THE TWINKLING

CHAPTER 11

C.O. Lincoln stared at me for an extended moment; then she looked at Dee and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

Dee could barely hold her head up, but she managed to say, “I’m really weak an’ my eyes hurt too.”

C.O. Hawkins muttered, “Oh no, not again.” She asked Dee, “How long have you been feeling like this, honey?”

However, Dee had used up the last of her strength and she slid to the floor. I caught her head just in time saying, “Would someone call a doctor, please?”

C.O. Lincoln talked into the walkie-talkie, the other women wandered over to see what was happening. I could see Dee was well-liked by those women by the concerned expressions.

“Hold on, Dee, help is on the way,” I said.

She whispered, “I don’t wanna die, Jade.”

“You’re not dying, girl. As soon as medical gets here, they’ll get you fixed up.”

C.O. Lincoln’s walkie talkie response; which everyone heard was, “Tell her she has to make an appointment to come down to medical.”

A chorus of, “You’ve got to be kidding me! I can’t f*****g believe this s**t!” went up.

Beside myself, I yelled, “She needs a doctor now, C.O. Lincoln, please!”

C.O. Lincoln bellowed, “f**k this! Come on; help me get her to medical! I can’t believe them! They know what’s been going the f**k on around here!”

Dee whispered something that sounded like, “Shouldn’t let de kisses frighten me.”

She’s delirious, I thought, and reassured her again. “It’s okay, sweetie, just hang on.”

As they were taking Dee out, C.O. Lee came through the door. She looked nervous and upset when she saw Dee’s condition. “Another one just like before. Damn, I hope this s**t ain’t catching.” She grabbed Dee’s free arm and she said to C.O. Hawkins, “You stay here; I’ll help get her to medical.”

C.O. Hawkins turned to us saying, “Okay ladies, the show’s over. I’ll turn on the T.V., or you can go back into your cells until lunch is served.”

I noticed the nineteen inch on the wall, but I went back into my cell because I didn’t feel like watching television. Besides, I was honestly worried about Dee. Some of the women were walking back and forth past our cell, and I got up to see if there was some sort of problem just as the door opened, and in walked the tallest women I had ever seen. She had to bend over to enter the cell. I thought to myself, I hope she’s not looking for a girlfriend. I stood and tried not to look intimidated by her presence. She gave the room a scan and said, “You, Jade, huh?”

“Yes, I am. Who are you?”

“I’m Annie, Annie Mae Perkins. I kinda run things around here. If anyone needs anything they come to me.”

I folded my arms across my chest, and said, “I see.”

Annie Mae sat on Dee’s bed and began to look over her blanket and sheet, as if searching for something.

“Is there something I can help you with? I sincerely hope you’re not here to steal Dee’s things.”

Moving well for such a large woman, she got up. “Listen shorty, I ain’t got no beef with you, but you better stop and recognize! Let me drop some science on yo’ ass. Dee’s not the first girl to come down with this mysterious sickness. There’s three others already in the morgue before her. So don’t be giving me no lip service, okay!”

Breathlessly, I exclaimed, “Oh my God! Three others before Dee . . . all with the same illness? What’s going on around here?”

Annie took her seat on Dee’s bed again and put her hands together as if she were about to pray. “I’m glad you asked, but I really wish I didn’t know.” She looked up and gave me a grin. “After we finish talking today, you’re going to feel the same way I do, believe me.”

With the sinking feeling that whatever she was about to tell me had something to do with that dang premonition, I lifted my brows high. “What are you talking about, Annie Mae? Are the girls here dying from an illness, or is it something else?”

She looked at the floor for a moment before saying, “Listen, I’m big bad Annie Mae Perkins, I don’t take no s**t offa no one. Even them C.O.s give me my respect. But what I’m about to drop on you, girl . . . you’re going to think I’m as crazy as a loon.”

I said nothing, in case she was . . . crazy as a loon. I made no sudden moves.

“I like you, Jade. I liked the way you handled Lincoln today; it was sweet! But, I’m going to tell you something that’ll turn your hair white; are you feeling me?”

Taking time to observe Annie, I noticed she was an attractive white girl, about twenty-five. She had dark hair, cut shoulder-length, and she wore glasses. She definitely had my attention, and finally I answered, “Yes, I do. And, I’m willing to hear whatever you have to say about this situation.”

“Hey, Jade, do one for me?”

“One what, Annie?”

