“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said, putting a hand on my shoulder.
“Hopefully, I’ve done this right,” I said, changing the subject. She looked over my work and changed a few things in the pile.
“You really need to pay close attention to the darks and lights. You put dark clothes in with light and it will ruin them,” she cautioned.
“Thanks for the advice. I really do appreciate it,” I said.
Di left me to go and do her own work. The morning seemed to pass by quickly. I managed to get two carts full of laundry done by the time lunch was brought in. The laundry room seemed infinitely hotter today. Then I remembered yesterday the room had been closed for half the day due to the lockdown. It really was hotter in here. The bulletproof vest didn’t let my skin breath and with every minute it felt like it was getting heavier. I wasn’t sure how long I could stand it.
I retrieved my food and water rations and sat on the floor to eat, thankful to get off my feet. My water was cold and refreshing and it was all I could do not to guzzle it. Di sat across from me, looking at me curiously.
“It’s hot in here,” I explained.
“You can have the rest of mine. I’m not that thirsty,” she offered. I accepted gratefully, not sure if I wanted to drink it or dump it over my head to cool me off. I drank it thinking the latter would get me into trouble.
“You don’t look so good,” Di told me. “You’re really hot, aren’t you?”
“I guess I’m not used to the heat,” I said.
“Where did you work before?” she inquired.
Her question caught me off guard. I didn’t have an answer ready. I couldn’t say kitchen because she would want to know why I would leave such a plum job. And it was hot in the kitchen too, so I would be used to working in the heat. I had to think of something else.
“Sewers,” I lied. It was cold and smelly down there and perfectly reasonable that anyone would look for a job somewhere else.
“That’s a nasty job,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
“Back to work!” Supervisor Madi called out. It had only been twenty minutes since we sat down. When I worked in the kitchen we were given a half-hour for lunch.
“She’s a slave driver,” Di explained as she hoisted herself off the floor and walked over to return her empty food container. I followed her and put my own away.
My full stomach combined with the heat of the room made me feel sleepy, but at least the water refreshed me enough that I no longer felt faint. But I was slow and clumsy and kept dropping things on the floor.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Jones?” Madi demanded, coming to stand threateningly close to me.
“I’m sorry Supervisor. It won’t happen again,” I said, retrieving a shirt from the floor.
“Be thankful its dirty clothes hitting the floor. You don’t want to know what’s going to happen to you if you throw clean clothes on the floor,” she threatened.
She stood there watching my every move, her hands balled into fists just waiting for me to drop something. I didn’t give her the satisfaction. Eventually someone else caught her attention and she left me and stomped to the back of the room. I heard her screaming at another worker and looked up in time to see Madi strike the girl. I saw a stream of blood come out of the girl’s nose, but quickly looked away when I saw Madi scanning the room to see whom else she could challenge. If only I could challenge Madi, I would give back to her what she gave to everyone else. But like everyone else, I was too afraid.
Di gave me a stern look. I tried to jolt my befuddled brain into an alert state, but it was difficult. I had a sudden urge to run away and hide in the mineshaft like Summer and I used to do when we were kids. Sometimes we’d stay in there for hours talking about everything and nothing. Life was so much simpler back then.
I managed to get all the clothes into the washer without dropping any. But the real challenge was going to be when I had to take the clean clothes out and get them dried and folded. I became slow and methodical, concentrating on every detail and somehow managed to get through the rest of the day without dropping anything else. But it took me forever. When the bong bongs heralded the end of the working day, I still had folding to do. I didn’t scan out until twenty minutes later.
“Jones,” Supervisor Madi said when I came up to scan out. “I don’t care what you’re upset about in your life, when you’re here in my laundry room you pay attention to what you’re doing. I can’t say I like you very much. Hopefully, you can change my mind about that,” she said in a threatening manner.
“Yes ma’am,” I replied as respectfully as I could.
After today, I didn’t like me very much either.
Chapter Seventeen
Jack was asleep in the chair when I got back to the apartment, but his eyes fluttered open when he heard me come in. He looked drained. The circles under his eyes were every bit as dark as the coal smudged through his hair. And the whites of his eyes were tinged red, making the blue seem even bluer.
“You had to work late again?” he inquired politely.
“I guess that’s the way of the laundry room,” I said dismissively. “Ready to go for dinner?”
He nodded and put his hat back on. I could tell he didn’t really want to go. He was exhausted and needed to sleep.
I headed toward the sixth floor common room. Not that I really wanted to see Reyes, but he would wonder where I had disappeared if I didn’t talk to him. I didn’t want him to come looking for me and create a scene on the fourth floor where we lived. It was better to let him down closer to his own home and far from ours.
The common room was already quite full when we joined the cue for food. Reyes was there with Raine and Mica. Although Raine and Mica were both married, it occurred to me I rarely saw them out with their wives. They were always hanging around Reyes. There was an empty seat next to Reyes and he patted it when he saw me in the line-up. I headed toward him once we received our food ration and Jacked followed mutely behind. I would talk to Reyes privately once we were done eating.
