daugh­ter at his birth­day gath­er­ing. This chap­ter poignant­ly cap­tures the strug­gles of main­tain­ing famil­ial bonds amidst the harsh real­i­ties of the prison sys­tem, cre­at­ing a pow­er­ful emo­tion­al res­o­nance for the read­er.