When this courtesy done, Patricia rid herself away. We sit with heavy scrape of chairs. But before no parley start, Simón start speeching on their older wars, and how all wrongs forgot. Yo, he mention every wrong the Quanticos ever done, in saying how they be forgot.
When Simón exhaust his speech, the Commandant say nice, ‘Well, we certainly do appreciate that, General. Hoping we keep that spirit. But getting straight to it, we all like to know what conditions you placing on your help.’
I say quick, before Simón can start again, ‘We want the cure. Be glad to rid they Russians, but we mostly want their pharmacies.’
Hatter general make a friendly smile that perk his mustache. ‘Well, thass okay, if they got anything. You know, ma’am, wooden be no surprises if it wadden even true.’
‘Yeah, their miracle cure,’ say Verna Snakehead. ‘Our opinion, it’s a ruse. Russians started out here offering us that medicine – with one small condition of total surrender. Well, I’m still waiting for a reason to believe it’s there.’
‘Ain’t your worries,’ I say shortish. ‘We know it be there.’
Verna scorn her lip. ‘Well, I’d thank you not to go saying that to my Marines. Get our kids believing that, you can kiss morale goodbye. Get people deserting to the enemy – which I do believe was the Russians’ whole idea.’
‘Now, wait,’ say Hatter. ‘Assuming it’s there, which I guess the lady’s got her reasons. Still, there’s the problem, how you get it. Situation now, we hadden got in their camp, except as prisoners. But saying that changes, saying we even win. Well, they all likely to pack their bags and go. Why it’s no guarantees, being honest with the lady.’
‘Maybe the gennleman could comment on that.’ The Commandant nod to Pasha.
Pasha get bewaring face. Say slow, ‘Cure be on boats.’
‘Well, thass it,’ Hatter say exciting. ‘Boats, they’re way off down the coast. And they never come anywhere close to shore, we all been watching that. Even getting a shot in, I don’t see a way.’
‘Ya.’ Pasha nod impatient. ‘Cannot take boats. But Russians trade for prisoners. What we plan.’
Verna huff infuriating. ‘There’s a fine idea, I’m sure. Begging your pardon, but we trade our prisoners for prisoners. While there’s one Marine kept in captivity, that’s what we do. Trade prisoners for some potion you’d be a fool to drink? Well, thass a great idea – if you’re a Russian.’
‘General Mitchell,’ say the Commandant, ‘asking you to remember where you are.’
‘Sir,’ she answer cold, ‘I’m hoping you don’t listen to this with any credulity. I do hope.’
‘Well, there’s trades and trades,’ say Hatter with impatient smile. ‘That Russian colonel you got, Verna, he’s worth something to them. Supposing we all winning, you ask anything you want for him.’
‘Not guaranteeing he survives the duration.’ Verna scorn her mouth. ‘But if he do, yall certainly can trade him for magic beans – when my people are all back home.’
The Commandant say sharp, ‘You’re forgetting circumstances, Generals. We don’t win this war, we’re losing all our people, without exception. So, in the interests of concluding this alliance, interests of winning this war, I want to personally promise our guests, we will cooperate in any reasonable means to get this medicine. Thass including use of future prisoners, if thass what the situation calls for. And, Generals, I do expect you abide by that.’
Hatter–Verna heed all this with looks of stiffen conscience. Then both muttern, ‘Sir, yes, sir,’ and give each other mally eyes.
The Commandant cough in his hand and turn with tired smile to me. ‘Now, we certainly do appreciate you coming, in what’s an hour of need. But I’m hoping it won’t be any surprise, we got a request our own.’
‘Request?’ I say unready. ‘Shoo, we going to help your war.’
‘Now, ma’am, if you hear me out. So, unnerstanding you believe in the medicine, thass a thing we knew and expected. But what alarms us there, it gives the enemy a place to drive a wedge. They get nervous, they just offer you medicine – if you all join up with them. Then we got two armies at our gates, and whatever intelligence that we shared, necessarily shared …’
‘Concern being, you change sides.’ Verna narrow eyes at Pasha. ‘Particularly seeing you got your Russian sympathies, preexisting.’
‘Excusing the general’s frankness,’ say the Commandant. ‘There it is.’
‘That won’t happen,’ Simón Zelote say with insult face. ‘If you knew anything about our city’s history, you’d know that.’
