Chapter 3
They followed her quietly, all four almost fainting from exhaustion as she walked assertively onwards, knowing exactly where she was going. After 10 minutes of walking, they reached an elevator within the military complex. The entered and pressed the top floor, tapping on her foot impatiently as she stared at the family, unsure of what to say to make them feel comforted. They all stared at each other as well, wondering where this strange woman was taking them next. They had no time in this entire situation to comprehend what was really going on, and all of them severely needed a few hours of rest to even consider thinking clearly.
They followed her down a dark hallway, lit by only a few dim lights, which were blinking as she sauntered down. She reached a unit finally and typed in a password. The machine beeped rapidly at her as she took off her black leather gloves and pressed her thumb against it. The door clicked open and the device said in a robotic voice, “Welcome back, Ada.” The family glanced at each other, unused to this kind of advanced technology. She looked back at them and waved them forwards silently, and they quietly entered and looked around the space, mesmerized at seeing a house that wasn’t covered in Persian Carpets and intricate Arabian designs.
The apartment was large by any standards, it was provided for them by the government during their stay in the Middle East. The entryway dripped of affluence, but not in a boastful way. It had a sparkling granite floor and neatly framed and hung artwork; pictures taken on travels and a tasteful nude self portrait taken a few years back. With its open planned design, they could see right into the kitchen complete with stainless steel appliances and large island in the middle topped with marble. Huge windows looked onto the night sky, which started to illuminate a glow due to the sunrise. There were three doors, two leading to bedrooms and one to a shared bathroom.
Ada pointed to the left, indicating the family can stay there for the night. “Come, I know you’re tired. Please rest.” She said.
The family nodded at her, all still standing awkwardly at the front door, uncertain of what to do in this situation. They were in a stranger’s house, one that did save them, but the environment was still foreign to them- and they weren’t sure she wasn’t completely dangerous.
Ada stares at them, shuffling her feet, unsure of what to say to make them feel better. “Listen, I know it’s been really hard, and I promise I’ll try to help out as much as I can. We’re all still trying to figure out what’s going on, and I’ll tell you everything I know when I do know it. There are some people who may be… rude. But just tell me, and I’ll beat them up for you, okay?” She jokingly shook her fist at them, and Sharifa took a step back nervously, like she expected Ada to punch her at anytime.
Hassan spoke again, taking charge as the man in the family again, “Thank you, Ada. We will try to rest as much as we can.”
She nodded back at him, and continued, “Okay, I have some stuff I have to do. Military business.” She winked, “But I’ll get my friend to come talk to you tomorrow and take care of whatever you need while I’m away, okay?”
“Okay, see you.” Hassan said. She waved at them and exited the door as they shuffled aside to let her out.
“Look at this place, I can’t believe they provided such a huge place for military staff!” Suzan said, looking around after Ada left.
“Don’t touch anything, she’ll think we’re rude guests.” Sharifa said sternly.
“Mama, do you really think she’s just going to let us stay here? It’s big, but not enough for all of us. And who’s staying in that other room? Is that her friend she was talking about?” Sahar asked, looking at her mom.
“I don’t know anything right now.” Sharifa replied. “Just that I need my sleep. Come on.” She walked to the room Ada pointed to, and glanced at the large bed situated in the centre of the room.
As a form of respect and from not being able to be close to his sister-in-law, Hassan slept on the floor in some sheets and a pillow, the girls all slept on the bed, squeezing in tight with each other. All four members were still filthy from head to toe, but there was nothing they could do about it, and no change of clothes possible for them to change into, so all four fell asleep on the large bed in their dirty clothes, wondering what tomorrow would bring.
It was the afternoon by the time they all woke up, groggily looking around and wondering where they were. Sharifa was upset that she woke up so late, she was used to waking up at 6am every morning most of her life, and she glanced down at her apparel, completely appalled. “We all need to shower.” She said, looking at her family.
As she said this, the door opened, and a woman with a half-bald cut and red hair looked at them in amazement, still smiling but eyes wide. She was wearing the same attire as Ada the night before, black leather from head to toe- though she had no weapons on her. “Hello, I’m Gina!” She announced, blinking at all of them. “Wow, Ada is a terrible host, she stuffed all of you on this dirty bed. And you, why are you lying on the ground like that?”
Hassan sat up, his thin blanket falling onto the floor. “I can’t… er… sleep with the girls.” He explained, realizing she probably thought he was crazy.
