Soldier Styles

Chapter 6

"You ready for some garden'in fun?"

Erin asks sarcastically, as she leans against the front door while I grab my gardening bag.

"Of course I am, you know how i just love gardening"

I mumble back as she opens the door and we leave my residence.

Today was one of our required community service days. Members of every township had to serve atleast one day a month, in retribution of the government. Usually the service was either gardening or trash clean-up or helping with recent construction. Gardening was probably my favorite of them, but still not a task i did happily.

The town's gardens laid alongside the park, spreading out over a square mile of land. The garden's mainly were greenhouses, with only a small amount of outside plots. When it came to the actual work, it was boring and neverending. Everyone was given a specific task to do while "servicing," and a specific place to start. Erin and I both started in the 18th greenhouse, and our job was to water the plants and crops. Once one greenhouse was done, we'd carry onto the next. We had to water 100 houses of plants, before we could finish. The high technology in the greenhouse would take your fingerprint when you entered, and security cameras were monitered to make sure you did your task. But atleast we could socalize at our own will.

Erin and I had actually built our friendship years ago while we went through this routine. It was our first year of servicing, and we were both the youngest in the group. I remember her little brown ponytail that sat on her head that day. She had a grey shirt on, that had a small flower patched to the left breast. Back than Erin was shy, she had been skiddish and barely spoke a word for the first ten houses or so. The older volunteers had been snobbish and refused to be kind to us newbies, so help came rarely. But the need for help was inevitable, and I soon came running to Erin for that. Even at the same age, Erin had been much taller than myself, and had no issue reaching the tallest plants to water. While I, small and petite, had to stand on my tip-toes only to reach the second to heighest shelf. Little Erin and little I compromised and I took care of her smallest plants while she did my tallest. And we still carried on doing that, now as high school graduates.

Drawing my thoughts from my mind and to the present time, Erin and I continued walking through the park, almost about arrive.

Crowds of teenagers and young adults seemed to ambuse the fields of greenhouses, trying to arrive on time to avoid punishment.

A few minutes later we had weaved ourself through the houses to find #18. We walk in the door and feel the natural heat and humidity blast us, along with a heavy smell of herbs and dirt. The fingerpad was cool and a small hum came from the machine before it accepted me and I went to work.

"Rora- God he was being so annoying, saying how I should intern at his building and shit. Ugh he knows I have absolutely no interest in his stupid banking business."

Erin complains about her dad, as we water our first round of crops. This house was full of spices and herbs used for cooking and medicines.

"Yeah, like DAD SHUTTUP I ONLY LIKE THE MONEY THAT COMES FROM BANKS, NOT THE ACTUAL BUILDING YOU DUMBASS."

I mock Erin loudly, and we both burst into laughter, retrieving looks from the other girls in the greenhouse.

"Well girls love money what can I say?"

She jokes, watering the top shelf while I do the bottom.

I open my mouth to speak but im interupted by the loud sound of the heavy glass door swinging open. I turn around expecting maybe a new round of workers ready to do the next task in 18, but instead an middle aged army man stands in the doorway.