Part 3, Chapter 22 Summary

Elaine goes to Rikers Island to visit Jamel. She takes baby Tenea with her and boards the subway. She has a hard time remembering where things are since she has been away for so long. Everything has changed. The cigarettes are more expensive, food stamps are no longer coupons and subway tokens were a thing of the past. She hates going to Rikers Island, passing through the metal doors, taking her shoes off and being searched. However, she will not tell Jamel this. She loves him and wants to see him. Once inside, Elaine has to go through a few different waiting rooms and all the way to the back where they housed inmates in the "bing," where they spend 23 hours a day locked up for misbehaving. She is not sure what Jamel has done, but does not ask. She is...