Category : Stories

Sub Category : Drama

CHAPTER 3, PART 1

"Spade! Get your ass up!"

The deep and clear boom of Officer Kemp's voice followed by the loud bang on the cell door that was loud enough to wake the dead woke Eddie up with a jolt. A quick look at his watch shows 3.30AM. His heart racing. Blur. What's going on? Why is he waken up so early? Is he in trouble? Thoughts scramble in his head. In his haze he tries to think logically. No, if he is in any kind of trouble, Officer Kemp wouldn't have bothered to bang on his door. He would have just stormed in like a bad ass stormtrooper on a mission and drag him out of bed. His mind relaxed. His pulse slowed down. And then it hits him. It's Tuesday morning. He smiles. He is being transfered today.

Just a week ago, Miss Patricia, the psychologist from the psychology department had called him in for a talk. For the three years he had spent in solitary confinement under protective custody, Miss Patricia had been the psychologist assigned to handle his case. He likes her and feels comfortable with her. She takes the time to really listen and understand him. She treats him like a real person and not just another number in the system. She knows when and what to say to him that would make him listen and receive openly. In a dark place like prison, that is very rare. He has a lot of respect for the sweet and kind woman who has shown him a lot of patience.

"You've been in solitary long enough, Eddie," she said, her opening line for their talk. "We feel it is time you go back to general population."

Eddie squirmed in his seat at the thought of him going back in the compound but he kept silent. She must have noticed or felt his anxiety building up for she quickly explained. "No, I didn't mean here at Union. I wouldn't push that on you. We think you would be better off in a place where you will be able to learn some skills; in a program facility."

Eddie was relieved to hear that he wasn't being forced to go back out into the Union jungle. But program facility? What exactly does she mean?

"Could you explain to me a bit more about this program facility and what you have in mind?"

Miss Patricia smiled as she takes out a piece of paper of her neatly written notes from a folder in front of her. Eddie watched her with bated breath as she looked through her notes.

"There is a facility in central Florida called Polk Correctional Institution. It is a program facility. What that means is, there are vocational and college classes available in the facility. A chance for you to further your education and learn some skills. On top of that, they also have a factory in the compound that is run by the facility. The skills you learn at the vocational classes can be applied there so there is also job opportunity for you where you will be paid a wage. I think this facility would be perfect for you."

Eddie thought for a moment. He like the idea of expanding his education and also to learn new skills. Ever since he got his high school diploma in a place where a bright future seemed like a laughable dream, he knew that anything was possible. He had never considered himself book smart and that was partly the reason why he skipped school in the first place. That, plus almost all the older kids at the trailer park were all school dropouts so it became an option for him to join the club. His parents did all they could to encourage and persuade him to stay in school but he was a typical rebellious teenager who thought he knew everything when in actual fact he was nothing but a knucklehead. It was his own choice to cut school to hangout with the other older kids at the trailer park. It was his own choice to get drunk on booze and high on drugs with them. Back then he thought it was cool. He thought he was cool, making his own decisions for his life. But after he was forced to attend school in prison to get his GED, he found that studying was not so bad after all. At the very least, it had kept him safe and out of trouble. And after being surrounded by inmates caught up in the hustle of the chain-gang game, he realized he wanted more for himself. He wanted to do better for himself and not end up like the rest of them. Now here he sits in this little discussion room with Miss Patricia who seem to be very invested in his success. In some ways, she reminded him of his parents, the way she continues to push and encourage him to see the potential she believe he could be. He was suddenly motivated. He was stoked. "When do I leave?"

"Time to rock and roll, Spade!"

Eddie was jolted from his reverie by the sound of Officer Kemp's voice. He darts his eyes towards the cell door and there stands the officer with his imposing giant-like form and his impossible to ignore aura. The officer may have an intimidating exterior but he is one of the few officers at the prison who is fair and just. Eddie gets up from his bed and turns to gather his belongings which he had packed in two laundry bags that contain letters from his family, his writings, personal clothes, shoes, radio and books, and another smaller bag where he had packed his toiletries. He grabs the bags and follows Officer Kemp to a small room at the end of the wing.

"It's gonna be a long day and a long trip, Spade," Officer Kemp said as he hands Eddie a small blown paper bag. "I suggest you eat something now and keep some for the journey. Wait here till someone comes to get you."

