a Man in Full (1998) by Wolfe Tom

Author:Wolfe, Tom [Tom, Wolfe,]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2010-12-19T00:41:05.875000+00:00

Chapter 17

Epictetus Comes to Da House

Following mutt's departure, five-o set about rearrang- ing "da house." "The house" was what inmates, or veteran inmates, routinely called their cells. Whether this was irony, nostalgia for home and hearth, or just more jailhouse simplemindedness, Conrad had no idea; although given what this reeking lizard cage looked like, it sure struck him as simpleminded.

Five-O took Mutt's bottom bunk, and Conrad took Five-O's top bunk, right under the lizard screen. A deputy appeared and removed the mattress on the floor, the one Conrad had been using, and two tissuey polyethylene bags, which commissary orders had come in, containing Mutt's personal belongings. Five-O emptied his own bag full of. . . stuff . . . out on the lower bunk and took inventory. Conrad saw a plastic commuter mug, a toenail clipper, a package of Ramen noodles, a can of Dr Pepper soda, the Donald Goines novel Dr. Snow, another paperback novel called White Horse, by Ahu Junghyo, a timeworn little paperback book of silhouettes by an artist named Eric Gill, a stack of postmarked letters, a photograph of a smiling Hawaiian girl sitting in a booth inside a diner with a palm tree visible out the window, a toothbrush, two small tubes of Crest toothpaste, writing paper and envelopes, three disposable Bic ballpoint pens, a Salvation Army address book, a plastic bottle of Faberge Organic Shampoo for Normal Hair, an ice cream cup filled with instant coffee powder, and another ice cream cup that for some reason had its circular top, which had been heavily blackened, shoved down inside the cup and a piece of clear polyethylene sandwich wrap stretched over the opening. Conrad now had a place to sleep where he could lie down full-length. But the biggest change in da house was that Five-O started talking to him. All the time.

Two things he learned about Five-O very quickly. First, to Five-O talking was as necessary as breathing, so great was his need for human company, any human company. Conrad wondered if the man could have survived half a day in solitary confinement. Second, Five-O believed one hundred percent in what Mr. Wildrotsky used to refer to as Realpolitik. Every day, ever)' minute, if need be, he was willing to erase the blackboard of history and make alliances with whoever could serve him best in the battle lines as now drawn. Mutt's poor body had scarcely stopped twitching before Five-O started talking to Conrad as if they were buddies from small-kid time, as they said in Pidgin, and the past week of glowering at him as if he were a parasite sucking away the very air he breathed had never happened.

Now, all of a sudden, Five-O couldn't tell him enough about the things a new fish needed to know in order to survive in jail. Whatever the motivation, Conrad was grateful. Hi, Conrad. How you doin', bro? He was dying to ask Five-O what to do about Rotto's alarming overture in the visitors' area, but a sixth sense made him hold back.

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