MyTimeToBlog
I made my way up to Medical on a cold February morning, only to learn that I'm heading out on a transportation run for a tooth extraction. This surprised me because I have never been transported off-site for my medical needs. I sat in the waiting area, being asked by a female officer my uniform size...Honestly, I didn't know it. This was how foreign I am to a transportation run.
As we figured out my size, men began filling the entryway. Some for their diabetic shot, others to return their prescriptions before being transferred to a new facility, and two men who would be heading on the transportation run with me. We became acquainted by sharing why we were heading out (one for a tooth extraction, the other for physical therapy on his surgically repaired shoulder), and where we would be heading: Beaumont Correction Center.
Before we departed, I rushed for the bathroom, worrying about a long trek. My bladder empty, we marched out into the cold. A few men I knew working in the Wood Shop waved to me as I stepped into a small change-out room. I was placed in an orange jumpsuit, then cuffed and shackled.
Our transport was a box van instead of what we--the incarcerated--called the dog kennel. A smaller van that caged us in these locker-style cages that were constricted to anything but sitting still, in the darkness. In the box van, I sat in the front row while my riding partners took seats behind me. I could see the road before us as we drove away from Nottoway Correctional Center.
The landscape was snow-covered, and trees without leaves swallowed up the scenery. I enjoyed the world I hadn't seen like this in 27 years. Honestly, I began imagining I lived in some of the homes we passed; picturing myself shoveling the driveway as my wife returned home from work. These images were fleeting, but impacting me mentally as I made a silent prayer to have what I imagined come true.
We didn't talk, any of the men. I chose to lose myself in this makeshift fantasy as I saw a Sheetz gas station for the first time. This was crazy. I actually never saw one before, nor some of the eateries that had vehicles parked before them.
We had music serenading us. The driver was a hip-hop fan, and that had me intrigued as I discovered artists I never heard of before. The songs were the soundtrack for my day, as I continued eyeing my surroundings. I tried to remain stoic, but songs from Big Boogie and NBA Youngboy had me loosening up as we reached our destination.
I saw all the brick buildings of Beaumont, the razor wire and the perimeter vehicle that drove the length of the facility. The correction officers placed their guns in secure lockers, then they drove us into the facility. We parked, then they unlocked the slider door and removed our shackles. We were escorted by a pregnant officer into the pristine facility.
Beaumont was clean. The floors were waxed, and the white walls were well-maintained. My eyes darted around, searching for incarcerated men. I didn't see anybody as we traversed maze-like corridors, reaching a waiting room with a wall-mounted TV that constantly had the stations going in and out.
Our cuffs were removed and we were told to eat now, before our oral surgery began. I ate two turkey and cheese sandwiches and sipped a fruity drink. By the time I finished, the pregnant officer took me to the dentist, along with the other guy who needed his tooth extracted. The third member of our motley crew was taking to his physical therapy session.
The dentist was an older white man, pleasant and talkative, as were his female assistants. They sat me down and injected me with a numbing agent that had me talking like Donald Duck. I sat and watched as the guy I accompanied got his tooth removed first. The wild part was that he waited 2 years to have it done, and that caused the tooth to become brittle and shatter as the dentist struggled to get all of his tooth removed. Once done, the dentist cleaned up and came over to me. Nervous, yes, but also eager to get it done. This tooth ached for nearly 6 months, and I wanted to be able to chew on both sides of my mouth again. Well, the dentist had an issue with my tooth. He said I had strong bones, which made it a pain to remove a tooth. So he cut it in half, removing a portion of my tooth at a time. When he freed it all, the assistant said, "You are a specimen." I was confused until the dentist explained that my nerve ending was still attached to the tooth. He showed it to me, which looked like pink skin and as thin as the paper we write on. I shook my head as I had a gauze placed over the opening in my mouth--and ordered to change it in 45 minutes. I thanked them, then I was returned to the waiting room.
We waited for our escort back to the van, then we were shackled and cuffed. My eyes took it all in, especially when I saw a few of my friends who asked me about Nottoway. I shared that it's cool, and I followed that up with what Beaumont was like. They said I should come, nothing more.
We were on the road after that. I been on off-site since 10 AM, it was nearly 3:30 PM. I still absorbed all I could as my trip was coming to a close. Everything I looked at became a priority for me, because I didn't know when I would see the world like this again. My mood shifted as I became somber. Thoughts of my freedom came to mind more and more as I noticed we were 8 miles away from Nottoway.
As those miles ticked off, I noticed a woman sauntering into a restaurant. She was free and never noticed a prison van with 3 men cuffed inside. Her mind was on what she would eat. Man, I can't wait to be like that again. I closed my eyes and prayed for that day to come.
We returned to Nottoway, and I felt lost as I entered my housing unit. My celly Red said, "You're back." I smiled, but it was hollow as I grabbed my shower bag and entered the shower stall, washing the day away as the hot water took my tears away from me.
I want to go home.