by Wahida Clark
“Girl, bye! I better make sure he’s not my damn cousin.”
“If so, he’s probably like your tenth cousin or so, so it won’t matter,” she joked. They laughed. And Milla encouraged Eshe to write him. She finally did, and it would turn out to be one of the most important decisions of her life.
As far as the drama in their prison went, Prego wasn’t pregnant anymore, but that name had stuck to her like the word felon stuck to a prisoner’s life story. That’s still what everyone called her. All the ladies, however, felt bad for her. With so many mothers locked up together, even with beefs and disagreements, at the end of the day, there was a level of connection among all the ladies there. The permanent state of Prego’s depression infected the unit like a disease. Seeing her was a sad reminder of how helpless an inmate truly was. She gave birth more than six months ago, but she still hadn’t seen her son. She still had some time to do, and her husband had taken the baby, refusing to let her see him. He knew the child did not belong to him, but he did not care. He was her husband, so legally, that baby was his.
Lieutenant Longwood quit that fateful day when the fight broke out. But he’d only done so because he planned to have a life with Prego. Once he realized there was a chance that the baby might not be his, he tried to get his job back. He was lucky that he didn’t get arrested. But since he’d already resigned and that was his last day anyway, the BOP didn’t do anything. And that turned out to be a grave mistake.
It was early in the morning, the inmate population was locked down for staff appreciation day. Longwood was young, only thirty-eight, but he started with the BOP at the tender age of eighteen. Before he quit, he had almost twenty full years in. They set up for the day as if it was a real holiday. The inmates could see the entire event from the window in the recreation hall. With nothing else to do, many of them pulled up a seat and watched the officers have a block party fully paid for by the American taxpayers’ hard-earned money.
“Hey, Milla!” Eshe screamed out. “Come here and look!”
“I don’t wanna see none of those clowns.”
“Yeah, but you might want to see this one!”
Milla walked over to look out of the window and couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“Is that . . .”
“Longwood? Yeah, it looks that way!” He was wearing a black hoodie, standing off to the far right corner by himself. He didn’t look like he was going to join in and participate in any of the festivities. All eyes were on him because so many rumors had circulated about him after he quit. Staff could often be overheard talking about how he routinely came back up to the prison begging for his job back. He was pissed that he changed his life for a woman who was fucking his boss.
Someone went and got Prego and brought her to the window as well so she could see her angry-looking ex-boyfriend crashing the party. Because of all his time with the bureau, he was able to get in without too much scrutiny. All of the officers were laughing and joking and enjoying the day.
The warden was in the clear. Prego had some sick love for him, and she never told on him. In reality, any time an officer has sex with an inmate, it is automatically rape, due to the vulnerability of the inmate. He was able to keep his job. He joined the party, and when he walked out onto the floor, his staff clapped for him. All but Lieutenant Longwood, that is.
“Oh no!” Milla said. “Look, he’s got a gun!” Longwood crept up toward the unsuspecting warden and pointed his gun. All of the women screamed, but they were behind glass, and nobody could hear them. They were banging, trying to warn him, but they were the nobodies of the world, and not a soul acknowledged their faces staring down onto the private courtyard reserved for staff and inmate weddings. Their warnings were ignored.
POP! POP!
Two loud gunshots sounded, and all of the staff members took off running.
POP! POP! POP!
Three more shots and the warden went down. The ladies screamed. Longwood seemed to be moving in slow motion. He looked up, straight at the windows to the unit and looked Prego dead in the eyes. The menacing look was enough to scare any sane person. Then he looked in the direction of the door. The emergency exit door that led to the unit, and he took off running toward it.
“Oh my God! Everybody hide! He’s coming!”
About the Author
* * *
Aisha Hall, also known as A. Rochester, was born and raised in Roosevelt, New York. Her love for writing stories and music started as a child. She developed leadership skills at a very young age and was eager to put those skills to the test. This led to her falling in love with the idea of using her creative mind to make a living.
For a while, Aisha found her success, but at the age of twenty-five, she caught a federal conspiracy charge, sending her to prison to serve a sentence of more than ten years! It wasn’t until her incarceration that she decided to write her first novel. She refused to let her circumstances hold her back. Aisha has become an activist, bringing awareness to the epidemic of women and mass incarceration. She also encourages all people who are imprisoned to use that time to better themselves and focus on their future. Aisha believes that when you are pursuing your dreams, the Universe will assist you in ways that are sometimes disguised as failure. “Never give up or give in; just go hard!” is her motto.