Left alone in the room, Eddie opens the bag. Inside, there is a carton of milk, a large oatmeal cookie, a ham and cheese sandwich, and a peanut butter sandwich. His stomach growled at the sight of the grub. At the same time, the tight knot of anxiety in his stomach stops him from gobbling down the food. Officer Kemp's words rang in his head. "It's gonna be a long day," he said. How long exactly, Eddie has no idea. But he was already cautioned so he knows he has to ration his food to last until he gets to his destination for he is not sure when he will be getting his next meal. With that thought in mind, he takes a sip of the milk and decides to line his stomach with the oatmeal cookie.

After what seemed like forever, Officer Kemp finally comes back to the room and instructs Eddie to follow him. Carrying the two heavy laundry bags with his right hand, the smaller plastic bag of toiletries and his doggy bag with his left hand, he obediently follows the officer. As soon as they step outside the building, a cold shiver runs all over Eddie's body. The cold November air hit him right to the bone. His seasoned blue uniform just wasn't built to keep out the biting cold. Struggling with his heavy load, he tries to keep up with Officer Kemp's long strides as they make their way to the Visiting Park.

Eddie was astonished to see a large group of inmates already assembled at the park along with quite a number of officers. Due to his Protective Custody status, he is the last inmate brought in to join the party. Nervous anxiety begin to creep in as he stand in line with the other inmates. He discreetly scan around to look at faces, hoping none of his predators are among the crowd. His heart hammering in his chest and beads of cold sweat begin to form on his forehead. Exposed in an open space with no protective walls to shield him is making him nervous. He realize then that he is still not ready to be in general population despite having spent the past three years in solitary confinement. Yet he knows he needs to suck it up and face whatever is in front of him like a man. With that realization, he straightens his stance and waits patiently for his turn to be processed.

The "check out" process is a tedious process every inmate has to go through upon transferring to another institution. The process is somewhat similar to a stock check in a warehouse where every piece of item that belongs to the inmate is carefully checked and inspected, right down to paper and envelopes. Items which are not permitted are immediately confiscated. Some of their prison blues (uniform) which are still in good condition is also taken away from them to be handed down to future inmates. After the officers have gone through inspecting all the items in their belongings, the inmates are given handwritten receipts for whatever is left with them to be presented at their next assigned institution. Their personal and medical records are sealed in a box and securely locked in a compartment under the bus.

Eddie stands in line while he waits patiently for his turn, observing the order of the play. A group of officers are stationed where the processing line is formed and once an inmate is done, he will be escorted to a nearby waiting area where another group of officers are stationed. Security is kept tight. After Eddie was processed, an officer escorted him to the waiting area. At the waiting area, 50 chairs lined in a neat row facing a wall. Eddie notice there is only one empty chair left and immediately assume that empty seat is his. Lugging his belongings, he moves swiftly to take his seat. The vibe at the waiting area feels like a funeral home. There was no talking, no fidgeting or turning around. There was just statue-like total silence as everyone sits still staring at the wall as they wait for the prison transfer bus to arrive.

Eddie stays focus and alert. This is his first prison transfer so he is quite nervous as he is not sure what to expect. Is Polk Correctional going to be another horrific nightmare like Union? Is he really going to get the chance to improve himself like what Miss Patricia had suggested a week ago? Is there really such an opportunity for inmates like him to turn his life around in a prison camp that was painted to him with such high possibility? Or is it just a bunch of bullshit, a subtle tactic to get rid of him without having a guilty conscience hanging over their head? The last thought upset him. He began to beat himself up in his head. If only. If only he had listened to his parents and stayed in school instead of being a dumb ass knucklehead. If only he had used his brain instead of following his heart. If only he had stopped to think, to look at the bigger picture. If only he had  been wise enough to have a vision in life. If only. He knows it is too late for him to think of what could have been because the damage is already done. He had no one to blame but himself. He was the one who had brought this misery to himself. Bottom line, he fucked up. Plain and simple.

"Everybody get in line!"

The loud barking order jolted Eddie out of his reverie. He quickly gets up from his chair, grabbing his bags as he waits for the next order. The officers swarm around them like hungry bees as the bus pulls up at the end of the fence outside the Visiting Park. At the sight of the bus, his heart began to pound hard in his chest. This is it. The next part of his journey is about to begin.