‘Well, sir,’ the Commandant say, ‘thass very reassuring to hear. But my request is for the lady here. Ma’am, all we’re asking is that you’d stay with us for the duration of the war. You’d be a very honored guest in the White House here, that’s my own home.’
Hatter smile to me with sweeten eyes. ‘See, ma’am, you staying here, we don’t believe your folks will abandon you. It’s a pledge of faith, how we see it.’
Before I think no answer, Pasha say, ‘Cannot.’
Marines all flinch then, look to him in various dislike.
‘Sir?’ the Commandant say short.
‘You asking, she stay here?’ say Pasha. ‘Maria stay herself?’
Simón Zelote add in stiff, ‘You’re proposing to keep Maria hostage.’
‘Well, hostage, thass a word,’ say Hatter, touching his mustache nerviose.
‘It’s options we could have, if there’s that trust,’ the Commandant say. ‘Hostage, that sounds nasty, but you think about our position. Can’t plan much, if we expect that information goes to the enemy.’
‘It’s maps, it’s anything,’ Verna say. ‘Use of that tunnel you seen. Cause those tunnels’ whereabouts, that cannot fall into enemy hands. Thass an area where I’m already unhappy.’
‘Maria cannot stay here,’ Pasha say, eyes furiose on me.
‘Ma’am?’ The Commandant nod to me. ‘We could have your thoughts, we all be thankful.’
Then every child fix eyes to me, their faces grim in overlight.
First, my thoughts be easy yes. It always been my expectation, I war here myself. But how Marines be gleering on me, something trouble in my gut. Remind that I be here alone, without my Sengle children. Remind the land of skulls and bombs around.
‘Nay,’ I say nerviose. ‘You thinking wrong. We help your fighting, then you asking asks. Is backward somehow.’
The Commandant take slower breath. ‘Well, ma’am, I’m hoping you give it thought. It’s a thing we really appreciate.’
‘Cannot,’ say Pasha straight to me. ‘Cannot.’
I frown to him unhappy. Yo, when I see his white disquiet, I remember sudden, how he going back to roos. Said he will think, but never sworn he stay. All been some arguments.
Then a mally conscience whisper: If I stay in Quantico, he never leave me here alone. Must stay for my protection. This thought go scary and it pass, leave shivers in my blood.
‘If I ain’t?’ I say unsteady. ‘We still fighting, with–without.’
The Commandant cough and swallow at his throat. Say in thicker voice, ‘Well, you seen our streets, ma’am. Your troops can’t help so much, if they can’t set foot. Thass only a first example.’
Simón Zelote look back to me feroce. ‘Maria, there’s no necessity for our troops to enter the city. We can attack the Russians from the rear. We can attack supply lines.’
‘I’m sorry to disagree there.’ Hatter give a shortish laugh. ‘Supply lines, you’re talking helicopters. So, good luck with that. And I was thinking myself, your boys come in on the rear. But if–’
‘Excuse me,’ Verna say in harsh. ‘If we’re discussing tactics, I’d like to ask that the Russian gennleman leave.’
This catch my temper, and I say, ‘Shee, better you leave yourself.’
‘Now, I wonder what your interest is, ma’am,’ Verna say with skinny eyes. ‘Why you want the gennleman to hear all this, I certainly wonder.�
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‘Oh, Verna, learn a different tune,’ say Hatter sudden sharp. ‘We wadden discussing tactics. Hardly got to any discussing at all. Personally, I’m here to win a war. If I wanted a catfight, I’d get cats.’
Verna give him ugly looks. ‘General Diaz, thanks for your maturity. But if we’re talking disposition of troops, I think we better do it without a Russian representative. If thass catfights, fine.’
‘Now, hold on,’ say the Commandant. ‘Is that acceptable to the lady?’
All faces turn to me again. Even Simón give me some hinting look.
‘Nay, he helping us these weeks,’ I say unnerve. ‘Ain’t needful.’
The Commandant begin to speak, but cough into his starting word. Swallow and say breathless quick, ‘Excuse my saying, General Mitchell does have a point. Thanking the gennleman for his help, but it’s getting into an area that wadden anticipated … hope you all can see.’
As he saying this, I feel it clear. Truth, Pasha being Russian self. Is natural suspicions.
