“It feels like two years,” Desi moaned.
When the fog had first arrived, some of the tribe had been as young as twelve years old. Now, no one was under the age of fourteen except Diego, Imee’s baby. He was growing, too. One day, Imee asked to talk to Ahmad. She stood before him nervously, carrying Diego. Her head was bowed, and she felt very embarrassed. She stared at her feet as she spoke.
“My son needs a father,” she said. “I need a man I can trust. I know I am not a desirable woman, but I am strong, and I am willing to work. I would do whatever you want, if you protect me and protect Diego.”
Ahmad looked at her with pity filling his heart, and his voice was gentle when he spoke.
“I’m sorry, Imee,” he said. “But I am Muslim. When I take a woman, I want her to be of my own faith.”
“Imee,” he continued. “Talk to Rasul. He likes you. He likes you a lot more than you realize. Talk to him, Imee, and be sure to tell him that you will respect his religion and his culture.”
A few days later at Meeting, Ahmad saw his friend and the Filipino woman. Rasul had his arm around Imee’s waist, and he was holding Diego. Imee looked happy, and Rasul was smiling.
“Allah Akbar,” Ahmad whispered. He went to sit next to Yuie.
Yuie and Major Kennedy could not get along. They argued about the changes that were taking place in Petersburg. They argued about politics. They argued about the role of religion in society. Someone remarked that they would argue about which side of the sky was higher.
One day at breakfast, as Kennedy walked by, Yuie said, “Good morning, Linc.”
The Lieutenant stopped, and he scowled at her. “My name is Lincoln,” he said. “Not Linc.”
“Oh, sure,” she replied, pretending to be apologetic. “Sorry.”
He waited for her to say his name correctly. She returned to her oat cereal. Steaming, he walked away.
After that, Yuie called him, Linc, at every opportunity. No matter how many times he corrected her, she always pretended to forget.
Then one morning, after she called him, Linc, he replied, “Hey, Yu.”
Yuie sputtered. She looked around at her friends, expecting them to be outraged on her behalf. All she saw were covered grins. After that, the bickering only got worse between them. Everyone knew that things were coming to a head. Finally, he confronted her one morning after she had finished her laps. She watched him warily as he approached.
“Tell me the truth. Is it my race?” he asked her, his face stony.
“What?” she asked with genuine surprise.
“You heard me. Is that why you hate me? Is it the color of my skin?”
“You’re crazy. I don’t hate you,” she replied.
“Oh, right,” he replied bitterly.
“I don’t hate you,” she snapped, her anger rising. “I just despise you, because you came in here with your militaristic bullshit, and you took over. Are you happy? You got control. You military types always like to be in control. You get a kick out of it. Control people, and if they don’t do what you want, then kill them. Do you get a kick out of that too? Have you ever killed someone, Linc?”
“Yes, I have killed,” he responded hotly. “Are you happy now, Yuie? Are you satisfied, now that you know I’m a killer?”
“I knew it all along,” she spat, as she moved to within an inch of him. “Did you get a charge out of killing? When you saw their dead bodies, did you get a thrill?”
Her voice was shaking, and her face turned red. Kennedy grabbed Yuie’s shoulders, and he pulled her tightly against him onto her toes.
“What about you, Yuie?” he asked coldly. “Did you get a thrill when you killed that man? When you put an arrow into the man’s belly, did you get a thrill? You’re just as much of a killer as I am.”
In an instant, Yuie’s face went from red to white. Tears began flow down her cheeks. She tore herself out of his grasp and ran away, towards the narrow wooden bridge. Kennedy shuddered, feeling his heart pounding. As he waited for his body to calm down, he watched Yuie’s progress as she ran past the dining hall and past Chief’s Headquarters. Already, he knew that he would regret his harsh words. Yuie disappeared into the Lodge.
Yuie was trying desperately to hold back her tears, as she knocked frantically on the door of John and Desi’s room. When she was told to enter, she opened the door. She stood there, choking back sobs. Desi was sitting on the bed. When she saw Yuie, she simply held out her arms. Yuie flung herself at her friend and started to cry, loudly. Desi just held her and stroked her hair. After a while, Yuie’s tears tapered off. Still, she clung to Desi and sniffed.
“Lincoln?” Desi asked. She felt Yuie nod. Desi sighed.
“Okay, Yuie, forget the fact that he is a soldier. What’s really the matter?”
“I don’t know,” Yuie confessed. “It’s just that everything is changing. Mike’s not going to be the Chief. We have to have elections now. I just don’t want everything to change. I was happy with the way things were.”
Desi smiled. She took Yuie’s hand and placed it on her belly. “Feel,” she ordered.
Yuie felt, and after several moments her eyes brightened. “He kicked,” she exclaimed in excitement.
“He’s changing,” said Desi. “I’m changing. Do you really wish that we wouldn’t?”
Yuie laid her head against Desi’s stomach. “No,” she mumbled.
Desi stroked Yuie’s hair. “If the fog had never come, Yuie, we would still have to change. We were just kids. We still are, actually. Lincoln is like the change guy with a big sign. He’s a stranger, new to us. We’ve been changing all together, so we haven’t noticed those changes. He comes in, and we can see changes happening. But it’s not his fault.”
“I know,” Yuie said. She winced remembering. “I said some really bad things to him.”
“Hmm… I don’t doubt it. Sweetheart, I have to say this. Please don’t be mad.”
Yuie looked up at Desi. “What?” she asked.
“Time to grow up, Yuie.”
Yuie sighed. “I know. What should I do, so he doesn’t hate me?”
Desi laughed. “Oh, I doubt that Lieutenant Lincoln Kennedy could hate you if he tried,” Desi replied. “But, Tomboy, it might be time to do the girly thing.”
Yuie grimaced. “I’m terrible at that.”
“I know. It’s because you haven’t practiced. Well, it’s time to practice. Just like running. You have to stay in shape. How do you think I keep that knucklehead of mine in line?”
“All right,” Yuie replied gloomily. “What should I do?”
“Guys like to be praised, and they like to be touched. Especially by girls they like,” Desi told her.
“And I guess I should apologize,” Yuie said.
Desi shrugged. “Not really. At least, not at first.”
Yuie was surprised. “Why not?” she asked.
“Because, he won’t believe you. The two of you have given each other so many fake apologies, that one more won’t be believed. Wait until you’re sure that he trusts you. Wait until you’re sure that you believe him when he apologizes.”
Down at Chief’s Headquarters, Kennedy waited patiently and sadly as Howard finished some work. Eventually, Howard looked up.
“Hey, pal, what’s up?” he asked.
Lincoln sighed. “I made Yuie cry,” he confessed. “Sorry.”
Howard lifted his eyebrows. “Shouldn’t you be telling this to Yuie?”
“She wouldn’t believe me if I did,” the Lieutenant replied.
“So, what do you want me to do?”
“Actually, I came to see Mike. I know that he and Yuie are close. I thought that if I flung myself on his mercy, maybe he wouldn’t hang me.”