“what about mister joe?”
“You mean Joe Tellem Bennigan?”
“yes.”
“You’re right he was your lawyer at trial and on the first appeal but when cases go further than that, like yours has, you get different lawyers, understand?”
“but I never said anything bad about mister bennigan or nothing.”
“I know. This is just the way it’s done Jalen it doesn’t mean you didn’t like Mr. Joe or anything, it’s just that the case has become more serious and Mr. Joe, uh Mr. Bennigan, doesn’t deal with cases when they get to this point.”
“oh.”
“Just like him though my job is to protect you, do you understand?”
“yes, like mister joe.”
“Right, Melvyn and I are going to do everything we can to protect you.”
“to keep me here right?”
“Well actually what we want is to get you moved to where people with less serious sentences are held.”
“or to get me out of jail?”
“That would be great.”
“but where would i go?”
“We’d think of something, it would be a nice problem to have.”
“where? my mother died.”
“I know.”
“where will i go?”
“Jalen, the chances of you getting out aren’t very good. Melvyn and I are much more concerned with—”
“but i don’t want you to get me out unless there’s a place for me to go, can you just tell me where i would go if i got out even though i know i’m probably not going to.”
“I don’t . . . you would . . . you could stay with . . . Mable . . . Jalen.”
“maple?”
“Yes.”
“is she nice?”
“Yes, very nice.”
“what does she look like?”
“She looks like Maple, she’s very nice.”
“but how does she look like?”
“Well she’s big, but soft and chubby, and she has a mansion with lots of room for you.”
“a big house? like big with land?”
“Yes and behind it is a river of the clearest water you ever saw to swim in or drink. You swim in it and it cleans you, drink it and it fills you.”
“and trees?”
“Trees everywhere, trees that fruit just jumps off of. But that’s it Jalen. I shouldn’t even tell you that. That’s just for you to know where you would go, okay? Promise we won’t discuss it more than this because, like I said, it’s very unlikely I can get you there. Promise?”
“promise but you promise to try to get me out to go there right?”
“I promise.”
“then i promise too.”
“Good then, it’s settled. Now do you have any questions about your case?”
He didn’t because to have some would’ve required at least a minimal understanding of the course his case had taken to that point and there seemed to be no danger of him acquiring that any time soon. But in that doleful vacuum I saw the chance for true accomplishment. I vowed that, at the very least, over the next two days I would achieve what countless letters had failed to achieve. By the time I left, Jalen Kingg would have a true understanding of everything that had happened to him in his past and what his future could or would contain. What small laurels I contented myself to seek.
“Jalen,” I said. “I want to start by making sure you fully understand everything that has happened in your case and where we go from here. I know you’ll already know a lot of what I’m about to say but based on the things you just said and your letters and stuff I think your understanding of your situation could probably be better. Okay?”
“okay but i’m not going to miss recess right?”
“Recess? What’s recess?”
“you don’t know what recess is? oh my god, recess is only the bestest part of the day.”
“You mean like at school?”
“recess! we go outside. it’s the only time we can go outside.”
“Oh I understand, you have recess every day?”
“of course, they have to give recess every day.”
“What time is recess?”
“it depends on the day, what day is today?”
“Today’s Saturday.”
“saturday?”
“Yes.”
“saturday is 1:15. saturday is 1:15 to 1:45. every saturday is the same.”
“Well it’s almost one o’clock now.”
“almost one?”
“Right. So I think that, yes, you are going to miss recess today only.”
“i can’t miss recess, they have to give recess every day, half-hour every day.”
“I’m sure they do but because of our meeting today I think you’re going to miss it.”
“that’s what allan hale said but i didn’t believe him, but he said that’s what happens when you have a visit and that i didn’t know that because i ain’t never had one was all.” Kingg looked up at the fluorescent bulb above us then back at me. He put his face in his hands.
“I’m sorry but this is very important and it’s just one day okay?”
“okay.”
“I want you to listen carefully to what I’m about to tell you because it’s very important that you be informed okay? Okay?”
“yes.”
And he did sort of. And I didn’t look at my notes once because I knew everything about his case cold. And it took a long time but he seemed to understand. And I felt good and he looked sad and scared and then I felt bad too. And we were both tired and there wasn’t much time left and The Guard was hovering but in a nice apologetic way.
“We’ll talk more tomorrow.”
“tomorrow?”
“Yes I’m going to come back tomorrow to talk to you again.”
“every day?”
“Tomorrow for sure.”
“monday?”
“Not Monday?”
“tuesday?”
“No.”
“when next?”
“I’m not sure but tomorrow for sure.”
“okay.”
“We’re running out of time today Jalen so I want to cover one last thing. Remember I told you about your statement to the police and how that was bad evidence against you at trial?”
