Like the day before, Mark met Laura as she walked in. "Laura, I am so glad I caught you. I have some good news and some bad news for you. Which would you like to hear first?"
"What do you mean good and bad news? Did I do something wrong again?"
"No, no, you did nothing wrong. Which would you like first, the good or bad?"
"God, after everything that happened yesterday, I really could use some good news. Please tell me something good."
"The good news is that you are not going to be held responsible for any violations of terms of your sentence that you were never informed about for your sentence yesterday."
"It seems that in addition to the use of the spreader podium there are additional requirements. Don't worry there is no additional time on the podium required. Just an additional component that the H-Department had neglected to tell us in time to put in place yesterday. Rather than unfairly subject you to the completion of the terms that you would have probably not been able to fulfill due to the fact that we did not learn of them until almost the end of the day, we argued for you that we would implement the conditions today and that you should not be held responsible for not fulfilling them yesterday."
"What, there is more that I must do! Yesterday was almost impossible. What more do I need to do to fulfill this damn sentence?" As they were talking, they were about to pass the restroom when she stopped and said, "Can I pop in here for just a moment? I don't want a repeat of what started this whole thing, and if I empty my bladder now and don't drink too much during my classes, I should be OK." She was about to head into the men's restroom. The signs were still up stating that any one sentenced must use the opposite sex restroom.
"Ah, About that. Before you go to the restroom, I need you to come to your classroom first. Not using the restroom is actually part of those additional requirements. It is really just a small modification after all."
"What are you talking about, a 'Small modification'?"
"Well, it is better to show you than tell you. The equipment was delivered yesterday, during the last period of the day. Jack is placing it in your room now."
At that moment, Jack, the maintenance man, came walking out of her classroom. He paused when he saw them. He too did a slow scan down and up her body. His eyes lingered longest at her breasts. Obviously, a tit man, Laura thought. This was so embarrassing. She had known Jack for years. They had been to each other's houses on holidays. For him to see her like this… God how she hated being Green!
"It's all set up. The instructions from the H-Department are on the cart with the water." Jack said to Mark.
As the three of them walked into the room, she immediately saw what Jack had set up. There was a cart with some water bottles and a clear bucket on it. Her "Podium" with the sideway foot slides was still there in the middle of the room. Laura had a very bad feeling about this.
Jack said, "Per the instructions, in addition to the required 24 minutes on your podium, you are to drink these bottles by the end of the day. There are seven periods and there are seven bottles. Each bottle is about one-and-three-quarter liters. The total is twelve liters, or just over three gallons."
"I can't drink that much. I will have to run to the restroom all day long. That is what got me into this mess in the first place!" exclaimed Laura.
"That is what this carafe is for. There is no need to go to the restroom when you have this. You are to pee into this when you feel the need to do so. You then pour your pee into this large clear bucket," Jack explained.
"What! You want me to pee into that carafe and then pour it into the bucket. I don't understand. You're not making sense. Am I supposed to just turn around and go in the corner of the room and pee into that … jar and then pour it into that bucket"?
"OK, let's slow down. I will explain it as it was explained to me by the H-Department when I talked to them yesterday. If and when you need to pee, you are not to go into the corner. You are to do it in front of the class. You are to stand on your podium. When you pee, you are to hold this carafe under you so that you have something to pee into. When you are done, then you may get off the podium and pour what you did into the bucket. I am told that you may choose to stand or squat when you do your peeing. That much choice is left to you. One other thing, you may only use the podium during class time or lunch. Not during the five-minute pass times. Your students must be able to watch you, if they choose," Mark said.
"I just won't drink any water. If I don't, I won't need to pee, then I don't need to use that damn podium and pee in front of anyone. I don't even let my husband see me pee. That is just gross."
"That is your choice. Just know that when the last bell rings, any undrunk water will be measured and for each one hundred cc's one additional hour is to be added to your Green sentence. There are 12,000 CCs of water on that cart, so that is equal to 120 hours or five days. Also, you are not allowed to pour out any water without drinking it. If you are found doing so intentionally, or not, i.e., spilling it, an extra bottle will be added to your daily allotment," Mark explained. "If you are curious, each bottle contains 1714 cc of water or just over 17 hours of extended time."
"But I can't Pee in front of anyone. Especially my students. It's just not right. It's too embarrassing. I just can't do it."
"That's your choice, Laura. Just know that there are consequences to your actions. You do realize a Green sentence is designed to embarrass. It has been proven that embarrassment is one of the most effective and cost-efficient forms of correction and rehabilitation. The H-Department made this modification to match your original offense," Mark said.
"Laura, if it is of any help, there were flavoring packets included with the equipment. The setup instructions said it is strongly suggested that you add one packet to each bottle. It is supposed to make drinking twelve liters a bit more palatable." Jack said.
"Thank you, Jack." She said dryly.
"If I were you, I would start drinking the water as soon as possible. You should drink at least one bottle per period. If you delay, you will never be able to drink all the remaining water by the last bell, and then you would just have extra time added to your sentence. Your Green sentence could become a permanent sentence you know. As it is," Mark looked at the timers on the podium top, "you have already added 3 hours 42 minutes to your total time as a Green, If you do not drink the water, you could add an additional 5 days, and if you do not stand on the podium at all, you would add another 7 days. That is potentially 12 days added to your time each day you refuse to comply with the requirements. Multiple 12-day increments could quickly extend your sentence well into the next school year or more. If you do not comply for about 30 days, it would be one full calendar year. I was curious, so I did the math for you." Mark said with a smile.
Laura realized that she was once again beaten. She had no choice.
"So, is everything OK here? Do we have an understanding of what is expected?"
"Yes, I will comply. What choice do I have? If I don't comply, I will just make things worse for me."