Wednesday, April 25, 2007
University of California, Riverside
The Dawsons were surrounded by reporters as soon as they pulled into the parking lot. One reporter from a local television station, microphone in hand, knocked on Rose’s window, gesturing to her to roll it down. Rose ignored him, turning her attention to Lizzy, who had begun to cry, frightened by the commotion.
Jack honked the horn, pulling slowly into a parking pace as the reporters backed off a little. He was surprised they hadn’t been at the jail, but maybe someone had ordered them away. If they had been there, they would have gotten quite a story, Rose’s temper being what it was. Some of it would probably have been unprintable.
He got out of the car, pushing past a reporter from the university newspaper. "No comment," he told her, holding up a hand when she began to object. He moved to open the back door and get Lizzy out, but Rose had beaten him to it.
Rose pushed aside two reporters, one of whom tried to put a microphone in her face, the other of whom asked her if she planned to continue her political activism in light of what had happened.
"Yes, I do plan to continue my political activism," she said, loud enough for all to hear if they were paying attention. "And that’s all I’m saying." She opened the door, unbuckling the crying toddler from her car seat. "Come on, Busy Lizzy. You don’t need to cry. They won’t hurt you." Picking the child up, she held her against her shoulder, rubbing her back soothingly.
Lizzy continued to wail. Another reporter walked up to Rose, holding up a small tape recorder. "Rose, what—"
"No comment," Rose told him, echoing Jack’s words. When several other reporters crowded around her, blocking her way, she repeated, more loudly, "I said no comment! Get lost! Can’t you see you’re scaring my daughter?"
Jack joined them, putting an arm around Rose and escorting her out of the parking lot. "No comment," he told the reporters repeatedly. "No comment."
Although several reporters followed them to their home, Jack let Rose and Lizzy go inside first, then shut the door and locked it. Rose set Lizzy down and drew the blinds, keeping anyone from looking in.
Lizzy had finally stopped crying. Jack picked her up, wiping her nose with a tissue, and turned to Rose, but stopped when he saw how angry Rose still was.
"Damn them!" she burst out. "What do they think they’re doing, pushing and shoving to get a story and scaring Lizzy?"
"That’s what reporters do," Jack told her mildly. "Get stories. That’s their job."
"They need to show a little sensitivity! There’s a small child here!"
"Frankly, I didn’t expect this to be such a big story. Of course, near riots don’t happen every day, and you did help organize the protest."
"Yes, but so did Mari."
"You’re more accessible. Mari’s still in jail."
"Where she shouldn’t be!"
"Well, then, go out and tell the reporters that. Get some publicity for your cause."
"I’d be more than happy to talk to them if they weren’t so obnoxious."
"Maybe you could arrange a time to talk to them, those who still want the story?"
Rose glared at him, still upset, then abruptly turned on her heel. Stepping out the front door, she closed it behind her and announced loudly to those gathered around, "Listen to me!" When they began to ask questions, Rose stepped back, then finally shouted, "Shut up! Let me talk!"
From inside, a little voice echoed, "Yeah! Shut up!"
Lizzy’s voice was quickly followed by Jack’s voice. "Shh, Lizzy. Let your mommy talk."
Rose turned to see them looking out a partially open window. Ignoring them, she turned back to the reporters. "I’m only going to say this once, so you’d better listen. I helped to organize yesterday’s protest, but I do not in any way consider myself responsible for the near riot that took place. Through no fault of my own, or of my co-organizer, Mari Lopez, things got out of control. Fortunately, the police were nearby, and kept things from getting even more out of hand. I was released from jail this morning without being charged with anything, other than being terminally annoying. Mari is being charged with disturbing the peace and fighting. However, that is not why she is still in jail. She is being held while her immigration status is being checked, which is a travesty of justice. Mari Lopez is an American citizen, born in the city of Riverside in 1984. Considering that the county records are kept in this city and are easily available to the public, there is no reason why she should be detained for any extra length of time. Considering how easily available information is, her records should be easy to bring up from any computer. I believe that the reason she is being held is that she is Hispanic, since she had American identification with her—a driver’s license—and because there was no effort made to check my immigration status, in spite of the fact that I was arrested right along with her. That’s all I have to say."
She turned to go back inside, ignoring the barrage of additional questions directed her way. Briefly, she considered slamming the door in their faces, but knew that such behavior would only make them more curious. Steeling herself, she closed the door quietly and locked it behind her.
Jack set Lizzy down beside her. "I have to be in class in ten minutes. We can work things out later."
"What are we going to do with Lizzy?"
Jack looked at her in surprise. "I thought you were going to watch her."
