The Big Players

Chapter Six

As everyone did as the dark skinned man had advised to there came a speaker on to inter com. "Lights out boys", it was mellow toned and scruffy like that of a drill Sergeant or trainer. The fluorescent lights went out abruptly.

Jackson couldn't see anything in front of his face at all. He waved his hand back and forth trying to focus.  He couldn't though. The only light that came on was a small trail of lights that guided themselves along the floor. Like that of an airplane in the aisle walk way.

Jackson heard someone walk towards him it was the African American. He couldn't see him but he knew he was there just by his presence.

"Hey", said Jackson.  The African American stopped.

"Yeah?", he asked.

"Thanks....thanks for what you did", said Jackson. He was appreciative really. Not many would stand up for him. Not even his own lawyer. But this man had.

"People think just because I'm black I ain't got no right to be here", said the stranger. "People don't got no right to judge what they don't see. And they don't got no right to demand anything either", added the man annoyed.

"They demanded us to be here", said Jackson.

"That's because it was part of a deal. You got to hold up your end of it. That back there though. That was no deal. That was a demand by some pip squeak who had not right to ask it", said the man.

"I'm Jackson....Jackson Roberts", said Jackson extending his hand. Jackson  didn't know if the man would take it because he couldn't see it. Yet he felt a hand give his a firm shake with coarse fingers.

"Rollins, Rollins Georgia", replied the man.

Jackson nodded dropping his hand, "Guess we're stuck here till this is over....however long this takes", sighed Jackson. He didn't really get what was going on. He got the gist of it. The basics at least.  That was all he needed though. He didn't need details or big pictures.

"This better than what I deserve though....back in jail I got what I deserve....here though. Dis' I don't deserve. Funny....after what I did....I get to be here. Maybe though, maybe pip squeak has it right. Maybe this hell and we just don't know it yet", said Rollins.

"Maybe...but it sure beats solitary confinement", said Jackson.

Rollins laughed, "I bet it does man, I bet it does", he replied.

"Rollins, you going to make it into the top seven?", asked Jackson.

Rollins stared into the darkness towards where Jackson's face would be, he was just barely able to make an outline of it from the trail of floor lights.

"I done some bad things Jackson....if making it into the top seven means I get to protect someone....then to me that's my one shot at redemption and repenting for what I done. It won't do away with what I done. But at least I can try to do something right again", said Rollins.

Jackson tilted his head, "That's one nice way of looking at it", he confessed.

"Hey man whatever you want to do, it's up to you, I won't judge. You do you Jackson man", said Rollins laying back onto the bed the metal springs squeaking.

Jackson decided to lay back too with his arm supporting his head under the pillow. He didn't know what he would do. He'd have to wait and see. Jackson was just going with the flow. But he did like the sound of making up for what he did. Maybe protecting this hot shot wasn't such a bad thing after all.