6

She wasn't buying it. Going to a half-way house for ninety days would have been hard for her but, probably, better in the long run. In the last year, with the exception of getting her ass kicked and spending a week in ICU, she had had no problem readjusting to her new surroundings. Prior to her release, she had been put through what was called a re-education or re-introduction class for six weeks. She learned about the changes in technology and the current events of the world. When she was released to her mom that May, she was already taking parolee classes designed to help her acclimatize to her new society and catch up with the events of the last fifteen years. She was a quick study, so she caught on pretty quickly. For days all she did was read books and magazines and surf the internet until she was probably savvier than those who had been out in society all of that time.

Chad knew her silence meant she thought that was bull shit but, felt like nothing she said would matter anyway. His heavy sigh betrayed him when she didn't say anything else. "Katie. Look. Most people that get released to a half-way house after that long of a period in prison end up back in there within six months because they don't know what to do or how to live in the society that's so much different than when they went in. I didn't want that for you. So, I got you a lawyer that agreed with me and appealed to the court to fix it so you stayed here on your own or with your mom for a year, got in school, and had time to find work. They only agreed to that if you would be put on parole for five years and I only agreed to that if I would be assigned as your parole officer. It was the same judge that officiated your trial."

"It doesn't matter." She said, as he took her on her other errands for the day. It was a Saturday and she had deferred her most of her work to Sunday since she wouldn't be going to church. The town had grown since she was in prison, and there were quite a few people that didn't know who she was because they hadn't lived there fifteen years ago. But, those that did recognize her, glowered at her as she entered each establishment, and ushered their children away in a hurry.

Chad looked on as people reacted to her negatively. After a year, she thought he would be used to it. She smiled at him and kept doing what was needed. "It's been sixteen years. You would think it would have been forgotten by now." He grumbled.

She cast him a sad smile. "It will never be forgotten. Especially by me. And it never should be. Edgar Callum was a good man that got hurt by people he loved and trusted. He was abandoned and lonely and had lost everything in his life. Much like me, no one wanted to give him a chance. Like me, pretty much everyone he called friend or family had abandoned him when he needed them the most. I started feeding and clothing and talking to him because I felt sorry for him but, I soon found out that it wasn't him that needed my help, it was me that needed his. Most of the time I was lost and Mr. Callum would try to help me redirect my steps to the right path. He told me to stay true to my heart, follow my dreams, always do the right thing, and never forget those less fortunate. I don't think he meant for me to do it the way I'm doing it now but, like he told me back then...everything happens for a reason. He always said nothing is a coincidence or mistake. When bad things happen to you say, "it's all for the good" and things have a way of turning around." She chuckled sadly, forgetting herself and opening up to Chad about her talks with Mr. Callum."He believed that there was a lesson in everything and every action had a consequence either good or bad, which would be reaped in the lifetime that it was taken or in a future one...he believed in reincarnation...I kind of think he was on to something with his theories. So, as I sat in my cell, miserable and feeling sorry for myself I began to think....maybe I did something in a past life to deserve the crap I'm going through in this one. Maybe in a past life I'm guilty of the crimes that I'm not guilty of committing in this one. Can't get away Scott free, Mr. Callum always said when something bad happened but, it could have been worse. So I determined, what I did in a past life was extra bad and I thought I had gotten away with it back then so, in this life, it was either prison or death. He believed that good deeds for others that couldn't do anything for you in return lessened the judgments levied against you so, giving him food and clothes and talking to him maybe got me prison instead of death. To be honest, being locked away for almost two decades of my life closed off from everyone was a form of death to me. No friends. No family. Just me and four plain white walls, a pillow, a blanket, a sink, and a toilet. A guard slid me a tray under the door once a day. I only got food before bed and it was usually beans and bread and water. I always fell right off after. It had some kind of sleep aid in it I expect." She frowned as she picked up a shirt that she liked and said, "I did have outings though. I went to the dentist every six months, the OB/GYN once a year, the eye doctor every two years, the main healthcare doctor every three months. I got walked to the shower every morning at five a.m. to avoid other inmates. I wasn't allowed to comb my hair or brush and floss my teeth without supervision, which meant I only did that in the morning when I showered. I would be walked back to my cell and locked up by six a.m. I slept on the bare floor and it got icy cold in there some nights. I always had a cold or something. I really thought I was going to die in there. I had lost all concept of time—no clocks, no calendars. Sometimes the guard would tell me the date. Or I would see it on something somewhere in the healthcare center..." She trailed off realizing she had been rambling on with her trip down memory lane.

She noticed that Chad was staring at her strangely. "Sorry." She said. "Didn't mean to ramble on and bore you. I'll shut up now." He didn't respond, he just continued to stare at her as she made her purchases and paid her bills. He was silent as he drove her place to place and walked around with her. Usually, he was talking her head off trying to get her to interact with him like they did when they were kids growing.

When they pulled into the driveway beside her basement entrance, he finally spoke. "I didn't know any of that. I mean I knew you didn't have a cell mate but, not that you didn't get to see anyone outside of prison personnel. Most inmates aren't kept in solitary the whole time they are in prison unless they are especially dangerous and difficult. You were just a kid."

She shrugged. "I was in a maximum-security prison with murderers, terrorists, and sexual predators. It was the judge's orders that I be kept separate from the general population at all times. Female guards only. I could hear the other inmates in solitary when they came, screaming and yelling back and forth. It was really scary. Especially that first week. I was bathed, my head was shaved and I was waxed from face to toe. I think I cried about my hair for a week but, as the weeks went by I realized I wouldn't be getting to a hair salon for a relaxer so....maybe the head shaving wasn't such a bad idea. I didn't have fancy stuff like hair grease and hair lotion or gel so I washed it with conditioner every morning and put my hair in little twists when I got back to my cell until my hair grew long enough for me to put it into four plats. When I went to get my checkups every three months the doctor required that all my body hair be waxed off before he would even see me. His techs and assistants would trim my hair and clip and file my nails too. We weren't allowed to have anything sharp. They would actually give a full manicure and pedicure. Without the polish though. They would just buff my nails."

Chad shook his head. He was obviously upset. "People treat their pets better than that, Baby Girl."

"Prisoner." She reminded. "I was considered lower than a dog. Still am, really. The stigma never leaves you. As soon as someone finds out you're a former convict and why...you're constantly watched and always suspected." He was still sitting there with a disturbed look on his face, when she opened the door and began gathering her packages to take inside. She went to her door and unlocked it. She dropped her groceries on the kitchenette counter top and her other supplies on the small kitchen table and was about to turn to go get the rest of her stuff when Chad came in with the rest of her packages and kicked the door closed with his foot. He sat them on her table and helped her unpack and put away things in silence. She could tell he was extremely bothered by what she had told him but, it couldn't be helped. She had forgotten that they weren't friends anymore for a while. "Sorry I laid all of that on you." She said, once they were done. "I forgot myself, I guess." She rubbed her palms on her thighs and went over to her laptop to power it on and get to work.