Slush

Nine

"Ok so Terrance, you and Macky are going to work in the laundry room."

"Um, does it have to be Macky?"

"What's wrong with Macky?"

"Uhh, nothing. Do I go now?"

"No, I have to tell him.

...

"Macky, you have to do laundry with Terrance." Vicky said opening his cell door.

"Terrance?" He said scrunching up his face.

"Yea, Terrance. Is there a problem I should know about?" Vicky asked with a confused look.

"Nah, Ms. Vicky. I go now?" He asked standing up from his bed.

"Yea, right this way..."

*

"You know I should fucking murder your ass, right?"

"Mack, I'm so sorry. I just didn't want to go to jail.

"And your dumbass still ended up here anyway."

"Well, they found me!"

"Nigga, you went to your mom's house."

"I see now that that probably was not the best decision."

"Yea, you think?"

"Well, call it a truce?"

"Hell, we both in here. Why not?"

Macky and Terrance gave each other dap and turned their attention to the task at hand.

"I never had to wash clothes." Terrance said shaking his head. "if it ain't my mama, it's my girl."

"Just let me do it. I do it all the time cause my girl don't do shit." Macky said rolling the cart of clothes closer to him.

"I'm just fold then." Terrance said nodding. "Anybody send you anything?"

"My mama sent me a letter and some money, you?" Macky asked throwing the clothes into the washing machine.

"My baby mama sent me a picture of my daughter, that's it." Terrance shrugged.

"Aye, Terrance?"

"Yea?"

"Just know the only reason I'm talking to you is because we're both in here. If you would have went free I would have had yo ass killed.."

...

"Hey, how's it going in here?" Vicky said peeking her head into the laundry room.

"Good, Ms. Vicky." Macky said with a smile. Vicky avoided eye contact and turned her attention to Terrance.

"What about you, T?"

"I'm good, Ms. Vicky." He smiled. She smiled back.

"Alright, well I'll be in there if you need me." She said and disappeared back around the corner.

Vicky wasn't sure why Macky made her so uncomfortable. She thought he was attractive but there were several nice looking inmates she had never looked at twice. She shook the feeling off and went to find Hillary.

"All the boys are doing there work." She informed.

"Good job!" Hillary said in a very sarcastic tone.

"Hillary, I've done nothing to you. Its not necessary to be rude."

"Victoria, you sound like a third grade teacher." Hillary laughed. Vicky let out a sigh and walked away.

"I rather talk to the inmates." She mumbled herself.

*

As Vicky got her car to leave she couldn't help but let a tear fall down her face. She dreaded going home almost as much as she dreaded going to work. She desperately wanted to be respected. All the verbal abuse she received from both Derek and Hillary was really starting to get to her.

As she drove away, she thought of Mya. Mya was the only person who treated her like a human, she felt. Mya didn't judge her or make her feel like less of a person.

"Mya.." She said to herself.

*

"What do you want eat? I'll get whatever you want!" Vicky said driving away from Keisha's house.

"Pizza!" Mya shouted with excitement.

"Ok, pizza it is!" Vicky laughed making her way to the nearest pizza place.

...

"I don't smell food." Derek said after a second of being in the house.

"That's because I didn't cook. Me and Mya had pizza, tho." Vicky informed from the couch.

"What the fuck am I supposed to eat, then?!" He asked scrunching up his face.

"There's sandwich meat in the refrigerator." She shrugged. He sucked his teeth and and went into the kitchen.

"Remember what I told you about your shoes!" She called back to him.