Maragana Girl Ch. 25

"Very well, patient Dima. Once you are chastised, I will accept your apology."

Tiffany was next. The male guard looked at Kim, who instructed her client to stand up in English. The guard then took Tiffany's arm and led her to the head doctor. Tiffany knelt and looked nervously at Kim. Kim noticed the other patients were watching very intently, curious to see if she actually was going to apologize.

"OK. What you need to do is look at the doctor and say 'Doctor, I committed a transgression that I need to apologize for.' I'll translate."

Once Tiffany spoke and Kim translated, the Apprentice continued. "Now, say the following: 'I insulted you because I did not want to exercise last Thursday. What I said was in English, but I greatly dishonored you."

When Tiffany repeated Kim's words and Kim translated the statement to Danubian, she continued: "My second offense was to tell a lie because I wanted to deceive you. I did this in front of other patients, not thinking about your honor or anyone else's. I want to say I'm sorry for my behavior. I ask that I be appropriately punished for dishonoring myself."

As best she could, Tiffany stumbled over the long statement in English while her mentor translated. As soon as the other patients heard the translation, their expressions changed somewhat. They were very pleased that Tiffany was willing to accept the consequences of her scandalous behavior. She now could re-join the group once her punishment was over. The head doctor answered in Danubian:

"Very well, patient Tiffany. Once you are chastised, I will accept your apology and this incident will fade from our memories."

Kim's translation was "OK Tiffany, they'll drop this and forget about it after they whip your butt."

The guards led Tiffany and the alcoholic to the hospital grounds as the doctors and other patients filed behind. There was a pole located in the middle of a grassy area that had several metal loops welded to one side. Kim realized the pole was a whipping post.

The guards took out two sets of leather cuffs and attached them to the wrists of the culprits. Because he had only one demerit, the man would be punished first. However, what his punishment lacked in severity it more than made up with humiliation. Kim later learned he had entered the rehabilitation program voluntarily, because his wife threatened to divorce him if he did not stop drinking. He was an ordinary citizen with a good job and three children. Until recently he had led a respectable life, before his drinking got the better of him. Finally, on the verge of losing both his job and his marriage, he entered rehab. Now, here he was, a respected citizen with children, being cuffed naked to a whipping post for a stupid lie he had told earlier in the week. Kim noticed he did not really seem to be afraid, but it was obvious that he was horribly embarrassed.

The male guard handed the switch to his female partner and attached the patient's wrists to the pole. As was the custom in the National Police, the hospital rules stated that a person of the opposite sex should punish an errant patient in the rehab program. It was a humbling experience, especially for substance abusers who were married or had serious relationships.

The guard then told the man to spread his legs and arch his back. The patient sighed, but complied. The female guard positioned herself and tapped the man's bottom with her switch as he closed his eyes and waited for the first stroke.

The female guard struck hard, as hard as any police officer would have struck. Her victim gasped and turned slightly, but then tried to properly reposition himself for the second stroke. As soon as he was back into position, his bottom sticking out and his feet spread, the guard struck again. The patient gasped as sweat started collecting on his forehead. Once again the guard waited for her victim to reposition himself, and laid a third cruel stroke to the man's bottom.

Kim winced as the blows landed, but, having endured three full criminal switchings herself, she knew the patient's punishment was relatively mild. While it was true the strokes were every bit as hard as strokes issued by a police officer, there would be only five, which was something anyone could endure. Sure enough, the man made it through the fifth stroke without making any sound apart from his breathing. The guards released him and he rejoined the other patients. He tried to avoid rubbing the five red stripes across his bottom, but every so often he winced as his hands went over his backside. Still, he had made it through his punishment properly and gave Tiffany an example of how she needed to behave.

The guard glanced at Kim, who turned to her client. "Alright Tiffany, you're up." Tiffany shot a frightened glance at Kim as she got up off her knees. Kim gently squeezed her arm.

"OK. It's gonna hurt like hell, and it's supposed to. It'll feel like you're being cut open, but they won't do anything to hurt you for real. Now, one thing. Please...please try not to scream or cry if you can possibly help it. If you really want to get the respect of the other patients, you'll tough it out as best you can."