“bad?”
“Yeah, how it hurt you, your chances of winning the trial?”
“i remember you said that, yes.”
“Well earlier you seemed concerned about Mr. Joe, your first lawyer, that he would think you said something bad about him or didn’t want him to be your lawyer.”
“no, I never said mister joe was bad mister casi.”
“No I know, because it would bother you if he thought you had right?”
“yes.”
“Okay now remember Detective Irisland?”
“the detective?”
“Yes, the one you gave the statement to.”
“yes.”
“He told you you should make a statement right?”
“he said to tell what happened so i did. i wrote it down. he helped me. i told the truth like he said.”
“Are you sure it was the truth what you wrote?”
“yes.”
“Or were you trying to make the detective happy so he wouldn’t be upset with you? I won’t get mad, you won’t get in trouble, if you tell me the statement wasn’t the truth.”
“it was the truth, i wrote the truth.”
“And you understand that if it wasn’t true, what you wrote, you can tell me that now and nothing bad will happen right?”
“yes.”
“Okay we’ll talk more about that tomorrow.”
“okay.”
“And we’ll talk about what happened that night you were arrested okay?”
“yes.”
“Maybe we’ll talk about your life before that night too.”
“before?”
“Yes.”
“okay.”
“Goodbye Jalen.”
“bye.”
And you had to sit there until they had taken Kingg off the floor. The Guard would get the okay on his radio then escort me out. Walking down the hall after he got the signal The Guard told me things about Jalen, how he interacted with the prison staff and the other guests as he called them. We got to the log where I would schedule the next day’s visit.
“What time is recess tomorrow,” I said.
“Recess? What?”
“Does he ever go outside?”
“Rec is one half hour every day for each guest counselor.”
“What time is that tomorrow in Jalen’s case?”
He told me and even though it severely curtailed the amount of time we could meet, I scheduled the next day’s visit so Jalen wouldn’t miss recess.
In less than an hour I was back at The Orchard, which stood lonely against only dull remnants of sun. Everywhere I looked I saw nothing but hurried human activity. In the lobby, through a crowd’s noise, I saw B.M. Santangelo. He acknowledged me with a nod of his head and came right over.
“I hope you like bananas,” he said when he was about five feet away.
“They’re okay.”
“Trust me these exceed okay. I just left a bunch of beautiful bananas outside your door. These bananas were on a tree in a remote part of Honduras this very morning. They will be perfectly ripe in exactly one hour, which is when I recommend you eat the first one for a fruitful experience you will not soon forget.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“You’re of course welcome.”
“What’s going on Big Mac? What’s with all the people?”
“These people are here for the party tonight.”
“What party?”
“Tonight is S.E.R.P.E.N.T.’s twice-yearly annual gala.”
“Wait—”
“Undoubtedly the social event of the year around these parts.”
“Really?”
“Oh yes.”
“What’s so good about it?”
“Well I’m not at liberty to disclose too many specifics but suffice it to say that quite a number of highly prominent people will be in attendance tonight.”
“Really? Prominent? Highly?”
“Yes and the food for example will be superb, prepared only by the finest chefs in the world. We provide all the fruit of course. Everyone will be dressed in the finest garments pieced together by the finest designers. The entertainment will be provided, again I’m not at liberty to disclose, by this country’s most popular and in-demand entertainers. I’m talking about music, comedy, performance art you name it. It’s all very exclusive, Serpent members and their invited guests only, security is impenetrable. You get the picture.”
“So it’s for Serpent people?”
“Right. Well as I told you before almost everyone staying at the hotel this weekend is with Serpent. So it’s for them during the convention.”
“Oh good because I was meaning to ask you about that. When you said yesterday that I was the only person staying in the hotel who wasn’t a Serpent you were exaggerating right?”
“No, not at all. You are in fact the only person currently in the hotel who’s not affiliated with Serpent. Well except for my staff of course, but you get the idea.”
“Yes I think I do. You’re saying that tonight at this very hotel will occur the greatest party known to man, an event of such decadent delight that to merely witness its opulence would provide untold pleasure. In essence, tonight The Orchard is one big party and I’m literally the only person not invited.”
“Well in a manner of speaking, I suppose, but remember you’re speaking with one B.M. Santangelo. There are strings that can be pulled, even yanked if need be. I will get you into that party young man.”
“No thanks B.M. I was only curious . . . and kidding.”
“Are you sure? It’s really not a problem.”
“Thanks but no. Good night Herr Santangelo.”
“Good night young Master.”
I went upstairs, fell asleep earlier than I had in years, slept uninterruptedly through the night entire, and dreamt nothing I could remember.
“Want to see his cell,” asked The Guard as he inexplicably looked me up and down the next day.
“I don’t have much time with him today.”