“Oh, okay.” She said incredulously. She studied them, staring at their incredibly dirty bare foot from the lack of shoes from the night before and their muddied and bloodied clothes. “Ah, I’m going to have to call the maid to come and clean the sheets, they’re disgusting!”
Sharifa turned bright red, “I’m so sorry, we didn’t mean to dirty your sheets.”
Gina laughed, “Oh don’t worry about it, I know you didn’t mean to. Ada explained everything to me- how she found you guys alone in your village, completely overrun by those zombie creatures, I know it was hard for you.”
There was no response, and Gina smiled again, friendly as ever, “Come, let’s go to the living room and talk more about what’s going on.” She waved to them and the family sat up, moving slowly as they followed her to the living room.
Gina studied them once more, “You must all be starving, let me make some food for you before you wash up.” As they sat on the couch awkwardly, she turned on the fan on top of the stove and cracked a few eggs in a pan. She then walked over to the toaster and put a few pieces of bread inside. She hoped secretly they would be fine with an Americanized breakfast. As none of them tried to make any conversation, and began speaking again, “So, what are all your names and how are you related?”
Hassan cleared his throat, knowing that none of them would want to reply, “My name is Hassan, this is my sister-in-law, Suzan, my sister, Sahar, and my mother, Sharifa.”
“What beautiful names! I’m Gina, as you know. I work as a scientist for the military, currently trying to figure out a cure for the virus, and Ada, my girlfriend, is a commander in the military, now part of the Middle Eastern region- that’s why we have such a nice apartment, you see.”
The family glanced at each other, shocked by the word ‘girlfriend’ but too passive to say anything. Gina wondered if they would be okay with it, but it was a passing thought as she continued, “So, tell me about yourselves.”
There was no response this time. Hassan expected someone else to reply, but all were too upset and shy to say anything, and the silence was so awkward it could be cut with a knife. “Ha. I guess you’re not in the mood to talk much.” She said, looking back at the pan and spatula in silence. After the egg was cooked, she placed it gently on the toast and walked over to the family with the plates, smiling at them still.
“Please, eat. I know you’re famished.” The family stared at the food like it was the most foreign thing they’ve ever seen in their lives. There was another moment of awkward silence.
“I’m sorry.” It was Sharifa that spoke this time, “I’m really not hungry, thank you for taking care of us, though.”
Gina frowned. “But you haven’t eaten since yesterday!” No response. She thought for a few moments before continuing, “I think I understand what’s going on. You must all still be traumatized and upset over what’s going on. It’s hard to remember sometimes because Ada and I have been working in the military for so long now this is an everyday thing for us, you know? It must be hard for you to think clearly- you might even still be feeling a fight-or-flight response, which makes it impossible for you to want to eat properly. Ah, I apologize for not thinking about how this must be feeling for you, and how strange the situation is.”
She shifted in her chair, “I just want you to know that I’m here for whatever you need, and Ada might be a little aloof sometimes, but she has your best interest at heart as well. I want you to treat this place like your home as well. And ask if you have any questions.” She placed her hand on Sharifa’s, looking at her with all the compassion she could muster.
Sharifa blushed, not used to a stranger being so forward with touch like that. “Thank you, Gina.”
“Do you know anything about the current situation with your loved ones?” Gina asked, concerned. She let go of Sharifa’s hand and glanced at the rest of them.
Hassan shook his head, “No. Do you have any updates?”
“I’m sorry, I do not. The thing is, the military is so caught up with the situation they have no time to make a head count. The amount of people currently living in the facility is rapidly increasing, and we’re trying to contain the spread of the disease as fast as I can so it doesn’t get out of the Middle East. The American government is so scared that it’ll get to North America that it’s trying to help-out as much as it can. That’s why Ada is so busy with her job now.” Gina explained the best she could, though she wasn’t allowed to share that much information with civilians.
“So, our husbands and children could be… dead?” Sahar asked, her eyes widened as tears started to form in her eyes.
Gina gasped and approached her, hugging her tight as she pet her scarf to comfort her, Sahar was shocked at first but let the embrace happen, sobbing into Gina’s leather jacket. “I don’t know anything, my dear. But I know you should never give up hope they’re still out there, searching for you. Little do you know, they might have a friendly military staff taking care of them right now, and they could be looking for you as well. Don’t give up.”
