On Friday afternoon my supervisor came to my office in the prison and yelled at the inmates there to “Get out!  Get out immediately!”  They scattered like roaches suddenly exposed to sunlight.  She wanted to talk to me about the tobacco lawsuit brought by the inmates.  Of course the inmates didn’t know that so the president of the group, who was one of the inmates fleeing her wrath, told everyone in the prison that I was in big trouble with her.

On Monday morning, the two fire keepers told me what he had done.  I suggested they have a little fun with him so when I called him to my office, they told him that Friday would be my last day and they were going to help me pack up my personal belongings.  He bit hard on their story.  He became very agitated and said it wasn’t fair, they needed to call an attorney so I could stay, etc.  He said I was the only one who knew how to run the powwows.  Then they told him that my supervisor would take over my position.  That truly struck terror into his heart.

Some other inmates came to my office for botanicals and were told the same story.  They all became very upset too.  Finally the fire keepers told them they were just playing with them.  We didn’t dare let them leave the chapel area and have them spreading the story in the cell halls.  It was fun while it lasted, however.

Mary Montoya