Stepping inside the bus, he immediately notice a steel cage behind the driver and co-driver seats that leads all the way to the back of the bus. Two long rows of stainless steel seats lined along the length of the bus. As he makes his way inside he noticed the windows as well as the ceiling of the bus had bars on them too. The bus is literally a cage on wheels. As soon as he takes his seat, two officers approach him to shackle his feet. Bad enough he is locked inside a cage but to be shackled as well, Eddie felt completely dehumanized. Any shred of dignity that was left in him flew out the window. He feels humiliated. But it is what it is. This situation of being handled like a wild beast is what it has boiled down to. There is nothing he can do to change the situation. The reality is harsh but it is something he has to accept and deal with. As he waits for the rest of the inmates to fill up the bus, he scans the interior. Bars all around, hard, uncomfortable seats, and at the back of the bus is an open urinal system which offers no form of privacy whatsoever. "Great," Eddie thought, "this is gonna be one interesting road trip."

It was around nine in the morning when they finally departed. Eddie couldn't help feeling nervous being around the other inmates but did his best not to show it. He tries to position himself so he can at least look over his shoulder at the view outside the window but sitting shoulder to shoulder with inmates next to him on both sides and with shackled feet, to maintain that position for long is out of the question. He has no idea how long the ride is going to be so it would be best for him to try to get as comfortable as he possibly can. 

The first hour of the ride went quite well. Nobody spoke, everyone seemed to be in their own orbit. But that situation didn't last long. There were no officers in the cage with them, just 50 inmates left on their own to make the most of the ride. It only took one person to start the ball rolling and next thing he knew, the quiet cage turned into some pissing contest with the guys cutting each other with insults, crude remarks and such. It got pretty heated and out of control a few times and Eddie was worried a fight would break out on the bus. But he soon realize the guys were just blowing off steam. Once they got tired of cussing each other, the vibe changed. From a loud show of power play, it switched into a friendly play of barter. Personal items are passed around, exchanging hands and ownership. Eddie watch in awe but did not participate. He thought of the hand written receipts they were all given during processing at the Visiting Park. Each item that he has with him in his bags are all accounted for and clearly listed on the receipts. He is still new in this prison game and as green as they come. He is not willing to do anything that can possibly get him in any trouble with the authorities. He still has high hopes that through some miracle he would get the chance to get his freedom someday. As slim a chance that may be, he is not willing to take the risk to jeopardize that slim possibility.

From North Florida they traveled to the Reception Centre in Central Florida. The Reception Centre is located in Orlando and it is like a transit checkpoint at an airport. At the centre, all 50 of them were ordered to get off the bus, carrying their belongings with them. As soon as Eddie stepped on the pavement, he noticed a large number of prison buses parked at the parking bay of the Centre. They were marched into the building, straight to the receiving area where they were processed once again. This is where the group of 50 is split up. Out of the 49 inmates that boarded the bus with him that morning at Union, only three remained with him. The rest were put on other transfer buses that would take them to their designated institution while a new batch of 46 new faces joined his group of four. After the Reception Centre, six other pitstops were made at various institutions to drop off inmates. The last batch of inmates to be dropped off at the last leg of the journey was Eddie and the three other guys that boarded with him from Union. 

Eddie was completely drained by the time he arrives at Polk Correctional Institution. It was just after count time when the bus pulls in to the compound. All existing inmates are securely tucked in their respective cells so there wasn't anyone gawking at them when they step out of the bus. Eddie is thankful for that. His body is stiff from the long journey. The last thing he need is to be stared at like some circus freak.

With two of his heavier bags tied together with a shoestring, his drapes them over his shoulder like a mule and carries his lighter bag in one hand. His packed food was long gone. His knees wobbly after sitting for many hours on the bus. The other three inmates look just as drained and worn out. With no dilly dally, the four of them were marched straight into the administration building to be processed. He hands over his receipts of belongings to the officer on duty and immediately his Super 2 radio with external speakers is marked as contraband and confiscated. He is given three new sets of prison blues, a fresh mattress, and the regular package of bed linen, towel, washcloth, pillow cases, blanket, a new set of basic toiletries, and some writing material. Processing done, Eddie is ready to drop his head on his pillow but he still needs to figure out a way on how to carry the mattress, his three bags of personal belongings and the added package to his cell. There is no such thing as a bell boy service or carts available. He drapes his two bags over his shoulder again, holds his small bag with his mouth, holds the added package with his right hand and drags the mattress all the way to his cell with his left hand.

When Eddie reach his cell, his new cellmate, Charles Wilson was already asleep in his bed and the cell is dark. To his surprise, Charles rolls over and turns on the light for him and goes back to sleep. That is something new to Eddie as the lights at Union are all controlled by the officers. And just because Charles shows him that courtesy, he is very careful to keep his movements to a minimum. He sets his stuff down, quickly removes his mattress from the plastic cover, lays his sheet on the mattress and ties it down securely. He then throws himself on the bed and is dead to the world within seconds.