Jill took the news really well. I could almost see the calculation in her eyes. She had a great story to tell now. She said that she would wait for my release with eager anticipation and visit me often.
It didn't go unnoticed that not a single member of the De Le Russo Family came. I knew that they were distancing themselves from the authorities and I didn't blame them, but it still hurt a little. My only hope was that they didn't think I was cutting a deal. But the fact that I was doing my time would eventually prove that I wasn't.
Everything I had was taken away from me. I could only hope that my outside money was still there when I was released. I was given a uniform, toilet items and bedding. I was then led to my cell. The other inmates, including my cellmate, weren't there when I arrived. I was given the rest of the afternoon to unpack before everyone came back from their day's activities and went to dinner. I wasn't sure how they had done it, but I found a small folded stack of money slipped neatly into my Bible. It was nice to see that the Family hadn't forsaken me entirely.
I saw the prisoners returning down the halls to their cells after their afternoon labor session. They all looked toward me, interested in the new fish. I had hoped to get out in four years on good behavior, but the hardened looks on the other inmates' faces made me wonder if that would be possible. The guards would be watching me and making their reports as to whether I should be released early or not.
At least I wasn't as well known here in prison, although some of my reputation had preceded me from the outside.
One man stopped in front of my cell as the door opened. It was my new cellmate - he was large and most of his body was covered by tattoos.
Lane strode boldly into our shared cell while looking me in the eye.
"So, my old roommate must have died," he said. "I guess the beating I gave him finally killed him.
I said nothing.
The big guy laughed at my seeming passiveness and strutted around the cell. It was easy to see that he thought he had cowed me already.
It was less than an hour later when I heard a buzzer telling us that it was time for dinner. It was easy enough to guess what to do when I saw everyone else getting to their feet and waiting for the doors to open. As a group, we all walked down the hall and into the prison cafeteria. I filled an aluminium tray with food and looked for a place to sit down.
I sat by myself.
I was beginning to think that prison was going to be very lonely for me. It seemed like everyone was looking at me and talking to each other. I was being weighed and judged on that first day as everyone tried to figure out how I fit into the new social dynamic.
That night after dinner as we were escorted back, I had an opportunity to speak to the guards. But I said nothing and avertes my eyes.
They were the law and I knew enough to not be seen talking to them. It was okay to bribe them, but I sure didn't want to be friends with them.
The days of mobsters ruling the prisons were long gone. I used to love seeing movies where the wiseguys would own an entire wing of the prison and have huge banquets of great food. I wasn't made, so perhaps that wouldn't have been me anyway. During those first days in prison, I was just another inmate trying to get by. My first real trouble began the very next day in the yard. It was a chilly morning when we were sent out to get some fresh air and exercise. There was nothing physical going on that day; it was too cold. Instead, everyone clustered in small groups to ward off the chill. I found myself alone once again.
"Hey, you," a voice yelled in my direction. "Stand right here. It's frickin' freezing."
It was a big guy with short hair and a crooked nose. He was pointing to a spot near him in the direction that the wind was coming from. I realized that I was being asked to be his wind blocker.
I ignored him.
"I said, get over here," the big inmate said, all veneer of friendly banter gone from his voice.
I continued to ignore him.
He looked around at the other prisoners and saw the way they were watching the situation carefully. I watched as the enormous bull of a person stomped toward me with a sneer on his face. The incoming fist looked the size of a bowling ball as he took a swing at me.
I tried to defend myself as best I could.
The only good thing I can say about that fight was that it was short. I was pummelled and beaten into submission while the other inmates watched. The guards did nothing except take me away to the infirmary for the nurse to look over my wounds. Even though I had lost, I was glad that I had stood up for myself and not let the other inmates see me getting walked all over.
The nice thing about being in prison was that society wanted to reform you. That meant that I had all sorts of free options that I never had while I was on the outside.
I joined the gym and began taking martial art classes.
A little boxing, a little wrestling, some karate, and of course the current trend, mixed martial arts. The prison gym was full of people working out and training in various disciplines.
I was halfway through my prison term when I met my first connected wiseguy from New Daria. It was an enormous prison, after all. He was getting beaten up by a bunch of guards when I first saw him. They were really laying into him.
He belonged to the Rossi Family.
The guards didn't seem to show any sign of letting up. I wasn't sure what I had walked in on, but I didn't do anything and watched the guards go to work on the man.
It lasted much longer than I would have thought. I saw the man look up at me through blood-soaked hair. I could see the hate in his eyes as he saw me watching the scene and doing nothing. It was a brutal beating and I never saw him again. One of the biggest problems with being in prison was that I was no longer earning money. All of my schemes were sitting stagnant out there and I had no way to collect on them. Although my options were limited, there were still many ways to make money while behind bars.
I got into the prison drug trade.
There was an enormous amount of money to be made in the prison system from selling drugs. I soon built connections with other dealers across the entire compound. The best part was, my business quickly spread outside the walls and onto the streets. Unfortunately, I got busted for contraband every now and then and I knew that my chances of getting out early on good behavior were slim to none. But, with the money I was making, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.
Lane was a decent cellmate, despite the first night. He was very strong and enjoyed working out in the gym. If a problem could be solved with his knuckles, Lane could fix it. However, intellectual endeavors were not his forte. I saw him struggling through his lawyer's paperwork one night, a very confused expression on his face, however I said nothing.
I let the moose struggle. There were a few times when I thought he was going to break the desk he was working on by hammering at the papers with his fists.
Five long years. That's how long I spent in the New Daria Federal Prison. I wasn't given any time off for good behavior. I was very happy to pack up my things and walk out the front door when I was finally released.
I was even happier to see Jill pull up outside the prison to drive me home. I gave her a big kiss and got in the car. I have to admit, I was a little nervous that nobody from the Family was there to welcome me back to society. I kind of expected to see Jimmy, Dana, Freddie, or someone. I didn't waste any time and went straight to Lucky Lanes.
