Chapter 7

August 21st 1972: the hottest day so far of the summer, and I had my first visitor. No, not my woman, but my brother. My level of disappointment, while not exactly destined to be legendary, was pretty high-end. Oh yes, very high-end.

“Blake, not that you’re not good looking or what all, but you’re not as good looking as the one I was hoping to see first!” I said. I was smiling, but I was also demonstrably disappointed.

“I wanted to be here first to make sure you were all right,” said Blake, “and to see if there is anything that I might be able to do for you that, well, Ava could not. And for sure she will be coming. She told me she was targeting Christmas time. We’re figuring kinda alternating me and her. Would that be okay by you?”

“Uh, sure, I guess, that would be fine,” I said. “But tell me, how is she doing?” Blake sagged back a bit on the steel seat he was seated on across the table from me.

“She’s fine, sort of. She’s working as you know. Cries a lot; I know that for a fact. I do check up on her regularly, per your instructions, but I would be checking anyway. I mean you know,” he said. “She misses you, big surprise.”

I looked down. “I guess. I kinda figured,” I said. “I hope that as time goes on, she’ll be able to calm down some and get on with things. I’m just glad you’re there to have her back. You say she is working regular?”

“Yes, and she is full time. And you were right to ask her to do so. It does help some for her to be around her workmates and friends. She’s still tight with Beatrice. They talk a lot. At any rate it works for her, I mean her working.

“Look would it do any good if I sent you money from time to time. I know they have like a little commissary or canteen, right?” he said.

“Well, yes, I could use a little money from time to time. There is a small canteen, as you say, where we can get stuff, I mean like candy, toothpaste, stuff. Most of the inmates smoke; I don’t, but most do. Cigarettes are like money in here, and that can come in handy from time to time when a body needs a favor or even protection,” I said.

“Protection! Are you in danger?” he said.

“Not so far. I’m still a newbie and up to now I’ve managed to be left alone, but...” I said. “And, please, do not say anything about that to Ava. I mean it okay?”

“Okay, okay, I’m not a complete idiot. Of course, I wouldn’t be saying anything about any of that to her,” he said. I nodded.

“Okay, good,” I said.

“I’ll see you get the money right away. I’ll even see if I can set up an unlimited account with the warden or whomsoever, so you will always be able to get what you need,” he said.

“It’ll be appreciated, believe me, and more than useful,” I said. “I will sign off on it muy pronto. Believe it or not, I can’t accept any money, outside money, without okaying it. And like I say, I will for sure okay it muy prontisimo.” I was smiling. “Oh, and it has to be by postal money order otherwise it gets put on hold for a period of time.”

“Good, I need you to be safe,” I said. “And I will use the postal money order thing.”

We talked about other stuff including even his business. He was doing real good. I was beginning to think that I might have to rethink my determination to not join him in his business. Well, I would be having a lot of time to be thinking about stuff like that.

The meet up with my brother had been good. In the end I had been glad that he had come before Ava did, much as I missed her. But then I had a problem. Things had been bad for the six months I’d been inside, but tolerable, but now...

It was September, a couple of weeks after my brother’s visit. And I was transferred to the level four Kaibab unit which did not allow for a lot of benefits. I discovered that because of the gravity of my crime I would remain in a secure section of the east wing. Here it would be one or two person cells for the duration, and, much stricter visitation and phone privileges than in the west wing where it was more like dormitory living. And, most moving around for me would be done in chains. I was in for a very bad time.

Blake was as good as his word. He had arranged for money to be deposited for me to use in the commissary and for the telephone, but he discovered, as did I, that the amount he could deposit was going to be limited and would never be enough to protect me if the need were to arise for me to need protection. I swallowed and hoped.

For whatever reason I was to be housed in a two-man cell. My cellmate? John Brown, 6’3”, and way over two hundred pounds. He was black, he was mean, and he was mine for who knew how long. I was terrified, and it would turn out I would have reason to be. He arrived in our block two days after I did.

I’d been camping on the lower bunk, but when I saw him, I threw my pillow up on the top bunk without even so much as asking him what he wanted. He just snorted. I didn’t say anything that first day and neither did Mister Brown. That changed on day two.

“Willis, right?” he said. I nodded.

“The name’s Brown. But you need to be calling me master. I love it when dinky little white boys call me master. You won’t have a problem with that will you?” he said. I didn’t answer, not then.

“Not talking. Well, you will. Oh yes, you definitely will,” he said. I still didn’t reply. It was Sunday when all of this last went down. It would be a couple more days before I knew exactly what he was talking about. Then it was Tuesday. Tuesdays and Thursdays were shower days.