Capítulo 3: the children’s correctional facility.
Twin Towers Correctional Facility is a place that seeks to meet the requirements of the state of California. Fortunately, those who are part of this correctional facility, don't have to endure major abuses compared to what could be experienced in other correctional facilities. However, there is a dark underbelly, like stagnant water, that harms the surroundings.
Billy exited the music studio with Spencer. After singing "What a Wonderful World," he left humming the soft melody. After singing the song five times, he could say he would never forget the feeling. Something awakened him from a dark stupor that he didn't think he could experience—a long bath of adrenaline. The sports yard looked like a sandy beach, with some cement islands featuring basketball courts.
He leaned against the exit on the third floor, by a window. The guards' office was right in front.
-What are you doing, old man? - said Pablo, the small, dark-skinned boy, from the yard.
-I'm observing the prison. I just arrived yesterday evening. Everything is so different from what I expected, - said Billy.
Among the many inherited emotions, he missed his mom. Pablo, unexpectedly empathetic, with his short chocolate hair and brown skin, would sometimes have a face of desolation and nostalgia, fitting for an old man living a long and sad life.
-You know, for me, it's home. This prison is good. I can eat three times a day, and even go for seconds when the cook sees there's little left. At home, sometimes I can't even sleep, - said Pablo, words heavy with meaning.
Black clouds, Desolate plains, lost youth, What will happen in my sad life, If only a push is needed to fall off a precipice?
The lyrics hit Billy like a burst of songs. Pablo's white teeth and appearance gave him an unusual innocence.
-What's jail like? I see there are many strange attitudes, - said Billy.
-Well... it's a mess, -- said Pablo, turning to see if anyone was nearby. He continued, -- There are issues. As long as you stay on the sidelines, there's no trouble. The people here are good. In other correctional facilities, the guards are crazy. But the most vicious ones are Austin and Dogface, - said Pablo.
-Austin seemed like a decent guy to me, - said Billy.
-He's an idiot. The most wretched cheat, - said Pablo.
-Is he? - questioned Billy.
Pablo swallowed hard.
-Believe me, he is. He's a full-fledged gangster, vengeful and dangerous. Dogface is with us; I take care of him. But if you join Austin's side, Dogface won't spare him. There's mutual hatred between the two, but Bugs is the one you have to watch out for. Dogface hits and runs; Bugs is insane, - said Pablo, putting a finger to his lips as if it were a poorly kept secret but a secret nonetheless.
-I see. Sounds complex. I'm here for six months, and then I'm out, - said Billy.
-Hahahaahaha. What are you laughing at? - asked Billy.
-Friend, nobody gets out in six months. You need approval from the superintendent for good behavior. He's a jerk; they pay him for each kid. That damn guy will stretch your sentence for one or two more years, - said Pablo.
-Can't be true, - said Billy, disbelieving.
-It has happened, happened to Connor, and most of us give up. Fighting against the system is crap. Screw the people; just live in the moment here, - said Pablo.
-It has happened! - said Billy incredulously.
-Of course, the bastard does it daily. Many of my brothers have had issues with the superintendent. I joined the music band for that. If Spencer helps you, he might convince the teachers to let you go, but... - said Pablo.
-But Spencer is... - started Billy.
-A coward, - said Pablo mockingly.
-So the chances are slim, from what I see, - said Billy.
Depressed by the seemingly hopeless news, Billy shifted his focus to the sand and soil in front of him.
-But he's a good person; he has helped some. He's a good Christian, that bastard, - said Pablo.
-Not much help, - said Billy.
-You better get used to it, - said Pablo.
Adjusting himself, Billy asked, - And you? -
-Well, prison is better than life at home, a thousand times. Besides, I have all my friends here. Why are you here? This is the biggest hole in California. You must have caused a lot of trouble, - said Pablo.
Billy sighed, hating being locked up. -I skipped school for five months, had recurring problems with graffiti, and caused havoc in some stores. When they caught my friend and me, the cop gave him a good slap that knocked him to the ground. I jumped on his back and scratched his face. I aimed for his eyes, but unfortunately, I missed. When they arrested me with my friend, I spat in the cop's face. He was red with anger, to the point that I got scared, panicked that he would beat me to death, - said Billy.
-Damn, friend! A Black guy does that, and they shoot him, - said Pablo, as if it were a traditional phrase. Billy could only curse in his heart at Pablo's situation.
-Not that bad, - replied Billy.
-Ha, let's just go down for lunch; I'm starving, - said Pablo.
The dining hall turned out to be another division, and what would be a quiet lunch for Billy turned into a place of stares, an observatory for the newcomer. Would he join a gang? Would he be a friend or an enemy? Lunch consisted of a mix of sweet potato fries, lentil stew, and chicken croquettes.
-Take it easy, skinny, - said Pablo.
-What's happening? I've got absolutely nothing, - said Billy.
-Well, you better eat. Dinner is the same but older and colder. Eat all you can, - said Pablo.
Carrying his tray to a table with mostly Latinos speaking in Spanish, Billy decided to join them. The food wasn't the best he had tasted; he was sure he'd get sick later. Clearing his mind of others' doubts, he decided to focus on his path to perfecting his singing.
Among all the songs he ever sang, there's one that's stored in his memory for the number of times he sang it in his past life.
…
-when she was just a girl.
She expects the world.
But it flew away from her reach.
