A HEALTHY LOVE

CH.11: The Secret Burger.

Alex received some good news. The inmate who normally ran the book cart had granted early release, so her job had become available. Alex was a frequent patron of the prison library, so she was given the gig. She found herself loading the library cart with new book arrivals. Afterwards, it was time to drop by ad seg. A new policy required an escort. Luckily for Alex, McCullough was the one assigned to walk Alex down that day.

McCullough's eye was still swollen, and she wore a bandage over her nose. For several long minutes, the two did not speak each other. Alex glanced at McCullough and decided to ask, breaking their silence. "Was it broken?" Alex asked.

"Yep. I have to wear this stupid bandage for a few days. Everyone was staring at me at the gas station this morning" McCullough said.

"Well, if any inmate makes fun of you, just tell them you got a nose job to beat the FBI's facial recognition software. They'll leave you alone after that" Alex said, with humor in her voice.

McCullough chuckled lightly at Alex's humor. She had missed it since the two of them parted ways just a few weeks ago. "Thanks. I'll have to remember that. By the way, I'm glad to see you got a new job. Something that can't get you in trouble" McCullough said softly.

"It's nice and boring.." Alex replied. "..and at least I'll have something coming into my commissary. Not that commissary has much of interest. I wish it had decent food."

At that hidden desperate plea, McCullough grinned as a lovely idea started to form in her head. "Well, if any have kind of food right now, what would it be?"

Alex: "I could really go for a burger. Something with cheese on a soft bun. Maybe a chocolate milkshake on the side. I've been craving one since before the riot. I tried making a cheese and Spam sandwich in its place, but it was definitely not the same thing."

McCullough (nodding): "Ok..a burger."

Alex: "Yeah. But I still have about three years before I can get that kind of meal. All this terrible prison slop has almost made me forget what real food tastes like."

As they arrived at ad seg, McCullough opened the bars so that Alex could go inside and do her job. They shared a brisk nod before parting ways. Though neither Alex nor McCullough said it out loud, they were glad they were back on speaking terms. Alex did her duty, asking everybody in ad seg if they could use reading material. Though it was a dull job, except for when inmates were willing to pay to send messages on, it helped to pass the time.

Eventually, Alex returned to her cell. She immediately noticed that someone had taken one of her novels from the desk and set it on her pillow. A piece of paper was sticking out of the cover. Alex realized it was a note. It read: The closet. Eight o'clock.

Alex knew McCullough's handwriting anywhere. Although she spent most of her day debating whether or not she should go to the closet, she decided to drop by. She was expecting to find McCullough there. Yet, McCullough wasn't anywhere in sight. Instead, a note had been taped to the top shelf of the shelving unit. It had nothing but the initials "AV" written on it. When Alex investigated, she found a paper bag hidden behind the cleaning supplies.

This bag contained one cheeseburger and a chocolate milkshake from a restaurant not far from the prison. Alex was touched deeply by this gesture. McCullough had picked up the food on her break. Alex sat on the floor, hidden behind the mop buckets, and dug in quickly. Though it wasn't as tasty as Shake Shack, it hit the spot.