Sonia shook her head. “With all due respect, Mr. Greene—you can’t imagine some of the things we hear. We appreciate the offer, and we will think carefully about it, but we’ll also keep in mind that you chose us. I’d like to think of saying yes as a way of paying you back. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”
When the two women left, Aimee Hendricks was next. Aimee was gifted with numbers and people alike. She had worked up her way into a management position under difficult circumstances, with a young child, and an abusive husband she had divorced eventually. Greene Industries had offered in-house child care for working parents early on. Aimee had gone all the way—but she didn’t want to go to California.
“Mrs. Greene, Mr. Greene, I’m sorry. I promise I’ll look into the files, but frankly, I can’t imagine disrupting the life I have here. I’m aware of what you offered me at a time no one else would, and I’ll do the best job here that I possibly can.”
“We know you do,” Hilary assured her. “You don’t have to worry about anything. All we ask of you is to keep quiet for a little while until we can launch the project.”
“Of course. You know I’ll help you from here best I can.”
“Thank you, Ms. Hendricks.”
Allies on the ground, Hilary remembered Kerry’s words. She wanted to believe that there was a silver lining in the ‘no’s as well. She cast a look at the, frankly daunting, size of their list. They wanted to offer the opportunity to employees on every skill and salary level—at some point, they would have to delegate some of those screening talks.
* * * *
At five-thirty in the morning, it was still dark outside. No one heard Vivien’s pained yelp as she obtained what was surprisingly, only the first paper cut of the day. She’d been folding flyers and put them into envelopes since she got here, after a short detour to the copy shop where the owner, as promised, opened the shop for her to retrieve the order.
Vivien hurried into the kitchen, intent on not staining the paper or the carpet, where she held her finger under the running faucet, grabbing a paper towel with the other hand. She was lucky that the people they did business with were this flexible—Andrea Sellers, owner of the print business, would be a good candidate for Hilary’s project as well. This wasn’t the first time she had made an exception for Dana.
The cut was still bleeding, so Vivien went to the bathroom in search of a band-aid, the room spinning for a moment. The unpleasant sensation reminded her she hadn’t yet had breakfast, if you didn’t count the black coffee she’d shared with Kerry before the start of her shift. She laughed to herself, freaking out about a paper cut—what would she do once they actually got started on the IVF treatments, and she’d be pregnant?
Vivien was in equal parts thrilled and terrified about the prospect. Whatever the outcome, it was a choice she and Kerry had made together, a choice that would irreversibly change their lives. It was what they both wanted, so much they were ready to jump through every bureaucratic and medical hoop necessary.
Before they could go there, though, another visit at the closest FPC was looming.
It was ironic that for most of the time since she’d started doing this particular kind of work, she’d been able to push aside worries and fear, the real danger. Now that the idea of having a child of her own was becoming more and more likely, her perception had changed. Again, ridiculous. It was Kerry who chased the bad guys, not her. Come to think of it, she was more worried than before about her too.
“Get a grip,” Vivien said to herself, finally giving up on the band-aid and wrapping an old washcloth around her finger.
Back in the kitchen, she found the coffee pot was empty. Through the open door, Vivien could see the piles of flyers that were still waiting for her. Making a face at them, she thought a five minute run to the convenience store across the street wouldn’t make that much of a difference.
In an hour, the intern would come in. Vivien was hopeful that they could mail the flyers before noon.
Minutes later, she returned from the store with a coffee and donut—that’s what she got from hanging around Kerry and her cop friends, bad habits. She was drifting, she realized, dreaming of a life where she could sit in a nice office building, have training facilities and conference rooms with lots of natural light and a view of the ocean…yeah, right. All paid for by Greene Industries. While she was amazed by the visional thinking of the Greenes, part of which had been Kerry and Hilary’s college paper, Vivien could understand Kerry’s reservations. She had come to develop her fair share of distrust for the private sector. Damned if you did, and damned if you didn’t. While some businesses supported the work Dana and her team was doing, few of them in a category like the Greenes, there were corporations who saw their ideas as a danger to their absolute profit. At the very best, they didn’t care much, but would still support a candidate like Miller, because they considered him to be on their side.
Vivien shook her head to herself. She didn’t think Marc and Hilary, who were longtime friends, would turn on them at some point? No, going with them would be a safe option, for all of her and Kerry’s plans.
Regardless, she had to get those flyers mailed today. The cut on her finger still sent pulses of pain, but at least it had stopped bleeding. Back to work.
“Hey, good morning.” She jumped a bit at the sound of the voice. Lee, the intern, was standing in the doorway, wearing an apologetic expression. She was also holding two paper cups from an expensive coffee shop. “I’m not late, am I? I brought you this.”
“You are God-sent,” Vivien said. “How good are you at Origami?”
She laughed at Lee’s baffled look. “Folding paper, and lots of it. I volunteered the two of us. Dana will come in later for the meeting.”
By the time Vivien had finished her sentence, Lee had already filled three envelopes. “She’s in court today? At the hearings over the safe zone?”
“Yep. That can take a while.”
“I’d like to come on Friday, for the rally.”
