And You Call Yourself A Christian by E. N. Joy

officer guiding the inmates into the building. Somehow it was now a female officer doing all the instructing. Where had Unique’s mind gone?
    Unique held her hands out, and the guard removed the cuffs.
    â€œNow go in there and take it off.” The guard nodded to the open doorway behind her.
    Unique slowly walked through the entryway and stood still.
    â€œLike I said, through the door and to your right,” the guard shouted to Unique once she saw that she was idle.
    Unique looked to the right before she stepped to the right. There were several female guards lined up, each of their hands covered in rubber gloves.
    At first, Unique didn’t know if they were doctors or what, but then reality set in, and she realized exactly what was about to go down.
    â€œCome on over here, sweetness, and let’s see what you’ve got—or hopefully what you don’t got,” a female guard joked, holding her gloved hands up. “Get over here and take off every thing.”
    â€œEverything?” Unique questioned.
    â€œYou heard me, honey. This ain’t your annual gynecology exam where you can take everything off but your socks. Those need to go too.”
    This nightmare of a dream just kept getting worse for Unique as she walked over and stood in front of the guard. She slowly removed her clothing.
    â€œNow bend over,” the guard instructed.
    Humiliated, Unique had stripped off her clothes. As if standing there without any clothes on wasn’t bad enough, the guard began poking, prodding, and lifting parts of Unique’s body that made her sick to her stomach; so sick that this time, the puke she’d been holding back for the past hour or so spilled from her mouth and down the front of her body.
    â€œJesus!” Thank goodness the guard had been standing behind her. “Darsey!” the guard called out, then the female guard who had removed Unique’s handcuffs appeared in the doorway. “Get somebody to clean this crap up.”
    The guard that had been summoned looked at Unique in disgust, shook her head, then exited the room.
    â€œI’m ... I’m sorry,” Unique apologized.
    â€œYeah, you’re sorry, you and every other piece of poop criminal in this place,” the guard replied. “Head on back to showers and clean yourself up.”
    Unique looked around through another opening where she saw showers. “Through there?” she questioned.
    â€œYou got a problem listening or something?” The guard stood erect and poked her chest out as if she was calling Unique out. “Didn’t you hear the instructions Officer Darsey gave you out there?”
    Without replying, Unique just turned and headed through the doorway and straight to the showers.
    â€œGeez, you stink,” she heard a voice say, then turned to see an armed officer standing in the front left corner of the room. “You need to hurry up for real and get in that shower.” Her nose was turned up.
    Unique took a couple more steps toward the shower, then she paused and looked over at the correctional officer. “Is there any soap?”
    â€œSure, there is.” Unique was relieved until the officer added, “But not for baby killers. Now get in that shower before I change my mind and leave you with your dinner all over you so that the rats can feast on you.”
    Baby killer. Those words had stung Unique. Obviously everyone was expecting and knew what the so-called baby killer looked like.
    Fear removed itself from Unique and allowed for rage to take its place. Hearing that officer refer to her as a baby killer made her want to go back to the hood of things like when she lived in the projects. She had to remind herself that she now lived in the Kingdom though. So with that she just walked on over to the shower, turned it on, and prayed that the water would wash away her anger and would wash away any remnants of fear.
    During that shower was when it really set in