In the holding room outside of the visiting area of the prison a nervous woman kept looking over at me. Sighing and making small sounds, she was trying to make eye contact, trying to share something without words. I smiled over at her as if we were in a hospital waiting room, \u201cSoon,\u201d was the only thing I could think to say. She nodded, nearly crying.<\/p>\n
Another woman, less shy, seemed encouraged that somebody had actually spoken and started a conversation with me about geography. The man she was taking her daughter to visit was a big football fan and loved Brazil\u2019s national squad. \u201cI\u2019d love to go to Brazil,\u201d she said to me.<\/p>\n
Her daughter was probably about 16 or 17, had a dollar sign tattooed at the base of her right thumb and having squeezed herself into an outfit that wasn\u2019t much larger than a sock cut off at each end, was dressed to please. Ever since 9\/11 she’s been scared to fly, but if she could drive anywhere in the world she told me she\u2019d visit either Australia or Newfoundland. As she was telling me this two very tough looking men in their early 60s approached the building. They looked like they knew trouble and what to do with it– like they were born angry. One guy, covered in tattoos and with a powerful, wide upper body, pulled his shirt on as he entered the room, as if a statement of violent intent. The other man was in a sleeveless, white undershirt, his ashen hair greased back. They sat there like furious, black clouds.<\/p>\n
The girl who was scared to travel passed slowly in front of them and then back again, at which point her mother grabbed her by the arm, hissing, \u201c Jesus Kat, you really gave those two an eyeful, didn\u2019t ya?\u201d<\/p>\n