2️⃣084: Volunteer No.2 - III 🤲🏿

There's a man in a hole.

But where?

He has no idea who put him,

there.

In the hole,

that is.

How could anyone come to be in a place such as this without someone else's help?

"Help." That's a peculiar word to choose. To describe the process of being put in a hole with nowhere to go.

How deep is this hole, you ask? Like 30 meters?

Maybe?

Could be more, could be less.

Actually, I've always been terrible at measuring distances. Please don't take my word for it. On American television, they'd always say to measure using the length of a football field. It's almost the same as the size of the pitch but a bit shorter.

How does that even work? People just know how long a football field is by looking at an open space? They assume everyone imagines football fields in their heads and knows precisely how long they are? Do all Americans spend enough time around football fields to always remember exactly how long one is and how long it looks? Do they teach it in American schools? Is that "The Eye Test" they're always talking about?

That's a lot of questions about how long American football fields are.

It's hot.

Why is it so hot.

Are you not hot?

It's so hot.

But where is the sun?

It feels like the sun is shining directly on me, but I can't look to see where it is. All I can see is what's right in front of me.

Cement.

What's to the left?

What's behind me?

Only what's in front of me.

I want to look behind me, but I can't.

Why are my feet not working?

Neck not working (either)

I'm here. (where?)

I can see.

think.

can't turn left.

i'm here

arms legs, feel them

sun

sun?

look up

Look up!

LOOK UP!!

🙄

The sun is shining, but I could not see it when I tried to look up (only cement).

It was like a hole. A very deep hole. The blue of the sky looked so far away.

Am I in the hole?

I'm the man in the hole?

Who's the man in the hole? Who brought this up? Why are we talking about a man in a hole?

[Who's we? 🤨]

It's just me.

Now.

I'm here.

I know I'm here even though I don't know where here is, and I can't look behind me (or to the left). I was able to look up, briefly. My eyes moved up, but it didn't feel like my head and neck moved (up).

This feels so strange.

never felt like this before.

thirsty.

lips starting to crack.

need water.

water?

WAaAaaaAAATERRRrrrRRRRRRR

Can anybody hear me? I want to scream, but I don't know if I actually screamed.

I'm trying to scream

PLEASESOMEONETELLMEYOUCANHEARME-

Please help me.

HELP!

I need help.

I need somebody,

anybody

I don't know why I need it, but I know I need it.

what was that?

stomach hurts.

ow

OW!

That was a sharp pain.

My eyes are changing. Cement is moving.

Stomach is hurting more. Why does it hurt. Please go away.

Looking at different cement now.

Pain is going away..

Pain almost gone.

feel better now

cement moving again

raining?

cement looks dry

...feels raining..

hot it’s....

FOCUS!

What was I doing before this?

Was I doing something before this?

What is this?

What am I doing?

Why is it so hot?

I'm all wet, but it's so hot.

What was I doing?

Where's my mother?

MOM!

She needed help

There was an accident.

I'm so hungry.

thirsty

need help mom

Mom

mom

..mom

MOM!🥺

SNAP OUT OF IT

I came to help my mom.

There was an accident, she needed help

Many people needed help

But there was no help

So we went to

help

I thought I saw her, she was calling out for me

I called back

then dark

now

here

just water

talk to her

mom

MOMMM

MooOoOoommmmmmmMmMmm

wWWwWwAAAaaAaAAaaTTeerRRRrrrRRr

aaaaaAaaaAammMMmmMM

WaaaaTTTtttEeRrRr

AAAaammmmtTTerRRR

AAAaaaAaAaAARrrGGhhhHGhhHHH-

FOCUS

Reach!

reach out and grab something there has to be something to call someone or someone who can hear me or see me right now please whatever is happening why is it so sticky why does my body feel so tired it's like the ground is pulling me down please just let me go please my mom needs help why would anyone do this please just try harder just scream LOUDER SCREAM LOUDER AND SOMEONE WILL HAVE TO HEAR YOU AND HEL— 😴

The Nguyen Rehabilitation Center (NRC) wasn’t scheduled to open for another four years, but an opportunity like this was too good to pass up. Although many wouldn’t call it an opportunity considering the tragic circumstances, Michael Nguyen was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth. His parents had taught him blessings in this life were so few and far between that to spend time thinking about their origins would be a waste of his time and energy.

As his father taught him to do, instead of thinking, Michael acted.

