“Everything all right, home?”

I jerk up quickly and see a black dude looking very satisfied with himself. It’s as if I had reacted just as he expected. Everything about him, from the way he leans against my bed to the way he smiles, gives me the impression that the last time he’d been caught off guard was when the doctor slapped him on his ass at birth.

“Yeah, I’m all right.”

“Look, I don’t wanna get in your business but is this your first bit?”

“My first what?”

“Is this the first time you’ve been in jail?”

“Yeah.”

“I figured that. I’ve done two bits before and I can always tell if someone’s never done any time. What you in for?”

“Refusing induction.”

“Oh, you one a them draft dodgers. How much time you get?”

“Three years.”

“Well, that ain’t much time. Why didn’t you wanna go in the army? You a pacifist?”

“No. I’m just not about what the army stands for, that’s all.”

“Are you about what this place stands for?”

“No.”

“Then why did you come here? Why didn’t you refuse to do your time like you refused induction? I mean, if you really believe what you say, you wouldn’t have come here either. Unless you prefer jail to the army.”

“I didn’t want to come to jail. I just couldn’t see splitting.”

“So you decided to be a hero, eh?”

“Not really.”

“Yeah, I bet… What’s your name?”

“Melvin Ellington.”

“Well, Mel, I’m Chilly and I’m gonna pull your coat to a few things. First thing is, forget about the street. You in the penitentiary now! Most cats in here is hard. They don’t know no other way to be. They been hurt a lot, so the first chance they get to hurt back, they take it. All anyone’s got to do is look at you and they can tell you ain’t had it rough. You probably been to college and shit. Right? Dudes are gonna resent you, especially when they find out what you in here for.”

“Why?”

“They figure that with what you got going for yourself you should a been able to scheme your way out a coming to jail. And since you didn’t, all that education you got ain’t worth a damn. They figure they got more of a beef with society than you do. They never had the opportunities you had. So you not going along with whitey’s program don’t cut no slack with them. Cats in here been messed over. And here you come, not a mark on you, lookin just as tender as you wanna be, talkin bout you don’t wanna fight in no war. Shheet! To them you no different than a white boy.”

“So what am I supposed to do? I can’t do anything about the way people think.”