Widow, Virgin, Whore - A Novel

by Deanna Lynn Sletten

  The young woman stared at her in shock.

  Darla went up to the next person. "The owner discriminates against people with AIDS," she told the gentleman looking at red roses.

  "Really?" he asked. "Well, I won't buy here." And he took off out the door.

  The owner ran up behind Darla, furious now, his deep voice roaring like thunder. "Get out of here! I called the police. They're coming to throw you out!"

  Darla ignored him and made her way to the door, yelling, "The owner hates people with AIDS. Don't buy flowers here."

  ***

  From outside, Katherine heard the commotion brewing inside the shop. She stepped closer to the door, leaving Denise perusing over pink peonies.

  "The owner discriminates, don't buy flowers here," Darla announced to the few people outside as she passed through the door. Katherine caught her arm as people from all over the shopping area looked up to see what was happening.

  "What are you doing?" Katherine demanded. "Are you crazy?"

  "He won't even listen to me," Darla told her, exasperated. "So I'll make everyone else listen." Darla turned to the group of people who had gathered around the outside of the florist shop. "Don't buy here. The owner hates people with AIDS," she announced loudly.

  The owner came out, his eyes spitting fire. Seeing Katherine beside Darla, he stormed up to her. "Make her go away right now or I'll have her arrested!" he demanded. No sooner had the words left his lips, two Seattle patrolmen stepped up through the crowd that now surrounded the shop.

  "What's the problem here?" one officer asked as he approached Darla and Katherine.

  Katherine grabbed Darla's arm and tugged on her to leave. "No problem, Officer, we were just leaving."

  Darla pulled out of her grasp. "Don't buy flowers here, Officer. The owner discriminates against people with AIDS."

  "Get her out of here, Officer. She's disturbing my customers," the owner demanded over Darla's shoulder.

  The officer took a step toward Darla as he unhooked his handcuffs. "Okay, lady. Why don't we take this down to the station?"

  Once again, Katherine grabbed Darla's arm and tugged harder on her to go. "Really, Officer, there's no need to arrest her. She's not feeling well, that's all. I'll take her home right now. I promise." Katherine tugged and pulled, but Darla stood firm. Despite the fact she was thin as a rail, Darla had her feet planted firmly and couldn't be budged.

  "The owner hates people with AIDS," Darla continued to chant loudly over the noise of the crowd.

  "Okay, that's enough," the officer said. "Move aside, lady, so I can handcuff her. He pushed Katherine roughly and she stumbled backwards, almost falling into a bucket of daisies. She balanced herself and watched as he grabbed both of Darla's thin wrists and yanked them behind her back. Katherine saw Darla wince with pain, yet all the while she continued her chanting.

  Desperate to end this, and growing angry at being handled roughly, Katherine headed back toward the officer. "Hey, stop it. You're hurting her. Can't you see she's not well?" Katherine reached out to pull him away. "You're hurting her. Stop it!" She pulled at his arm but couldn't get him to let go.

  "Let go, you lesbian bitch!" the cop snarled, trying to shove Katherine aside while hanging onto Darla at the same time.

  "Lesbian bitch? Lesbian bitch?" Katherine's eyes bulged from their sockets. The second officer, who had been trying to disperse the crowd, now came up behind Katherine and grabbed her arms. She struggled in his powerful grasp, her anger exploding into raw energy.

  "Come on, lady, hold still!" the younger cop told her.

  "Looks like we'll have to take the girlfriend in, too," the first officer said, nodding toward Katherine. The second officer nodded his understanding and began taking out his cuffs.

  "Lesbian bitch!" Katherine screeched again, fueling her anger as she struggled to escape the cop.

  Until now, Denise had been standing paralyzed in the crowd with her mouth wide open. But when she saw the officer grab Katherine, all sense left her and she sprang into action.

  "Hey, leave her alone. She didn't do anything wrong." Denise pushed through the crowd and grabbed the cop's arm as he tried to cuff Katherine. He spun around to see who'd accosted him, releasing his grip on Katherine. She took advantage of his distraction and ran at the cop who was roughly shoving Darla toward the police car. Through it all, Darla was still chanting, "The owner hates people with AIDS. He discriminates against people with AIDS."

