A Long Road to Redemption

Chapter 23

Sidney's first day of library duty was more tiring than one would think working in a library would be. She spent most of the day looking for books or returning them to the shelves. When she wasn't doing that, she swept the floor and emptied the trash. Very little of her time was behind the counter. The head prisoner in the library was a Hispanic woman named Rosa. She was a short-timer with only a couple of months left on her sentence. Another inmate named Jeanette Flowers was picked to take her place once Rosa was released. That meant Sidney was supposed to be Jeanette's replacement. Until then, she did anything the other two told her to do.

That night after dinner, Sidney sat around one of the tables playing checkers with Billie West, who was in the middle of a three-year sentence for a DUI that injured a pedestrian. Billie was an interesting person with a talent for art. She had several tattoos on her arms and one that she said Sidney might see if they were in the shower at the same time. Billie asked Sidney if she had any tattoos, to which she replied that she did not and that they weren't her thing.

"How the hell did you get that card again?!" came a shout from a table across from Billie and Sidney.

"You tell me, you dealt them," came the response.

"Nah, tell me where you got them hid," replied a slender black woman whom Sidney didn't know.

"I ain't hid no cards bitch," shouted another black woman who, up until then, had been playing cards but now stood up ready to answer the challenge to come, and it didn't take long. Suddenly, the smaller woman crossed over and punched the other's left cheek. The fight was on.

Inmates got out of the way as fast as they could. While some of the younger inmates cheered them on, most of the others got out of the way as best they could. The guards would respond in a matter of minutes if not seconds. Until then, fists began flying, and it looked as if the smaller girl was getting the better of it. However, things took a turn when the larger inmate managed to strike the other's nose, knocking her back. That was about the time the guards rushed in. They ordered everyone to lie down on their stomachs. It took some doing, but they finally got the two subdued, cuffed, and hauled out. Everyone else was ordered into lockdown.

Jillian walked into their cell, clearly agitated. "Going to miss my show tonight because of this," she said.

"What was that about?" Sidney asked her. "They not like each other or something?"

"Probably nothing. They were gambling for soup packets. That skinny girl's a sore loser and a hot head. Those packets cost $2 a pack, so nothing more. So, how was your first day in the library?"

"It was good. I was surprised how many books are actually in there. It's a small place, but there's more than there appears. Jeanette told me Rosa was a lawyer at one time."

"Yeah, that's what I heard. Supposedly, she got caught smuggling drugs into jail for one of her clients. Don't know if it's true, but what I heard."

"Hard to picture her as a lawyer."

"We all did something before we got here, just like we did something to get us here. You think you're going to like it?"

"Yeah, I think so. Not like I got a lot of choice."

"Nope. By the way, I appreciate you putting in a good word for me. I start in the office next week. That's unheard of for someone here for such a short time. What did you say to them?"

"He asked me if we were getting along and if I thought you would do a good job. Of course, I told him you would as long as he didn't mind giving you lots of smoke breaks."

"Whatever, girl, I don't smoke or vape." Jillian sat down on her bunk and motioned for Sidney to join her. She took a spot near the foot of the bunk and relaxed. "Seriously, Sidney, it's good to see you smiling." It surprised Jillian to say that. When Sidney first walked in, Jillian tried to keep her distance and not get too personally involved. There was just something about the new girl though, that changed her mind. It wasn't really sympathy, but perhaps something like it. Maybe it was because she seemed so out of place here. Whatever it was, she was glad she ignored her first instinct.

"Thanks, I owe you. I don't know how I would have made it otherwise."

"You'd found a way. Just not as easily if I hadn't been here," Jillian said with a sly smile. "There is something I want to know. Why do you spell your name with an 'I' instead of a 'Y'?"

"Because I was supposed to be a boy. The ultrasound technician said I was a boy, so my parents named me after my dad's grandfather. They bought nursery furniture and decorations for a boy, but to everyone's surprise, I was a girl."

"Wow, how did your parents take that?"

"They're great. Mom said Dad was initially disappointed, but he's a great dad."

"Mine too. We didn't speak for a while after, you know, I got arrested. We're fine now, but it took some time. Anyway, are you adjusting well?"

"Yes, it hasn't been easy, but I'm okay."

Sidney had been locked up for just over a month and could sense a change in herself. She felt more confident, more certain about herself. It's not that she liked being in prison, but it forced her to grow up more. To be less trusting, maybe, but also to be tougher than before. Sidney never wanted to be the toughest on the block but believed she was starting to find her place. Life was hard here. Doing the same thing day in and day out is tough mentally. It was hard to keep her mind focused at times because a lot of time passed, separated from her parents, practically the only ones on the outside who had not turned their back on her.

There was no doubt her days were going to be hard. It's not fun here at all, slowly, though she was learning to make the best of it. Sure, life is better on the outside, but she can't be there now and more than likely not for over a decade. Still, she was going to make the best of it. If nothing else, she was safe from Leonard Pierson, and that was worth something.