Unearthed: Guantanamo University: Chapter 1 part 2 the Conundrum of Consensus
The discussion began
with attendance. Oddly, there was one student missing. Everybody let out a little chuckle. You see, the student in question was the unfortunate victim of a carefully plotted prank by Sa'id. Out of nostalgia, and to celebrate memories which may soon be long forgotten, Tair asked his friends
if anyone would like to share the story. After a brief silence, Rabi was volunteered. Regrettably his storytelling skills disappointed his peers. Others tried. One after the other, they were told off. It was back to Tair.
Concurrently Muhsin walks in. He looked tired. His feet quietly led him to his desk. The poor guy did not even notice a room full of students! Jamil mimed counting to three. As soon as he finished, Muhsin woke up: "Wha.. What? Why are you all here!? Were you retelling my story, again?!" Mohammad sympathetically explained the situation. Tair attempted to continue the story when Muhsin interrupted him:" Hold on a minute! Is it not more
useful to recount the story of the queen and king of Harmony Kingdom rather than that of the first
snowy day in this city?!" Not now Muhsin" Rabi hushed him. Tair:"I whole heatedly agree, and here is the story……
Harmony Kingdom was a land ruled by a just king and a rightful queen. The people lived happily, until one sad day. The queen
asked for divorce. When she left, the moon left with her. The king tried to stop his wife
from running away with kindness, she refused. The children of the kingdom suffered the heat of the sun for many days, until momentous day in January. The queen came back. The children of
the kingdom had happy days, but their happiness didn't last. This time the
king left for a reason unknown, with him, left the sun. Children suffered cold and sloth during that reign. Finally, the king came
back and by the warmth of the sun and the love of the moon, the children enjoyed
their lives. The castle priest said:" If one of them ever left
again, there will be no day or night. The end".
Rabi:" For real,
this story is so dramatic. I hate drama". Mohammad:” Ok everybody
time is gold….”. Tair:”So let’s head straight to topic. About
the trip, we've been budgeted one of two: either two trips inside the
country or one abroad. We need to reply by lunch break. What
say you?”. There was noise which lasted two to three minutes. Then, Mohammad counted the votes. Each time all the students raised their hands,
30 votes for two trips and 30 for outside the country. The class president had
to solve this conundrum. Clearly everyone was greedy for two trips. They also demanded a trip abroad. What to do!?
Mohammad got a great Idea. He whispered into Tair's left
ear. The class president liked the idea and asked Salim if he can organize
an independent trip. Salim was a rich boy and a generous one to boost. The rich guy agreed. The students immediately flooded his desk asking how he'd like to collect any fees. Rabi:”Wow! Wow! Wow!…. I won’t be able to pay anything! My business hit rock bottom. Sorry guys. I guess I'll be sitting this one out”. Salim:”Don't sweat it. I'll take care of everything”.
The class agreed to visit France for their school trip. They then decided to go camping on Al-Lolo
Island (Arabic for Pearl island) for their second.