  "Shut up, you bitch!" the cop growled at Darla.

  "Lesbian bitch, huh?" Katherine shouted as she reached the cop. "I'll give you lesbian bitch!" She leapt onto the cop's back, making him pull away from Darla. He struggled to get her off, but she held on fast. "This cop hates lesbians!" Katherine screamed from atop the officer.

  Meanwhile, Denise was still arguing with the other cop. "Leave them alone, they didn't do anything wrong."

  The cop grabbed at her flailing arms. "Get out of my way. Stay out of this!" he demanded. In the tangle of arms, as he tried to grab hers and she tried to keep him away from her friends, Denise accidentally flailed her right arm and slugged the cop right in the eye.

  "Oh, my God," she gasped, suddenly still.

  "The owner hates people with AIDS!" Darla shouted.

  "This cop hates lesbians!" Katherine screamed.

  From somewhere in the crowd, a camera flashed.

  The cop with the swelling eye grabbed Denise and handcuffed her.

  Katherine and the other cop tumbled backwards onto the ground and he handcuffed her.

  Darla continued chanting, "The owner discriminates!"

  And while the entire marketplace of people stared on in disbelief, the officers led the three women off to the patrol car.

  Chapter Twenty

  "Are you happy now? Huh? You and your big mouth did this to us!" Denise glared at her sister from across the cell at the Seattle Police Station.

  Darla lay calmly on the bunk as Denise paced the floor, fretting over their predicament. Katherine sat quietly on the other bunk, deep in thought.

  "I can't believe I'm in jail!" Denise wailed. "All I wanted was to look at flowers, and I end up in jail. It's all your fault, Darla. Everything bad that happens is always your fault!"

  Darla gazed up at her sister, a sly smirk on her face. "Hey, I wasn't the one who gave that cop a black eye."

  Denise covered her face with her hands. "Don't remind me. It was an accident. I was trying to help Katherine."

  "So you punched the cop out. Good choice."

  Denise actually growled at her.

  "And way to go, Katie!" Darla continued. "Jumping that cop. I didn't know you had it in you."

  Katherine wasn't as disturbed about their incarceration as she was by the attitude of the police officers. "Well, he pissed me off. Calling me a lesbian bitch. What makes him think I'm a lesbian, anyway?"

  Darla grunted in disgust. "Because anyone defending someone with AIDS must be gay, a lesbian, a druggy, or a whore. No respectable person would, at least not in their eyes."

  "I wish I had some paper," Katherine said quietly. "I can't wait to write my next column."

  Denise shook her head, looking disgusted with both of them. "I don't believe you two. Don't you understand we're in jail? I just want to go home. When is Craig going to get here?"

  "He said he'd be here soon. Just sit down and relax, will you?" Darla told her.

  "Sit down? On that? Are you crazy? You have no idea what sat on that bunk before you did."

  Darla shrugged. "Whoever it was, I'm sure she didn't assault an officer of the law."

  Denise clenched her teeth. "Just shut up!"

  Darla looked smug. "You know, baby sis, you really should be thanking me. After all, it's been a month of firsts for you, and I helped. First time in jail, first time engaged, first time for sex." She looked slyly at a disgusted Denise. "You and the Doc have done it, haven't you?"

  Denise growled again. "I said shut up or I'll punch you out next!"
/>
  Darla laughed.

  "I wish I had some paper," Katherine said again, ignoring the sisters.

  "Well, if it isn't my favorite jailbirds," a familiar voice said from the other side of the bars. The three looked up to see Craig and Gary staring back at them, the officer Denise had hit standing beside them holding an ice pack on his eye.

  Denise clasped her hands over her mouth. "Oh, my goodness. Gary." She turned three shades of red.

  He smiled at her. "How are things in the cooler, babe?" he teased.

  "What are you doing here?" Denise gasped.

  "I called him," Craig volunteered. "Figured if we had to bail you girls out, he'd have more money than I would."

  "Besides, I couldn't miss this picture," Gary teased. "I wish I'd brought a camera."