"Me? I have a class in half an hour."
"Take her with you."
"Why can’t you take her with you?"
"Because I have art class, and there’s a million things she could get into trouble with in there."
"And you think she’d behave any better in political science?"
"At least she can’t make a mess in there."
"Trust me, Jack. Two-year-olds can get into trouble anywhere."
"Well, we’d better think of something. We can’t leave her alone, and her baby-sitter is in jail. Maybe you could take her to the daycare center?"
Rose looked at the clock. "We don’t have time. I guess she’ll just have to come with me."
"I guess she will."
"Fine."
They glared at each other for a moment before Jack picked up his books and walked out, slamming the door behind him. Rose looked down at Lizzy, who looked ready to cry again.
"Come on, Busy Lizzy. Let’s get ready for school."
*****
Rose’s professor, Barbara Rhode, was not happy to see her show up in class with the toddler in tow. She stared at Rose for a moment, then at Lizzy, who put her fingers in her mouth and hid her head in her mother’s shoulder.
"You know children don’t belong in class," she told Rose. "I’m surprised even you showed up. I thought you were in jail."
"They let me out," Rose explained, "without charging me with anything. The cop who arrested me is in trouble. Apparently he arrests people without cause too often."
Professor Rhode nodded thoughtfully. "Are you sure it was without cause?"
"I wasn’t doing anything illegal, and I wasn’t charged with anything, either. Besides, that’s what the guard who escorted me out told me."
"Well, whatever the reason, you’re welcome to come to class, but your daughter isn’t."
"I don’t have any other place to leave her. Her baby-sitter is still in jail, and her dad is in art class. She won’t make any trouble. I promise. I brought some things for her to play with quietly, and if she gets fussy I’ll take her out. We’ll sit in the back, so I can remove her easily if I need to."
Professor Rhode looked around quickly, to be sure no administrator was around, then sighed. "You can keep her with you at the back of the lecture hall. But I don’t know anything about it, and keep her where I can’t see her, so that no one questions me about it."
Rose smiled. "Of course. Thank you."
*****
Lizzy behaved very well during the class, scribbling in a coloring book and playing with a set of blocks on the desk, though she did begin to get fussy about being hungry toward the end of class. Rose, though, couldn’t concentrate.
I really shouldn’t have been so hard on Jack, she thought, jotting down a few notes from the lecture. He didn’t arrest me, and he’s not the one who thinks Mari needs to stay in jail. He did laugh at me, but maybe I overreacted. I was mad, and he made a convenient target.
I should apologize to him, Rose thought, picking up a block that Lizzy had dropped. We usually have lunch together on Wednesdays, so maybe I can apologize then.
But when class let out, Rose went to meet Jack in the usual place in front of building, only to see him rush up to her, obviously in a hurry.
"Rose, I won’t be able to have lunch with you two today. I have a project that’s due by two o’clock, and I have to finish it now."
Rose sighed. "Jack, I wanted to talk to you during lunch."
"I’m sorry, Rose, but I have to get this done. It’s an important part of my grade."
"All right." Rose gave him an annoyed look. "Go ahead. Lizzy and I will have lunch by ourselves. You will be able to watch her this afternoon, won’t you?"
"Well, yes. I’ll get her at two o’clock, and that’ll leave you time to go to class and then to work."
"Do you know where to meet me, to pick Lizzy up?"
"In front of Hinderaker Hall?"
Rose nodded. "As usual. I’ll be home around seven."
"Okay." Jack would have given her a quick kiss, but Rose still looked miffed, so he just gave Lizzy a pat on the back and hurried back to his classroom to finish his project.
*****
Rose walked in the door just after seven o’clock. Setting her backpack down, she made her way into the kitchen, where Jack was finishing making dinner. Lizzy was sitting on the floor, licking a spoon, and Rose could smell cookies baking.
A peace offering, she realized. Jack didn’t like fighting any more than she did, and he was trying to make it up to her for the disruption in her plans that morning.
She walked in quietly, opening the oven and peeking inside. "Smells good," she commented, taking the now clean spoon from Lizzy and setting her in her booster seat.
Jack turned around, tossing the salad greens into a bowl. "Rose! I didn’t hear you come in."
"I sneaked up on you," she replied, giving him a half-smile. "Jack...I’m sorry about getting so mad this morning. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you."
"I apologize, too, Rose. I shouldn’t have laughed at you—even if you did have an expression worthy of Lizzy on your face."
Rose’s hand flew to her face. "I did not!"
Jack, knowing better than to argue, just set the salad bowl on a table. "We can talk later, okay?"
