The entire week was filled with chatter about the returning inmates. Any time Allie turned around, somebody was mentioning Bea Smith and her crew. Sometimes they were negative comments, but generally, the vibe was pretty good. Most of the women were happy that there would finally be some structure returning to the inside of the prison walls. Each day, Allie could feel the butterflies in her stomach getting more and more restless. She was going to be in the same place as the woman that she idolised, and that was enough to distract her from almost anything that was happening around her.
As Allie turned the corner to walk towards H block, she saw the women all gathering around the windows, watching something happening outside the gates. A quick scan of the crowd revealed Kaz and the other girls from the RRH peering through one of the windows. Allie made her way through the crowd, approaching Kaz.
"What's going on?" She asked, unable to see through herself.
"Smith," Kaz replied. "The van just arrived." Allie managed to peek over the shoulder of one of the other women, but could only see the roof of the prison transport van. There was not a clear spot to look out of the windows in sight, so she slid herself behind Kaz to watch over the shorter womans shoulder. She could just make out a mop of faded red hair passing the guards attending, and then other women started filing out of the bus. The others surrounding the windows began to scurry off, talking about getting gifts ready for their returning queen. Allie used this as an opportunity to get right up close to the window, to try to get the best possible view, but she had missed it. Bea was already inside the prison, getting ready for processing. Allie hung her head and began to trudge back to H3 with the rest of her crew. Kaz reached up, and wrapped her arm around Allies shoulder.
"Finally, we may get our chance to confront Smith," Kaz smiled, and hurried towards her cell.
Allie took her time getting to H3. She didn't have anything to prepare like some of the other women around her. There was no rush. As much as she wanted to see her hero in person, she knew that time would come eventually, and she would have preferred not to be surrounded by the entire prison community when that moment came. She wouldn't want to drool all over them anyways. Rather than sitting down with the other girls in her unit, she headed straight towards her cell, until Kaz called out to her and waved for her to sit with them. Allie felt like she should, considering she didn't want Kaz or the others to know that she was still smitten by the woman who put them in here, so she sat next to Kaz on the couch and leaned into her for comfort. Kaz wrapped an arm around Allies shoulder, and continued conspiring. Allie didn't pay much attention. She wasn't really interested in payback. She fidgeted with her long, blonde locks until she heard her name being called.
"Allie?" came Kaz's voice, a hint of concern in her tone. She looked questioningly at the younger woman. It seemed as though she had been speaking to her for a while before Allie had begun to notice.
"Yeah Mumma," Allie responded. She was listening now. It wasn't often that she zoned out on conversations, and she didn't want Kaz to think she was back on the gear after what had gone down with Tina and the Asian crew.
"I need you to do something for me. I need you to ask Smith to meet us." This worried Allie. She didn't want a fight to break out on the first day that Bea was back. Then she would never get a chance to get to know her, because her affiliation with Kaz would get in the way if they met on a bad note. Allie had to ask Kaz what the plan was.
"Nothing is going to happen. Not yet anyway. We need her to trust us, so I got some of the girls on the outside to bring us this." Kaz pulled a bottle of wine from under the cushions on the couch. Allie felt a relief wash over her, and in that moment, she honestly believed that Kaz was going to let everything that had happened with Bea in the past go. Kaz and Allie sat there for a while after the others went back to what they had been doing, waiting for the crowd around H1 to clear. It was then that the butterflies in Allies stomach turned into a raging storm. Bea Smith was living just down the corridor from her and the RRH. The woman who had inspired her and the others to stand up for the rights of women all aroud Australia, was within arms reach, and Allie couldn't shake the idea from her head. She laid herself out on the couch, picturing Bea strolling past her unit, or passing her in the corridor. She imagined them locking eyes across the exercise yard, or brushing against each other. She even pictured seeing her in the showers, watching the water glide down Bea's sleek, toned body. Her day dreaming was interrupted by Kaz, plonking herself down at Allies feet.
"Guess what kiddo, you're up." Kaz announced. Allie looked at Kaz with confusion in her eyes. Kaz laughed at the confusion in Allies eyes.
"You really weren't paying attention, were you?" She asked her, grin still across her face. Allie sat up and shook her head. "Sorry Kaz, I was daydreaming."
Kaz didn't seem to be too upset. She had probably been expecting Allie to get a bit star struck at the idea of being near Bea Smith. She told Allie that she needed her to ask Bea to come see her. Allies jaw dropped. This was going to be the moment she would finally get to meet Bea in person. Her stomach knotted itself at the idea.
"Go on," Kaz pushed. Allie got up and walked to her cell. She placed herself in front of the mirror to make sure that she looked presentable. She fidgeted with her hair until it looked neat, and made her way towards H1. Just as she reached the bars she stopped and took a deep breath. Her nerves were going crazy, and she felt like she was going to jump out of her skin. She had walked these corridors plenty of times before, but this time was different. This time, she wasn't just passing an empty cell block. This time, Bea Smith was going to be in there waiting, unknowingly, for her. She rounded the corner and stood, frozen, in the unit door, gaining the attention of Maxine Conway, Bea's right hand. Allie looked at her, and noticed her masculine features, disbelieving that somebody like that was in a womens prison. Allie turned her eyes to Bea as she slowly raised her head, looking at her with a strong, steely look. This was the look of a hardened woman, but Allie could still see a glimmer of softness behind the hard exterior. That was the side to Bea that she wanted to get to know. Bea was looking straight into Allies eyes. She felt her throat drying up as she began to speak. She knew that Bea would be enough to make her not need drugs again. Bea Smith would her her new addiction.
"Hi. I'm Allie Novak"