Sahar nodded, wiping her eyes as Gina moved back. “As a scientist, this is all we know right now. A few days ago, an experiment went wrong- we don’t know what they were trying to do exactly, but a lab that was okayed by the American government studied a virus they were afraid would get out. A crazy scientist decided that it would be okay to start studying people, testing the virus on that. No one okayed it, but he paid off a lot of people who were too poor to realize what was happening. The people infected by the virus went crazy- we don’t know a lot about it yet, but it’s bad. They escaped, and started to infect more and more people. Now all we can do is try to find a vaccine and contain it. We’re testing everyone that’s entering the facility.”
“You’re very smart.” Sharifa said, nodding at her.
“Hah! Thank you, ma’am!” Gina said, grinning. “You know what we should all do right now? A group hug!”
Before the family could object (as Hassan was not allowed to be touched by Suzan or Gina), Gina gathered them all together and hugged them tight, grinning and closing her eyes. “Doesn’t that feel better?”
The family looked at each other, uncertain of what to say but enjoying the hug none-the-less. They were unused to such touchy behaviour, but they were beginning to understand why North American people loved it so much. It gave a sort of intimacy and love that you couldn’t express properly with words. Soon, the family started to tear up, thinking of all the loved ones they may have lost and the ones they already have lost.
Gina moved back, smiling at them. “See, doesn’t that feel better? I told you everything will be better!” She tapped her foot, thinking. “But… there is one problem.”
“Yes?” Suzan asked, curious.
“You all stink! I thought it was bad from a distance but after all the hugging, wow it’s really bad!” She said loudly, laughing at herself.
The family looked down at their dirty clothes, embarrassed at how this was how they were meeting Gina, who had been so nice to them. “Come on, we’ll fix that in a second. We’ll change your clothes and then get in the shower one by one. Discard your clothes here and I’ll grab you new ones to wear- either mine or Ada’s- I’m sure you won’t mind.”
The family all looked at each other, none saying a word. They felt extremely uncomfortable immediately. “We cannot do that.” Sharifa said.
“Why not?” Gina asked, extremely confused. “Please be completely open with me and tell me what’s troubling you so I can accommodate you the best I can.”
“We are wearing hijabs and abayas. As part of our culture, we cannot take them off in front of a man. Because I am Hassan’s sister-in-law, he must not see my hair and the rest of my body.” Suzan explained the best she could to a foreigner.
Gina looked at her with an incredulous expression. “Wait, seriously?” She asked, looking at each one of them for confirmation. “I’ve never heard of such a crazy rule before! All of you are family, you all love each other, but you can’t show your ankles and hair to each other? Hassan is just a kid! What is he going to do? And even if he thinks of you in a weird way- it’s his fault as a man, not yours as a woman! Why do you need to cover yourself so crazy men don’t think of you like that?” Normally Gina would be more respectful of another’s culture, but none of this made any sense to her.
Suzan looked at all the family members, then said, shivering, “I can’t do it. It’s too shameful. I would be going against Allah and my traditions. I cannot expose myself to a foreign man.”
“It’s just skin and hair! There is nothing to be afraid of. Nothing will happen to you if you show your body. You have to, there’s nothing here that can cover you, and you can’t wear these dirty clothes forever.” Gina was getting a little frustrated, and felt like she was scolding her children for their bad behaviour.
Suzan covered her body with her arms, a defensive posture against the rest of them, she was feeling incredibly unnerved. “Please… I can’t.” She stuttered, staring at Gina with wide eyes.
Gina tsk-ed. “I show myself to men all the time, so do the rest of my society. No one has ever been punished by God because of it. And I’m here to beat up any guy that even dares lay a hand on you- or even looks at you funny. Hassan here isn’t going to do anything- he’s your family and he loves you.”
Suzan opened her mouth to speak, “No. No back-talking me anymore. I’m telling you you need to take the scarf off, and that’s what you’re going to do. Nothing is going to happen to you. I don’t know how many times I have to repeat this.”
Suzan stares at her, thinking for a few moments, still hugging her own body tight. She wonders how much the other two women will judge her, but they just look at her, not saying a word. At the end, she nodded, and took off her dirtied hijab and abaya slowly.
Hassan couldn’t help but stare at her. He’s never seen her hair and bare skin before, and was shocked at how she looked, though it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Just long, dark, straight hair and smooth peach-y skin just like her face. “Stop staring at me, Hassan. I’m already so uncomfortable.” Suzan said, ignoring him.
“Okay now, all of you go shower. I’ll clean your clothes for now and give you new ones to wear as soon as I find them. Shoo!” She pushed them towards the bathroom and walked back to gather the hijabs and abayas. She then knocked at the washroom door, asking Suzan to pass her the rest of her clothes. After throwing them in the laundry box, she walked to Ada’s drawers, picking up Ada’s clothes to give to the family. As Suzan is the first in the shower, she hands her the clothes of her choosing then hands the rest to the two women. She then called Hassan, whispering to him as the girls head to the shower as well.