But when I try to think agreement, something narrow in my chest. Get superstition feeling, Pasha go to roos if he leave now. He take among all Quanticos, beyond my watching eyes, and lost. How Driver lost, while I been gone.
When I look at Pasha, he lost his rage. Stare to me weak. And in my mind, that mally whisper come again, insisting.
I say, lost in fear, ‘I stay here. If it be a help, I stay in Quantico. Be right.’
Pasha sit back sharp, while Hatter say in voice of big relief, ‘Well, now, thass something! Ma’am, and I’d say, thass brave of you, I was going to say that.’
‘Yes,’ say Verna softer. ‘That is a help.’
‘Makes it a different picture,’ the Commandant say with easing grin. ‘I do thank you, ma’am, and we’ll try to make your stay very pleasant. We certainly will.’
Here Pasha stand up sudden from his chair. All startle back. The Commandant say footless, ‘Sir? You all right there?’
‘Can go,’ he say in absent voice.
‘Nay, Pasha,’ I say. ‘We ain’t said–’
‘Well, thank you also.’ Verna stand up ready. ‘I certainly appreciate that too.’
Pasha push his chair back clumsy. Verna pass along, she open the door with quick impatience. Pasha start behind, then hold. Step back to me and bend down hasty. Kiss me on the forehead. Then he turn and he be gone. Door shut against my frightening look.
This kiss stay wrong in me. Ain’t Pasha manners that he do no kissing, ain’t himself. Ya, in my wrong feeling, the Commandant begin to cough again – a longer trail of coughs with fretten swallows in between. I grit sharp, look to his posy face with struggling heart.
Simón Zelote start to talk now, how my safety can assure. ‘You’ll need to make us comfortable, if we’re going to work together … regular communications and some means …’ and he say on, while Verna coming back, without my Pasha. And someone answer shortish, and someone answer glad, and all be voices. I try to heed correct, but then the Commandant cough again, and my mind deafen in unsense. I only see the harshen light, their faces looking skully ill.
I see Hatter frowning worry at the Commandant before grief swallow me entire. Room become a smaller darkness. Feel weakly cold, like all my blood be tears. Be gripping in my dress – their voices babbiting around me – swearing my heart that Pasha cannot leave. He know that Driver gone. He going to know I need himself.
Then this confuse to Driver dying lonely in his bed. How he pologizing that I try so hard, and still he die. All times I dare myself, all sweating work, a city’s ruling – and still I cannot save one life. And this new war will spend its blood, and Driver still be dead.
Ya, my mind recall a rhyme I known in littlish years. Be about a boy was lost, and every creature work to find him. Birds fly seeking, and the foxes sniff, and moles dig underground. Even the sun go look for him, and water hunt in all its brooks. But he never found, and every part end with the rhyme:
These are the creatures that live in the world,
And these are the things they done.
Uppity busy, and everywheres,
But Mannity still be gone.
Mannity still be gone.
Through this, I hear Simón say low, ‘Maria?’
Look up, and all the generals frown on me. The Commandant say, ‘Ma’am, do that sound possible to you?’
When I take my breath, feel like it cut into my chest. ‘Sorry,’ I say. ‘I be tired. If Pasha–’
Then I sob out hard. My tears come helpless, and I skit both hands up to my face.
Can hear in shamen awfulness, how every child be saying ‘Ma’am? Ma’am?’ Someone touch my arm, ask something, but I cannot think. And they standing up. All noising with their slurren courtesies. Close through this, Simón say low, ‘Please understand, Maria’s brother died yesterday.’
I look to him, surprise. Be like I ain’t remember any other child know this. Then it be some comfort, how his eyes be sharp feroce. Look like he ready to attack no child who tell me wrong.
But they give sorries courteose. Hatter reach a cloth to me, and even Verna saying they never guess, and be good courage that I come. I use the cloth to wipe my face, say choken, ‘Nay, be right. Can need a cigarette, all it need.’
Hatter’s voice come near beside, ‘Now, ma’am. We can carry on without you until tomorrow, the very least. There’s Mister Zelote here. I think you’ve done everything anybody can ask.’
The Commandant say kindly low, ‘Ma’am, I think we can all use time to gather thoughts. Maybe I show you to your room, you can rest. And anything else you need, you just speak up.’
Ain’t comprehend this well, but I say, ‘Ya, be gratty right.’
