Shavua Tov from the Glass House.
It’s Saturday Night and the guys are in their teal plastic chairs glued to the TVs, discussing loudly if any of the Miss Universe contestants are a tranny, which must be awkward for the resident tranny, who has a southern hick vibe, and is sitting on the stairs braiding his hair… people are nice to him/her…this is a progressive prison, as prisons go, I’m told.
Yuri: “I’m asking because I heard one was a dude.”
Tier, from a few rows back: “You should know. You sleep with one every night.”
As if everyone in here doesn’t have a male cellie, including Tier. Lol.
Dave Tier is in for running a prostitution ring. “Tier”, as he’s called, acts tough, looks aggressive by design, head shaved, meaty build, covered in tattoos, but he’s a big teddy bear. He looks out for the new guys, and has come and given me advice in the past.
He was quick to set me right about Count in the Glass House. You have to stand at 10am, no matter how sick or tired you are. I asked our unit Counselor, “What if we’re sick?” “Oh, you can sleep if you’re sick, sure, you just have to be standing at 10pm for count.” Most officers are lenient if you fall asleep, but some aren’t, you don’t know who’s going to be on shift, and you could get a “shot”, a penalty, if they catch you asleep. Shots range from 300 to 100 points, with lower numbers being worse, and you can lose commissary rights (no shopping for food, toiletries, etc.), and other rights, and even be put into the SHU (solitary. Tier was concerned because when I was really sick for a week, I was in bed most of the day and fell asleep a few times before count. He was looking out for me, which was cool.
(Doc, my 85-year old Christian fundamentalist cellie (not at all progressive about gays and trannies!), makes a point to get into bed and pretend to sleep when count comes around. It’s his little f-u to the system, but he gets shaken awake each night by a guard, each asking, “You still alive?” They’re half surprised he is. Sometimes they’ll admonish him, “Don’t die until after 6am.” They don’t want to do the paperwork.)
Tier chewed me out for offering him to wear teffilin when he nodded and smirked at me for wearing mine (normally I wear them in a side room, but we were locked down so I prayed in our cell / cubicle), and bragged how he’s been down (“down” = in prison) for seven years and never been to the chapel once, so I was pretty surprised when he sat down next to me yesterday while I was doing a sketch to give me some unsolicited (but very useful and accurate) advice on conversing in prison, and then told me he heard from Zater that I went to Israel to help the troops and volunteer a lot with the Jewish community, and he said he respected it. My gut says we’ll see him in teffilin or even Shabbat services soon.
People are not one thing, the lesson I see most-repeated in prison. We truly are each a collection of very different personalities (or in IFS Therapy speak, “parts”) which emerge in different states and situations. That’s true everywhere, but it’s easier to see here where the whole human is caged for what one or a few parts did.
Tier’s one of three former-pimps I’ve met in my unit alone. Then there’s a guy who threw wild parties for politicians and power brokers in another unit. Boy do they have stories. None like you’ve seen on TV.
They’re all nice guys here. One regrets it, says it was bad energy, stopped years ago (not why he’s in here).
The others… they’d do a few things differently, and perhaps when out they’ll apply their skills to another field. One likes the idea of high-net worth matchmaking or VC. I’ve met a lot of venture capitalists that are sleazier than these pimps.
The party organizer’s (also Jewish) face lit up when I said, “I bet you enjoy organizing the party more than the party itself.” “Oh man, yeah.” We chatted about him maybe running a nonprofit, a volunteer organization, or something where recruiting skills and event planning still come in.
“Can I still have sex with the volunteers?!”
“Sure.”
One step at a time.
All discuss that real love, intimacy and connection with someone, is more enjoyable than lots of random sex.
Most were married or in a long-term relationship. They maintain most girls aren’t damaged and are just in it as a job… a quick way to buy a house with a few months a year of work… but there were overdoses, drugs, drama, and rats, and other such stories, too.
Zionist Pimp — should be a song. “Pimpin’ Aint a Metzia.”
Behind me Yuri shouts at the TV, “That’s a dude, man!”
Annnnnd we’re back to tonight’s regularly scheduled programming.
Shavua Tov. Here’s to a week of redemption, victory for the IDF, and using our skills for good.
Ari
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