I probably should have listened to my parole officer about the programs they had available for education and training. I should have gotten a better education, but the one time I went to a class, all the other people there were in their late teens. They looked at me like I was stupid and probably realized I was a criminal.
“Bishop Harp has been a model prisoner since his incarceration at the age of fourteen. He’s been granted residence at the Homer Halfway House and admittance into their job placement services. Mr. Harp plans on furthering his education through these programs. Given the details of his crime and no other criminal acts prior, we do not believe he is a danger to society, and his parole should be granted immediately.”
I don’t want to go back to prison, but in many ways, I wish I had just been given a life sentence. Life inside had been structured and simple. I always knew what to do and when to do it, and I wasn’t punished as long as I obeyed the rules. The people around me were like me—violent and dangerous sociopaths—and didn’t belong in the outside world where we could come into contact with regular people.
I glance at Seri again, wondering just how “regular” she is. I don’t get a vibe from her that tells me she’s been in prison though. I can usually recognize another ex-con. Sometimes it’s the way they walk, often the way they eat—quickly and without bothering to taste the food. Those who have been inside are always watching other people around them and never sit with their backs to the door.
That’s how I recognized Kirk long before we officially met. He was in the lodge in Whatì having dinner, sitting in the far corner with his back to the wall and shoveling food into his face. All the while, he watched everyone around him.
Seri’s voice pulls me abruptly from my thoughts.
“Good morning.” Seri sits up in bed and stretches.
Solo jumps up on the bed and greets her by meowing, crawling up her chest, and rubbing his face up against hers. Seri giggles as he rolls over onto his back so she can stroke his stomach.
“Has he been fed already?” she asks.
“Yeah,” I tell her. “He’s just greedy. You want coffee?”
“Sure,” she says with a smile. “Thank you.”
I get the coffee together and hand her a cup. I watch her carefully, waiting for her to remember our conversation and have some kind of freak-out or meltdown, but she just drinks the coffee and plays with the cat while I cook.
Maybe she did forget.
“What’s the plan for today?” Seri asks.
“Plan?” I look at her briefly as I spoon breakfast onto plates.
“Yes. What are we going to do today?” She looks at me in earnest.
“I mostly hibernate in the winter,” I tell her. “Do what needs to be done like eating and keeping the fire going, but I mostly huddle up and sleep.”
“All day?”
“Not all of it, but a lot of it. If you weren’t here, I’d be spending all my time in bed.”
“Oh.”
She looks upset, and I realize what I said probably didn’t come out right.
“I don’t mean that you being here is a problem,” I say quickly.
Seri nods, but I don’t think she believes me. I also don’t know what else to say to convince her. Without words, I go back to shoveling food like the ex-con I am.
“I can’t believe I went on and on about my sister,” Seri says as she collects our dishes. “I didn’t mean to burden you with all of that.”
“It’s not a burden.” I wrinkle my brow and shake my head at her. I definitely made her feel bad about being here, but my lack of social graces keeps me from saying the right words.
“It was a lot to dump on you.” She pours hot water into the sink and begins to wash.
“Compared to what I told you?” There—it’s out now, and I just need to see if she is going to acknowledge the conversation or pretend it didn’t happen.
“Well, no. Yeah…maybe.” She looks over her shoulder and gives me a half smile. “That was a lot to take in, too.”
“You haven’t gone running for the hills.” I lean against the side of the chair, and Solo jumps into my lap. “Not yet, anyway. I suppose you needed breakfast first.”
“Running doesn’t seem like the safest option.” She looks out the window. The storm is over, and the sun is starting to shine in the eastern sky, but it isn’t likely to make a lot of difference.