“That’s just it. It’s going to take some time to get him from medical so I was just thinking of your entertainment.”
He took me to the cell. It resembled a box. A small one.
“Eight feet long by five feet wide,” said The Guard.
Built into the cell’s door was a hole.
“Four and a half inches high by eleven inches wide,” said The Guard.
Through that hole was where Jalen got his meals. Fresh fruit was never included. Inmates were allowed out of their cell only a short time.
“Forty-five minutes to an hour a day,” said The Guard. The only personal items permitted in the cell were books and pictures not to exceed six in combination. Far as I could tell Jalen had nothing other than the letters Toomberg and I had sent him, a spongy marble notebook, and three poorly-lit photos of his mother none depicting a smile.
“That’s basically it counselor. I thought about your kid last night. I know his date’s coming up and everything, well unless you can do something about that of course. I don’t mean to suggest that I know how that’s going to ultimately turn out. I thought about you meeting him for the first time. That must have been tough. I’ve seen them all come and go is what I’m saying and I think I’ve gained some insight into the type of things you might be feeling right about now. Anyway your kid’s date is coming up and I think I can help you if you’ll see me after you meet with him today. I’ll give you something that I think will help you with his case is what I’m saying. Quietly though, I wouldn’t want people around here to know that I was helping the enemy so to speak. So after you meet with him we’ll talk. Let’s go back, it shouldn’t be much longer.”
In the same space I had met with Jalen the day before, I sat and waited and pictured him in that cell. Then I pictured myself in that cell and how I would probably pace and pace in the available space looking for a way to end it. When Jalen came in he smiled and was happy.
“Hey,” I said
“you came back,” he said.
“Yes, I told you I’d be back today.”
“i know but everybody said you probably wouldn’t.”
“Oh.”
“but you did.”
“Yes, did you think about the things we talked about yesterday?”
“how did you know? i even wrote some of the things down that you had said on this paper they let us have.”
“Good and now you probably have a better understanding of what’s happening with your case right?”
“i had never had anybody visit me before.”
“I know.”
“i told everybody that i had gotten a visit from an important lawyer, that’s you.”
“You’re my most important client Jalen. If I lived around here I would come every week.”
“is today the last day you’re going to come visit?”
“Probably, but remember I told you yesterday that you were going to be getting another visit this time from a doctor, a psychiatrist.”
“yes, i remember.”
“And remember I told you he was going to be interviewing you on more than one occasion so he can help us convince the judge to change your sentence, remember?”
“yes, the doctor. he’s going to come more than once right?”
“Yes exactly. You’re going to keep getting visits.”
“and you’re going to come back again after the doctor?”
“I think today is probably the last time I’ll ever see you Jalen.”
“ . . .”
“That’s all right. Other people are going to come and help you too, I’ll make sure of it.”
“who’s going to take me to maple?”
“We talked about that remember?”
“i know but if there’s no one to take me then—”
“We talked about not discussing Maple anymore remember? I only told you that so you could know how good it will be if you get out but it’s kind of like a secret, understand?”
“but who would take me is all i want to know.”
“I’ll come and take you if you’re going to get out don’t worry.”
“ . . .”
“We don’t have a lot of time so let’s talk about the things we need to talk about so I can help you.”
“okay i want you to help me now that i know, and can you bring me fruit next time?”
“What?”
“can you bring me fruit? they don’t give fruit here. the food is good i’m not complaining but they do not give fruit. another guy here says i haven’t had fruit since the day i got here.”
“What’s your favorite fruit? Never mind. If I come pick you up that day I’ll bring a whole damn basket okay?”
“yes, and there’ll be fruit where i’m going right?”
“A ton.”
“like the rainbow?”
“The what?”
“the rainbow fruit. my mother used to make it. it’s in the stores too though, i seen it. do you know what it is?”
“Yes.”
“you do?”
“Yes.”
“my mother would make it better than anyone. it’s my favorite. right it’s in the stores?”
“Yes.”
“it’s called rainbow right?”
“It’s called Skittles?”
“that’s right that’s the other name! right that that’s real fruit?”
“I, I think so, yes.”
“i knew it, that’s what i said, your eyes are funny now.”
“Who else lived in your house besides you and your mom?”
“usually it was just me and her but then sometimes i would have a different dad like for a while.”
“Would one of them be around more often than the others?”
“yes that was gary, he was my real dad but then he would drink and he would have to leave, so someone else would come and stay until they left, like that.”
“You have no brothers or sisters right?”
“i had a big brother but he’s an angel now, he was always an angel, even before i was born. my mother said he was only here for three weeks before he had to go to heaven because he couldn’t breathe right. he was one of the people in prayers at night.”
A Naked Singularity: A Novel Page 59
