Chapter 11 : The Past

"I agree to what Kate said," Unah stated. "Fighting back won't help. The people with powers and money are the superior, while the others are becoming slaves and victims of their cruelty," she added.

I can't believe what I'm hearing from them. It looks like they already accepted that Felghana is a cruel country because of its government.

"Casy, don't mind the student. Never again. It's not your obligation. Besides, God is here. He knows what is the truth," Dhaile said as she stands up. 

"Uhm, Unah, can I use your comfort room?" Dhaile asked.

"Oh yes. Just enter that way and you will see a blue door. That's the comfort room. The switch for the lights are inside," Unah answered.

"Thanks," Dhaile answered before leaving, but she came back to hand me her phone. 

"Hold this for a moment. It might fall when I bring that inside the comfort room."

I get her phone and she walks away. Someone from my left taps my shoulder. 

"Why?" I asked her.

"Just don't mind it okay?" Kate said.

"I'll try my best. I'm having a hard time forgetting what happened," I let out a sigh. 

Unah changes the topic by asking us how our job is doing. She shared what is the situation of her student's grades.

"I'm glad that no one of the students I'm handling will fail the 1st quarter," Unah shared to us.

"I already computed their lowest and highest possible grades and I found out that the lowest grade I can give is 82," she added.

"Woah. That's nice to hear. I bet you really a good teacher. You're students learn so much from you," Kate praised Unah with her words.

"That's nothing. Actually, my students are graduating that's why they are really eager to learn and to pass," Unah explained with a smile.

"I wish I have the same students like you. Students that are dedicated when it comes to learning. Hay," Kate said.

"Why? Are your students not listening to you?" I asked.

"Some of them, especially those students from the lower classes. I'm holding three low classes and two higher classes. It's really stressful you know."

"Well, I can't relate," I answered.

"Of course you can't. I heard all of your students are from higher sections. I feel insecure," Kate jokes. 

I just chuckle and get a pinch from my food. 

"Dhaile took so long in the comfort room," I said when I notice that Dhaile isn't coming back yet. 

"Just don't mind her. Maybe she has lots of things to remove from her body," Unah said while laughing silently. I also laughed when I understand what she is trying to say. 

Kate is just looking at us, confused. 

"Don't tell me you didn't get what Unah said?" I asked Kate whose eyebrows are touching each other.

"I really don't understand," she answered.

Unah and I look at each other for some seconds. We are not talking to each other but we understand what we mean. We burst out our laugh.

"I wasn't informed that Kate is slow," Unah said while laughing. Her words while speaking are being cut by her laugh. 

"Just tell me," Kate said while looking at us.

Unah whispered something on Kate's ears. 

"Ooh. That's what you are laughing at," she also burst out laughing when she already understand what's happening. "Feces," she whispered, but loud enough for me to hear it clearly. 

Our laugh filled the entire house. 

"Why all of you are laughing? Mind sharing it to me?" Dhaile's voice interrupted us. She walks towards us and sits on my right side. 

"It's nothing. Just some jokes from nowhere," I answered her question.

"Are you sure? Share it to me!" she exclaimed. 

"Don't be stubborn. Just forget that we're laughing earlier," I said.

She makes her eyes little like she is scrutinizing my mind. 

"Is it about me?" she asked.

"Of course not!" 

"Don't worry, Dhaile. It's not about you. We were laughing at Kate," Unah said. 

"Hu-" I cut off Kate's words before she could react by stomping on her feet.

"Ouch!" she shouted while enduring the pain. Oh my, maybe I stomp on her feet too strong.

"Are you okay, Kate?" Dhaile asked.

"Oh yes. My feet just hit the feet of the table," she answered. I looked at Kate and gave her a wide smile. She made a fake smile while giving me a "it-hurts-look". 

"By the way, before I forgot. The reason why we're here is that we're going to continue our interrupted talk," Kate reminded us.

"Oh, I almost forgot about it. Good thing you reminded us about that," Dhaile said.

"Okay, where did we stop that time?" I asked. 

"If I'm not mistaken, the last thing you said there is that the Minister is the one who will conduct the execution," Kate said.

"Oh right. Then let's continue," I replied. "The citizens are the one who will report if they saw a LGBT member in Felghana. Years ago, when I was still seven, my auntie was one of the people who suffered from that punishment," I added.

"Woah," Unah and Kate reacted. Dhaile just sit and do nothing. Of course, she knew about it at first. She is the first one who heard what happened to my auntie. 

"My auntie is hiding her real personality for almost her whole life. Until we found out that she is in a relationship with our lady neighbor. After they broke up, that lady reported to that Capital's police that my auntie is a lesbian," I started telling them the story.

"I hate that lady," Kate said. 

"Me too. She can just leave your auntie alone," Unah said.

"Yup. But she wants to ruin my auntie's life since that lady doesn't want auntie to leave her."

"Desperate," Unah said. 

"Okay. Then, of course the Minister that time ordered the Capital's Police to investigate about the report. But since that lady is rich, she was able to make the police go blind by showing money. Insteae of following the Minister's order, they arrested my auntie without investigating. Just like what happened to Mr. Cambri," I explained. 

"So what happened to Cambri is not your first time?" Unah asked.

"Sadly, yes," I answered. 

I stopped for some moment before speaking again. 

"During that time, lesbians were punisher by giving them 100 lashes. My auntie suffered that, but she didn't make it. Her body surrendered when the Minister is about to give her the 75th lash. She died that day," I told them. 

The entire house was filled with silence. I am looking at my feet but I can feel that the three of them are looking at me. 

Memories are going back in my mind. The blood from my auntie's body as the Minister gave her lashes, her cries and shouts everytime the lash hits her body. Those things makes me shiver all through my bones.