I squat down near the pots of warm water, feeling the steam rise off. The steam alone feels remarkably easing to the tension that’s crept into my muscles. A small rag hangs over the side of one of the pots. My hand dips the washrag deep into the water, saturating it completely and bringing it to my skin. Vigorously, I scrub over the length of my body with the drenched cloth, submerging it several times more into the water, saturating it, and scrubbing away the rotten smells permeated into my pores from the prison nights before. Picking up the pot and tilting it over my head, the water showers over my body. As the water flows over my body, an unknotting releases from my muscles. I press my nose against my skin, hints of the smell still linger, but, the unequal factor is far better.
I throw the new clothing on, it is actually far cleaner than those worn by the residing dwellers beneath here. Shuffling on the new shoes, obviously previously worn with slightly tattered edges, I slide out of the stall, the hinges creaking as the door swings open. My feet pace across the concrete, over the same water I just used within the shower stall. The bathing water trickles towards a narrow five inch groove within the center. The concave depression runs through the middle of the tunnel, straight through their community where the children play nearby.
I throw the new clothing on, it is actually far cleaner than those worn by the residing dwellers beneath here. Shuffling on the new shoes, obviously previously worn with slightly tattered edges, I slide out of the stall, the hinges creaking as the door swings open. My feet pace across the concrete, over the same water I just used within the shower stall. The bathing water trickles towards a narrow five inch groove within the center. The concave depression runs through the middle of the tunnel, straight through their community where the children play nearby.
*This excerpt from chapter 10 is one of my favorites and somehow sentimental to me.