“So is he going to follow you everywhere now?” Reyes demanded. Jack was mid-way to sitting down and stood back up.
“I don’t mind sitting at another table,” Jack said, getting up to leave.
“Stop it Reyes! Jack sit down,” Jack hesitated a moment, then returned to his seat.
“You can’t expect me to hang out with this bourge and like it,” Reyes spat out.
“Yeah, your boy got his butt kicked again today,” Raine piped in, looking at Jack. I gave Jack a confused look. He was too good of a fighter to get his butt kicked.
“You didn’t tell me anything,” I said to him with surprise.
“You can’t blame the guards, the way he walks around down there like he owns the place,” Reyes said, never taking his eyes off Jack.
I knew what he meant; Jack reeked of authority. He had a confident demeanour about him that wasn’t common in the Pit. It was bound to get him into trouble with the guards. But I still couldn’t imagine Jack putting up with someone kicking his butt.
“What happened?” I asked Jack.
“We’ll talk about it later,” he replied in no uncertain terms.
“The guards like picking on him. He backs down pretty fast,” Reyes snickered. “Not so big down here in the Pit, are ya?”
Raine and Mica laughed too. I was suddenly overcome with pity for Jack.
“Reyes, that’s enough! You’re behaving like a child,” I blurted out.
“What? I’m the bad guy here?” Reyes demanded as he turned to look at me. I had never seen him look at me that way before. Was it anger? Hatred? “The President wants to kill you because of that bourge, and I poke a little fun at him and I’m the bad guy?”
“He isn’t the bad guy either. The President wants me dead because of a decision I made. Don’t blame him for this,” I heard myself say and I believed every word.
I was done blaming the bourge and Jack for the mess I made of my ow
n life. What I did was foolhardy and stupid and it was the reason the people I loved most in life were in danger. It was time to stop feeling sorry for myself and start dealing with the consequences of my own actions. And I knew if I gave Jack a chance, he could be a good ally. He could help everyone down here and make a difference.
“Give him a chance. He can help us get organized down here and push back against the bourge. He knows how they work and he can anticipate their decisions. He can teach you all how to fight - how to defend yourselves,” I said, looking from Reyes to Raine and Mica. They all burst out laughing. Jack rolled his eyes.
“The way he cowers in front of the guards and you think he can teach us how to fight?” Reyes laughed in disgust. “Why are you defending this guy? Why are you living with him?” he demanded.
“Reyes, we’ll talk about this later,” I said in a low voice. I should have known his temper would get the better of him. I should have known he would make a scene.
“We don’t need to talk about it later. I see your answer written all over your face,” he said bitterly. “You know, Sunny, I waited four long years for you to marry me. I put up with your excuses when you kept postponing our marriage. I even stood by you when you chose to be a plaything at this idiot’s bachelor party instead of coming to me for help. And then you went and married him! And I’m supposed to be the understanding one in all of this. I’m supposed to understand that you married him to save Summer… to save the entire Pit. And up until now, I think I’ve been very patient and understanding. But I will not sit here while you stand by his side instead of standing by mine.” With that, Reyes scraped his chair back from the table and stomped out of the room.
I looked around the table and saw Mica and Raine staring at me. Jack was pretending to be interested in his stew.
“He’s just hurt, Sunny,” Raine offered.
Mica gave me a murderous glare and made a show of pushing himself away from the table to follow Reyes. A few seconds later, Raine left too.
“That went well,” Jack declared when we were alone.
“Don’t,” I told him.
I could feel a headache coming on. I rubbed my temples trying to hold it at bay. I was stunned Reyes felt that way. He made it sound like I had taken him for granted all these years. He obviously didn’t understand me. But then again, he had always wanted me to be someone I’m wasn’t.
I was vaguely aware of a shift of mood in the room. The dinner hour was done and the evening entertainment was starting. Someone dragged a stool in front of the room and started singing. Other people joined in. I used to love staying here after dinner with my parents to hear the songs and listen to the stories. But I hadn’t been here since my mother was Culled. There was no enjoyment left in it for me.
I wasn’t sure how long I sat there with my head in my hands, but I remembered Jack was still sitting here with me. I looked across the table at him. He seemed to be enjoying the song. It was an old one about how we came to be in the Pit. I used to love this song when I was little because there were a few verses only the children sang. It was a bittersweet song about how we were saved only to be cast down into slavery. Jack had his chair turned completely around to watch the singers in the room, so I couldn’t see his face. I waited until it was done before I suggested we leave.
“Ready to go?” I asked. I thought I saw him rub his eyes before he turned back to me. His lashes were still wet. “Are you okay?”
“The song was… moving,” he said. He stood up and walked in the direction of the door. I followed him.
“How about you? Are you okay?” he asked, once we were back on the stairs headed for the fourth level.
“Yeah,” I lied.
“You want to beat me up again?” he offered.
“Sure,” I said. It might just be the thing I needed right now.
As soon as we entered our apartment, I went directly into the bedroom and took off the vest. It felt so good to get the weight off my shoulders and chest. It had almost been the death of me in the laundry room today. Jack was lounging in a chair when I returned to the living room.
