It was July 12th. I was on my way to Lichfield Prison to hand myself in, I was being driven by my best friend Polly who was pregnant and was the size of a boat. I was staring out of the window when a tear rolled down my face.
"Hey, you'll be okay Piper. You can get through this, you're the strongest person I know."
"Thanks Polly." I said as I wiped the tear from my face.
We were now turning around the corner where the prison was now visible. When we got there we then had to go to the waiting room where I handed my self in.
"My names Piper, Piper Chapman. And I'm here to hand myself in related to drug possession charges."
The woman behind the desk looks me up and down, and told me to sit down and wait.
"Chapman, you'll be following me this way, where we'll strip search you and put you in a uniform." I followed the woman down the hallway.
After the strip search was performed I was given a bright orange uniform and then taken to a room with 3 bunk beds and one empty bunk in the top.
Hey, what's your name sweetie? I'm Lorna Morello." She then gave me a hug, careful not to smear her makeup.
"Now there's some essential items you'll need, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap and a comb. We look after our own here."
"What do you mean our own?" I asked.
Well our races sweetie, there's the whites, black's and the Hispanics. Each group come round and give the newcomers what they need. "
"Right.." She then left the room, so I went over to the empty bunk and climbed on, I changed into my orange uniform. By then it was bow time for lights out, so I lied in my bunk facing the wall. I cried for most of the night getting little to no sleep.
*********
Breakfast time was 5:30AM in the morning and a guard banged on the door telling us all to get up. So I drudged down to the canteen area. It was half full already, I went and cued up behind at least 20 people and waited patiently for my turn.
The food I was served did not look at all appetising, a baloney sandwich and carton of milk which I think was sour.
I didn't know anyone in the canteen so went and sat at an empty table by myself. I started to try and eat the baloney which was partially mouldy. But I guess I would have to get used to the food here. After lunch I went to the library and browsed through the rows of books, I finally picked one out which was Wuthering Heights, one of my favourite books. I went back to my bunk and sat cross legged reading my book.
Then a guard came and said I had to go to C block, so I followed them along, when I entered I was placed in a cube with this girl with extremely frizzy hair.
"Hey, my names Nicky Nichols, how about yours?" She said casually while chewing gum.
"I'm Piper Chapman."
"Okay Chapman, what's a pretty girl like you doing in here?" I blushed.
"Well, I was in possession of drugs and my ex boyfriend named me."
"Ey, guess you were having bad times then?"
"He said it was to get time of his sentence, fucking asshole." There was a few seconds of silence.
"So, Chapman do you want to join me later, I'm having a kind of get together with friends if you wanna come?"
"Oh sure, where is it?"
"In the chapel, be there at three. See ya Chapman." She then left the dorm.
*********
Healy then called for me to go to his office.
"Would you come in please? And close the door behind you. And sit down."
I went and sat in the seat in front of his desk.
"Okay Chapman so you're new here, have you made any friends?" He asked impatiently.
"Urm, no not really.."
"Good keep it that way, to survive in here you've got to go alone and stay away from people. They'll change you, you won't be yourself anymore."
"Who are you talking about?"
"The lesbians, stay away from the lesbians, they'll try and befriend you and act nice but before you know it they'll pounce on you, and you'll be just like them. Its a sickness, a sickness in the mind. So you promise me you'll keep to yourself? Because Chapman, you and I are alike, we're not like them, we're good people."
Okay Mr Healy.. Can I go now? I've got to.. Go read my book."
"Sure Chapman, go. And don't forget to close the door on your way out."
It was almost 3:00PM. So I headed to the chapel to meet Nicky and her friends.
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Chapter one done :)
