Block 8, Cell 18

Chapter 8. The art of conversation.

So far, Marcus had been true to his word, but it seemed like it had only been a few days since his revelation. There was a lifetime left, probably.

Cadence had no visitors, except Jay and two others, who she now knew were named Alex and Brian.

Alex and Jay seemed to be a similar age to Marcus, but Brian was much older.
His receding hairline and bulging beer belly was the opposite to Alex.
What Brian lacked in youthfulness, was made up by his strange, yet familiar humour.
He reminded her of the regulars at the Bradgate Arms.
Brian told her stupid jokes, and snuck in the odd bottle of lager.
His jokes reminded her of the ones her dad used to tell.
Brians latest one made her cringe.

One time, she asked him why he worked in a place like  this.
"My last job was at a bank, but I got fired. An old lady asked me to check her balance, so I pushed her over." He replied, causing Cay to roll her eyes in amusement.

Alex on the other hand, was easily over six feet tall, verging closer to seven. With his spiky blonde hair, it made his slim build seem even taller. He wasn't brawny like the rest of them, but he wasn't stick thin either.
Alex asked if she had a car, then proceeded to talk about his dream car.
Cadence recognised the manufacturer, but got lost when he spoke about models and marks.
He too, had a love of bad jokes. It was no wonder why the two of them got along so well. Alex seemed like a middle aged man, trapped in the body of a twenty year old.
Cadence imagined that her dad would have clicked with both of them, if they had met on the outside. The idea seemed preposterous after a second thought, Conor hated rapists and criminals. Maybe this was just her way of trying to forge some king of link to the outside world.

She now heard knocks at the door before they entered.
Until now, everyone just unlocked the door and walked straight in.
It was settling to know that they weren't all here to torment her.

They delivered her food and the occasional change of clothes, along with another of Brian's jokes.

"Grubs up. Made by our finest Michelin Chefs. Tonight's slop consists of brown shit, and what I think may be mash potato." Brian said, as he put the tray on the bed.

"Sounds wonderful." Replied Cadence, her face twisted in revulsion.

"We've all gotta live with disappointment." Brian shrugged.
"I backed a horse last week at ten to one.  It came in at quarter past four."

Cadence shook her head, smiling. These jokes were so bad, they verged on brilliant.

"Gotta go." Brain said, as he headed back out the cell. "Might manage a banana and a yogurt tomorrow."
He gave her wink as he left.

The humour and brief conversation helped Cay begin to relax. But not completely.
Something about this arrangement unsettled her, and she had an idea as to why.

On what what she thought was the fourth or fifth day, Marcus entered without knocking.
Panic flooded her brain. Her newly found sense of security crumbled into tiny pieces, and he could see it as she scrambled up the bed.

"Sorry, I didn't knock. I suppose old habits die hard. I've just popped by to check on things, I've got to get back to work soon." He apologised, as he walked over and sat on the bed.
"How are you? I've been trying to stay away, as not to raise to any suspicion." Marcus explained.

Cay shook her head and gave him a small smile. "Much better, thanks." She answered, trying slow her rapid breathing.

She got a broad, beaming smile in return. His face lit up like it was Christmas Day!
'Why?' She thought to herself. 'Has he got an ulterior motive? He must want something in return.'