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The Reprove

The Reprove

Question nothing, especially everything in this matrix.
•••
I thought I was done for, I've been put through my paces, everyone here has, "it's discipline," they say, working a big lie from the Mein Kampf's propaganda. A logical fallacy that proved true and colossal altogether.

I straightened my gait as Trina paced along the aisle. The morning wake was always hard, particularly for Amina, our hilarious hijab, I lowly cussed, we'd missed startling her like we always did. Laura nervously bit her lower lip confirming our impending damnation.

"What do we have here!" Trina jested, "sleeping beauty remembered her morning prayers just as my bat hit her bed." Someone stifled a laugh as Amina clumsily picked herself up from the ground.

"Madam, I really was...I...uhm," she stuttered, sweat trickling down her tangled hairline.

"Save it! You, you and you, stay behind, as I bring this to Euna's attention." She hit her bat against the metallic bed once again and we trembled, she'd meant us, our entire cubicle. Everyone else was fazed, terrified of the gruesome punishment Euna would impute on us.

"What's holding you? I said get on your toes ladies! Or should I dress you up with some whopping?" She snidely announced. Everyone but us quickly cleared out, each in their sporting sweatpants and trainers. They set off for the two hour daily morning jog through the woods. We always took the same route and made way back to the barracks having encircled the deserted neighborhood arrayed with corporals at every turn.  It was a much needed exercise they'd said, I humbly begged to differ, it was tedious and excruciating. I recalled the words of the our Company Officer who'd made known these facts a week after induction.

"You'll all be taking daily thirty kilometer runs before breakfast without exemption, if you've got asthma or any other fancy respiratory disease, you'll deal with your heaving as best as you know how. You are not in this camp to slack, this exercises awaken your brains, keeps check the laziness of muscles and trains your bodies into being revitalized." I remember being depressed about that specific statute, running was the worst sport, I'd trade it all for hand and leg exercises with volleyball or netball.

"What the hell were you thinking answering back at Trina?! Maybe she'd have let this go if you'd have just apologized!" Laura angrily scolded Amina for her imprudent misdemeanor.

"Well, you should've woken me up!" Amina retorted tying her silky hair up in a messy bun.

"And do I look like your alarm clock!?" Laura yelled anguished, "hush it out you two!" I tried to quiet their banter. "All this bickering won't help the situation, we are already in trouble, we might as well stand strong and get through this!"

"Ugh! Shut up 37!" They both revolted. "What do you know about punishments? You've never gotten one." They argued and I said little of it knowing they were right.

"No ones shutting anything, what happened here? Why aren't you out jogging?"

"Case 3453, oversleeping and rough talk," Trina reported looping her arms before the sergeant whom she'd brought with her.

"Quick, get into your uniforms!" Euna demanded and we hurriedly undressed, changing into our khakis as commanded, all of us fumbling through the morning darkness.

"Which of you really overslept¿" Amina stepped forward her head downcast, abased. "Carry your beddings and follow me." She instructed.

"And you two come along, hurry I said! We don't have all day." I limped behind Laura trying to keep pace with the rest of them.

•••

An hour and a half had passed since Amina's incident, there was still thirty minutes left for all joggers to get back, shower and assemble at the dining hall for breakfast. I felt as if the incident was altogether a blessing in disguise, I didn't have to run through torture hurting my sore foot. Laura however was nearly exploding, she frowned over the fact that we'd missed special breakfast today.

"Poor things, I'm sure her Quran may not have reiterated what the Good Book says but those who don't work should not eat!" Trina resounded paraphrasing Euna's words. I sympathized with Laura, she always looked forward to days like this, bread with spread and sausages were her favorite, she'd always make a sandwich of them. Poor thing indeed.

"I swear Amina, next week you'll have to give me your halal piece, you can't keep doing this to me." Laura complained as her stomach grumbled.

We'd been hauled to the parade area, Amina was instructed to spread her sheets on the cemented pavement and lay in them all day. Laura and I were to stand at attention besides her head, each on either side of her shoulders as if watching guard. She'd been given her heavy woven sweater to tuck in her pants and keep warm. I knew at midday she'd be numb and sweltering beneath all those coverings but said nothing of it.  Laura and I were freezing from the chilly morning wind beating against our dry skin, we weren't allowed to say a word but Laura being loud couldn't stop whining. I rolled my eyes.

"You go ahead and sleep beauty, prince charming will awaken you with a good old kiss!" She begrudgingly complained of the exhaustion of standing straight all day.

"I said I'm sorry guys." Amina apologized, shifting beneath us.

It was now six, we could tell by the line of our fellow mates streaming from the dining hall.

"I bet I can go have my share and come back without Trina noticing." Laura grumbled.

"You'll do no such thing!" I warned. "We are obviously being watched by Trina."

"What are you? The corporal?"

"Maybe one day I'll become one but for now," I responded anguished. "You aren't going to put us into another fit!"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Laura said.

"What?"

"They are going to have the assembly here." She informed. I was just as irked, no wonder they had us positioned there, at the dead center where the flagpole bearing our national flag was.

"They'll be sure happy to make an example of us today. " I mumbled as a whistle resonated through the compound.

"Fall in!" Caprice yelled, as they all got into line matching, singing the infamous one's and twos, their clunky boots unsettling the dusty ground beneath them.

"Ebnatee al kalb! Allah s.w, this isn't fair, yakhthek." Amina cried, already tired of breaking her back laying flat on that hard pavement.

"What gibberish are you saying?" Laura looked down at Amina who wiggled about as if suddenly possessed. "Stop doing that, everyone's gathered around watching us."

"It's Arabic." I said. "What does that mean?"

•••
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