Prison Split

Extra mouths to feed

A new day arises within the prison, after a month of getting used to the new temporary normal, the prisoners from both prisons seem to be somewhat getting along, the job assignments have done well for the atmosphere. Bea, Boomer and Maxine in the laundry room. Franky in the kitchen. Doreen and Liz on the cleaning crew.

In laundry Bea stands folding towels, Maxine sorts through clean prison uniforms, and Boomer separates the beige from the teal for washing. They're working amongst Litchfield inmates.

Boomer: "This is shit."
Bea: "Could use a steam press right about now."
Boomer: "Yeah, to press my face against." She sighs, struggling to pull apart some conjoined clothes.
Maxine: "C'mon girls, positive spirits."
Bea: "You sound chirpy, what's got you all happy this morning?"
Maxine: "I don't know, just feel happy Bea, that's all."

The laundry room falls quiet as Nicky makes an entrance, she stops in her tracks and eyes up Bea.

Bea: "Can I help you?"
Nicky: "Yes actually." She holds her hands in front of her, pacing her way over to where Bea is standing. "Could I talk to you alone for a sec?" She gestures to the corridor.
Bea: "Fine." She follows behind Nicky, she quickly turns back to Maxine, "won't be long." Maxine just gives her an endearing nod.

They make it to the corridor, Nicky checks there's no one present.
Nicky: "It's true, what Franky told you."
Bea: "You what?"
Nicky: "I think you're hot. There's no denying that."
Bea: "I'm sorry but I don't swing that way." She grabs the door handle to head back into the laundry room, but Nicky's hand pulls her back.
Nicky: "Look, I know I'm forward, but do you think you could give it a go? Have you ever kissed a woman?"
Bea: "No, I'm not gay."
Nicky: "Ah, I used to say the same back in the day." She laughs, "But if you've never kissed a woman, how can you ever be sure?"
Bea: "How can you be sure you don't like men?"
Nicky: "Pulling the reverse card, I like it." She winks, "I've been with a man, and it felt wrong, like something was missing, then I found this wonderful world of women." She opens her arms wide and gestures to the air smiling.
Bea: "Well that's your story, mine's not anything like that."
Nicky: "Would you pass up the chance to try it? I mean, you're not getting out anytime soon are you?"
Bea: "I'm not. Life sentence."
Nicky: "So... you didn't answer my first question." She smiles a cheeky grin.
Bea: "I need to get back to work." She grabs the door handle again.
Nicky: "You're avoiding the question, something tells me I'm changing your mind."
Bea: "Well you're optimistic. I'm just busy."
Nicky: "Ok, be my guest, head back in." She steps back, but Bea lingers. As if she's thinking through what Nicky said, it's true that Bea will never be released for parole or anything, she may never kiss anyone again... "Bea, you're lost in thought." Nicky waves her hands in front of Bea's eyes.
Bea: "Yeah, sorry, anyway goodbye."
Nicky: "If I've changed your mind, meet me in the library after lunch." She winks and walks backwards, still facing Bea, "If you don't show, I'll assume you're not interested, I'll never bother you again." And with tha, she walks off.

——

At lunch Bea sits quietly at the table, only playing with her food on the end of the fork.

Franky: "What's up your arse?"
Bea: "Who, me?"
Franky: "No the other- yeah you!"
Bea: "Nothing, just thinking."
Franky: "About what?"
Maxine: "You don't have to tell us Bea, but we're here if you need us."
Liz: "C'mon, eat up, don't go hungry."

Resnikoff approaches the table. "Franky, why are you not helping?" Her Russian accent gives her an intimidating exterior, but not enough for the H2 women to care for.
Franky: "Because it's lunch, and I'm eating."
Resnikoff: "What you do at your prison is up to you, but here, you must help, we eat after lunch hour."
Franky: "Ha, get fucked." She continues to chow down on her prison slop. Resnikoff storms off in anger.

"Ah c'mon, don't leave us all to do the work!" Gloria yells from the kitchen.

Franky gets up off her seat, "What are you gonna do about it?" She shrugs.
Gloria: "Please just come help, we could use the extra hands."
Franky: "Nup, I'm with my girls, and anyway, if we weren't here, you wouldn't have my help, so back off alright!" The cafeteria goes silent, all eyes dart towards Franky.
Gloria: "When you weren't here we didn't have all these extra mouths to feed!"

Chaos breaks out over lunch, yelling back and forth, officers intervene when they find Franky trying to push the women in the kitchen up to the wall, Franky gets pulled away and removed from lunch. She's taken to the counsellor office where both Miss Westfall and Mr Healy sit.