“A favor. Go to the door and yell P, Q and J, right here, right now!”

My first thought was, ‘Annie Mae, you have got to lay off the drugs, sister.’ Then, I figured what the hell, when in Rome. I went to the door and yelled, “P, Q and J, right here, right now!”

Suddenly three women rushed toward me, two were black and the other white. It was a bit unsettling. They stopped at the doorway of my cell, one of the black women asked, “She in here?”

Assuming the ‘she’ was Annie Mae, I answered, “Yes she is, come on . . .”

Annie Mae yelled, “Stop! Jade, never invite anyone into yo’ cell! These are my girls, so I know ‘em, but you don’t. If you don’t know ‘em, don’t be inviting them into yo’ home!”

“My home? I think not! I’m only going to be here for three days, actually now two! Could someone rationally explain to me what is happening around here, please?”

Annie Mae said, “Jade, stand aside.” I stared at her until she said, “Please, hang with me for a minute.”

I opened the door wide and stepped to the side.

Annie got up, and that took a moment. She pulled a cross made of Popsicle sticks from under her blouse, extended it toward the women and said, “Enter if you can, and of your own free will.”

They walked into the room, the two black women sat on the metal stools, and the white girl sat on Dee’s bed beside Annie. I leaned against the wall again, and asked, “Now that the gang’s all here, would someone like to explain to me what the hell that was all about?”

Annie began by introducing all of her friends. “Jade, this is Patricia Daniels; everyone calls her Patty.”

Patricia was a slim woman with long platinum blond hair and green eyes, the color of new leaves. She was beautiful to the extreme! With high cheekbones, a noble brow, and pouty lips that made things more interesting. Patty was shy, but she managed to throw a little wave in my direction.

I waved back, and said, “Hi, Patty, it’s nice to meet you.”

She put her head on Annie’s shoulder, and Annie continued, “My girl on the left is Quandra Mitchell, and that’s Jackie Williams beside her.”

I turned to acknowledge them; Quandra was a little lighter than me, which made her a coffee with three creams instead of two. My brothers would have called her a brick house. She was pretty, with wide light brown eyes that slanted slightly. Her hair was thick and wavy. Jackie was more of a mocha complexion with small dark eyes shaped like almonds. She was petite, but shapely with a small diamond earring in her nose. Her hair was cut in a short becoming style. They both said, “Hello.”

“It’s nice to meet you both.”

Quandra asked, “Jade, where you learn to talk like that? You know; all that stuff you said to Lincoln. She didn’t know if she was coming or going!” Everyone laughed.

Jackie broke in with, “That’s why she kept her big mouth shut. She didn’t understand all of them big words you were layin’ on her. Damn! I wish I had a cell phone so I could’ve took her picture, I would’ve put it on the Internet for the whole world to see. She just looked so dumb!”

They spoke rapidly and at the same time. They were having a great time, until Annie Mae interrupted loudly, “Enough! We got serious bitness to discuss here! Y’all save that s**t for later!”

I’ve never seen a room get so quiet so quickly. Annie said, “Jade, you’re a real smart girl so we’re gonna tell you a story. It’ll be up to you whether you believe it or not. But we’re gonna tell you; because I . . . well we think you’re in danger here. I know for sure that the rest of us are. And, I really did like the way you handled the situation with Dee today. I mean, you could’ve just let her lie in here and die, but you didn’t. I appreciate that, I really do . . . you see, Dee is kinda special.”

I interrupted. “What do you mean . . . special?”

Quandra offered, “That means she’s a little slow is all. She takes a lot of time to understand things. Ain’t that right, y’all?”

Everyone nodded their agreement, and Quandra continued, “But she’s the sweetest person you ever gon’ meet. Anyway, we gon’ tell you a story, yamean? I just want you to listen to all of it before you say anything. Okay?”

Thoroughly intrigued, I said, “Alright, tell me a story, why don’t you.”

Relieved, Annie began, “Alright, hold on to yo’ wig. This is gonna be a doosey!” She said to her girls. “I’ll start and I’ll let you guys jump in when needed, okay.

“Jade, a couple of months ago a girl named Penny Wilson died all of a sudden like. One day she was fine and the next, bam! She was gone! She looked like Dee did today. In fact, they all looked like Dee, pale and wasting away. Penny couldn’t even get out of bed the day she died. We all took turns watching over her that day. Them C.O.s they don’t give