CHAPTER FIFTY
2002- Past Is Present
I started spending more time in the law library as my incarceration started to wind down.
This was my first time carrying a prison sentence and I wanted to wrap my mind around what it would mean to be on parole once I was out. Since I didn’t have access to an actual lawyer and my instinct was to not rely on hearsay passed around the honor dorm, it seemed like hitting the books myself was the best option. I wanted to see what I was on the hook for and how much my upcoming freedom would be curtailed, by law.
Plus, I’d recently turned twenty-five and that public defender’s words were burning in my brain:
“By the time you get out, you'll be close to twenty-seven. Twenty-seven is pretty much crunch time for figuring out if you're really going to get your shit together or not.”
I liked to believe that I was ready to get my shit together.
One day I was in the library, perusing CPL § 410 through 450[1], trying to figure out if I was looking at de facto house arrest upon release, when I looked up and saw someone I recognized.
It was this girl, Carmen, who used to fuck around with Lucci- she lasted longer than most of the other girls, because she was pretty, fun and genuinely nice. We used to call her Carmencita, because she was so tiny.
Cita was a party girl who would spend a lot of time with the guys when they’d go into dog pound binge mode. I’d usually bow out way before any of them were done, including Cita.
I widened my eyes and jerked my head at her in a “Hey, com’ere!” motion.
Carmencita gave me a huuuuuuge smile and damn near skipped over to me.
I held an index finger to my lips, to signal we should keep it down- I’d known Carmencita to be a happy, enthusiastic girl with volume control issues.
“Heyyyyyyy, girl!” she whispered, “I heard you were here and I’ve been LOOKING for you!”
I told her I needed to grind on my research but that we should get together later that afternoon during rec time. She smiled, gave my shoulder a quick squeeze and walked away.
Later on during rec, I spotted her sitting under a tree, chilling with a bunch of fellow newbies. I caught her eye and gave my head a subtle tilt. She got to her feet and walked over to join me.
“Heyyyyyyy, girl, longtime no see!” she smiled.
“Hey, Cita. How you doing?” I asked.
“Aww, you know. I’m here for a short time, not a good time,” she replied, glancing around at our surroundings. “You heard from the HQ crew lately? Any word about Brón[2]?”
“Nah,” I said. “Cabrón and I got into some shit together when Mundo left us hanging and I have not heard from him since.”
Carmencita laughed, a little uncomfortably. “Well,” she said with a sigh, “I don’t know if you heard, but he got popped for some gun shit a while ago. I don’t think that boy is getting out any time soon.”
“One can hope,” I said with a small shudder.
If I were lucky, they’d throw the book at him. With his fine ass.
[1] CPL §§ 410–450 refers to a section of New York’s Criminal Procedure Law covering the terms and enforcement of probation and conditional discharge. It includes guidelines for supervision, violations, and court authority to revoke or modify sentencing terms.
[2] Cita is aware of Eula’s past history with Cabrón and is trying to suss out if she’s heard of his recent arrest without directly asking.