‘Thass fine,’ the Commandant say. ‘We’ve all lost people, everyone here. You’re among friends, ma’am, forgetting all politics. I hope you appreciate that.’
This bring my tears again, and I say thoughtless, ‘Sure. Be gratty, brother.’
Then be a strange walk to the White House self, all generals fluttering round. Must concentrate on seeing where I walk through always tears. We come into a hall of whitish luxury, ride an elevator, yo all be sobbing and confusions. At last, we stop beside a door. Here Simón and everyone be gone. Is only the Commandant. He say pleasant, ‘This is the Queen’s Bedroom, ma’am, what they call it. Thinking it be appropriate.’
I say soft, ‘Where Pasha be? My … Russian child.’
‘Ma’am, thought you knew. He’s talking to some of our folks now. And then, at his request, he’s going back to his own people. Thass the arrangement that we made.’
My mind go struggling feary. ‘Nay. He change in this.’
‘Ma’am?’
‘He promise, ya. He got to be with me.’
The Commandant look discomfort. ‘Ma’am, I’ll certainly ask him. Can’t exactly have him in the White House here, but … well, you leave that to me.’
I shake my head. Look past him like my Pasha going to be there. ‘I cannot stay alone here. Sure he know.’
‘Hoping you won’t feel alone with us, ma’am. But I’ll ask him, you don’t worry at all.’
‘Ya, send him here. I need him.’ I say this peevish like a little, then I go inside. The Commandant stick in the doorway, explaining how is empty here, tell pologies on his missing staff. ‘Everybody’s fighting now. So things got a little dusty, but I’m hoping you can see it’s no disrespect.’ He linger in this till I lose my strength, sit on the bed. Say rough, ‘Be thanks. But send me Pasha.’ He make this promise again, and go at last. Close the door onto a petty sound, is like a final cough.
Some time, I stare into my blindness, heeding for my Pasha’s step. Keep swearing he must come. Cannot be Driver gone and Pasha both. But all the house be dumb. Be dead. At last, I curl onto my side, gone weak from useless wish. Hug my knees and wait my misery into nothing sleep.
66
OF ROOISH PRISONERS
I wake again in nighten closeness. Only a gentle y
ellow lamp be lit beside the bed. Gone sweaty in my dress and coat, and I sit weak confusen while my every griefs remember.
In this, the room begin to notice. All be ickety pink. The walls and rugs and every other object pinking various. Pink and pink, like sitting in a mouth. Only unpink object be my blackish journey case, brought from Marias with all packen clothes. Some child must carry it here while I been sleeping. Now it seem queer familiar. Is like an actual object that appear inside a dream.
For longer time, I only sitting, restless in despair. Think how I can ask to leave, pick through the land-mine streets again. Beg a car, can get back to my Sengles by the morning. But then a notion hold my mind.
Pasha still be here. Is somewhere in the city, with Russian prisoners waiting trade. Can even be, he never meant to leave. Verna took him, and he gone obedient to help our parley. Only must fetch him out again, and he remain with me.
I go to the door and open hasty. Call up, ‘Ho? Be someone by?’
Answer be silence, dumb as ice. I breathe my courage up again and step out to the hall.
Their elevator work like ours. I ride it down and wander lost through luxury rooms, all fade with dust. Keep calling, but my voice be only a strange intrusion in the deafness. Get superstitious, every person kilt while I been sleeping long.
At last, I find an outer door. Then it be relief to step into the good outside. The air be living with bright wind, the sky as huge as feeling. Is darken trees before, all shushing happy with their leafen voice. Cold seize into my face, my eyes. But ain’t no child to ask. Be no one there and no one there.
I stalk across the grass, come through a spacen line of trees. Can spy a bigger field beyond, still clean with no explosion patterns. A tickle of movement there come hopeful. I haste my step toward, pass through a clutch of heavy pines. Here I halt in staring.
Center of this field an artifact rise, white gigantesque. Is tallish like sky towers, but ain’t shapen like no building. Be skinny long with pointen top, and got no windows all its height. Look like goliath stake, craften out of moon. Around it, be a ring of poles with flags of old America. Look tiny there, their stripen rags twitch pitieuse in wind. To every side, the grassen field go widening out to milen distance.
The Country of Ice Cream Star Page 51
