Part 1: Paying for an Old Mistake
A drunken-driving arrest comes back to haunt the author, who spends six weeks in jail as a result. This three-part story is part of Truthdig's "Violence Against Women" series.
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I walk back to U-Pod from the showers without my scarf. I have no clue and no concern as to how matted my Afro may be. All you have to do here is brush your teeth. Having all your teeth puts you in an elite class. Brushing your teeth is considered showing off.
You either have a shitload of tattoos in here or none. One white girl has “love, loyalty and repsect” tattooed on the back of her neck—a misspelled tattoo. Ouch. She got it in jail.
I am moved back to N-Pod.
It is after dinner. We are on lockdown, which means we can’t leave our bunk room. A group of women gather to pray. I do not join them. Those who don’t pray are quiet and respectful. Then I hear a tapping noise. I look around. A woman is loudly tapping her fingers on a book, which infuriates me. I whisper to Danielle, a girl near me, “What the fuck is her problem?”
“She’s Jewish,” Danielle responds.
“Well, that’s rude,” I tell Danielle. “If she were praying, we’d shut up.”
This chunky old bitch tapping her fingers found her way to my shit list.
I find out later she’s here for a DUI in which she killed her husband. I get how she would reject religion. I get how she would welcome chaos. She will have to find her own way back to God. I feel terrible.
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