A story that makes no sense, chapter 4
Mandy wished she had time to visit her father,
Desmond, in jail that weekend. But Mandy was not so sure if Daniel and Harry would want to come. Her father could be charged with "minor treason." Since Desmond did not initiate any violence, nor was he a spy, Mandy thought he was okay. Of course, if found guilty, he could be there for ten years.
Mandy read in the paper about the execution of a twenty-three year old woman named Judith Kurtzwall. Ms. Kurtzwall was hanged for the attempted murder of a peace officer. This peace officer was beating up Kurtzwall's boyfriend, and she ran to his defense, and "overreacted." Kurtwall apparently attempted to strangle the guard to death. Kurtzwall's defense was that she was not trying to kill the guard but to distract him so her boyfriend could get away. Her body was to be left hanging on display in the town square for five days as to give a warning to those who dared rebel. And any "peon" who dared steal Ms. Kurtzwall's body was to be left in the stocks for an hour and a half in the same area where Ms. Kurtzwall's gallows were. Despite her sympathy for Ms. Kurtzwall, Mandy reminded herself that two wrongs do not make a right. But then again, there were three wrongs; Mandy believed that it was wrong for this guard to beat up Ms. Kurtzwall's boyfriend, it was wrong for Ms. Kurtzwall to attempt to kill the guard, and it was wrong for Angus Sage's government to hang her. A tear dropped from her eye. She noticed the news gave no reason as to why Ms. Kurtzwall's boyfriend was being beat up in the first place. She was soon crying; crying for people she never even knew. There was no photo of Ms. Kurtzwall's hanging body. She almost wanted to go and see Kurtzwall's corpse, hanging from the gallows, and offer some kind of prayers for it.
Ariella Graham, Gina's coed big sister, was about to go and meet her soon-to-be husband, Zachary Abrams.
"Ariella, does Zachary actually like you with all that make-up on? You look hideous."
Ariella, in a selfish rage, slapped Gina across the face. "OWWWW!"
"I don't need any comments from you, squirt! Zack loves me like this!"
"Sorry," mumbled Gina. She went to the bathroom and washed her face with cold water. Mr. Graham, their father, asked Ariella what happened.
"Just a sisterly spat," replied Ariella.
"She slapped me!" retorted Gina.
"Is this true, Ariella?"
Ariella looked at the floor, in a sense of guilt.
"You know, if you were twenty-six only seven years ago, I would have been able to lay you across my lap and make sure you wouldn't be able to sit for thirty-six hours! Why did you slap your sister, Ariella?"
"She said I looked ugly with make-up on!"
Blair agreed with his younger daughter on that one.
"You apologize to each other!" And so they did. Ariella then left the house.
"Daddy, may I participate in the next protest?"
"Absolutely not!"
"Why not?" Gina asked, solemnly.
"I don't want you getting hurt or incarcerated or anything like that. Your sister and that knucklehead groom are old enough, but you're stayin' home! Period! I'd be more worried if you were put in jail than if Ariella did..."
"You don't care if Ariella, your older daughter, gets put in jail? Since when do you care about me more than her?"
"She's older and can take care of herself. As for you, no!"
"Daddy, please! I'm a big girl now!"
"But you're not a woman yet. When you are Ariella's age, you can be as irresponsible as you want!"
"Are you saying adult women are irresponsible?" Asked Gina, accusing her dad of being a sexist.
"I didn't say adult men aren't irresponsible, did I?"
Gina shut up. She thought about her father's hint about the "good old days" and shuddered. She hoped she would not wind up being a coed herself when she grew to be Ariella's age. I'm gonna move out at twenty-three, not twenty-six like that big baby! she told herself.