CHAPTER SIX

A few days later, Zoe got her job assignment-working on the garden crew.

" I don't know a thing about gardening," she told Joe Caputo, " My mother had quite the green thumb though. It'll be interesting to see if I inherited it from her. "

" Gardening is therapeutic," Caputo told Zoe. He liked to think he was a bit of a gardener himself.

" So I'm told. At least it'll get me out of the crochet circle," Zoe made a face," The Golden Girls asked me to join them, but knitting and crocheting? Not my thing."

" Go and see the head of the garden crew-Frieda Berlin. She'll show you the ropes and give you the proper gardening equipment, gloves and safety instructions."

" Frieda,"

" You know her?"

" I sit with her and the other older ladies at lunch. They are the only ones who's been nice to me so far," Zoe replied standing up.

Joe smiled," They're nice ladies." He said and she left the office and headed towards her new job as gardener.

Two weeks went by and Zoe settled into her life at Litchfield Prison. It was fairly routine and she found herself becoming close to the older ladies of the prison. Everybody else avoided her. She had seen plenty of women giving her looks though and one day she overheard two girls talking about the murderess of Litchfield Prison-and glanced at her as they said it.

" There's some rumours around the place about you," Frieda said to Zoe one day as they transplanted some sunflowers. It was a hot day and Zoe felt sweat trickle down her face. It turned out gardening was hard work and the potting soil they used made her sneeze and her skin itch unbearably.

" That you killed someone with your bare hands," Frieda went on watching Zoe dig up some dirt.

" I've heard the rumours. And you shouldn't pay attention to them."

" But you were from Max,"

" Yes I was," Zoe said and offered no further information. Frieda sighed. The younger woman did not talk about her crime. Frieda had told her what she in was prison for but the other woman still refused to talk about hers.

The days went on and Frieda found herself liking Zoe more and more. The woman was quiet and interesting and as she helped Zoe plant some seeds, she realised something else.

She had fallen for Zoe. She had fallen for Zoe the day she met her. She knew it and Irma did too. She recalled the conversation she had with Irma two days ago about it.

" She's nice isn't she?" one of the Golden Girls asked Irma. The garden crew were raking the leaves and Frieda was watching Zoe go back inside the prison. She'd gotten to know Zoe over the past week since they work closely together.

" She sure is," Irma said. She smiled slyly at Frieda who was still watching Zoe with a dreamy look in her eyes. Irma had never seen her old friend look like that way before. " And I'm not the only one who thinks so."

Frieda glanced back at Irma and frowned, " What do you mean by that?" she demanded.

Irma waited til the other ladies left before smiling at her, " I've seen the way you look at her Frieda. You love her."

" What? Don't be ridiculous," Frieda scoffed. Her face went red and to hide it she bent down to scoop up a handful of leaves.

" You can't fool me Frieda Berlin. You love Zoe."

Frieda straightened up and faced Irma, " I could never hide anything from you."

" So was I right?"

" Yes I love her-but I haven't known her all that long. How can you love someone you've only just met?"

Irma shrugged, " That's why they call it love at first sight. You want my advice? Go for it Frieda. You're not getting any younger. Carpe diem."

Two days later, Frieda and Zoe were playing cards during movie night. Zoe had faked a migraine and stayed in her bunk. Frieda kept her company but Zoe wasn't talking much.

" Your heart isn't in this game," Frieda observed.

Zoe sighed and put her cards down, " I'm sorry. I've got stuff on my mind."

" Don't we all? Did you want to talk about it?"

" My appeal has been rejected." Zoe said at last, " But I'm not really surprised. So I'm stuck here for ten whole years."

" You appealed your sentence?"

" If I tell you something do you promise not to tell anyone else? There's already rumours about me…"

" I promise," Frieda assured her.

" I have an older sister. For a long time it's always been just me and Paige. Our parents were killed in a car crash a year after I graduated from high school. We moved from Connecticut to New York-to escape the memories I guess. For a while everything went back to normal. Until Paige met a guy."

Frieda nodded encouragingly. This was the first time Zoe had really opened up about herself.

" He was a real asshole. Every chance he got he made advances towards me. I tried telling Paige but she crazy over the guy. But he was bad news. One day, I come home to find Paige on the floor and Jack hitting her in her ribs. Some of her teeth had been knocked out and blood was pouring out of her nose. I grabbed a knife and when he stood up to face me, I stabbed him twice before he finally died."

Frieda stared at her, " You were only trying to protect your sister from an abusive son of a bitch and you got ten years?"

" I would have gotten less but the judge thinks I didn't show any remorse over it."

" And were you remorseful?" Frieda asked.

" No. It was the best thing I ever did." Zoe said firmly, " but you want to know something funny?"

" What?" Frieda watched her as Zoe's eyes filled with tears. Frieda had never seen Zoe look so vulnerable. She reached over and took Zoe's hand.

" You'd think my sister would be grateful to me for saving her life." Zoe laughed bitterly " But she was the one who turned me in."

Frieda stared at her, " Your own sister turned you in?"

Zoe nodded, " The last thing she said to me was, she wished I was dead instead of Jack."

Frieda didn't know what to say. Zoe tightened her grip on Frieda's hand as tears ran down her cheeks. Zoe wiped away the tears just as a pair of lips crushed down onto hers.

Frieda cupped Zoe's face in her hands as the kiss deepened. Frieda buried her hands in Zoe's brown hair as they fell back against Zoe's bed kissing fervently. Zoe wrapped her arms around Frieda's shoulders and pulled her closer to her.

Frieda rained kisses on her neck then her lips travelled along Zoe's jawline," I need to tell you something," she whispered into her ear but for Zoe now wasn't the time for talking. She captured Frieda's lips with her own once more and lost herself in the kiss.

Then they heard voices nearby and Frieda pulled away, looking disappointed. Movie night was over.

Zoe smiled at her and stood up, straightening her wrinkled khakis. " Thanks Frieda. I need that distraction." She said, running a hand through her dishevelled hair.

" A distraction?" Frieda repeated.

" You made me forget everything. Forget where I was even," Zoe said still smiling at her.

Frieda felt like someone had clamped a hand on her heart and squeezed it-it felt so painful. She felt so hurt and used. Frieda had been on the verge of telling Zoe she loved her. But now she was glad she hadn't. If she was just a distraction to Zoe, than perhaps that passionate moment meant nothing to her.

" I have to go," Frieda blurted out. I'm not hanging around if I'm just nothing but a distraction to you! Frieda wanted to shout but didn't. Despite feeling hurt and used, Frieda still loved Zoe perhaps even more so.

You old fool. Falling for someone who doesn't love you back. Frieda chided herself as she hurried from the cube. She heard Zoe call her name but Frieda ignored her.