Page 36 of Longing for Liberty
I covered my mouth as the men surged forward, grabbing her roughly by both arms as the man next to her reached out for her and yelled, “Wait! What is this about? She’s a good citizen!” When he tried to pull her, one of the soldiers lifted his gun and smashed the butt of it into the guy’s face. Our whole community gasped and cried out at the violence. They dragged her away screaming, and I closed my eyes, leaning my forehead against Jeremy’s shoulder. My whole body was racked with tremors.
“Get back to work!” the man yelled who had hit our neighbor. And then he reached into one of the bags on the table and took out an apple, taking a huge bite and grinning at all of us before turning to leave with the others.
Jeremy gently unpried his hand from my grasp and faced the table again. “Okay, everyone! The bags have been sorted. Please grab one and head home.”
Two men and a woman had stooped next to the bleeding man to help him, and I was grateful to see that. Jeremy handed me a bag and said gently, “Walk back with Rebecca and Stanley.”
I nodded and left him, holding the bag of apples to my abdomen as I found our friends. We shuffled with the others down the street in silence. Sad glances were our goodbyes. Rebecca and Stanley slipped quietly into their unit.
I heard a woman behind me say to someone else, “She was probably one of those lesbians.” My feet nearly tripped over each other as I got to my door and turned to see that it had been Mrs. Durgess. I gritted my teeth and disappeared into my home.
That night after dinner,an alert blared, and we robotically looked at our phones.
Another week with no crime or altercations! Bravo Community One!
FIFTEEN
STATE NEWS: PRESIDENT ROAN PRAYS OVER THE STATE DURING TORNADO OUTBREAK!
Monday morning,I stepped outside to leave for work a few minutes earlier than normal and saw Rebecca coming out as Mrs. Durgess exited two doors down from her. A sick feeling came over me, but I smiled and called out to them, “Good morning!” Mrs. Durgess grumbled something.
“Good morning,” Rebecca answered. I waited for her to walk with me. “You’re looking a little different this morning.” Rebecca cocked her head at me as we walked, but I couldn’t imagine what she was seeing. “Healthier.”
“Oh,” I said, thinking about the big breakfasts I’d been eating. “Thank you.” The twinge of disgrace I felt about it was something I was starting to get used to, which made it even worse.
A drone moved up and down the sidewalk where the buses stopped.
“Oop, there’s my bus. I’ll see you later.” Rebecca jogged off wearing her uniform of a scrubs-type top with a loose skirt, and then Mrs. Durgess sidled up next to me. I gave her a quick glance.
“Hello. Have a lovely day.” My bus wasn’t here yet, but I wanted to move away from her. Her next words stopped me short.
“I don’t trust that woman.”
“I’m sorry?” I said, a swirl of unease moving through me.
She jutted her chin at Rebecca’s bus. “Just the look of her…something tells me she’s not right.”
Fuck.
Breathe. Unclench your jaw. Keep an easy smile.
“Oh, her? She’s harmless. She’d be the first person to help you if you ever needed it.”
But Mrs. Durgess shook her head. “She’s alesbian. I’ve seen the way she looks at you and other women.”
I full-on frowned now and stepped closer, eyeing the nearby drone and hoping it was too far to catch any of this conversation. I lowered my voice. “That is a grave accusation, ma’am. And very unkind.” I had to squash this.
The woman huffed. “Are you anallyor something?” I hated the way she kept spitting vocabulary at me like the words were made of poison.
A couple passing us both turned to look, and I flashed a smile before turning back to the older woman. I began to feel dizzy.
I ogled her with eyes that felt too large for my head. “An accusation like that could ruin an innocent woman’s life.”
She put a hand on her hip. “If you think she’s innocent, maybeyou’reone too.”
I glanced toward the drone surreptitiously before leaning in. “And maybeyou’vejust got a dirty mind thinking about things like that,” I said, trying to keep my voice down.
“How dare you? What is her name?” she asked. I crossed my arms, and her eyes narrowed. “If you’re not an ally, you’ll tell me. It’s like…Rrr…R-something.”
