Donna vs Robyn

The security getting into the women’s prison was tight, but once you were in there, the prisoners were wandering around freely.

“Have we met before?”

Robyn was standing in line to see a medic or somebody to give her something. Donna had been sent over there to get something for her period pain. She was nervous. It was her first week on this posting for the Corrections Department. Donna held the lofty title of ‘Assistant to the Superintendent’, in Manolo Women’s Prison, but really this meant making coffee and updating prisoner record cards and filing. The record system consisted of small cards, filed alphabetically, with handwritten notes. The white cards were for ‘lifers’, and every other card was yellow. Donna knew all the acronyms from working in head office. CSO - Community Service Order, NPP - non-parole period, WR - Work Release, to name a few. On each card was the name, offence and date and sentence details. The cards got sent back and forth between head office and the prisons. As the prisoner was released into parole, their cards got sent to head office for filing in the ‘Released’ section. Often, and sadly, the card would be retrieved and sent back out to a prison when the person reoffended. The record cards became tattered, with many different handwriting styles to note each new offense, additional cards stapled on, a 4cm by 6cm document of a life incarcerated.

When Donna came to work at Manolo, she already knew about some of these women. She knew Robyn from high school though, which they’d only finished few years before.

Donna felt familiar the rush of adrenaline shooting down to her legs. She always figured this must have been the biological response to run, quick, away from danger. Instead, she stood up tall and faced her tormentor with a confidence she didn’t realise she had.

“Hi. Robyn. Yes you know me, remember. Beverely Heights High School? I’m Donna. We were in the same year.”

“Oh yeah. So what are you doing here?” Robyn looked confused. You would have thought the lack of prison greens on Donna would have made it obvious she wasn’t serving a sentence.

“I work here, in the office. For the Super. You?”

“Oh. Er…I’m in here”.

Donna didn’t feel the need to ask why. In that moment she felt that life had caught up to Robyn and taught her a lesson she desperately needed. She checked Robyn’s card when she got back to the office. A string of drug and theft offences. That night, feeling both smug and a little unsettled that she could well run into Robyn again, Donna got out her old diary from Year 8.

Tuesday 7^th February, 1978

Dear Diary

I’m dead. Today Sharon pulled me up on the library stairs. “Robyn wants to fight you” she said. I didn’t think it would come to this. I know I’m not in her group anymore, after what happened last year. She’s been giving me dirty looks since we got back to school, and last week she started shoving me every time she saw me in the hallway or on the stairs. I think she’s cottoned on to the fact that Jenny isn’t here to defend me. Sharon told me the fight will be one day after school next week, but she hasn’t decided. Wednesday after sport probably. So now I’m shitting myself. What do I know about fighting? I suck at everything physical, even netball. If I can’t get away from a wing defence, how am I going to dodge Robyn? She’s taller and heavier than me, and there will be no umpire to call an obstruction and tell her she is less than 3 feet away. I don’t know what I’ve done to piss her off so much. Like it wasn’t even my fault, that getting busted smoking in the toilet thing. It was Robyn who told a teacher, not me. They dumped me after that, and I had no friends for ages. Maybe she’s jealous? Like she is in all the bottom classes and of all the girls in our form, she’s not exactly pretty if you catch my drift. Not that I am either, diary, but she sure seems to hate me. I can’t concentrate on anything now. All I can imagine is getting punched up by Robyn, and all her friends and everyone else laughing at me and cheering her on.

Wednesday 8^th February, 1978

Dear Diary

Word is getting around. Lisa and Tanya told me everyone is talking about it. Of course they are right, and I can tell by the way everyone is looking at me. I am sure the whole school is on Robyn’s side. I am getting suss on Lisa and Tanya. Tanya especially. I saw her talking and laughing with Sharon in the quad at the end of recess, which was really weird. Like those two haven’t been friends since primary school. I can tell Lisa is confused too, she doesn’t know what to do. She is trying to be nice and told me not to worry, but that’s easy for her to say. It’s no fun being on the receiving end. Like it’s not like I’m not anything special, not like Jackie Green. That girl is the prettiest girl in the year and she copped it bad last year when we decided to put Vaseline in her long blonde hair. It took her forever to wash it out. Robyn dared us and as usual, I was trying to impress her. When I get the guts, I’m going to apologise to Jackie. That was shit what we did to her. Today I managed to get out of sport again. PE is the only subject we are not in graded classes for, and of course Robyn is with me. She loves sport, especially touch, cos’ she gets to push everyone around and Mr O’Dowd ignores it. He got real awkward when I told him it was that time of the month, cramps sir, but he still made me go and watch. On the walk back to school Sharon told me Robyn wants to fight me next Wednesday. A bit after 3pm, Gosling Park. I have 7 days to work out what to do.

