Jail Chronicles, Chapter Twelve

Tuesdays are transport days.  The Federals all hope it’s their day to go.  Even if it only to a courthouse, and on to another jail, or even prison, it means outside, if only for a minute.  We have two that are sure they are on the list to leave. 

I didn’t know then, and I don’t know now why it is jails choose the middle of the night, or early early morning to transport people.  Whatever the reason it is almost always 4:30 AM, and this day was no different. 

The pod knew we could be losing two of our own this morning.  We all slept lightly, waiting to hear ‘bunk and junk’.  Their excitement to be leaving meant their departure was loud and heard by everyone. 

I watched them leave, saying a silent prayer for them, “Let them find friendly faces wherever they end up tonight. Let there be a bunk for them, and cellies who are nice enough. Let them find friendly faces.”

I guess I should have been more specific.  At 6:00 that night, the two who had left that morning were returned to us.  They had in fact met friendly faces where they had ended up that night. They would try again in the morning.

Jamie would tell us that apparently all this sitting around, sleeping all hours of the day, and eating a shit ton of junk food bought from commissary, had caught up to her.  Her clothes that she was wearing when she came in four months ago, no longer fit her.  They had to find some left behind sweat pants. 

Just another day in jail.