The Back Building Read Online Free PDF

the third floor. You’ll have no trouble remembering that.”
    We walked through a large set of double doors, the windows inside were large and expansive letting in a bounty of light. Iron grates protected them from the outside with military precision. I was led by the administrator to my adequate room (eighty-six paces by my first count from the building entrance to my room). The room was a nine by eleven foot space and for now I had it all to myself. The mattress looked brand new and I had a wardrobe and small desk. The furniture was not overly decorative but it had enough flourishes that it felt homey and comfortable as opposed to institutional. I imagined it was all made right here on the campus in the sewing room and wood shop.
    Inside the wardrobe hung five sets of dresses. One dress stood out from the others because it was slightly fancier, I assumed this was my Sunday church attire. There were four full suits of underclothes, two pairs of shoes and one pair of slippers. There was also a pretty shawl in a light blue color and a hood with a hat. I was confused because I brought my own clothing with me, but these outfits seemed to be my size. I reached out to feel the cotton gowns and I supposed they would be comfortable enough. I thanked God that they weren’t made of scratchy wool like a few of my ensembles left in my closet at home.
    “I’ll leave you to your room for now. Emily will be here shortly to meet you. Enjoy your time here.” The administrator closed me into my room, I thought her parting comments were an odd thing to say to a patient. I wasn’t on vacation. Although my parents insinuated that I should relish my much needed rest and relaxation away from whatever stresses I had.
    I sat in the corner of my room, knees pulled to my chest and cried. Loneliness crept in all around me and my heart broke in two.
    A half an hour later, a gentle knock came at my door. I wiped the snot from my nose and rose to answer it. A woman, who I guessed to be in her thirties, was standing before me with a welcoming smile. She held out a thin pillow and its case as well as a set of towels and sheets.
    “Hi, and welcome, I am Emily. I will be your attendant while you are here. If there is anything you need, anything at all, please let me know. How about I help you make your bed up?” (Emily walked five lengthy paces from doorway to bed, it took me seven paces, but her legs were longer.)
    Together we unfolded the sheet and spread it across the mattress, then pulled it taut over each of the mattress’s four corners. Emily fluffed my pillow and stuffed it inside its case. Next, she walked towards my wardrobe and reached inside to grab the blanket that I hadn’t noticed laying beneath my clothing. I studied Emily’s movements. She was very deliberate with everything she did. I liked her right away. She was missing her right eye-tooth which caused me to stare briefly, but otherwise she was just normal looking. Her hair was held up in a bun of sorts and she wore no make-up. I noticed the smattering of freckles across her nose and thought she must spend a good amount of time outdoors to acquire them. She was probably a gardener.
    “Shall we get acquainted then?” Emily asked plunking herself down on my bed.
    “I guess.” I reached for the pillow and held it defensively across my lap.
    “Tell me about yourself, Iona is it?” She met my eyes and stared, but it was an accepting kind of gaze, not one of sympathy or scorn.
    “Well, I am fifteen and in ninth grade. My best friend is a girl named Hetty. She doesn’t go to school anymore, but still has dreams of being a teacher one day. I don’t know how she is going to do that with her workload. Hetty helps my mother around our house. My mother is due to have a baby soon and because I am causing her stress (I pointed to my nearly bald head of hair), I was sent here.”
    “Ahh, I see. Well, it’s my job to make you comfortable here. I want you to feel welcome and so do the