About the Author
* * *
Jamila T. Davis, born and raised in Jamaica, Queens, New York, is a motivational speaker, prison reform activist, and the author of several books geared to inspire and empower readers to overcome adversity. Davis is no stranger to triumphs and defeats. By the age of twenty-five, she utilized her business savvy and street smarts to rise to the top of her field, becoming a lead go-to person in the hip-hop music industry and a self-made millionaire through real estate investments. All seemed well . . . until Davis’s empire suddenly crumbled. She was convicted of bank fraud for her role in a multimillion-dollar bank fraud scheme and sentenced to twelve-and-a-half years in federal prison. Behind bars, Davis used her time to discover her gifts and talents and began her plight to advocate for change within the U.S judicial system. While incarcerated, she became a bestselling author, cofounded a nonprofit organization, obtained multiple college degrees, and assisted in creating several films.
About the Author
* * *
Sunshine Smith-Williams is a serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, mentor, motivational speaker, and author. Raised in Jamaica, Queens, New York, by a single mother who struggled to make ends meet, Smith-Williams grew up in multiple impoverished housing projects with dim hopes. Utilizing education as a weapon to overcome poverty, she obtained several degrees and certifications, climbing the corporate ladder to achieve success.
After being laid off from her dream job in 2010, Smith-Williams gained the faith to start her own consultant firm, “Sunny Legal Realty LLC.” Through an intense journey, she discovered—and dethroned—her flaws and increased her self-esteem. As a result, she successfully opened several thriving businesses and mentored others to do the same.
In May 2013, Smith-Williams made a poor choice and reunited with an old friend and gave him a ride that eventually cost her, her freedom. This experience enlightened Smith-Williamson to her purpose. Her life is a living testament that the past, regardless of the mistakes you make or your background, does not have to dictate your future!
Life after prison stopped nothing for the young entrepreneur. This past year, the African American Film Critic Association named her self-help book, Sunny 101: The 10 Commandments of a Boss Chick, an honorable mention among the top ten books of 2015.
In spring 2016, Smith-Williams was honored for change by the Board of Education and has done motivational speaking throughout the state of New York. She shares this message of hope with both youth and adults, inspiring them to overcome life’s difficulties.
Currently, Smith-Williams resides in a suburb in Nassau County, New York, with her husband (business partner) and their eight-year-old son.
From Inmate to the New York Times Best seller.
Three-time New York Times bestselling author Wahida Clark has become one of the most sought after Urban Lit authors of this generation and is one of only 4 Urban Lit authors to appear on the New York Times bestseller list.
Wahida Clark has an amazing story. Tenacity, vision and sheer determination are what brought her to where she is today.
Clark began writing her first novel while serving a 9 ½ year prison sentence, including 9 months in solitary confinement, at the Lexington Prison Camp in Lexington, Ky.While behind bars, Clarkinked a publishing deal with a major publishing house, wrote and released 7 novels and laid the groundwork for her publishing company, Wahida Clark Presents Publishing.
To date she has released 14 successful novels including THREE New York Times bestsellers. Her own publishing company, Wahida Clark Presents is one of the fastest growing independent publishing houses in the country. In just 4 short years, WCP has earned nearly 1 million dollars in sales, has 26 titles currently in stores across the country and has a roster of 25 established urban authors.
Reading Group Discussion Questions
Pink Panther Clique
1) Of the three women, Milla, Eshe, and Sun-Solé, which of them received the most unjust sentence?
2) Why was Milla’s boss okay with her bending the rules? How often do you think that happens in corporate America?
3) If Prego’s relationship with Lieutenant Longwood was consensual, do you think it is right that it’s automatically considered rape?
4) Do you think Eshe and her team will eventually be convicted of murder?
5) Why was Eshe’s business considered such a threat to corporate America?
6) Do you think that King-G, Milla’s boyfriend, deserved to go to prison? If so, was he deserving of a life sentence?
7) Why do you think the Pink Panther Clique’s music did so well?
8) Do you think it will come out that Sun-Solé messed around with the warden as well?
9) Why do you think there is there so much corruption in this prison? And should the girls have exposed it first, or were they right to exploit the corruption and use it for their benefit?
10) What do you think is going to happen once Lieutenant Longwood gets into the women’s housing unit with his gun?
Other Books by Aisha Hall:
Keema and Lamar: A Ghetto Love Story (Book Series 1–3)
Caught Up Loving a Boss
The Swipe Life (By Shawana King with Aisha Hall)
The Backside of the Story (By Kimberly Smedley with A. Rochester)
Other Books by Jamila Davis:
She’s All Caught Up!
The High Price I Had to Pay (Book Series 1–3)
Voices of Consequences Enrichment Series
(Book Series 1–3)
Other Books by Sunshine Smith-Williams:
The 10 Commandments of a Boss Chick
Broken Pencils Still Write
Other Books by Wahida Clark
Thugs and The Women Who Love Them
Every Thug Needs A Lady
Thug Matrimony
Thug Lovin’
Justify My Thug
Honor Thy Thug
Thugs: Seven
Payback is A Mutha
The Golden Hustla