Random Family

Inmates at Danbury call the period of restless discomfort that immediately precedes an inmate’s release “S&SS—short and shitty syndrome” (329). Jessica is definitely suffering from it in the period right before her release. She suffers from insomnia, diarrhea, and migraines. She has an anxiety attack after trying on the clothes that she will wear upon her release. Nilda keeps her distance, because she does not want Jessica to see her crying.

Boy George, serving his life sentence yet still connected to the outside world through a prison gang network, counsels Jessica to find the right man with whom to settle down after her release. He uses his time in prison to read many books and use the Internet, and transforms into an “avuncular sage” (330). He gestures at optimism for his appeals, but the money needed for legal fees is running out. 

Jessica makes her rounds in the prison, bidding farewell to her friends, finishing her administrative tasks, and leaving Nilda with a few treasures: two sample-size Dove bars which she pilfered from the hospital, a red plastic hamster cup (Nilda’s nickname for her is Hamster), and a crocheted vest.

Finally, Jessica is released via a bus, which pulls into the Port Authority.