Learning The Ropes

The jail guard escorted Jacob to the cafeteria. I watched his right hand tremble holding a small food tray filled with cold potatoes and some sort of gray looking meat.

"We don't get many of your kind around here." An inmate seated at a small round table spoke.

"I suppose not." Jacob replied. “Mind if I take a seat?"

"Good kid, you showed respect. If there's one rule around here you gotta learn quick it's that. Please sit." Jacob sat in the open seat to the left of the inmate; another inmate sat across the table but said nothing.

"Hope I wasn't interrupting, you know, your prayer." Jacob said, keeping his eyes low.

"No, not at all."

"I've never done that before.” Jacob whispered.

"It never comes easy, especially for us, the forsaken trash God doesn’t care about. Yep, I've had those thoughts too, hard not too when you wind up in a place like this. You have them. I can see them.”

“I do.” Jacob kept his eyes on his tray.