  Denise spun and glared at Darla. Darla ignored her and sauntered over to the bars. "So, did you guys come here to chat or are we getting out?"

  "Well, I don't know," Craig said. He looked over at the officer. "Are they safe to let loose?"

  The officer pulled the ice pack off, revealing a swollen patch of skin already turning a deep purple. "What do you think?"

  "Ouch," both men said in unison.

  "Darla, did you do that?" Craig asked with a knowing grin.

  The officer answered for her. "No, it was the other one, there." He pointed at Denise. Both men stared at her in shock.

  "Whoa! I thought I had the tough sister," Craig told Gary. "You're going to have to watch her. She packs a powerful punch."

  Gary nodded. "Good thing I'm a doctor."

  Denise looked like she wanted to melt into the concrete floor. "Just get us out of here, please," she wailed.

  The officer unlocked the cell and the three women filed out.

  "So, how much did this adventure cost us?" Katherine asked Gary. "I'll pay you back, I promise."

  "No need to. There was no bail. Seems the shop owner decided not to press charges and the police aren't, either."

  "Yeah, I bet the owner just didn't want bad publicity, the wimp," Darla said, sneering.

  "I'm sure the police didn't want anything mentioned about calling us lesbian bitches, either," Katherine added angrily. "That would make great headlines."

  Denise shot them both a look of disgust. "Will you two just shut up before you start another fight?"

  Katherine and Darla looked at each other and shrugged, then walked past Denise and the men to the door.

  Gary placed his arm around Denise. "Come on, power punch. I'll take you home."

  She frowned at him, then stopped and turned back to the officer. "I'm really sorry about your eye. It was an accident, I swear."

  "Just go home, lady. Okay?"

  Meekly, Denise turned and left the room with Gary at her side. "Thank God that's over," she said, sighing.

  "Adventure in Darla Land," Gary said, laughing. "It gets more interesting by the minute."

  "Stop it!" Denise said, slapping his arm.

  "Ouch! Don't hit me, you're dangerous," he teased, receiving only a glare from her in reply.

  ***

  Sunday morning Darla walked into the kitchen with Craig from having spent the night at his place and slapped down the morning newspaper on the table. Denise, Katherine, and Chelsea all looked up from their breakfast.

  "Get a load of this," Darla announced, pointing to the paper.

  All three stared at the Sunday issue of the King County Journal. Blown up on the front page was a picture of the three women fighting the police officers in front of the florist shop. The headline read, "AIDS Columnist Turns AIDS Activist".

  "Oh," Denise groaned. "This is awful. Look at that picture! They caught me hitting the cop."

  "Let me see," Chelsea said eagerly, turning the paper to face her. "Way cool, Aunt Kathy. Look at you! You're on that policeman's back."

  Katherine moaned as she stared at the picture. The only one who looked semi-normal was Darla, handcuffed and standing to the side. Katherine didn't know if she wanted to laugh or cry. She picked up the paper and read aloud the text under the headline.

  "Local AIDS columnist, Katherine Samuals, was part of a protest yesterday against the owner of The Blue Iris in Seattle's Pike Place Market. She, along with two other participants, was demonstrating against the recent firing of a friend, infected with AIDS, from the florist shop. Police arrived to find Darla Richards harassing potential customers by telling them the owner discriminates against people with AIDS and to not patronize the shop. As the officers tried to subdue the protesters peacefully, they became violent. Samuals jumped the officer arresting Richards while Richards' sister, Denise Richards, punched the other officer in the eye. As Samuals hung onto the back of the officer she'd jumped, she continued chanting, 'This cop hates lesbians!', apparently another cause the three women were supporting."

  Katherine stopped reading and tossed the paper back on the table. "I can't read any more," she said, sighing. "It's getting worse by the second."

  Denise shook her head. "Great. Not only am I a violent protester, but now everyone's going to think I'm a lesbian."

  Darla chuckled, but no one else in the room thought it was funny.

  "Don't you dare laugh," Denise said. "It's your fault all this happened in the first place."

  "Oh, lighten up. It's funny if you think about it. The straight laced virgin and her tight-ass widow friend attacking police officers. It's a real kicker."