“Hey… I need to talk to you about something.” Gina said, scratching the back of his head.
“Yes?” He asked.
“We don’t have any clothes for guys here, just me and Ada’s clothes, is it okay if you wear one of ours for now?” She asked, a little awkward about it.
He stared at her, shocked. “I can’t wear women’s clothes!” He said, trying to sound assertive. “I am a man, that would be extremely embarrassing for me.” If his father or brother knew about this, they would disown him. He couldn’t imagine wearing women’s clothes in front of anyone, and knew that it would be extremely emasculating.
“I promise it won’t make you any less of a man, we’ll all know.” She laughed, not understanding why he was being so dramatic about it. “C’mon look. This outfit isn’t even that bad, it’s plain anyways, just a bit of a v-neck. No one will even notice if they don’t look closely. You’re lucky you’re so tiny, you’ll fit in them just fine.”
He glanced down at the clothing she handed him, thinking about it. “Are you sure no one will notice?”
“Yes. Ah! All of you are so hard to persuade!” Gina yelled indignantly.
“Okay, okay. I’ll do it.” Hassan finally agreed, blushing.
“You’ll also need to change your underwear.” She said, looking down at his piss stain. His blush darkened as he realized how obvious he was that he had peed himself the night before. “Do you want to go commando or wear one of my panties?”
He stared at her. He couldn’t believe she was asking him that question after just meeting him an hour ago. This was incredibly forward for a woman to ask a man, a question that only a wife should ask her husband. And she was only asking him because she knew he soiled his own pants from being so scared! This was not how a man could act! He wanted to hide in a corner and never see her again. He could barely muster a word out of his mouth. “Ah… sorry. I’m just trying to help out as much as I can. I know you feel awkward. Please, treat me like family.” She slapped him on the back, giggling, “And I’ve known a man or two in the military from my day that have soiled themselves when they were put in their first battlefield. It’s nothing to worry about, I’ve seen guys pee themselves all the time!”
She handed over the panties to Hassan, who folded it between the shirt and pants and turned to the bathroom, not saying a word. He passed his family as he entered, hoping they didn’t hear any part of the exchange.
After he showered, he exited to find them all sitting on the couch, with Gina still chatting away at them. “Oh, you’re done! Great. You all look so much better now. Not all gritty and muddy anymore and with brighter coloured clothes.” She laughed, “Sorry, didn’t mean to make fun of your outfits before.”
“Thank you for the new clothes.” Suzan said, still feeling insecure about exposing herself to Hassan but feeling a bit better after a warm shower.
“Do you think you can finally manage some food?” She asked them. Sharifa nodded, feeling better herself.
“Okay. The eggs I made already got cold, let’s get some proper food down you. We’ll go to the cafeteria and see what they’re serving you today.” She explained, getting up and heading to the door.
“We can’t.” Sahar said, looking down at her body.
“Why not?” Gina said, getting a bit impatient again.
“There are men outside, and they can’t see us without our hijab and abaya.” She explained.
“Come on!” Gina said, “Okay why don’t I grab some hoodies and you can cover your hair that way? Your stuff is still in the wash.”
“That should be okay.” Sharifa said, not wanting to inconvenience her more.
“God damn your culture has so many rules.” Gina said, not believing how they could possibly hide their bodies from all men at all times. After they put on their hoodies, she nodded at them, “Okay, let’s go.”
The women and Hassan followed her once more, going down the elevator to the ground floor and out to another part of the military complex, one that was filled with military staff grabbing their lunch for the day. Men and women in uniform gathered trays and followed a cue as they picked up the food they wanted and sat to talk to each other, all very rowdy and loud with their co-workers. The cafeteria itself was a large room, filled with bright fluorescent lights and a tall ceiling, modeling normal American school lunchrooms.
The family glanced around, taking it all in once again. It was intimidating not just being with all Americans but also with all military individuals, a lot of them holding weapons on them as they ate their food in large bites. As Gina glanced around for a table to sit at, her pocket started to vibrate and she picked her phone up, holding a finger up to tell them to wait.
