Nurse Gunderson took my wheelchair away from me this morning while I went down to breakfast. It’s unfortunate, I’d gotten used to the comfort of rolling around with a chair wherever I wanted it. There just aren’t any chairs in comfortable places here. Only the classrooms and cafeteria have them. Every other place we’re forced to stand. It’s horrible – it was so much better to be able to sit. It makes you feel better.

I wish she hadn’t taken it away today, because I had to speak again in group before lunch. If I’d still had the wheelchair I would have been able to stay sitting down during my recitation of the “proper presentation format.” It went more smoothly than I expected it to, at least up until the end. I aped all the things I’d heard the other inmates say, parroted off all the things I’d learned from the repetitive classes.

The only snag I had was on the Personal Encouragement section. I was about to sit down, hoping to skirt the thing entirely, when Dr. Cruizie shot me a look. I knew what it was about. I tried to get away with a lame mumbled “I have people who love me,” but it didn’t fly.

Dr. Cruizie. Sacha, we believe in personal responsibility here. If you depend on a Personal Encouragement like that, you’ll never learn to take matters into your own hands to solve your problems. Now, what else can you think of that gives you Personal Encouragement?

One of the things that I hate about Dr. Cruizie is that I can hear the capitalization in his voice when he says the buzzwords. He makes them sound like they’re eternal rules of the universe or something equally over-hyped.

Me. Um.

Dr. Cruizie. Sacha, you’ve done a good job today, don’t go messing it all up now. Please, tell us, what gives you Personal Encouragement?

I tried to think back to the things I’d heard other inmates say, but my mind chose this time to draw a blank. I usually space out during these presentations. So I just picked the first thing on my mind and ran with it. It seemed to me that this place wanted me to be the exact opposite of what I was, so I took what Jack and I had talked about, and reversed it.

Me. I believe it’s right for me to repay my debts. I know that everything I borrow I have to pay back, no matter what it is.

Dr. Cruizie frowned a little at this, it obviously wasn’t the answer he was expecting, but it seemed to satisfy him. He motioned for me to sit down. I did, with a silent sigh of relief.