  Denise glared at her sister while Katherine held up her hand. "That's enough, Darla. Okay? At least I get a chance to tell our side in my next column. I've already spoken to the editor and he wants to run it as soon as possible. He was actually excited about it."

  "I think it's cool," Chelsea spoke up. "You three stood up for a friend. I can't wait to show this to Chris. Can I take it up to him?"

  "Be my guest," Katherine said, sighing. "He'll find out soon enough."

  Chelsea took the newspaper and ran out of the room. They heard her pounding feet on the stairs.

  "You two will never believe what else happened," Darla piped up.

  "If it has anything to do with cops, I don't want to hear about it," Denise said bitterly.

  Darla stuck her tongue out at Denise, then continued. "I talked with Susie last night. Seems her boss called her yesterday afternoon and offered to take her back, part-time."

  "What?" Katherine was stunned.

  "Yup. He said that after we were taken away, he thought about what I'd said and realized I was right. He was wrong to let her go. That's why he didn't press charges, and he even apologized to her."

  Katherine and Denise exchanged amazed expressions.

  "So, what did she say?" Denise wanted to know.

  Darla chuckled. "She told him she'd think about it. Can you believe that? After all that happened yesterday to try to get her job back for her. She'd think about it." Darla's chuckle turned into full-fledged laughter. "The girl has spirit after all, eh?"

  "She also said to thank you two for supporting her," Craig added. "She said it made her feel good, knowing she has friends willing to do so much for her."

  "Any time, I'm sure," Katherine said with a grin and a roll of her eyes. Yet, for the first time since the incident occurred, Katherine felt good about it. It really was worth all the trouble after all.

  Darla sat down in the chair Chelsea had vacated. "You know what? We all make a good team. And everything turned out great. Maybe we should keep doing this. We can find other people who have been discriminated against because of AIDS and go protest." Darla's eyes danced with excitement as Katherine and Denise stared at her as if she was crazy.

  "So, what do you girls think?"

  "You're insane, Darla. Completely insane," Denise told her and left the room to avoid any further discussion.

  Darla's undisturbed eyes turned their way to Katherine, but she shook her head. "My protest days are over, thank you very much. I'll stick to informing the public through my writing."

  Darla sighed. "Oh, well. It w
as a good idea." Katherine and Craig exchanged glances, shook their heads, and both laughed.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Susie never did get the chance to think over returning to work. Two days after the phone call, she came down with PCP, fell into a coma, and within a week she died, never regaining consciousness. Her sudden death was a great shock to everyone in the group, especially Carl.

  "I was with her every day. I never suspected she had pneumonia," he kept saying over and over again when they had all gathered at the hospital after being informed of her death. "I should have seen it coming. I should have brought her here sooner."

  They all tried to comfort him and assure him it was not his fault. It had come as a surprise to all of them. All week as they took turns at her bedside, not one of them ever entertained the idea that she would die. Darla had PCP and pulled through earlier that year. Susie was still strong, surely she would pull through just fine. But she didn't, and it was Carl who had been with her when the heart monitor began its dreadful whine and the team of doctors and nurses worked over Susie to revive her. It was Carl who heard the words first that Susie hadn't survived. It was Carl who made the dreaded phone calls, first to Susie's ex-husband, then to the rest of the group. And the strain showed in the new creases engraved on his young face and the tortured look in his eyes.

  The funeral was held three days later and was small and impersonal. Susie's ex-husband had handled all the arrangements, paying for it with the small life insurance policy she'd had, and he hadn't spent a penny more. If it hadn't been for the numerous bouquets of flowers sent by Susie's former employer, the funeral would have been a drab affair.

  Katherine and the rest of the group had not been included in any of the plans. Carl and Katherine had offered to do the eulogy, but both had been rejected. No friend or family member spoke, no music was played, merely a few impersonal words by a minister who hadn't known Susie at all.

  Susie's old boss was there, as was Jeff and a few other people from the group of volunteers. But they were the only other guests, besides Katherine and the group, Susie's ex-husband, the two children, and their grandmother. Susie's parents didn't even come. It was a sad ending for a woman who had given so much of herself to others and had received so little in return.