Rose nodded. "Sure." She began dishing up a child-size portion of food to Lizzy.
Jack took the utensils from her. "You’ve had a long day—let me do that."
Rose, who had to admit that she was tired, only nodded, allowing him to serve all three of them.
*****
Jack and Rose came back down the hall after tucking Lizzy into bed and reading her a story. The child, worn out from the long, eventful day, had fallen asleep before the story was finished. Her parents had pulled the covers up over her, each giving her a good night kiss before letting her sleep, leaving her door open a crack in case she needed something.
They went out into the living room, where Jack shut off the television and sat next to Rose on the couch. She looked at her hands for a moment before beginning.
"Jack, I...I want to apologize for being so unpleasant today. I guess...well...I was kind of upset, and I took it out on you."
"Kind of upset?"
Rose sighed. "Okay, very upset. I admit...I was kind of scared of spending time in jail. I mean, I’ve heard your stories of when you were in juvenile hall, and most them weren’t very pleasant, so I was...worried about what jail would be like for me. I’m not one of those really tough people who can laugh off something like that—and I hadn’t even done anything wrong. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"But you survived."
"Yeah." Rose smiled. "Yeah, I did. I guess I was actually pretty safe, since they put me in a cell by myself so I couldn’t cause trouble. Not that speaking out is really causing trouble," she added, almost to herself.
"Did you sleep at all during your night there?"
"A little—with my back pressed against the wall and my fists curled so that I could defend myself if need be. I may have been alone in that cell, but that didn’t make me feel any safer."
Jack put a tentative arm around her. "Well, I’m glad they let you out without charging you with anything, though I still think they shouldn’t have arrested you at all."
"I don’t think so either, but...I was arrested, and I’ve learned some new things now. I think that’s valuable, at least."
"Even if it is stressful."
"Uh-huh. I think that may have been part of why I threw such a tantrum in the lobby of the jail this morning—I was letting off steam. Of course, I meant what I said, too. They’re treating Mari unfairly."
"Rose, forgive me for laughing, but that was a tantrum worthy of Lizzy—except you actually thought about what made you mad, whereas with Lizzy she’s usually mad about some little thing, and quickly forgets what she was mad about."
"Well, there’s a big difference between a two-year-old and twenty-three-year-old. I feel kind of embarrassed now. I must have sounded like a lunatic."
When Jack didn’t say anything, she looked up at him. He was grinning at her, apparently agreeing with her words. But before she could say anything, he told her, "Rose, I respect what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to make the world a better place by speaking out. Not many people are willing to do that. A lot of them don’t care enough to say anything, and others are afraid. You aren’t."
"I am afraid, sometimes."
"But you don’t let it stop you, and you always have spoken your mind, all the years that I’ve known you. You’ve got a lot of bravery, and more strength than you know. Still..."
Rose looked at him closely. “What?”
“It did occur to me that there might be…safer…ways of speaking out. Demonstrations are all well and good, but as you saw yesterday, they can get out of control.”
Rose sighed in exasperation. “What should I do, then? Sit back and pretend nothing’s happening?”
“Of course not. But organizing a demonstration yourself, when you’ve never even been to one before, can be kind of dangerous.”
“I once stood in front of the supermarket in Masline with a joint in my hand making a speech about how marijuana should be legal.”
“I think you said that once, but let me ask you something…how many other people were involved?”
“Well, a couple of stoners were there…not that they did anything…and my friends were there, even if they were pretending they didn’t know me and staying as far away as possible, especially when the cops showed up.”
“How did you manage to not get arrested then?”
“I didn’t have the joint anymore—I’d borrowed it from one of the stoners and he wanted it back. So I was just talking—I wasn’t actually in possession of anything.”
“Lucky for you.”
“True enough.”
“But my point is, Rose, that maybe you should work with other people who have some experience with this, rather than just going it alone. Obviously, you’re not the only one who has strong views and wants to express them. There have been more and more political organizations formed in the past few years, more and more people joining them—expressing all kinds of views on all kinds of topics. I’ve seen demonstrations all over the place—about the war, about the environment, about the presidential election a few years ago—lots of things. Some I’ve agreed with, some I haven’t. Sometimes you’ll have opposing views on different sides of the same street.”
Rose nodded. “I’ve seen them, too…that kind of inspired me to organize my own.”
“You shouldn’t go it alone, though. That can be really dangerous.”
“I wasn’t alone. Mari was helping, and lots of people showed up.”