So, she ran away in her sleep. –
…Principio del formulario
A song that required a very good orchestra, if he remembered correctly, involved a piano and a violin. With some practice, he could manage the piano. After finishing the less-than-appetizing lunch, he took his tray to return it.
-Where are you going, kid? - said the grumpy guard from this morning, Rico, the same one who woke them up.
-To the music room. Mr. Spencer said I could go whenever I wanted to practice, - replied Billy.
-' Whenever you want' is a stupid expression. Now it's cleaning time. You have to mop the floors, clean the windows, and do some cleaning, -- said Rico. -- Go to your classroom; they'll show you what to do, - he added, pointing to a sign.
-Yes, sir, - said Billy, his uncertainty noted by Rico, who, despite being strict, was very kind. He had three children, all misbehaved initially, but he imposed his discipline, and now they were good boys.
-I'll take you; you don't know the protocols well yet, - said Rico.
Billy didn't respond; he just sang a Coldplay song from his past life. He memorized it during a road trip, and since then, it has become his favorite. Along with some Spanish songs he still remembered, his mother tongue was more prominent in his memory than English when it came to singing.
-The classroom, just what I needed, - thought Billy.
-Mr. Beins, take care of this boy, - said Rico.
-Have you found your stay in prison pleasant? - asked Mr. Beins.
-A bit, sir. I have a lot to learn, - replied Billy, sitting at his desk.
-I took the trouble to check your notebook. You're one of the few who used it to take notes, - said Mr. Beins.
-I didn't have much else to do, - replied Billy.
-In fact, classes are meant to keep you occupied. We manage the cleaning in a certain scheduled way, and you're in the middle of the day. So, almost everything is already assigned. The bathrooms are cleaned once a week for each group. I've scheduled you for next Tuesday. For the rest of the days, you can choose what you prefer, - explained Mr. Beins.
-The music room, - said Billy.
-Very well, you'll clean the music room and the guard hallway every day from now on. I hope you won't regret it. There's no room for changes, - said Beins.
Billy went to the guard hallway and asked about the cleaning. Throughout the entire jail, there were about twelve guards for a population of almost 200 people, a very small number for the enlisted guard roster.
Remembering Mr. Beins' thoughts, he asked the guard monitoring the cameras.
Knocking on the door, a white guy with a brown mustache, the typical guard, opened it.
-What's happening? - he said aggressively.
-I have to do the cleaning, sir. I'm new and don't have much experience, - said Billy.
-Ah... in the little room, grab a broom and sweep the entire hallway. Then mop the floor. Professor Spencer will come, and he'll help you clean the music room, - said the guard.
-All right, sir. I'll do my best, - said Billy.
The hallway was long and deserted. The camera guard could observe everything he did from the window. Although he lost practice, he had an idea of how to sweep and mop the floor.
Midway through, he saw Connor and two others accompanying him.
-Billy, it looks like you chose the music room group, - said Connor.
-Cleaning isn't my strength, but I've almost finished the hallway, - said Billy.
-You're quick, buddy, - said a dark-skinned guy next to Connor.
-No problem. Let's wait for it to dry, and we'll only have the music room left. Mr. Spencer arrived a few minutes ago, - said Billy, sitting on the floor.
-Great, let's finish this crap and go play basketball, - said the dark-skinned guy, sitting in front of Billy, while Connor remained standing.
-Friend, this guy has issues; I'm telling you, in class, he was breathing so hard that I felt like punching him, damn Rocks, - said one of the kids.
-Rocks? That son of a bitch lives in 21. He's probably with the Red Cat gang, - said another kid.
-I don't think so, - he replied.
-He is, I can swear on my mother, - responded the other boy.
They continued with speculations about who had offended whom.
-Come on, we have to clean the windows, and then the music room -- said Connor. -- You guys clean the windows, and I'll take care of the room with Billy. --
-Sure, man, I'll do that crap, - said the kid.
-If you don't do it well, Guard Malik will mess you up, and you too, Brandon, - said Connor.
Malik or Brando raised their hands in peace.
-We understand, dude. Clean well, and no messing around, - said the kid.
-Let's clean the music room, - said Connor.
Billy followed him, witnessing some tension between his classmates.
Luckily, the music room wasn't very large and was mostly clean.
-Professor Spencer, we're here for the morning cleaning. We have a new classmate, - said Connor, smiling.
-Ah, it's you, Billy. Didn't expect to see you so soon; my students usually don't last a full class, - said Spencer.
-I understand, -replied Billy.
He adjusted his prison guard suit, which felt suffocating due to the heat.
-Clean with care; the instruments and the floor have some dust. A sweep, and it'll be as good as new, - said Spencer.
He wasn't lying; the place ended up perfectly clean in just a few minutes. When they went to put away the cleaning supplies, Billy noticed that Malik and Brando had disappeared from the place, and the windows were left half-done.
-They always do this, - said Connor.
Passing by his side and cleaning up some imperfections, enough to leave the task halfway done.
-They don't like you, - Billy whispered.
-They don't, - replied Connor.
Billy knew he shouldn't comment on what had happened. Connor wasn't willing to say more. He even realized that Connor's demeanor seemed more trustworthy than Pablo's, who acted friendly upon his arrival.
Only time could provide enough insight into the atmosphere of the correctional facility. Just stay on the sidelines, Billy thought.
...
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