Thursday 9^th February, 1978

Dear Diary

Everyone is looking at me now and I’m pretty sure they are thinking sucked in serves you right for being a bitch to Jackie and all that other dumb shit you did with Robyn and her group. I can’t ask a teacher for help cos you just don’t do that, especially me. I already have a reputation and I know they think I’m a troublemaker. After dinner tonight I asked dad for help. I haven’t done that ever before, and I was a bit shocked at what he said. I thought he’d say he was going to ring the school, like he’s a lawyer and that. But no. “I am going to teach you how to box Donna, and you can stand up to this girl”. We then went out into the garage and he moved the Cortina out into the driveway. He made a space and found some of old boxing gear from his school days. He told me he was a pretty good boxer back then. We did some basics – keeping your fists up to protect your face, a bit of shadow boxing and he showed me how to jab and throw a right. Mum was curious about what we were doing and I don’t think she approves. I’m really nervous and I hope I can get to sleep.

Friday 10^th February, 1978

Dear Diary

I told Lisa and Tanya that my dad was teaching me how to box during 1^st period English with Mrs Weekes. Her classes are boring as batshit and we are always getting in trouble. One day she asked us to go stand on the wall outside the room so we attached our uniforms onto the high bag hooks and stood on the bottom rung of the low bag hooks, so we were literally standing on the wall. God she was mad. We got detention for that. Anyway, Lisa and Tanya were surprised about the boxing thing cos they know how straight my dad is. By recess, the rumours were flying around the school. Abigail and Susan came up to me and asked about the private boxing lessons I was having, snickering as though it was the dumbest thing they’d ever heard. They wished me luck and disappeared into the stairwell. I spent the day trying to lay low, which is harder than you think in a girl’s high school with 700 students. Tonight, dad is going to teach me some more punches and a combo. He is going to come home a bit early from work so we can do it before dinner. I’m still feeling nervous, but I’m glad I don’t have to go to school for two days. 

Saturday 11^th February, 1978

Dear Diary

Mum work me up early vacuuming around my bed. It’s her way of saying get up and help me with the housework, I think. Of course Stephen just gets to lie in and be a slob before he starts studying for his HSC. It’s like he’s a god or something and that really shits me. Mum waits on him hand and foot. He doesn’t even make his own bed. Jenny is at her friend’s house again. She gets to do everything now she’s 16. She’s even been going into town to Maxy’s Manhattan Roller Disco. Lisa asked me to go to Roselands today but I don’t want to run into Robyn. She basically owns that place and if she’s not in the Food Court she’ll be on the Rooftop. So I stayed at home and had a go at making that skirt we have to do for a sewing assignment. I got the same Hawaiian material as Lisa, and we are going to wear it to Roselands this Thursday night when Leif Garrett is doing like an appearance thing at the Raindrop Fountain and singing a song from his new album. I’m not so sure now though. Robyn could give me a black eye and I won’t want to show my face anywhere. Mum helped me with the skirt and it turned out pretty good. Dad and I did some more boxing this afternoon. I learnt a 5-punch combo. Two left jabs, a right, a left uppercut and a right hook. Dad said even if I get that hook in I should be okay. But Robyn’s a bit taller than me, so I don’t know how that’s going to work.

Sunday 12^th February, 1978

Dear Diary

I woke up this morning feeling real sick. Everyone – except for my brother of course – went out for the day. I lay on my bed and read my book. The first book I’ve ever read actually, cover to cover. It’s called “Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth and Me”. It’s about a girl Elizabeth, who has no friends, before she meets Jennifer. Jennifer reckons she’s a witch and says Elizabeth can be her apprentice. She gives her all these assignments to do – like eat a raw egg every day for 7 days and bring me a boiled one – stuff like that. The assignments get weirder and weirder and in the end Elizabeth works out they are just a test, and they become normal friends. I think Lisa is my best friend ever. She actually asked me if I needed a friend after Robyn kicked me out of the group last year. I wish she wasn’t so quiet and shy though. I sometimes think she’ll get taken away by the popular girls and I’ll be alone again. Dad and I did some boxing when they got home from nan and pops. He told me I was getting the hang of it, and we worked on some ducking and weaving. Pretty sure this will come in handy. I’m laying on my bed listening to dad and Stephen watch the footy. I swear dad is going to have a heart attack the way he carries on. “Up the mighty Berries” they scream at random intervals. My stomach is still churning. Wednesday is getting closer.

