As I sat on the corner of the bed watching my celly roll toilet paper between his fingers making roses. meticulious and tediously he worked the petals together and attach the stem. while it sat for a moment to let it settle he put two plastic spoons with water in them on top of his locker. he tossed several skittles into the each spoon, one full of red the other fullof green, to let the color bleed out so he could paint the paper flower. i sat and watched him for several days and eventually started to help him out with the process until we made 24 full length colored roses that he would send off to his wife for her birthday. this is how i learned to make toilet paper roses.
funny thing that happened while i was awaiting transfer. the guy who had taught me how to make roses left and i had picked up the business of making them for other inmates as a hustle. one day a mexican came in who looked like a girl and the whole unit came alive with talk and activity, especially the mexicans because they love transexuals. so neddless to say i had quite a few guys coming to me to make them a dozen roses to give to the guy/girl. which was fine for me bacause making these paper roses is not fun and it is not easy and i for these reasons alone i charged a hefty price just to make one much less a dozen. so after about the third customer the guy/girl made a suprise visit to my cell asking for the guy woh makes roses. nervously i raised my hand and Gata, which is what he/she called itself, complimented me on my fine craftmenship and told me they looked almost real. But the real reason Gata wanted to find me was to ask me to stop making flowers for people to give to him because although the sentiment was fine there was really no value of keeping toilet paper roses around and collecting more when eventually some cop would comein to shake down the cell and throw them away as contraband. so i aquiesced to her request. but to do this i needed to be paid off which Gata did. then as a joke after he/she got rid of the roses the others gave him/he Gata started to miss the color and look of having fresh flowers brightening up the institutional setting. so i made a rose with about a six inch diameter and about foot long with leaves hanging off the stem. i tossed the rose to him/her off the top tier and everybody cheered as Gata pretended to smell the rose.
just another day in prison where if you dont know how to laugh some things off you will go crazy.