Tiffany nodded, but Kim could tell she already was on the verge of tears, even before the first blow was struck. Sadly she moved to the post and the two waiting guards. The female guard attached metal clips to the cuffs on her wrists and raised her arms to one of the higher metal loops. She clipped the cuffs to the loop and then tapped the insides of Tiffany's thighs with her fingertips to force them apart. She then put her fingertips on Tiffany's waist to move her backwards and have her bottom sticking out.

"You, American Tiffany. This how you stand, you listen me?"

Tiffany nodded, as a tear rolled down her cheek.

There were no preliminaries to the punishment. The female guard stepped back as her male co-worker positioned himself to whip Tiffany. He struck hard, hard enough to make all of the females in the group watching flinch in sympathy. Tiffany bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut, but did not make any noise. Kim was relieved, because she had been afraid her client might not endure a switching very well. Tiffany bent her knees slightly and moved her body forward. Kim admonished her in English.

"Tiffany, get back in position. The quicker you get your butt out, the quicker this'll be over."

Tiffany gasped and nodded. She shifted herself back out. The moment her bottom was flexed back into position Tiffany felt another searing blow across her exposed backside. Her eyes were completely filled with tears and her lip was getting bruised from her teeth biting down from the pain, but Tiffany was determined to not cry out.

Patient Tiffany Walker struggled to get herself back into position. The pain from the strokes was a horrible experience, and yet, deep down inside, she was happy this was happening to her. This experience: being tied naked to a whipping post in a foreign country, being subjected and beaten by people who did not speak her language...somehow filled Tiffany with a sense of relief, as though her soul had been contaminated and now it was being cleansed. Tiffany now realized how much she would be forced to turn away from everything she had been just two weeks before. The pain tearing into her drove that message home. This was real. Her life had changed and there was no going back.

As the pain mounted in her bottom from the increasing collection of reddish welts, Tiffany's mind focused on a single purpose in life...don't scream...don't scream. For the first time in a while she was able to forget about the selfishness, impulsiveness, and self-pity, as well as the resulting guilt and self-hatred, that had filled her thoughts for several years. At the same time she felt relief from having finally done something wrong, confessing to it, apologizing, and accepting the consequences. Tiffany was learning what it was to live a life in which each of her actions had consequences that were immediate and direct results of the things she had done wrong. She found that reassuring: considering that in her previous life the consequences for her actions came days or weeks afterwards, and usually in convoluted ways that never made any sense.

The punishment was over only about ten minutes after it began. Tiffany almost blacked out after the final stroke and her face was totally wet from her tears, but she had managed to not cry, to the amazement of everyone watching. The guards undid Tiffany's cuffs and released her. She fell into Kim's arms. Her tears wet Kim's shoulder and the sleeve of her blouse, but she still managed to stay quiet, even as the pain in her welts mounted. Finally Kim whispered into her client's ear.

"You did good. Really good, Tiffany. I'm proud of you."

"Really? You think so?"

"Yeah. You're gonna be OK. You're gonna get past all this, and then you'll have a life that's worth living."

Tiffany finally took her place in formation with the other patients. Kim knew, from observing the others and from her knowledge of Danubian society, that Tiffany had redeemed herself among the doctors, and more importantly, her peers. She could look forward to participating as a fully accepted member of the group during the activities the following week.

The final part of Tiffany's incorporation into the hospital program came a few minutes later, when she was fitted with a red fiberglass medical collar. The collar was a clear indication she was progressing with her detox treatment, because the doctors only collared patients who were past the danger of seizures and ready to fully participate in the program's busy schedule. Tiffany would spend a good portion of the following day sitting in a dental chair, but once her teeth were taken care of, she would begin a regimen of rigorous exercising to finish cleaning and restoring her body.

That night, as Kim got ready to leave, Tiffany showed correct protocol. She knelt properly, and, in spite of the pain from her welts and bruises, she crisply placed her hands on the floor and touched her forehead to the ground.

"Goodbye, until we meet again, Apprentice Lee."

"Goodbye, Tiffany. I'll see you next Sunday."