Haley was sound asleep. She heard the bell. "Come on the sleepy head!" Her mom said. She was groggy. She started to come to. Her mom hugged her and lifted her out of her bed. She sat down on the floor.
Within a few minutes, the guard arrived. Her mom took her hand. They stood several feet away from the door. "Open it up!" The guard said to the technician. The door opened up. Her mom picked her up and they joined the line.
Mothers and children had separate shower facilities. Keri was grateful for that. There were separate stalls.
They returned to her cell. In the daytime, the cell door could be unlocked. Keri put on her blue jeans and teal prison-issue shirt. She helped Haley get dressed. She combed her daughter's hair. Like Keri, Haley wore her hair down. Keri had dark black hair.
They got ready for breakfast. They walked to the mess hall. The families had a separate mess hall. Everyone in the family mess Hall we're a non-violent offender. It was a privilege that could be revoked at any time. Some infractions put you on the danger list. Other infractions were instant revocation of the privilege. Once you lost this privilege it was almost impossible to get it back although it did happen now and then.
Keri was a model prisoner. She had nothing to worry about. She was well. liked but the staff made sure to follow the rules. She wanted to be a good example for Haley. She wanted her to know that lemonade could be made from the worst lemons. She was careful to follow the rules of the letter. She had been to solitary. She never had an Infarction. She always passed room inspections. Her room was made by protocol.
They arrived at the mess hall. She grabbed a plate and helped Haley with hers. They had a cereal bowl for Haley. They had something similar to fruit loops. That was her favorite. The prison got a generic brand. There were expired but they were fine. They did not taste stale. Even if they were, Haley probably would not know the difference. She had eggs, bacon, and toast. The eggs were a bit runny but she still liked them.
They sat down with other moms and kids. Shannon was someone she considered her best prison friend. Shannon was in prison for fraud. She had been embezzled from her company. She was sentenced to two to five years. She had her six-year-old daughter Emmy and two-year-old mia with her. Haley was close with her kids.
Shannon was funny. She was very creative and artistic. She was known for being artistic. She had the most decorated cell. She volunteered in the drug treatment program for inmates struggling with addiction.
Next was Jenny. Jenny was in prison for two years for a hit and run and d.u.i.
Jenny was there with her four-year-old son and two-year-old daughter. Jenny had gone through alcohol rehab. She was working in the library. She loved books and loved to help people learn.
There was Julie. Julie was the getaway driver for her boyfriend who robbed a bank. She did not know what he was planning to do. He told her he was just going to make a deposit. She could have faced twenty years in prison. She took a plea deal. She fully cooperated and testified against him.
She was pregnant when she was convicted. she decided to keep the baby. Her daughter Kathy is now over a year. Katie helps out with the infirmary.
"Good morning," Keri said. They said good morning. "How did you sleep?" Shannon asked. "The minute my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light," Keri said. They tried to keep things positive. They tried to be optimistic.
She always looked forward to meal times. She loved to hang out with Shanon, Julie, jeny, and their kids. After the meal, she and Haley returned to her cell. They put the finishing touches on getting ready. she took Haley's hand. They walked outside they walked hand and hand to the school.
The prison brought a properly next door. It had been a boarding school. The school was a private religious school. The school went belly up. a progressive governor wanted to encourage a connection between an incarcerated mom and her kids. The department of corrections brought the school property and hired teachers.
They arrived at the gate. "Be good honey. Have a good day. Learn learn learn." She said. "I will," she said. She hugged her and kissed her on the noise. Noise nuzzling was their thing.
Haley loved school. She loved to. learn. she was really smart. She was able to adapt to any situation. Keri was so proud of her. Keri watched her daughter as they joined the other kids.
The kids go through a metal detector. The school tries to make it as non-invasive as possible. Her teachers liked Haley. She was bright and funny.
Keri waved and walked off. Keri heard about the program that allowed children to stay with their incarcerated moms. there were a lot of hoops to jump through. She was thrilled when she was accepted into the program.
Her mom was not thrilled by the prospect. Every time she came to visit her, she mentioned it. "Keri, prison is no place for a little girl. Let dad and I raise you while you are in here. We will let you see her as often as they allow it. " her mom said.
"Mom, Haley needs to be with her mommy. She gets to school and health care. She is thriving here. She is smart as a whip. She loves her teachers. " Keri said.
"This is not a good place for a little kid. She needs wide open spaces not a case with fences. Her emotional growth is stunted here. Your being selfish. " her mom said. "She needs me. I need her," she said
Keri loved her mom. She loved when she visited. She wished they could have a visit without her bringing it up. That never happened.

