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Authors: Anthea Carson
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couldn't be there. I shuddered to think what I must have looked like to everyone.
Then did I snort that coke? Did they say I'd had any drugs in my system? Surely they would have tested for that. And then what would have happened? D id they arrest me for that too?
"What are you in here for?” I asked.
She glared at me in response to this.
After a while they brought us both a little brown sack with breakf ast in it, and a cup of coffee.
"Is this caffeinated?” I asked.
"Yep,” the officer answered.
"Oh thank God,” I muttered.
"What'd they give us?” she asked, holding the paper sack way up in the air above her resting self.
"Um,” I began to rummage through the bag, "there is a little box of Frosted Flakes, a little carton of milk, a plastic bowl …"
"They give us a spoon?"
"Yep."
"Coffee too?"
"Yep."
She sat up and opened her sack.
We sat crunching our sleepy cereal and stared vacantly at the wall.
When breakfast was finished, we crumpled up our sacks and sat silently for a moment.
Then she said, " They better come get us or I'll miss the hearing this morning. I can't be missin' that!"
I went and lay back down in my metal tray with the blue mat.
She said it a few more times—that they better not let her miss the hearing—and then she got up and started ringing the buzzer.
"Hey,” she yelled.
There was, of course, no response.
"Hey,” she tapped hard on my shoulder . "Get up and ring that buzzer, yell for him, get him down here,” she demanded.
I lay there staring up at the human-sized , metal tray above me, trying to think of an answer.
"He'll get us there in time , don't worry,” I answered, affecting a bored tone.
"No he won't .” She wrestled around a bit more back on her mat, apparently intending to get some rest while she put me on the task of harassing the officer.
I waited a moment. Even shut my eyes.
"Get up and ring that buzzer,” she insisted.
"Don't worry about it. They will get us t o court in time. They have to."
"No they don't,” she said . "Get up and ring it."
I walked over and rang it one time and lay back down.
"Ring it again!"
"Just relax it's going to be all right,” I said.
She huffed around on her mat and tossed a few more times and kicked her foot out and hit the crunched-up sack.
"Ring it."
I got up and buzzed the buzzer.
"Do it again."
I buzzed it one more time and then she yelled, "Hey, come get us or we're gonna miss court!"
An officer hurried over to us , and when he saw me he demanded to know why I kept hitting the buzzer. I tried to explain myself, and she kept perfectly silent.
"Stop buzzing that thing,” he shouted in my face.
After that she began snoring and I lay there staring at the metal tray above my head. After about a half hour we were both brought up to another holding cell, this one tremendously crowded. There was one metal toilet sitting center stage. If you used it, not only could all the women see you, but also there were men who could see from across the hall.
"I got up and I shoved him like this," a very tall , skinny woman stood up and mock shoved, and then, frustrated with no one to demonstrate on said, "Hey, you, get up. I wanna show 'em what I mean."
I pointed to myself.
"Yeah, you. Get up,” and with that she grabbed me by the shoulders and put a knee in my back, demonstrating how she had shoved whoever it was.
Then she laughed and laughed and all the girls in there laughed at how she had shoved him.
"What’d he do then, girl?"
"Oh man, he turn around and say 'hey you bitch ’.” She howled with laughter. They all did.
"Dat why you in here?” one of them asked,
"Hell no, that bastard wouldn't dare narc on me; no I in here for no insurance."
"You kiddin' me,” a couple of them said.
"No,” the tall lanky one sat down. "I ain't done nothin' wrong in eighteen months. Dat's the longest for me, man. Can't wait to get home and see my little girl."
"When I get outta here , I'm gonna get my cousin, I'm gonna
Then did I snort that coke? Did they say I'd had any drugs in my system? Surely they would have tested for that. And then what would have happened? D id they arrest me for that too?
"What are you in here for?” I asked.
She glared at me in response to this.
After a while they brought us both a little brown sack with breakf ast in it, and a cup of coffee.
"Is this caffeinated?” I asked.
"Yep,” the officer answered.
"Oh thank God,” I muttered.
"What'd they give us?” she asked, holding the paper sack way up in the air above her resting self.
"Um,” I began to rummage through the bag, "there is a little box of Frosted Flakes, a little carton of milk, a plastic bowl …"
"They give us a spoon?"
"Yep."
"Coffee too?"
"Yep."
She sat up and opened her sack.
We sat crunching our sleepy cereal and stared vacantly at the wall.
When breakfast was finished, we crumpled up our sacks and sat silently for a moment.
Then she said, " They better come get us or I'll miss the hearing this morning. I can't be missin' that!"
I went and lay back down in my metal tray with the blue mat.
She said it a few more times—that they better not let her miss the hearing—and then she got up and started ringing the buzzer.
"Hey,” she yelled.
There was, of course, no response.
"Hey,” she tapped hard on my shoulder . "Get up and ring that buzzer, yell for him, get him down here,” she demanded.
I lay there staring up at the human-sized , metal tray above me, trying to think of an answer.
"He'll get us there in time , don't worry,” I answered, affecting a bored tone.
"No he won't .” She wrestled around a bit more back on her mat, apparently intending to get some rest while she put me on the task of harassing the officer.
I waited a moment. Even shut my eyes.
"Get up and ring that buzzer,” she insisted.
"Don't worry about it. They will get us t o court in time. They have to."
"No they don't,” she said . "Get up and ring it."
I walked over and rang it one time and lay back down.
"Ring it again!"
"Just relax it's going to be all right,” I said.
She huffed around on her mat and tossed a few more times and kicked her foot out and hit the crunched-up sack.
"Ring it."
I got up and buzzed the buzzer.
"Do it again."
I buzzed it one more time and then she yelled, "Hey, come get us or we're gonna miss court!"
An officer hurried over to us , and when he saw me he demanded to know why I kept hitting the buzzer. I tried to explain myself, and she kept perfectly silent.
"Stop buzzing that thing,” he shouted in my face.
After that she began snoring and I lay there staring at the metal tray above my head. After about a half hour we were both brought up to another holding cell, this one tremendously crowded. There was one metal toilet sitting center stage. If you used it, not only could all the women see you, but also there were men who could see from across the hall.
"I got up and I shoved him like this," a very tall , skinny woman stood up and mock shoved, and then, frustrated with no one to demonstrate on said, "Hey, you, get up. I wanna show 'em what I mean."
I pointed to myself.
"Yeah, you. Get up,” and with that she grabbed me by the shoulders and put a knee in my back, demonstrating how she had shoved whoever it was.
Then she laughed and laughed and all the girls in there laughed at how she had shoved him.
"What’d he do then, girl?"
"Oh man, he turn around and say 'hey you bitch ’.” She howled with laughter. They all did.
"Dat why you in here?” one of them asked,
"Hell no, that bastard wouldn't dare narc on me; no I in here for no insurance."
"You kiddin' me,” a couple of them said.
"No,” the tall lanky one sat down. "I ain't done nothin' wrong in eighteen months. Dat's the longest for me, man. Can't wait to get home and see my little girl."
"When I get outta here , I'm gonna get my cousin, I'm gonna
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