“And it turned into a near-riot. I’ve been thinking about this, Rose—especially last night, when you were in jail. One person alone might have a lot to say, but by themselves, they can be ignored or crushed easily enough.” He smiled slightly, thinking of a game Lizzy played with her stuffed animals that showed his point perfectly. “It’s like a mouse taking on a lion. The mouse might nip the lion, but it doesn’t hurt the lion much and the mouse quickly gets eaten.” He sighed as Rose gave him a strange look. “What I’m saying is that you have to work with other people—lots of people—so that you’re not a lone voice that can be drowned out or silenced. You have to find a way to make your point sound reasonable and valid, even to people who don’t necessarily agree with you. Starting a riot just makes you look like a crackpot.”
Rose glared at him. “It wasn’t a riot.”
“A near-riot, then. But if you work with people who have experience organizing, if you work with the authorities rather than regarding them as the enemy, you’re a lot more likely to get your point across. There’s organizations on campus, in Riverside, on the Internet…lots of people you can work with. I know you want to take the lead, but maybe it’s better to work your way up slowly…and remember, just because people don’t agree with you on everything doesn’t mean you can’t find common ground, and that’s something we need these days, with so much divisiveness over politics, culture, and just about anything else people can find to argue about.”
Rose slumped back against the couch. “The culture wars. I know. We live in scary times, Jack.”
“And paranoid ones. I don’t want some politician with an ax to grind deciding you’re a threat and need to be locked up or otherwise stopped. There’s safety in numbers.”
Rose looked up at him. “You think I should stop, don’t you?”
“Not at all. I just think you should find a safer way of getting your point across. I’d rather not see you in prison, especially on some trumped-up charges, or getting killed over your views.”
“I’ve always been outspoken, from the time I was a kid. The things I learned when I was with Cal only strengthened my views that something was rotten in the world—“
“Rotten with him, anyway.”
“It wasn’t just him, Jack. He had a whole lot of people who were willing to do whatever he asked, no matter how illegal or…or unethical it might be. When I was an intern for him, I shredded some papers detailing some of the illegal things he’d done. Even then, I thought that maybe I shouldn’t shred them, but I did. And then the earthquake happened, and I realized more than ever how bad it can be to put profits over people’s safety, and I vowed then and there not to be part of anything that hurt others. And then I had Lizzy a year and half later, and I knew that I wanted her to grow up in a safe world with a future.” She looked at her hands, sighing. “Maybe I’m just tilting at windmills, though.”
“A group of people together can do a lot of harm—like Cal and his flunkies, like the gang I belonged to before I went to juvenile hall—but they can also do a lot of good. We both know our history. No great change, for good or ill, has ever been accomplished without a lot of people behind it. You hear about the individuals that inspired others, but you don’t hear nearly as much about the regular people who were a part of that change, either by taking part or by hiding their heads in the sand and pretending nothing was happening.”
“And when two groups with different ideas oppose each other, you get a war.”
“Or a stalemate—like Congress.”
Rose chuckled slightly. She did indeed have a good understanding of how the political system worked. It slowed itself to a grinding halt on many occasions—but it also usually prevented any one person from gaining too much power.
"You’re right, and I think I’ll at least look into working with existing organizations rather than trying to go it alone." Rose leaned her head on Jack’s shoulder, changing the subject. "I missed you last night."
"What, you didn’t have enough company in there?"
Rose grimaced. "One of them snored loud enough to wake the dead—but not loud enough to wake herself. Everyone in there heard her loud and clear, no matter where they were. I heard someone mumbling about how nice it would be to put a pillow over her face...I think it was one of the guards."
Jack laughed. "So, I take it that I don’t snore that loudly?"
"You don’t snore at all unless you have a cold. I can get a good night’s rest next to you." She paused. "But I really did miss you. Other than last night, I think we’ve spent a grand total of one night apart since we were married—and that was when Lizzy was born."
"I missed you, too," Jack admitted, "after I got through convincing Lizzy that you would come back. She was pretty worried."
"Poor Lizzy." Rose sighed, putting her arms around him. "I’m back now, though."
"Just do your best not to do anything illegal, okay?"
"I’m trying. Now, if only legal things were all acceptable..."
"You’re doing your best to change things. That’s all anyone can do."
"I’m going to keep speaking out, whatever the consequences—but I’ll try to do it more safely."
"I’ll always back you up, Rose…even if do sometimes scratch my head and wonder what in the hell you’re thinking."
"I know." Rose stood up, pulling him with her. "So, are we made up now?"
"I’d say so." He gave her a kiss.
"Good. Let’s go to bed, then. It’s been a long day." She pulled his head down, kissing him back. "I love you, Jack."
"I love you, too, Rose."
He put an arm around her, walking with her to their room and closing the door behind them.