“Hello? Yes. Okay. Thank you for letting me know. I’m coming immediately.” She hung up the phone and looked a them apologetically. “Sorry, I’m being called into work so I won’t be able to follow you any longer. Listen, all you have to do is line up and grab the food you want and pick any seat. Ada’s sitting right over there so you can ask her if you need any help, okay?” Before they could say anything, she waved at them and ran off, out back into the hallway.
They family stared at Ada, hoping she would make eye contact, but she was talking to a co-worker, huddled and speaking intently to them. They decided not to disturb her and pick up the food for themselves. “Hassan, go on then.” Sahar said, shooing him forwards.
He nodded, extremely embarrassed but doing it anyways because it was his duty. They followed him as they picked the food up and dumped it on their plates, walking slowly in the cue as they picked out what they wanted to eat. They could feel a few glances at them as they walked by. They were the only non-whites in the cafeteria, and they could tell people weren’t used to that either. It seemed only military personnel who lived in the complex were allowed to have food at this cafeteria, and they knew people weren’t okay with them, but no one said anything. Hassan could feel his heartbeat racing, he assumed someone would be coming up to them at anytime.
He saw a few people in front of him showing their cards to the cashier in the front, and gulped, realizing he didn’t have a card himself. “Hi.” The cashier said, staring at him as he reached the front of the line. “ID?” He asked.
“I don’t have one.” Hassan said, looking back at his family, worried.
“You’ll have to pay for the food if you don’t work here.” He said, looking Hassan up and down. It felt like he was stripping Hassan from head to toe, and Hassan felt like he wanted to run away and never come back. He almost forgot about the food completely.
He didn’t say anything, and continued holding the tray, shaking slightly. “Well?” The cashier asked.
“We live here now. We just don’t have IDs yet.” Hassan said, attempting to argue.
“I’ve heard that before. Shoo, leave the food here.” The cashier said, crossing his arms. Hassan sighed, leaving the food as the three women followed him. They stood at the side, looking at one another.
“What do we do now?” Sahar asked, looking at everyone.
“I don’t know.” Hassan replied.
“Ah! I wish you were more assertive Hassan. If papa was here we’d be eating by now.” Sahar said.
“Stop shouting at him all the time!” Suzan said. “It’s not going to help the situation.”
“Oh no.” Sharifa said, looking onwards. All three of them immediately stopped arguing and stare at the guards that were now walking at them in a confident stride.
“Hello, we’ve been called about a disturbance in the cafeteria?” The first guard said, staring at them. His arms at his side, close to his gun.
None of the family members reply, and they huddle closer, all scared.
“You have no place here. This is for American residents only, not dirty Arabs. You go where you belong in the citizen area. How did you even escape from there?” The second guard asked, preparing to strike if he had to.
“God you all smell, go back to where you came from.” The first guard continued. The second guard laughed, and gave him a loud high five. “C’mon, let’s go.” He reached forwards to grab Sharifa on the arm, and stopped abruptly as he heard a clearing of the throat.
“And what in the absolute fuck do you think you’re doing?” Ada asked, staring them down.
The guards both turned to look at her, confused at how someone could be speaking to them in that fashion. “Who are you? Do you want to get arrested?” The first guard asked, deliberately reaching to his weapon again.
“I’m Ada, commander of the biohazard maintenance division, you know, the new special services created to get rid of the zombie apocalypse?” She crossed her arms, judging them in the best way she could. She was wearing a fresh new outfit, demonstrating that she was, in fact, a commander of the army with badges littered throughout her attire- though it was flexible enough for her to attack anyone that dared to attack her.
“Who cares what you are? There’s fucking Arabs in our cafeteria and it’s our job to get them out.” The first guard said, though the second looked a little wary.
“You don’t fucking talk to people like that, especially when you’re part of the army and need to protect people as part of your job. You are not allowed to use your power to treat civilians like that. Do you understand me?”
“How dare you talk to us like that? I’ll teach you a lesson, girl.” He replied as he walked over to her, picking up his baton and he grinned. Before he could do anything though, Ada spun quickly and bent his arm backwards. He screamed out loud and dropped the baton onto the ground. She kicked him quickly in the nuts as he screamed out again, holding his balls as she turned around and locked her arm around the second guard.
“Stop, stop, I yield!” The second guard yelled, and she let him go as he ran out the cafeteria, dragging his friend with him.
The commotion made the entire cafeteria stare at them, all the way from low ranking soldiers, cleaning staff that had housing supplied to them, to some commanders from the top of the army. Ada looked around at all of them, crossing her arms as her blood boiled. “I’m Ada, commander of the BM department, and I rescued this family from their home because there is a fucking zombie apocalypse happening right now and we’re all trying to help civilians as much as we can. If any of you act towards them, or anyone else, in a racist manner just because of how they look, you can believe I’ll be punching you deep in the balls as well, do you understand? These people are under my care, and you treat them with respect.” She announced to the crowd, who stared at them in complete shock.
