Chapter 13: 1979

And then it was Sunday, January 14th, 1979. It was 10:00 a.m. I was already seated in the usual meeting room, really the small auditorium where us in level four ate and on very rare occasions had meetings with officials who wanted to assure us that we were safe, and to not under any circumstances challenge the guards or the admin; or if we did, our well-deserved punishments would become less tolerable than they currently were—my words their meaning. There had been some problems, though so far minor, since the riot, and the admin was short shanking any attempt by inmates to repeat the mistake of the last uprising.

Regardless, it was peaceful for now, and the visitors were being shown in to see their friends and relatives.

I recognized her right away as she came through the steel doors that separated us criminals from the free citizenry of the world outside our razor-wire topped walls and fences. Yes, I recognized her, but she had changed a lot over the years. She was no longer a twenty-five-year-old that had the look of a slightly more mature teenager; she was, at thirty-nine, an actual woman with a woman’s mature body and demeanor. I wondered how I appeared to her. I guess I’d soon be getting a clue as regarded that.

She’d seen me, well, my wave. She smiled and came up to the table. No crowd this early—it was only 10:00 a.m. so the place was only maybe a third full. She stood behind the seat across from me and stared. She looked concerned for some reason. I guess that was the answer to my question to myself: I’d changed too.

“Yeah, I know I look a lot different than I used to. Lost weight, well, you know,” I said, breaking the ice. “So, how are you? How is married life?” She smiled and sat.

“I’m okay, and good. You?” I shrugged.

“It’s prison. I get by. So, my ex sent you?” I said.

“Yes, and her husband.”

“Hmm,” I said. I’m sure my look must have cued her as to my feeling toward the mention of mister Cooper.

“I hope we can have a good conversation today,” she said, her voice barely audible.

“Sure, no problem. It’s just, well, I’m sure you know; I don’t like the two of them very much.” She nodded.

“I’m aware. They are very concerned about you though, really, I mean believe it or not. They know they didn’t manage things very well, but people are people and well...”

“I suppose. And your husband?” I said.

“Reinhard Bach, like the composer,” she said. “He’s a good guy. Takes care of me. Works for Herbert, your ex-wife’s now husband. He also has his own store and does do work apart from Cooper Inc. but mostly for the company. Rein’s a private-eye.” I nodded.

“Must be interesting. Like to meet him someday, maybe,” I said.

“I can arrange that,” she said. “He’s talked about you some, mostly with Herbert, but I’ve been in on some of that too.”

“Oh?” I said.

“No, nothing bad. Herbert’s just run some ideas by him about how to help you out. Don’t know any of the details myself. But the Coopers are always on the lookout for a way to break the impasse with you. I know that from talking with Valerie.”

“Hmm, talk about the impossible dream,” I said.

“Chase, nothing’s impossible, not when it comes to people. It’s just a matter of trying to see both sides of things and coming up with a middle ground. It’s a matter of communication mostly, at least that’s what I think.”

“So, dare I ask, whose idea was it for you to come up and try to fix things?”

“Truthfully, I’m not here to try and fix things. They know, and I for sure know, that I can’t fix anything. And they can’t either, Chase. Only you can do that. As for whose idea it was for me to come up; it was mainly Valerie’s. She’s the one who asked me if I would be willing to come up and see you; well, you and I do know each other from back in the day. She’s desperate to make things right with you, Chase, and that sir is gospel truth. She cries a lot over you, and I do mean a lot. I don’t think even Herbert knows how much.”

“Hmm, I’ll bet,” I said, trying to not sound too sarcastic.

“So, Chase, you gonna let me?” she said.

“Let you?”

“Be successful,”

“Successful?”

“She needs to see you and talk to you—without rancor—and maybe get through to you how much she misses you and wants to make amends, make her case, all of it,” said Lilly.

“She tried once before and all she did was insult me,” I said.

“Yes, she told me. She knew as soon as she said what she said to you that she’d crossed the line. She hates herself for saying it. Her excuse as related to me, was that she was just frustrated and needed to hit back at what she was seeing as your stubbornness.”

“Hmm, so your mission is to get me to allow the woman to come up and see me and make her case—again—uh, but without rancor?”

“Yes,” she said. I was nodding.

“Okay, on one condition. Actually two,” I said.

“Really!” She sounded excited. “But...”

“One: she can come up, but she has to leave her insults back in Phoenix. I don’t need them. Being called an ungrateful fool and childish doesn’t work for me, and she had to know that, but apparently didn’t, not then, not at that meet up,” I said.

“Okay, I don’t think that that will be a problem, not at all,” she said.

“And two: you have to come up again after she comes up, maybe a month or two afterwards. Does that work for you?” I said.

“Me? You want me to come up again?” she said. I remained silent, but she read my look and patient demeanor, and she read me correctly.

“Oh, okay, I can do that. I’d be glad to do that for you,” she said. I nodded.

“Okay, then tell her I will put her on my allowed list of visitors. Oh, and just so you know, you’re already on it.”

“Thank you,” she said.

“So, Lil, you saw him this morning then?” said Valerie.

“Yes, and he looked terrible. I mean bad terrible. He’s emaciated, withdrawn, and Val, Herb, he seemed, well, afraid. He did talk to me, and he was coherent, but I think it was an effort for him,” said Lilly.

“Jesus, Herb...” said Valerie. Her husband was nodding.

“Lil, I need to talk to your husband,” said Herb. “He’s the point man for the protective shield we’ve put around Chase.”

“I’ll let him know,” she said.

“Lil ... and me?” said Valerie.

“Yes, he is willing to see you, said he’d be putting you on his allowed visitors’ list. But...”

“But?”

“There are two conditions,” said Lilly.

“Okay?”

“He said you gotta leave your insults at home, and, well, he wants me to come back up to see him after he sees you. And no, I don’t know why. He wouldn’t say.”

“Okay, anything else?” said Valerie.

“No, we talked a little about the old days. I told him about my marriage to Rein. He seemed a little taken aback by the fact that Rein works for you, Herb. But, like I say, he is willing to communicate with you guys, so long as there is no insulting him—his words.”

“Did he talk about me at all?” said Herb.

“Not really. He just seemed to see you, the two of you, as a unit. But he did specifically ask to see you, Val, at least this time around. But when he said he would be putting you on his visitor’s list, it sounded like he meant for that to be a long-term thing. He didn’t say that, but it’s what it sounded like.”