If you read my last post, you know that my visit to my husband - Prisoner R - was delayed due to illness (mine). I pulled myself together this morning, and prepared for the 2 hr+ drive one-way to Pine River Correctional Facility in beautiful downtown St.Louis, MIchigan (how many of you knew that there was a St.Louis in Michigan? - Gold star if you did).
I usually visit on Tuesdays, Thursdays, or sometime on the weekend, and pretty much recognize all the corrections officiers on duty. When I came through the airlock area that separates the outside world from the prison, I saw a female guard that I didn't recognize sitting in the "bubble" (a glass-walled room where the monitors from the visiting room cameras are, sort of "command central" - they open and close the airlock doors, stuff like that). I mention this new face because she comes into the story later - but at this point, I remember jumping on the inside, because this "lady" looks just like Sasquatch (Yeti or BigFoot if you prefer).
Prisoner R was very glad to see me, and as we've been doing at this prison for over a year, and all the other State of Michigan correctional facilities that he's called home (he gets bounced around more than a basketball during a NBA game), we embraced and kissed for probably 30-45 SECONDS (which is a lot longer than "brief" but a lot less than torrid). We usually are less entwined than any other couple, and we haven't changed how we greet or say goodbye to each other in all the visits, without interjection or incident from any CO.
We talk, eat, laugh, and of course, play cutthroat games of Cribbage and Casino. For the first time I beat R at Cribbage and not only did I beat him once, I beat him 4 out of 4. He doesn't know it, but it really pisses me off when he wins - especially since he is an ungracious winner - a real horse's ass. Unbeknownst to him, I've been playing Cribbage online at Pogo.com, and it obviously paid off. I've never breathed a word to him about playing any kind of game online, so I almost feel off my chair when he remarked, "so you've been practicing on the computer, ah?" What a bastard! How does he know! But this is nothing new...I'll write post soon about the amazing extrasensory connection between us - it's completely unreal.
While we were playing, Sasquatch came into the vistor room a few times, and R pointed her out and mentioned that all the inmates were ga-ga over her - that she's "fine." He told me that he looks at them with his head cocked to one side and asks, "How long have you been locked up?" I laughed, told him that I saw her too and found that she is "head and shoulders" above the rest in the ugly department (literally and figuratively). We mused for a moment over what the inmates see in her, than went back to our game.
So it's 8:30 pm, time to say goodbye and hit the road for 2+ hours back home (ie 10 gallons of gas, or at today's price, $32.90, plus $15 in the vending machines). You think for 10 times the price of a maitnee movie that you could get a little consideration from the movie ushers (aka corrections officers), but no.
We go up to the front of the room by the guard post as required, and begin to kiss and say goodbye when I hear Sasquacth yell out (across the other guests/inmates also saying their goodbyes), "THAT'S ENOUGH!" I didn't realize who she was talking too - we'd already parted anyway - until I saw her glaring at us. It's always some g-damn problem with these people, and best of all, it's always something that's been alright every other f'ing time, but suddenly is not longer allowed.
Is that the end of the story? Nope. But you knew that. After R gets processed and is back in the housing unit, he hears "Sassy" calling down to get a copy of the survellance tape to see if we can be charged with "sexual misconduct", which is a REALLY big deal, for both the prisoner and the visitor. It effects parole decisions, security classification, and terminates visitations.
We'll see how far this farce goes on for - there's no telling with these people.
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