Gregory woke. For a long moment he lay in bed with his eyes closed, wallowing in misery. His head throbbed, his eyelids seemed to be glued shut, and his mouth tasted of smoked animal waste. It was more than a hangover, it was the full fruition of biological and karmic payback for every bit of fun Gregory had ever had. Gregory wanted to go back to sleep, to escape the consequences of his misbehavior for a few more hours, but sleep would not come. He resigned himself to facing the day.

Gregory was not one to leap from bed, eyes opened wide, and body filled with vitality. No, Gregory was like the cautious swimmer who scans the horizon for sharks and who delicately dips a toe to check the temperature before slowly, with dignity intact, wading in. So when Gregory opened his eyes it was only the merest crack, not even a full parting of his eyelashes. But all his caution went for naught in the face of the barbaric light; it rampaged through the narrow slit and sliced at his brain with murderous intent. He jammed his eyelids fully closed and attempted a full retreat, but the light having gained access gave no quarter. It charged mercilessly through his eyelids and saturated his brain in a yellowish pink bath of undeniability. Slowly the futility of struggling against the light became apparent. Gregory acceded to all demands and opened his eyes.

It was not his room. It was not the room of anyone he knew. It was not the room of some stranger who, for some strange reason, might have let him in for the night. It could not have been anyone’s room. Even prison cells reflect something of their occupants, but this room, sterile white bathed in the flickering light of fluorescent tube, was devoid of any humanity. Gregory looked around hoping for some clue, some small indication that might tell him where he was. To his left there was a plain beige door that was marked as a handicapped-unisex bathroom. In font of him was another beige door, this one with a small window of wire-reinforced glass. To his right was a gleaming metal pole holding up a sack of clear fluid. From the sack ran a flexible tube. His eyes followed the tube’s path until the inevitable terminus in the crook of his elbow. What had he done the previous night? The previous day? He couldn’t recall.

A sudden urgent need to pee postponed his attempted recollections. Gregory’s eyes returned to the beige door that was marked as a bathroom. He sat up. Screaming agony shot out of his abdomen. He fell back in the bed sweating, helpless, and no longer needing the bathroom. Shame and pain warred within him until the pain faded and the shame gave way to curiosity.

Gregory started to explore his abdomen with his hands. It seemed normal. Then, gingerly, he approached the center of pain. Below his ribs on his right side he found a ridge of raised flesh. It felt hot under his finger, and touching it sent small electrical shocks up and down his side. It seemed that his fingers had the same queasy fascination that drives a tongue to feel the vacancy of a newly pulled tooth, and so despite the discomfort he continued to feel the ridge. Along the top of the ridge he felt something coarse, sutures he supposed. It was a long wound, starting just above his kidney and ending just shy of his sternum. There, at the sternum he felt what seemed to be a piece of card stock. He tugged at it, thinking that it might tell him something. It did not come free; instead he heard distinct click. He pushed the sheets down. A thick metal zipper, the kind that you might see on a ski parka, crested a red puffy scar. The piece of card stock he had felt was paper clipped to the zipper. He turned it over; it read “Authorized Personnel Only.”

Gregory had only a minute to ponder this before a nurse walked into the room. The nurse was a slender black woman dressed in pale green scrubs. She had large eyes, and when she smiled her cheeks dimpled. Suddenly Gregory remembered his condition, mostly naked and lying in his own waste.

“I see your awake Mr.” she paused to look down at her clipboard “Farthing.” Her voice was low and throaty, with a distinct Caribbean lilt.

“Ah, yes” said Gregory. “Ur, I’ve had an accident it seems.”

“Yes, I can see that. You tried to get out of bed by yourself. Shouldn’t have done that. Well, don’t you worry about it. We’ll have you cleaned up in no time.”

“Thank you nurse.” Gregory paused for a moment before continuing. “I wonder if you might tell me what wrong with me?”

The nurse looked again at the clipboard. “Why nothing Mr. Farthing, you’ve a perfect bill of health.”

“But this zipper…”

“Oh, we mustn’t touch that, authorized personnel only you know.”

“Right. Well then nurse, can you tell me why I am here?” Said Gregory.

“Oh, I’m sure one of the credit men will be around soon to discuss your account.”

“Credit men, don’t you mean a doctor?” Gregory was becoming ever more bewildered.

“A doctor? Oh, you’re a funny one. Now I must be off to fetch the orderlies, they’ll fix you right up. Now you stay in bed until they get here.” The nurse was already on her way out of the room as she said this, giving Gregory no chance to ask any more questions.

Soon enough the orderlies arrived, two big men who could have just as easily been cops or bouncers. They went about their business quickly and professionally, but neither was inclined to talking. They left Gregory clean and with fresh sheets, but no wiser. After a while a different orderly brought Gregory a meal. Green salad, flavorless chicken, and a hard wheat role. Gregory ate the bland meal out of boredom rather than appetite. Half an hour after the meal another orderly came for the tray.

As the last orderly left, a heavyset man with thin hair entered. The man was perspiring and wearing a rumpled brown suit with his tie loosened. “Mr. Farthing?” the man asked.

“Yes” replied Gregory.

“My name is Smith. I’m handling your account.”

“My account?”

“Your platinum visa account from State and Body holdings Mr. Farthing.” Smith cleared his throat and went on. “Mr. Farthing, your account has been in excess of the maximum balance for six months now. Furthermore we have no record of payment made for over a year.” Smith pulled a handkerchief out and wiped his forehead. “Therefore State and Body Holdings are foreclosing on your assets in accordance with the contract.”

“Yeah, okay. What am I doing here, and what are you doing here?” asked Gregory.

“Mr. Farthing, after appraising all your assets real and otherwise, including the balance of debt owed on said assets, we find that you are still $9,985.42 in arrears to us. Therefore we have decided to foreclose on your corporal assets. In this case your right kidney.”

“What? That’s crazy, I never would have signed that contract.” spluttered Gregory.

Smith leveled his gaze at Gregory. “I assure you that you did Mr. Farthing. State and Body cannot be responsible for your not reading the full details of the contract. Furthermore I would say that the real craziness is owing a debt with no intention or ability to pay. State and Body was formed to avoid just this absurdity.”

Gregory lay in bed for moment in shock, trying to come to terms with what had been done to him. Finally, he asked “But why am I zipped up, why don’t I have stitches.”

“That is in case you wish to open another line of credit Mr. Farthing.”