sister. I’ll put her in with you, yeah?’
Kara stepped back. This was none of her business. The officer looked her up and down. ‘What are you doing here? This ain’t your wing, is it?’
Kara put her head down, not knowing what to say or do. The tall woman looked spiteful and ready to lay down the law.
‘Look, Gov, she’s on B Wing to see Deni, her aunt. All right with it, are ya?’ dared Vic, giving the officer a hard stare.
‘Her aunt? Oh, yes, and me mother’s a monkey’s uncle,’ snorted the officer.
With a quick laugh, Vic replied, ‘Well, with a face like yours, it don’t surprise me, and no, Julie ain’t sharing with me. For Christ’s sake, what has she gone and done now?’
The officer shrugged her shoulders. ‘Not sure, GBH, ABH, maybe. Well, anyway, I’ll tell her she’s on her own, on C Wing. Right, you take this inmate over to see Denton. Her aunt, my arse. Don’t like your sister, I take it?’
Vic slowly looked the officer up and down. ‘Barbara, listen to me. I like to be on me own in me own cell. It don’t mean, I don’t like me sister, so don’t go spreading dirt, all right?’
Barbara gave Vic a sneering look and stomped away.
‘Fucking no-good shit-stirring screw – I hate her. She’s the only screw we have to call by her first name. She hates her last name, it’s Pratt, but she is a prat an’ all. Ya wanna stay away from her. She loves a good ruck and stirs the shit spoon just to get the girls wound up. I swear to God, if I came across her in the street, I would cut her fucking pointed hooter clean off.’
For the first time, Kara found herself laughing, which spurred Vic on to make her laugh even more. ‘She walks around like she’s got a carrot shoved up her arse and talks like she’s chewing a fucking lemon.’
The interaction between Barbara and Vic intrigued Kara. She assumed that she would get into serious trouble if she so much as answered any of the officers back. ‘I can’t believe you got away with saying that stuff to an officer.’
‘Ahh, see, this is where you have a lot to learn. Firstly, I keep some kind of order on this wing, and they know it. Barb is one ’orrible screw, and even her own kind don’t like her. I won’t take any shit because they fucking know that throwing me in solitary does fuck-all other than leave the girls on the wing restless. The truth is, kiddo, I came from a big family, piss-poor, had me baby took from me, got beat near to death by me ol’ man, learned to fight to stay alive, and then I ended up in ’ere on an attempted murder charge. So, what do I have to lose? There ain’t much the prison can throw at me that I can’t handle.’
She sucked her back teeth and then winked. ‘But I ain’t no bully, and see, the likes of you, I know, don’t belong ’ere, so I’ll watch out for ya.’
The change in Vic when she was away from the others was remarkable. She had a softer side and a sense of humour, and she was obviously a good judge of character too.
Kara felt at ease. ‘Vic, I’m grateful you know, well, just to have some support. It must be nice having a sister. I was an only child, you see.’
‘A sister? More like bleedin’ three sisters and two brothers. Me mum was Catholic. Either that or she liked a good bunk-up. Yeah, Julie is a feisty bitch. She’s a few years younger than me. Got a baby. But she’s a bit handy with her fists and has a mouth on her. She reminds me a bit of meself, a few years back. I just wish she would keep a lid on her temper. I don’t want her in here on the same charges as well.’
They continued past the heavy painted doors and up the metal staircase to another row of cells. It was much like her own wing – dull, grey, and depressing. They stopped outside a cell six along from the staircase. Kara expected Vic to knock or something, but instead, she barged straight in. The room was the same size as hers, and yet there were pictures on the walls, a few books neatly lined up along the shelf, and a few knick-knacks – family photos, a pottery cat, and some lipsticks. The clothes were neatly folded on the opposite bed, and the sink and toilet looked immaculate, very different from Colette’s cell. It even smelled better.
Kara’s eyes settled on the older lady who was lying flat on her back with her hands over her face. She was roughly sixty years old, plump around the middle, and her ankles were swollen. Her toenails were yellow and in need of a serious pedicure.
Vic sat on the edge of the bed and slowly the older woman removed her hands. ‘Gawd, girl, how long you been sitting there? I was just dozing off. This bleeding headache, and my eyes, they’re killing me, Vic.’
As Vic looked up at Kara, her hard features softened, as if she was tending to a sick mother. ‘Can ya have a look, Posh?’
Deni tried to sit herself up but wobbled and needed aid from Vic. ‘Oh, my living. Is this what it’s like to get fucking old? Ain’t nuffin graceful about that, eh?’ She blinked, and her eyes streamed. That was when Kara noticed the tiny blisters. As she peered down to get a closer look, Vic got out of the way.
‘Posh wants to have a look.’
Finally, sitting up straight, Deni looked worn out. Her wiry grey hair was flat at the back from lying down. ‘I ain’t mutton, Vic, I can ’ear ya.’
As Kara sat down gently on the bed, she moved Deni’s hair away from her left eye and then she searched her head, like a monkey defleaing her baby.
‘’Ere, what ya doing?’
‘Is it your left eye that hurts and is the pain stabbing, shooting, or burning, by any chance?’
‘It’s like red-hot needles digging in me. I swear to God, I think I’m dying. I can’t sleep, I can’t open me eyes. It’s something bad, I just know it is. I ain’t never felt anything like it.’
Vic was wide-eyed and looking at Kara for an answer. ‘Is it serious, Posh?’
‘Well, it is in as much that if she doesn’t get treatment soon, she could damage the eye. I think I know what it is, though. It’s unusual to get it on the face, but it does happen. It’s shingles.’ She moved Deni’s hair away from her temple. ‘Look, see those blisters? That’s the herpes blisters and the pain is herpetic neuralgia. It’s extremely painful and is certainly not a migraine.’
‘That fucking quack needs shooting. Right, I’ll call the senior officer and get Deni back over to the hospital wing. A fucking migraine, my arse,’ spat Vic.
A gentle smile crossed Deni’s lips. ‘I knew it weren’t no bleeding headache. Thanks, my gal. Now, what shall I tell the doc?’
‘Tell him that you have shingles of the face and you want suitable treatment, including the cream to put on right away. You may need to see an eye specialist to ensure you don’t lose the sight in that eye.’
Gripping Deni by the arm, Vic helped her off the bed. ‘Come on, Deni, let’s get you to the senior officer and get ya sorted, eh?’
As hard as Vic was underneath, Kara knew her new friend had a heart of gold.
Deni held on to Vic, whispering, ‘What would I do without ya, Vic, aye?’
‘Get yaself in fucking trouble, Deni.’
There and then, the damp depressing mood lifted. Kara knew there was hope. In among the hard, the tough, and the frightened, there was a sense of morals. There was a pecking order for those who wanted to fight for the top spot; some were natural leaders and others just liked to be the followers, the hangers-on. She was now gaining friends or allies, but, either way, she wasn’t alone or so terrified.
Kara returned to the exercise yard, and instead of lingering stares, she received a few nods, and surprisingly, some inmates even smiled her way. Teri, however, sneered but didn’t do much else. Kara, with her new-found confidence, glared back, which was enough to force Teri into lowering her gaze. Perhaps she had believed Vic when she said she would burn her in her bed.
Inside,