AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“For your shower.”
“I already had a shower.”
She points to the door. “This is a bath.”
“I’ll just undress in there.”
“This isn’t the spa,” she tells me, and then I watch as she pulls a small device from the belt around her waist. “Have you ever been tased, Mrs. Anderson?”
I shake my head.
“Well, I assure you, it’s far less pleasant than taking off your clothes. Something I’ve heard your quite good at.”
So, I guess not that frail at all. I hate to be wrong.
“Welcome to your first ice bath.”
“I’m not allowed baths on account of the surgery.”
She smiles widely. “Your physician has okayed it.”
I peel my hospital gown off and let it fall to the floor.
“I see they haven’t helped you out up top.” She laughs. “Don’t you worry, love. I’m sure that will be next.”
We stand there for a long time, waiting. For what, I haven’t a clue, but eventually the door opens. It’s a tiled room with nothing but a round porcelain tub in the middle. “Well, go on,” she says.
I walk slowly into the room. The chill hits my bare skin immediately. There are few things I dislike worse than being cold.
“In you go,” the woman says, ushering me into the full tub. The water is frigid. “It’s temperature controlled,” she tells me. “Good for inflammation. Good for healing.”
I bring my knees into my chest and huddle into a ball.
They will not break me. They will not break me. They will not break me.
Buckets of ice are lined against the wall. One by one, she pours them over my head. I could put up a fight, protest even a little. But I’ve heard the cracking that takes place down the hall where “Screaming Shelia” resides. I’ve seen her in casts. In circle time, I’ve studied the patterns of her bruises. Suddenly, an ice bath doesn’t seem so bad. There are seven buckets total. I count each one as it’s poured over my head. The cubes pelt my body. I force my eyes to focus on the red welts they leave up and down my arms and in places I can feel but can’t see.
“Your body is yo
ur temple,” the woman whispers. She shakes her finger at me. “You young ones, you never learn.”
The next time there’s a weigh-in, I come in under. I’m rewarded with a day at the rejuvenation center spa. I get my hair done, a massage, facial, mani-pedi, body wrap…I pretty much get it all.
The following morning after circle time, my advisor calls me in her office. I’m not surprised. I assume they’ve read the letter to my parents. I was looking for trouble, after all. Anything to ease the boredom. I figured they’d read it. This place is enough like prison, so it would make sense they’d read all outgoing mail. That was at least half the point. I just wish they’d found it sooner. I assume there’s a lesson in this. The ability to delay satisfaction is important in all manners of seduction. Make no mistake, this is why I’m here. And this is how I’ll get out.
“Good news,” she tells me. My worries went unfounded. “You’ve performed very well lately.”
I nod.
“With the shock therapy. With your weight loss.” Her smile widens. “Your latest scores are excellent.”
She’s referring to our daily tests on the agreement and the code of honor. “In fact, yesterday you earned a perfect score…”
“That was only yesterday?”
She cocks her head. “Are you having trouble keeping track of your days?”
“No, I’ve just been busy…reading and studying…you know how time can get away from you.”
