Before Millicent left for her other duties in the Yard, she told me my new roommate would be arriving by noon. I check the time on my new table clock, one of the household items Eric sent to me, and see it's past ten already. Less than two hours left, I think as I get out of bed.
It's past ten and I haven't had anything to eat yet! I say aloud, a bit angry with myself when I realize Millicent was right about my eating habits. Even though my pregnancy symptoms are intense and my taste buds repulse me, I need to put more effort into forcing myself to take in nutrients for my baby's sake.
I go to the far corner of the room that Eric had someone convert into a kitchenette for me and check the arrays of airtight food storage that was placed in the open cabinet for what I can cook or munch on.
I place my palm over my stomach which is already feeling queasy just by staring at the food and decide on something I can just snack on
'Little but frequent meals.' I remember Millicent's words as I grab a plate from the plate rack. I put some cashew nuts and saltine crackers on it then boil some water to make a cup of ginger tea. That should do for now.
When I'm done preparing my meal, I place my breakfast on a tray and carry it to the window side where my study desk is located. I place the tray in a corner of the desk and remove my math textbook from the single bookshelf built into the desk. I look through the topic I studied the previous day for a while before I pick a cracker, slowly munching on it as I start to solve the given questions
I look up from my book when I hear a knock on the door.
'That must be my roommate!' I think with excitement as I close my book. I was so engrossed in the questions I was studying I totally forgot about the time.
"Ha!" I say to myself with surprise when I see my plate is empty. What I plated wasn't much, I know but I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to finish it if my mind wasn't preoccupied while I slowly ate.
I drop my plate in the sink on my way to get the door.
"Who is it?" I first ask. Neal, Millicent's mate, had warned me to always be sure who was at the door before opening it. One needs to be careful, Council Yard Penitentiary is home to different dangerous criminals and wackos.
"It's Neal..." Millicent's mate replies.
I open the door without removing the security chain to peer at him. I wasn't expecting to see him. The only person who comes to see me is Milicent.
"Your roommate is here." He says
"Oh," I say and quickly remove the chain to allow him to partially step into the room.
'Where is she? Get out of the way, Neal!' I think to myself
He doesn't realize he's blocking me from seeing her so I crane my neck while trying to see the girl from over his massive shoulders.
That was a mistake.
'I should have given Neal a wide berth' I thought to myself the moment I took a whiff of his cologne.
I quickly clamp my mouth shut with my hand over it when a wave of nausea hits me. Without waiting to see what my new roommate looks like, I rush off toward the bathroom. I barely kneel in front of the toilet bowl when the content of my stomach comes rushing out.
'There goes my breakfast' I think sadly as I vomit and continue to dry-heave even when there's nothing left inside my stomach.
"There, there..." A soft voice says soothingly while gently patting me on the back.
"Here, have some water..." She says, handing me an already opened bottle of water when I've stopped dry-heaving.
"Thank you..." I reply breathlessly as I collect the water. I gargle my mouth with it then flush the toilet when I'm done.
"You should also drink some, not just gargle with it. It will help you replace some of the water you just lost." My new roommate says softly beside me and I finally turn to face her.
"I can't!" I reply, feeling pathetic. Whenever I drink water, my stomach goes topsy-turvy till I'll finally vomit everything."
"Awww..." She says looking dismayed. "But you're expecting! How can you not drink water when you're pregnant? What about dehydration?"
"How did you know about…?" I ask, letting the rest of my words trail off. I find it hard to believe that Millicent would tell a complete stranger about my pregnancy
"Oh, the warden somehow hinted it to me when you rushed off just now. Even if he didn't, it's easy for me to tell. Two of my friends are pregnant so I know a pregnant woman when I see one..." She says as we make our way back to the room.
"Oh, I'm Victoria by the way. Thank you. I really appreciate you having me here in your room. The doctor took one look at me and decided I wouldn't survive a day inside the six-man room I was placed so she suggested here"
'A six-man room!? I never knew there was a six-man room in here.' I think as I offer my hand to her.
"I'm Ash, and the pleasure is all mine."
Instead of shaking my hand, she pulls me to herself, giving me a fierce hug.
"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" She says, grinning widely
I also laugh
"You know I was skeptical at first when Millicent brought up the idea of a roommate. Now that I met you, I can say I'm happy to have you. Goddess, you can't imagine how lonely it's been in here for me."
"Well, I'll pick being lonely over a six-man room filled with hardened criminals any day," She says
"Yeah, any day." I also reply.
Victoria is friendly. I'm glad it doesn't feel awkward between us like I'm with a stranger. It kinda feels like we've been friends for a long time. Just like Millicent said, she's a very beautiful woman. She smiles beautifully too. The orange jail jumpsuit she's wearing only enhances her beauty. The color orange sure looks good on her.
"Come, let me show you to your bed," I say excitedly, holding her hand and pulling her along with me to the bed opposite mine.
"Don't worry, the sheet is fresh. I just changed it after Millicent informed me about you." I say again, very eager to please my newfound friend.
"Where are your stuff?" I ask, looking at the floor around her, forgetting we're in a prison and not a hotel room.
"Well, I don't know about you but inmates are not allowed to bring luggage along with them to prison, you know..." She jokingly says and we both laugh
"Yeah. Meeting you kinda makes me forget where we are... Well, since we're about the same size. I have extra clothes I've not worn that I can give you. Eri– uhm my friend sent me more clothes yesterday.
Even though orange looks good on you, you don't have to continue wearing the jumpsuit here. You can have your pick from them." I say and push the suitcase filled with clothes that I left on the floor beside my closet toward her bed.
"Wao... Thank you." She says, briefly looking around the room that looks more like a luxurious dormitory than a jail before lifting the suitcase to place it on her bed.
"Wao!..." she marvels again when she opens the suitcase to see the contents. I know she might be wondering about the kind of person I am to get my clothes and a furnished room inside a prison yard.
She picks the first clothes she sees, jeans and a blue shirt, then goes ahead to strip to her underwear right in front of me, not minding my presence.
"Now, What can I offer you? Food? Drink?" I ask after she's done dressing. I walk to the fridge beside the kitchenette, also courtesy of Eric.
"Really?..."She laughs as she follows behind me. "You make it seem as if I'm on holiday in here instead of prison"
I smile
"A luxurious prison room and in case you're wondering, my friend is influential. That is why I can get away with having this luxury while being locked up" I say as I bring out a big bottle of juice and a cup from the plate rack.
"Why couldn't he just use his influence to get you out of here instead of just...?" She suddenly stops mid-sentence and immediately starts apologizing.
"Oh goddess, I'm sorry! That was rude! I didn't mean to pry. I'm usually not a nosy person, I don't know what came over me. You generously allowed me in your room and I'm already prying into your private life. Please..."
"It's okay. I'm not angry with you, c'mon!" I say with an assuring smile.
"It's natural that you're curious. I would also be curious if I were you so don't beat yourself up too much." I say, extending the cup of juice to her
"Here you go... Besides, I don't know about you but it kinda feels like I've known you my whole life. So I don't mind telling you at all"