“It’s not really a rally,” Vivien clarified. “We’re not there all the time, we just support the locals and help them organize.”
“I know. I’d still like to come.”
“Sure. I have another seat left in the car.”
Lee’s face lit up. “Awesome. You know, I am so thrilled I got this internship. You are amazing.”
Vivien envied her, for being this young and idealistic, and maybe a little bit for being tall and blonde…but she couldn’t have anything but good to say about a woman who brought her a hazelnut latte first thing on a Monday morning.
The morning went by in a blur. Lee drove by the post office while Vivien caught up on her paperwork, physical and digital. She spoke at length with the director of the FPC they were going to visit on Friday. One by one, her colleagues came in, settling in their offices or going out on an assignment. Marta was seeing the director of Equal Marriage Allies to discuss their strategies to overturn the state’s ban in the light of Miller’s landslide win. Even with the bans struck down by judges all over the country, they couldn’t help wondering if they’d be last. Miller would give it all he could.
Vivien had seen it at the gala. People kept a brave face, but everyone still felt winded about this outcome, here at her work, at EMA or the women trying their best to keep the FPCs open and running. Miller had scared the hell out of a great number of his constituents by suggesting Stan Bryson would strangle them with taxes in order to give money to a bunch of hippies, who, in return would teach young kids about queer sex and abortion. He hadn’t put it quite that way, but some of his supporters had. Miller had never seen a reason to disengage himself from statements like this.
How could this have happened?
Why couldn’t people see through his fear-mongering schemes?
“I was wondering if—” Vivien jumped for the second time today, making Lee wince.
“Gee. I’m beginning to wonder if it’s me.”
“It’s
not you, don’t worry. I just have a lot on my mind. What can I do for you?” Maybe a big bold move was what people needed, a wakeup call, a swift kick in the behind. Maybe the Exodus project was “it”. How could it work out for someone like Lee, if she had been interested? Change universities? For how many would it be possible, before Governor King put a hold on the number of people coming into her state?
“Would you like to have lunch after the meeting? I drove by this cute new bistro earlier, so I thought—”
“I’m sorry. I don’t think we’ll have time. There’s a convenience store across the street if you’re hungry.”
Lee shrugged. “I’m fine, I guess. How about a drink after work?”
“I’ll think about it,” Vivien said, not sure if she’d just made a mistake. She wouldn’t be so arrogant as to assume Lee had anything else on her mind other than making friends in a potential future workplace. If that was the case though, at some point, she’d have to set her straight, so to speak.
When Dana walked in, looking defeated and tired, Vivien was afraid that she might feel like having a drink after hearing what her boss had to tell them.
“Is Marta back yet? Get Julia and Gabe, please.”
“I’ll be right back.” Vivien got up, whispering to Lee as she passed her by. “I bought coffee earlier. If you could make some?”
Lee didn’t need any further prompting, so Vivien went to knock on the doorframe of the office Julia and Gabe shared. “Meeting starts right now.” Ivy’s door was closed, so she knocked and walked inside. “Ivy? Can you join us?”
A few minutes later, Dana addressed the present members of her team. “There’s no way to dress this up nicely, so here it goes—the safe zones are gone.”
“That’s not possible!” Ivy jumped to her feet.
“What the hell—” Gabe said, but he didn’t finish his sentence, shaking his head in disbelief. Vivien said nothing. She was disheartened, but not surprised by this outcome.
“That’s the way it is for now. There’s no way this will stand in the long run, but for all of you who go on Friday, you’ve got to be extra careful. Don’t let anyone provoke you. Safety is a priority, for the women and for you.” She let her words linger in the room. “Anyone of you who doesn’t want to go, I don’t blame you. Just let me know in advance.” This time, she met with silence. “Okay, good. I have copies of the ruling for you. Vivien, where are we on the flyers?”
“All packed up and mailed. Lee did a great job,” Vivien said, making the younger woman blush. “Do you mind if I take her on Friday?”
The flash of doubt on Dana’s face hadn’t gone unnoticed by either Vivien or Lee.
“Don’t worry,” Lee chimed in. “I know what I’m in for. Viv also told me that there have been fewer people lately, so everyone counts, right?”
Vivien wondered if she’d be still that enthusiastic after having insults and threats hurled at her for hours, but she was willing to give her the benefit of doubt.
“That’s right,” Dana said. “We’re glad to have you. If you want to bring anyone, we don’t mind either.”
“Cool. What’s next?”
“I am, if you don’t mind,” Marta, who had just come in, said. “I’ve got good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?”
The answer was a collective sigh.
“I’ll start with the bad then. Save the best for last.”
* * * *
Around dinnertime, Lee’s permanent enthusiasm and smile had worn off a bit, and Vivien had to fight the feeling of being drowned in a molasses of prejudice. Of course she was angry because of the lack of respect Miller’s people showed long-term committed relationships like her and Kerry’s, but they had a set of options that were lacking in the lives of the ones who were left behind in Miller’s agenda. Homeless LGBT youths who were turned away from shelters, even after their own parents had kicked them out. There were always those people who set out to do good, no matter what, and those who dressed up their extremist views with religion, and sadly, with some success.