“So, you and Reyes have been engaged for four years,” he stated.
I ignored him and went to the sink to get a glass of water. I was dying of thirst.
“How old are you?” he inquired when it was apparent I wasn’t going to talk about Reyes.
“Seventeen,” I said.
“Seventeen? I married a teenager?” he asked in shock. “Wait a minute, are you telling me you and Reyes got engaged when you were only thirteen?”
“Yes. What’s so strange about that?” I asked.
“I’m twenty and that’s a young age in the Dome to get married. Usually people wait until they’re about twenty-five,” he explained.
“Well when you know you face certain death at thirty-five, you speed up your life a little bit,” I said cynically.
“You’re right. That was a thoughtless comment I made.” He had the decency to look ashamed. “Now I really deserve that butt kicking you want to give me. Let’s warm up with a few push ups,” he said. He fell to the floor on his hands and starting doing push ups.
I decided to join him. Working out the other night really did help ease some of my anger.
“Speaking of getting your butt kicked, what happened today?” I asked.
“Just like they said,” he shrugged.
“I’ve seen you fight, Jack. I can’t imagine you cowered,” I pointed out.
“And what do you think would’ve happened if I grabbed the guard’s gun and shoved it down his throat?” he asked me.
I thought about it for a moment. Not that I wouldn’t want to see a guard eat a gun, but he’s right. All the guards would’ve been on him.
“I see your point,” I said. “You were right about Reyes and his friends too. They’re not going to cooperate. Maybe we can find someone else who wants to learn your skills,” I suggested.
I had decided I didn’t want to give up on my plan to help change things down here. After all the hardship I had brought on my father and Summer, I owed it to them to try to make things right. I didn’t want to fail.
Jack stood up and went into his Tai Chi stance. I followed. He began the fluid movements and I tried to keep up, but he seemed to be going a lot faster tonight.
“So you want to start stopping people in the hall and ask them if they want to join the rebellion?” Jack asked comically.
“Well, it sounds stupid when you say it like that,” I said.
“Alright, we’re all warmed up now. Take your best shot,” Jack faced me in a defensive stance.
“I don’t feel like it anymore,” I said.
“Come on,” he flicked a hand out at me stopping inches from my face. “Pretend I’m Reyes. You must be mad at him.”
I threw the heel of my hand toward his face, which he blocked easily. I followed with a roundhouse kick at his stomach. He pushed me away.
“That’s weak, Sunny,” he berated me. “Come on. The other night you just about ripped my head off when you were mad about Summer.”
I had been really mad about Summer. Even the thought of her now in the clutches of that crazy President was making me angry again. He had my father now too. I wanted to kill the President.
I threw a punch as hard as I could at Jack, then another. He blocked them all, but I kept coming at him. First with my right leg followed swiftly by my left. He threw a right punch at me, but I pulled my head back and he missed. I instinctively knew he was going to follow with his left fist and I ducked. He missed again. He was smiling at me. I came at him to wipe the smile off his face, but he turned and I missed. He grabbed me from behind.
“I see the boyfriend isn’t the key to getting you mad. Your best friend is,” he whispered in my ear.
I drove my elbow as hard as I could into his stomach. As soon as I made contact, I heard his breath forced out of him. I realized I might have hit him too hard.
“I’m sorry!” I turned around to see if
he was okay. He was bent over, holding his stomach. “Jack, are you hurt?”
“I’ll be fine,” he choked out.
I felt a little helpless watching him bent over trying to get his breath back. He finally straightened up and gently touched a couple of his ribs.
“Nothing broken,” he announced and limped off to sit in a chair. “Maybe I should have told you the first rule of sparring before I started teaching you. You don’t actually hurt your partner.”
“Sorry. I guess I let my frustrations get the better of me,” I apologized.
“I don’t suppose there’s a hot shower in here?” he asked, even though he knew the answer.
“No,” I laughed at the thought. “But there’s a bath I can take you to.”
“Take me,” he said getting up from the chair.
I went and found a couple of towels and a bar of soap in a cupboard.
“We only have about forty-five minutes left before lights out. We need to be back by then,” I warned him.
We left the apartment and headed toward the bathroom. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jack changed his mind when he saw where he had to bathe. It wasn’t anything like the private hot shower he was used to. We reached the bathroom and went in. I was silently relieved to see that the water had been changed recently. It wasn’t bad at all.
“It’s freezing!” Jack exclaimed when he put his hand in the water. “I’m not getting in there.”
“You don’t actually get in. Soak your towel in the water and wash off that way. You can dry with mine. You go first and then I’ll go,” I said, heading for the door.
“Wait,” Jack called me back. “We’re supposed to be married. Isn’t it going to look weird if we’re taking turns in here?”
“I’m not watching you have a bath, Jack. I’m only prepared to take the pretend marriage thing so far,” I said. He gave me a wry look.
“We’ll just turn our backs on each other. It will save time and we can get back before lights out,” he suggested.
“I don’t know. It seems a little… intimate,” I said hesitantly. But there was a guard on duty within view of the bathroom and he might wonder why we were taking turns.
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