"Agonizing!"
I unexpectedly woke up from an unusual sound.
My head hurt so much!
My dream world that I only visited every night was a remedy for those painful hours of work. My dazzling dream world filled with contentment was abruptly shattered from deafening chains swinging and workers powering up those rusty machines.
Ouch!
"Wake up Kevin, stop dreaming and return to your occupation!"
John was responsible for the recruits, he used to wake us up every morning. However, no one relished the manner he woke people up. He flogged us with a cane on our backs every day at 4.30 am.
Life was arduous for my family, my family consisted of four members, my parents, my sister Elisa and me. However, my father passed away in a car accident.
Our situation continued to hinder. I was the eldest son of our family. I had just graduated from high school and had high hopes of going to university. My ambition was halted due to our financial situation. My father was the sole breadwinner of the house, thus it justifies our current situation. Money was essential as my sister was in primary school.
My mother began as a cleaner in our neighborhood to earn a living. The money acquired was not sufficient enough to finance my sister's studies.
Fortunately, I obtained a job in a clothing factory. It was approximately 200 kilometers away from my house. I brought along with me the necessities for me to live and earn there.
Although I never adored my work, I had to work under rigorous circumstances.
No choices were left, I kept my mouth closed and proceeded to work to financially help my family.
I met Levan there, he had a similar issue as me, thus we had a great bonding with each other. We lived in a small room, and 10 other people were sleeping in that room as well.
Levan was a fragile boy, not brought up to work in such conditions. Every morning, he was unable to move his limbs, he was unfamiliar with such working circumstances.
His main aim was to flee from here after having saved enough funds to return to his hometown.
Why am I suddenly having a severe headache?
I must wake up now otherwise I'll be in serious trouble!
It was problematic to wake up in the mornings, As we had to control our thoughts and feelings that flashed back every morning from this misery.
By the looks of it, the roommates all had an unhappy face today in particular. We promptly rushed to the factory's canteen.
Disappointment could be noticed on everyone's faces, as we constantly served the same breakfast. Bread and dry sweet potatoes were our breakfast.
The pain gradually decreased and allowed Levan to accumulate strength to start his days. Levan always had a winsome smile, however, it eventually vanished with time.
"Next, Next, make sure to return your plate to the counter".
It was the only time you could hear Mrs Lucy's voice. She was the person who instructed the employees and managed the canteen. She had a small old wooden desk, with a notebook consisting of coarse yellow pages. It contained the names and signatures of those who were present for their meals.
On every Friday afternoon, superiors came to verify who ate or not. Those who skipped meals weren't allowed to have breakfast the next day as a punishment.
Levan kept on glancing at a room that was sealed. As I was laboring there for quite a while, I was told not to ever ask a question concerning that room. I was left in disbelief and never knew what was inside that room.
I warned Levan not to talk about this room as I was also unaware of it.