Miller’s endgame wasn’t just to discourage women who sought help from the FPCs—he wanted to close them altogether, “stomp them to the ground”, the line he had become infamous for. There was no regard for practical matters in the real lives of real women, their health, their families, and ability to feed their children.
She was beginning to see the wisdom of Hilary’s proposition of going beyond the obvious, donations, speeches, rallies.
There was no use in demonizing every single person who had voted for Miller, but maybe those who had been led by fear would be able to see an alternative if they saw what a few simple rules could change in the world. Apparently, arguing hadn’t done the trick.
“This is so pointless,” Lee said. “I get it, underneath it all is patriarchy, coddling the bully and the need for control, in the first place, control women. I’m still wondering why. Any woman in the state who gets equal pay, domestic violence protection, or has an abortion, it doesn’t change anything in the lives of Miller or anyone who voted for him.”
Vivien laughed wryly. “Your thinking error? You’re trying to find logic in this. Stop trying.”
“That sounds bad. I wonder…but don’t tell anyone. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t aware of any of this. People like Annette LeBlanc? They don’t feel any pain.”
“You don’t know that.” The reference to the conservative California senator made her uncomfortable. It had to be a coincidence. Lee couldn’t know, could she? She was in no way connected to the Greenes, and they hadn’t even told their daughter yet.
“No, I don’t, but people like her make it worse,” Lee said emphatically. “I mean, really, what is she thinking, that she’s earning points with the boy’s club by stabbing other women in the back? I’m sure behind hers, they laugh about her. Whenever she comes up in a discussion, I deny I’m from California. Most people are much cooler, but obviously, we have enough ignorance even there to get her into office.”
That’s what she got for her paranoia. She had read Lee’s application, but with this much on her mind, this particular bit of personal information had slipped Vivien’s mind.
“Would you like to go back sometime?”
“Oh, sure. They weather’s nicer, both in temperature and politics. As long as we have Charlie King in charge.”
Vivien didn’t feel like reminding her of the common practice to name women in power by their first name, while using the last name and title of a man. Instead, she thought it could come in handy to question Lee a bit more about her plans and her home state. It wasn’t like she and Kerry were going to change their minds—just in case.
She’d try to keep her focus more on the positive: Saturday dinner with the Greenes, next week’s doctor’s appointment. She and Kerry would support Marc and Hilary best they could, but they also had their own lives, here at home, to consider.
The idea would work out, in a big way, with or without them.
Many would answer the Greene call.
Chapter Five
Sitting at the bar with Lee, Vivien managed to relax for the first time of the day. Well, if everything went according to plan, this would be one of the last times she’d have drinks after work with a co-worker. “I think I’d like a glass of red wine. You?”
“Sure, me too,” Lee said eagerly. One of these days, they might have to talk, but not at this moment. It was only Monday, after all. The woman behind the counter was fidgeting.
“It’s okay,” Vivien said. “She’s over twenty-one. I know, I hired her.”
“You did?” Lee’s eyes widened.
“It’s just that…” The waitress blushed. “I need to make sure. It’s the new law.”
“Yeah, sure. Lee, you got ID?”
“It’s not about the age. I have to ask you…both. Like I said, just to make sure.”
Vivien felt her jaw drop when the woman laid two small packages on the counter. Lee looked equally as stunned.
; “What the hell is this?” Vivien asked.
“You know—they are trying out new regulations for places that serve alcohol, so you don’t endanger your baby.” She was bright red. Vivien felt for her, however, she had no patience for the ones behind this idea.
“What baby? I’m not pregnant, and as far as I know, neither is Lee. This is ridiculous. Look, we had a long day. All we want is to have a glass of wine in peace. I can assure you, no one’s expecting. I mean, I plan to later this year, but I promise you I’ll abstain from the alcohol once I am there.”
“I’m sorry.” The waitress rubbed her temple as if to ward off a headache. “We have to follow these rules.”
“Is there a problem?” a male voice asked.
“This is Mr. Banks, our manager. The ladies ordered wine. I told them about the new regulations.”
He gave them a cordial smile.
“Good evening. So, what is the problem here?”
“Since when do I have to take a pregnancy test to order a glass of wine?” Vivien demanded. “Oh, forget about it. I’m sure there’ll be other places in town where the staff isn’t so keen on violating people’s privacy.”
The man frowned. “I’m sorry, miss. I understand that not everyone’s informed about the new rules yet, but please, it’s on the house after you’re done with those. It’s no big deal, really. We want to make sure that all our customers enjoy themselves safely—even the unborn ones.”
“This is enough. Come on, let’s go.”
The next moment, they were out on the street, trying to understand the surreal scene that had just unfolded.
“Would you mind if we had that glass of wine at my house?” Vivien asked. “My girlfriend is a cop, but I doubt she’s going to enforce that kind of law.”
Lee had perked up at the suggestion, her shoulders slumping a bit at the word ‘girlfriend’. No doubt, there might be some clarifying to be done in the future, but at this point, Vivien was craving a drink.
The Exodus Strategy Page 5