First Canteen in Prison
Here is another post I wanted to share. Hope it helps....
I have been sharing a lot of pieces of the project I have been writing on different forums here, but this one is interesting as well. What I am about to share is another piece from "Grades of Honor" which is about my first trip to canteen. Keep in mind that I was in county jail for about 17 months, and from there was sent to prison. Things are very different as I experienced, and the following is my accounts of my first visit to canteen. Note also that I also fell into a trap from another inmate. What I want to share is what I felt, what I did and how on this first visit to canteen, and why is was so important to me. As you know, no two inmates do the same time, so obviously my views might be very different from another, but the key to pick up here is the ideas. There is a level of moral that goes up when an inmate can make canteen. I got so many pms from people on older posts about canteen that said that they were going to send their loved ones more money after reading some of my posts. Gosh, I wish I could have written that for myself while I was in prison .
But I hope this helps kinda understand what inmates go through when they go to canteen:
“Hey man, you want my spot?”
He was offering his spot in the line to me…how could I refuse? I was so ready to buy something, so ready to spend some money that I could not resist. But there was a tradeoff…a pack of cigarettes. He asked me to get him a pack of Newports short. I never smoked a day in my life, what is the difference between long or short? But if there was a difference, I guess I should make sure he got what he wanted. It would be worth it to get to the canteen. I had no idea how much they cost; I’d have to find out when I go to the booth. I had not really considered that I just broke in line, something I never liked to do. I know how it is to have someone cut in front of me. But technically, and I am reaching here, I was not cutting in line. I was trading with a guy that already had a space. Technically that should be ok. I won’t swear to it, but it worked for me.
I was excited about getting to canteen, though trying not to show it. I can just taste the snacks already, and soda! They sold drinks too, to be able to drink a soda after such a time. They had sodas at county jail, but they were all sold warm. This would be the first time I actually bought a cold soda in about a year and a half! While I was waiting in line, the guy who traded spaces with me stood on the side, waiting to get his part of the bargain, as would be fair. He called to me and then “upped” the bargain. “Make that two packs” he said. Ok, now he is starting to get greedy. I know a game when I see it, this guy is getting a little greedy. But I didn’t care; I could afford it. But if he asks for a carton, the deal is off. But I agreed, and as such I had to keep my word. Once I got to the front, it was like a kid looking into a candy store. There was so much stuff in there, although in comparison to even a mom and pop store, it was meager. But here in prison, it might as well been a shopping mall. My eyes looked all over the inside of the canteen, since we were served through a window. So many things, and yet…
I had to catch myself quickly. It was starting to remind me of trips to fast food joints. We all know what is on the menu, yet the second we get to the front and are asked what we would like, we develop amnesia. Here in prison, I cannot afford that to happen. I knew there were guys that were just as excited or desirable to make canteen, and it would be wise for me not to hold the line. Many of these guys have things they need, and would not want someone holding up the line. If you miss canteen in the morning, you have two other chances, in the early afternoon and later in the afternoon. If you miss the last call, then you have to wait until the next day. I understood the importance of getting what I wanted quickly and getting out. Yet at the same time I had no idea of what this canteen had, so once I got to the window, I had to think fast. I scanned the area quickly, looking for something that can hold me over…noodles. I got 2 or 3 packs of noodles, which were given with a large drinking cup made of Styrofoam and a spoon. I would have to microwave the noodles in that cup. I also bought some snacks and a soda, and did not forget the cigarettes…two packs. I didn’t realize how expensive those cigarettes were, and vowed never to cut in line again. It wasn’t worth that much, especially since the guy changed the deal after I was in line. A pack of cigarettes were about $3 and some change each so his spot to me was worth about $7.00. I found out later that this was one of those “hustles” that inmates have. Some guys get in line never intending to buy anything, just hoping for a sucker like me to trade places with him in exchange of canteen. No problem, I had what I wanted and I learned not to help this guy anymore. The guy must have thought I was a soft touch because he asked me about a few days later if I could buy him a pack of cigarettes. I told him I didn’t have anymore money. I lied, but I was not looking to do him anymore favors. I think the inmate running the canteen knew that I was getting it for someone else, because he asked me if I smoked. I could not lie to him, but he made no argument about it. After getting my canteen, he rang up the total and swiped my card.
The total was
deducted and I got a receipt of what I bought, and how much I had left on the card. The total was about $10 or so, most being for the cigarettes. I gave the guy his “cut” and went on my way into the dorm. I could have been upset, but actually wasn’t. I had stuff now, and felt much better about myself. And to cap it all, I had bought a cold soda. I think it was Tahitian Punch, and it tasted like liquid heaven. I would have put money that this drink could cure the common cold at that moment. For the first time in a very long time, I had a cold drink. My body almost went into a wonderful shock when that cold drink touched my tongue and went down my throat…COLD soda! My morale shot way up. I was feeling much better about myself, although not that much had changed. It was just at that moment, and if for that moment, things were looking better for me. I didn’t know how, or why, but prison just did not look that dark and damning to me at that time. All because I was able to drink a cold soda. Where were my priorities?
That was a few pages from the project and as I wrote it, I almost felt myself back at Craven Correctional wearing the brown clothes that they had. It indeed was embarassing to share that an inmate suckered me for canteen, but what I also wanted to show was at that moment, my priority was getting canteen. I had a few people tell me that the liked the "cold soda" part. But that really meant a lot to me, to be able to drink a cold soda. Anyway, I hope this helps too...
