Suspicious minds
Summer came, and the warm weather made most of the inmates stick to tank tops or t-shirts to make life in the practically un-air-conditioned prison building more comfortable. Red however, kept her sweat jacket on and zipped, even on the warmest days, in an attempt to conceal the growing bump in her belly.
She had begun eating more. A lot more. Not even Boo could keep up these days, when Red stuffed herself with whatever the kitchen was serving.
"It's like that time Chapman wasn't allowed food for days and then we gave her permission to eat again!" Lorna observed one day at lunch as Red had just devoured her entire meal in record time.
"Oh, shut up." Red turned to Gina, who was sitting next to her. "Are you going to eat that pudding?"
"Yes…" Gina tried, but Red had already taken the little bowl from her tray.
"Wrong answer!" she exclaimed as she started to dig in.
"Hey Red…" Nicky kept her voice down. "You might want to slow down a bit on the eating. I mean, people are gonna get suspicious."
"A person eating and gaining weight is not something worth becoming suspicious about. That's natural." Red kept chewing as she was speaking, also making sure she was keeping her voice level to a minimum. "However, a person not eating any more than they normally do and still gaining weight, that's something that will make people wonder. So I am eating this way to avoid having any questions asked. Now, give me your pudding as well."
Nicky sighed and did as she was told.
"Makes some kind of sense, I guess…" she mumbled.
A few tables over, another group were also having a discussion.
"Look at them, whispering and being all secretive…" Taystee was looking over at Red's group. "And they're giving Red their desserts, too!"
"They're up to something, that's for sure." Poussey took a sip of her water. "I bet she's promised them something. Something they really, really want."
"We have to get to the bottom of this." Black Cindy couldn't quite hide her smile. There was nothing like a good mystery to make life in prison slightly more interesting. "They think they can keep stuff from us, do they? Not gonna happen!"
"Hell no!" Watson agreed.
"We're gonna track down their secret like a bee tracking down honey!" Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" had most graciously been allowed to sit at the same table as the others and was eager to contribute to the conversation.
"A bee makes honey, stupid," Taystee pointed out, and Crazy Eyes shrugged.
"Ah well, you know what I mean."
Only Sophia remained silent. She had her own theory as to what was going on with Red. She knew a thing or two about what made boobs grow the way Red's had lately. It had to be the work of hormones; similar to the ones Sophia took in pill form. Also, the last time she had worked on Red's hair, the "customer" had pinched her nose throughout the session, claiming the smell made her feel ill. Oh yes, Sophia had a strong suspicion, but she also had a strong feeling it would be best to leave some things unsaid for now.
The secrecy of Red's group hadn't gone unnoticed over at the food counter either.
"They're doing something dodgy," Flaca concluded. "Sticking their heads together, whispering and shit."
"Yeah, and they way they always walk together in a crowd lately," Maritza agreed. "What's up with that?"
"We'd better keep an eye on them," Flaca declared. "If they're planning some kind of stunt, we've gotta find out about it."
"Basta! Stop talking nonsense and concentrate on your work!" Gloria had come up to them from behind. "Get a move on."
Leaving the two girls to do their job, Gloria went back into the kitchen and opened one of the cabinets. She knew what those women were talking about, at least she felt pretty sure. Surely no one could eat pickles dipped in chocolate spread unless they had some sort of serious hormonal imbalance going on? Red might think no one would notice if there was missing a half-empty jar here and a pickle there, but Gloria kept a record over every shelf, drawer and box in the kitchen; she knew when somebody had helped herself to a snack. She had seen Red hanging around her old territory a lot lately, prying to see when the place was empty.
Gloria grabbed a brown paper bag from one of the shelves in the cabinet, looked around to make sure she was still alone in the room, and then took a small bag of pickles and a new glass of Nutella from another. She put both items in the bag and closed it tightly. Some of the inmates were beginning to leave the dining hall now. Gloria went up to the kitchen door and stood there, discreetly waiting as people went by her.
"Red, a word?"
Her words made the entire passing group come to a halt.
"What do you want?" It was Nicky who spoke, her voice dark and distrustful.
"Like I said, a word with Red." Gloria kept her eyes on the Russian woman.
"It's OK, you girls go on, I'll catch up." Red stepped out of the group and entered the kitchen with Gloria.
"You have them on a tight leash lately. Every time I try to glance at your belly, there one of them is, sliding in to cover you."
"Why would you try and look at my belly? I don't understand…" Red tried.
"Save it." Gloria handed her the paper bag. "Here. Knock yourself out." She had to smile when she saw Red's confused face as she peeked into the bag. "I was always more into peanuts in custard myself, but hey…whatever floats your boat. And don't worry. My lips are sealed."
Red closed the bag tightly and pulled the zipper on her jacket down a bit to hide her goods in there. "Thank you," she said, with a little smile, as she zipped back up.
She headed for the door, but stopped and turned, as she was a few steps away from it.
"Don't get me wrong, but… it's not like you, Mendoza, being so kind, at least not to me," she said, looking at the other woman.
"In here, you never know when you'll be needing someone else's kindness. You're on the recipient end this time, enjoy it while it lasts. And don't come snooping in here again. You need something, just ask." Gloria began wiping off one of the counters with a sponge. "Go on now."
"Thank you." Red repeated, and left the room, now hiding two secrets under her clothes.