It’s what led him to move out of his home at 17 and try to make it in the world on his own. Not much is known about his early life or his family, except what he’s mentioned in interviews: “I am proud of my parents. They are good, honest, hard-working folks. They taught me the values of working hard.”

And that was it.

And work hard he did.

He received his Bachelor’s from a local university with a passable GPA and a room full of medals celebrating his athletic achievements. But he always felt it was his duty to give back to his community and the state he called home. After law school, he willed his way to political success by the skin of his teeth, and the vision of a better world he’d always dreamed of slowly started to take shape.

The NRC was his crowning achievement. The first repeat offender rehabilitation center of its kind in the state, the country, and the entire world (as Michael repeatedly claimed in his campaign speeches and radio spots). A courageous step forward in an attempt to help those society deemed not worth saving. Michael had a plan that would bar any individual who walked into that building from committing an act of injustice against his community ever again.

Opening the doors to such a place after completion is harrowing enough, but opening it four years ahead of schedule presents a new set of unexpected problems. Extraordinary exceptions were made to attract enough candidates to fill the necessary positions in such a short period. Offering nearly anyone who applied a competitive salary and benefits that were unrivaled. Michael expected this would bring in the best people from around the state, but the truth was most people around him were yet to see the brilliance in his grand vision.

He knew time would prove him right, but for now, he had to work with what he was able to scrounge together. Nothing was going to stop him from providing his family, and his state, with a life free from the pains afflicting so many in the world.

Readjustment Facilitator #1: Lewis. LEWIS. LEWIS! Wake the fuck up!

Readjustment Facilitator #2: I'm up! 😒

Less than two weeks in and already sleeping on the job 🙄

It’s not like anything happens around here.

Today’s your lucky day, then. We have a fresh one, and more reportedly coming in soon. Let's go, cleanup time.

Whatever…Is this one sleeping, at least? They said the first one was sleeping, but he wasn't. I wasn't ready for that. I can't believe they made us do that. Why would we do that? That's not the way they described it in the interview.

This one's taken care of. Not responsive. We just gotta clean. Easy peasy, you'll be back here sleeping on the clock in your chair faster than a rabbit in a lettuce patch. Get a move on. I want to get to the cafeteria before those assholes from D building.

What? You know rabbits don't eat lettuce? What's D building? There are only three buildings. How many people are even working here at this point?

‘Course they do. D comes after C. Lots of people.

....Whatever, fine. Let's go.

But, tell me again why we have to help these people?

I'm just here for the paycheck.

I just don't get it. Why are they the ones the state spends our money on when my electricity bill was through the roof last month? I’m sorry I don’t get to live in a random Caribbean island paradise. It's not my fault they had an earthquake. What the fuck am I supposed to do to help?

Someone's awake now.

I'm all for helping, I just feel like there's a lot of help given and not much in return. What do we get?

That's a trade.

What?

If you're helping someone and expecting something back, don't sound like helping sounds like trading. Something for something, ya know? Economatics.

Mathematics or Economics?

🤨

What you mean is- never mind. That's not important. What is important is- Holy fuck, this one shit himself. Woah. They never told me I'd have to deal with actual shit. I just thought they'd smell and be sweaty.

For what they paying us, I think we'll be dealing with alotta shit. And they make it very clear we can't talk to anyone outside of here about any of this (shit).

Are we sure this is worth it?

I get medical, retirement, more benefits, three weeks vacation starting year one, a pension(!), and I get to be away from my wife five days a week? You don’t have to tell me twice. I've never had a job that paid this much or was this easy.

There's gotta be a catch.

Yeah, the catch is sometimes we'll have to clean up a guy who shit himself. Beats scraping the grill and taking out the trash just to get a few dollars at the end of the night at Mama Bea's Diner.

…I guess you're right (😒)

Here, you put out the tarp, and I'll flip him into it. Carry it together.

Fine, but how many more times are we going to have to do this?

This is just the second guy, they brought in a plane full of ‘em earlier today, and I heard there's supposed to be more coming in all week. Time to pony up, cowboy.

I don't know how long I can keep doing this. The money's not worth it. Fuck, this guy pissed himself too. There's piss and shit everywhere, and it's falling out of different holes because his pants are all ripped. What the fuck, man. Fucking savages.

Just do what I do, grab him by one end, take a deep breath, lift, and as you walk, tell yourself, "Pension, three weeks vacation, getting away from my fucking wife, getting away from my fucking wife, get-"

Remind me never to get married…