his face. “People I love have been hurt and killed, and I want payback. The Resistance allows me to push back, hard.” He grew quiet again.
We kept walking, lost in our own thoughts. I kicked some trash out of the way. It was another brochure touting the wrongdoings of the Gov.
“Why do you call him Guy?” I finally asked.
“It’s not just a code name. It’s the name he prefers, at least among those of us in the Resistance. He chose it for himself. You should ask him why.”
“But I’m not part of the Resistance.”
“You will be,” Eberhardt concluded with certainty.
We walked the rest of the way in silence. As we neared my neighborhood, cars became virtually nonexistent. People lined the sidewalks, sat in the sun and enjoyed the bright sunny weather. Others walked along the street, heading this way or that. After a cold winter, the warmth was appreciated by all.
Richard and Eberhardt had both given me a lot to think about. Can a few people really change society?
-Keira-
Lunch with April
The next day, April and I met for lunch at a small café. We ordered bread and hummus to share. Meat that wasn’t reserved for the military was either ultra expensive or unsafe.
“So, what have you been up to? The usual?” April combed her fingers through her long blond hair and pushed it out of her face. She had grown up to look so much like our mother.
“I’ve met someone.” Had Scott ever told her about Rick?
“Really?” Her deep brown eyes brightened. “Do tell. Is he good looking?” She toyed with a pair of wedding bands that hung on a chain around her neck. They had belonged to our parents.
“Is that all it’s ever about with you?”
“No, sometimes it’s about money. Is he rich?”
“He’s a friend of Scott’s.”
“Military,” she assumed.
“No, from before.”
“And they still keep in contact?”
“Apparently.”
“What’s his name?”
“Rick, well, Richard Burke, the third.”
“He sounds rich. How did you meet? Did Scott introduce you?”
“Not exactly. So…Scott never mentioned him?”
“No, I don’t think so. Why?”
“No reason. We met at work.”
“Oh no!” April rolled her eyes. “I hope he was an employer and not a mark. Either way, they say work relationships never last,” she teased.
I smiled. “I’ve heard that before too. Plus, he’s so different.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s an idealist, like Mom and Dad, and…well, I’m not. I should just forget about it.”
“Not so fast! They also say girls marry their father. No wonder you’re attracted to him. Is he cute?” she asked again.
“Stop!” I playfully cuffed her alongside the face.
“Ow, hey, he is, isn’t he?”
Just then, the Beckett’s nanny arrived with two young girls in tow.
“Do you mind watching Edrea and Vanessa for a little while?” she asked April. “I need to run a personal errand.”
April nodded. “Sure. We’ll be in the park. Let’s go, girls!” She motioned with her head for me to follow.
We settled down on the warm spring grass and watched the girls at play. They looked happy and innocent.
“Were we like that when we were young?” I asked.
“I don’t know about you, but I am still young.” April smiled and tossed her hair back.
“You know what I mean.” I nudged her with my elbow.
“Yes, I do.” She turned sober. “They’re how I wish we could have been. We weren’t given the opportunities they have.”
I looked at her. Her life hadn’t been easy either, though Scott and I had both supported her as much as possible.
“Do you think that’s right? Do you think some children deserve that life and others don’t?”
She shrugged. “It’s just how things are.”
“But, is it the way society has to be?”
“What’s gotten into you, and what have you done with my sister?” April teased.
Rick’s mood had rubbed off on me. I continued seriously, “It’s not what Mom and Dad believed. Maybe Terene really was different once, more…I don’t know, fair.”
“I don’t know that fair was ever an option, but if this guy is good looking and wealthy and into you, you could have the better life you’re dreaming of, couldn’t you?”
I wondered about that. Could Rick be into me? Oh, I knew I could make him like me – I’d seen the look in his eyes when he saw me in the bath. I was good at making men like me, but then it wouldn’t be real.
On my way home, I stopped at my bank. When I tried to withdraw the money Mrs. Ramsey had promised to wire, the teller gave me a strange look and said, “I’m sorry, Miss. That account has