Monday 13^th February, 1978

Dear Diary

Robyn wasn’t at school today. Tanya was away too. Maybe they jigged? Everyone seemed to be talking about Leif Garrett and not the fight. That was a relief. I tried to concentrate in class but that was hard. Mr Stolzenhein was wearing patterned underpants under his cream slacks and all the girls in the back of the lab were laughing at him. He was writing the experiment up on the board and his bum was wiggling away. God I hated him. Last year he threw a duster at me for talking in class. I think he hates me too, even though this year I am trying to turn over a new leaf. It’s two more sleeps til D-day. Dad and I had a longer session tonight. I think this is the most time I’ve ever spent with him in my life.

Tuesday 14^th February, 1978

Dear Diary

Happy Valentines Day. All the girls were making cards for each other today and some got single roses. I don’t really get why, cos we’re not lesbians. I came face to face with Robyn in the toilets at the wash basins during period 5. She looked me up and down with a sneer on her face. “So I heard you are learning to fight?”

“Yeah.” I mumbled

“Good then. I can’t wait to bash the shit out of you tomorrow you dumb mole.”

The rest of the day was a blur and I can’t even remember what classes I had. I told Lisa what happened on the way home and all she did was look worried. When dad got home I told him. He used that calm voice he always used (except for when he gets the shits with Mum for doing too much shopping at Bankstown Square) and said “You just have to stand up to her Donna. If you don’t, she’ll never leave you alone.” So that was it. We did a bit of boxing after that. “Just remember that right hook.”

Wednesday 15^th February, 1978

Dear Diary

7:00am: I’m writing this now as I am SOOOOOO SCARED. It’s today. Wish me luck. My dad left early for work so I didn’t get to see him, but I am trying to keep his words in my head. Stand up to her. Try to get that right hook in.

4pm. Diary, you have no idea what happened!!! The day went forever. I spent it looking at the clock and not much else. When 3pm came around I was almost relieved. I saw a whole bunch of girls leave the front gate and they started milling around a little way down the road. I spotted Robyn in the middle of them. I thought they would all be laughing and carrying on, but they were quiet and Robyn had a real serious look on her face. Lisa and I hung back for a bit, then started to walk behind them. Gosling Park is about then minutes away, so no teacher was going to see anything. Robyn had about nine girls with her, and I had Lisa. We didn’t really say anything. I was trying to remember what Dad said. I tried to walk a bit taller and pretend I was okay. Sharon turned from Robyn’s group who were about 20 metres away and started walking towards us. I had no idea what she was doing.

“So Donna. Robyn’s calling it off. The fight. She doesn’t want to fight you anymore.”

“What?” Lisa and I said at the same time, like stunned mullets.

Everyone kind of left then and went home I guess. Lisa and I stopped at the shop and bought paddle pops, still not saying much.

I couldn’t believe it diary! I mean why? Was she scared? Did she think I was going to embarrass her with my new boxing skills? I am looking forward to seeing dad when he gets home. I still can’t believe it! I’m going to ring Lisa now so we can talk about it.

Thursday 16^th February, 1978

Dear Diary

I am writing in the morning again as I don’t think I’ll get to writing tonight. We are leaving school at lunchtime to get a good spot for Leif Garrett tonight at Roselands. Lisa has finished her skirt, so we will be twins which is cute! He isn’t on until 6pm but nobody cares. We are going to get some Chinese first from the Four Corners Food Court. I’m going to get sweet and sour pork and Lisa will probably get crispy chicken like she always does. We’ll share some fried rice and prawn crackers too. We have our autograph books ready. I can’t wait!

Donna remembered it all vividly, especially the way the mere sight of Robyn’s face would reduce her to an anxious mess. Today though, she felt good, as if a wrong was righted. She pondered what her next encounter with Robyn might be and made a mental note to carry her own paracetamol in future.