Keri tried to grin and bare it. She enjoyed the visits but wished that she would not bring it up. Keri walked to the administration building. She greeted one of the guards on patrol. "Good morning class," Keri said. They talked about her kids. Kasie's sister had a baby.
Keri got a job teaching classes. she taught a home economics class. She had a lot of fun with it. Some of the ladies had never cooked. Some of the staff members came in on their breaks. She also taught a creative writing class and a g.e.d prep class.

Keri's dad owned his own business. He ran a store that sold outdoor equipment, fishing, hunting, and the like. Her mom was a stay-at-home mom. She did help with the store. Keri worked at the store since she was 16. She went to college to get a business degree.
She got a degree in business. She got into management for a major company. Her company was cooking the books. She learned of the plot. She tried to work within the system to expose the scheme. She thought it was a group of bad actors. She took it up the chain to her superiors.
They gave lip service to her concerns but did nothing. She soon learned that the corruption in the company went all the way to the top.
The company decided to retaliate against her. They framed her for embezzlement. They made it look like she was corrupt. The entire company turned against her. Even some of her dearest friends in the company betrayed her.
At rhe same time her husband was dying of cancer. She was arrested while at his bedside. While he was fighting for his life, she was fighting in court.
The company had a lot of influence in the state. Several government officials used to work for the company. The Lt. Governor was a CEO once. The company used all of its influence to bury her.
She was unable to afford the legal team to counter the fabricated evidence. The prosecution spared no expense in going after her. They tried to lay all the blame for the corruption and decadence at her feet.
She tried to be there for her husband despite her legal troubles. The day he died was the day she was convicted. She was sentenced to five to ten years in prison. She was eligible for parole in two years. She was told in this state almost no one got parole on the first hearing.
She did not get to go to her husband's funeral. She was devastated. She was put on suicide watch. She insisted that she was not suicidal .she was just sad. They would not. listen to her.
Her lawyer told her about a program that allowed her to have her daughter with her. she applied and after a long and arduous screaming process was accepted. Haley was so happy to be reunited with her mom. Haley was seven.
She and her dad met at college. He was an English major. She loved to tease him about that. He was a total nerd. She was a free spirit. She called him professor and he called her norma. they hurled insults at each other. It was all fun. They hung out together. After a time they decided to date for real as they called it. They then went into a courtship.
They got married after they graduated. He got a job teaching at a private preparatory school. She went to work for Hayden corps. She got pregnant with Haley. Hal loved his daughter.
His students found it funny to see this serious teacher who was always reasoned and analytical melt whenever Keri came by in between classes bringing her. Hel hit ups and held her. Keri missed him. She never really got to morn. She did have access to counselors and Chaplins.

Keri loved to teach. This was probably the only way she could teach. As a convicted felon, she would never be able to get a teaching degree. She hoped to maybe mentor adults who wanted to learn to read. She liked that she could do this here.

During the afternoon she cleaned several bathrooms. At three she got to see Haley. she hugged her and lifted her. Haley told her all about her day. This was her favorite part of the day. Her daughter was always a bright light in an otherwise awful situation.
They went to the game room. She and Haley liked to play ping pong and pool. It was their tradition after school. On one occasion, there was a riot in another part of the prison. A lockdown was ordered. They had to return to their cells. She had told Haley about protocols. She fully cooperated and got back. The only happened once.
They had dinner in the mess hall. She hung out with her mother's friend. After the meal, they watched tv in the game room. They returned to the cell. they got ready for bed.
This was her life..tomorrow they would d it, Al, again. Her first parole hearing is needed. She did not think she would be granted parole. The staff assured her they would forget it for her. She did dismiss the idea that she had gotten out.