Though touched and shocked by Ada saving their lives again, the family became incredibly embarrassed at being exposed to the entire crowd like that. Almost everyone in the American army in the Middle East now know of them and who they are, and are sure to judge them in anyway they can from now on, no matter what Ada said. Hassan was in shock at how well she could battle, even against two men who were twice her size. He couldn’t believe someone could be that strong. “Come on, lets go.” Ada grabbed Hassan on the arm and drags him forwards, back towards the cashier as they stand face-to-face again.
“Where’s their fucking food, asshole?” She said, looking at him dead in the eyes.
He pointed shakily at the four plates of food sitting where they had just left it. “I’m sure you heard what I said- this family is with me and gets their food for free whether you like it or not.” He nodded, not saying a word as he shoved the food forwards, gulping a few times.
She nodded at the family as they picked up their food once more and follow her to her table, which was now empty. None of them speak as they shove the food in their mouths, eager to eat for the first time in a day. Hassan looked up at Ada a few times as he ate, wondering what she was thinking at his cowardness.
When they were finally done, she spoke to him directly, reprimanding him, “Hassan, you were so good last night with the gun, and now this is the second time someone has taken advantage of your weakness. That’s not okay with me, and it shouldn’t be okay with you.” She felt like a mother scolding her child. “You’re too much of a pushover.”
He blushed, fidgeting in the underwear Gina had given him to wear, “I’ve always been afraid of being judged and standing up to people… and now I have to because I’m the man of the family.” He looked down, ashamed.
“I am responsible for you now, I won’t allow you to be so weak. Next time this happens, I may not be here to help you- and you could be in serious trouble. You need to learn how to tell people how you really feel, okay?” He nodded, agreeing he would try, “And the rest of you, just because you’re women, you shouldn’t expect a man to do everything for you. You stand up for yourself as well, because not every man can read your mind, and you have your own voice to speak out about what you want.”
They all nodded at her, normally they would be shocked at someone telling them what to do, especially when it’s so against their culture, but this was different. They were in the middle of the world coming to an end and this woman had already saved their lives twice. She didn’t have to do that- in fact, she was commanded not to by her superiors, but she did anyways because she cared for people. This meant that anything she had to say was for their own good, and they should take her advice as much as they possibly could- for her to still care for them and for their own wellbeing.
“I dislike weakness and docility, and what I hate about the Eastern culture is how docile women can be. You depend on others to take care of you and forget how to take care of yourself and have a voice to speak out loud. It doesn’t make sense to me.” She shook her head in sadness as well as anger. “It was like this for women before in the Western countries as well, but not anymore. I’m a woman and a commander of a division of the army and hundreds- no, thousands of men respect me and follow my orders because I’ve been deemed good enough to do so to save lives. You could do the same as well if you found a voice.” She explained her point of view the best she could.
The women nodded at her, understanding where she was coming from and realizing they didn’t always have to rely on Hassan or any other man to talk to others for them, “Anyways, enough of this talk. I need to talk to you about something serious.” They looked at her curiously, “You are going to have to attend therapy to properly deal with the depressive episodes you’re going through. What you went to yesterday was an extremely traumatic experience, one that no one really goes through in their lives. Gina and I can do the best we can in trying to help you, but we’re no professionals.”
“Therapy? We don’t have that where we live.” Hassan explained.
“You don’t know anyone that’s seen a therapist? How do people deal with mental illness?!” She exclaimed, then shook her head, “Never mind, it’s mandatory, and you’ll be starting tomorrow morning, and that’s that.” She stood up, indicating that they should as well. After they place their trays down in the cleaning area, she looked at them up and down, thinking.
“Okay, I see Gina got you all cleaned up, that’s good.” She nodded, “I have more work to do, there’s a lot going on right now in the military. So I’ll let you do whatever you want to do for the rest of the day, though I suggest staying in the room just in case someone bothers you again.” They nodded at her. “I’ll go change the security so you don’t need a fingerprint to get into the apartment- just the password- it’s 2279. I’ll see you tomorrow morning, okay?” She smiled at them and headed to the door, leading them down the hallway and pressing the elevator for them to go out.
“Bye bye for now!” She waved as she left them alone for the first time in a while.