Читать книгу The Rising - Stephanie Doyle-Cocchi - Страница 4

Mark was standing near the edge of the deck, grilling, it was the Labor Day BBQ five years ago. Marilyn was pregnant with the twins and due any day. The family was gathered to celebrate Labor Day. Bobby walked over to him a man and his grill it looked like a Weber Ad. He handed Mark a new beer and they started talking. Never in a million years would he have believed that day would change his life forever, in a way he couldn't even describe. Mark as always was talking politics and government. He was extremely angry with the current government or the regime as he liked to refer to them as. The newest issue was immigration.

There were people being allowed into the country without anyone knowing who they were, where they were or what they were up to. There had been several news accounts. The first a 30 year old woman was raped and killed in a taxi cab on her way home from her job at the hospital she was a nurse. The young lady worked 11-7 shifts at the hospital and was going to school during the day to become an NP. The weather was brutally cold and she called a cab instead of walking to the subway she didn't do it often, but she was so tired and it was so cold she decided she had earned a cab ride to her door step. She hailed the cab in front of the hospital. She negotiated the rate with the driver and he took her home. As she was exiting the cab, a group of four men pulled her from the cab. They ripped off her clothes, the dragged her kicking and screaming into the alley. The cab driver took off and waited almost an hour before he felt guilty enough to call 911. She was gang raped, tortured, beaten and left in the alley a naked bloody mess. Two days later she died in the very hospital she serviced for the last 5 years as a result of her injuries compacted by hypothermia. All four men were arrested, there had been a security camera on her building and they managed to get pictures of their faces. Tip lines were set up and it took almost two months to get all 4. However, it was discovered that all 4 had entered the country without an paperwork. They all had extensive, violent criminal records both here and in their native country. They were charged with involuntary manslaughter! Anyone with a brain cell knew the charge should be murder, but the Attorney General didn't want to look like he was targeting them because they were without paperwork. They had no ties to the community and a judge let them out on bail.Then suddenly everyone was shocked when these fine upstanding men didn't report for court and no one could find them. So these vicious animals were walking around free to do this to another unsuspecting, innocent woman. It got worse, there were protests in front of the Attorney Generals office not demanding justice for the young beautiful nurse who had lost her life in a most brutal manner, but to have the charges dropped because they really didn't understand that what they were doing was wrong because they didn't speak the language. Mark was fired up now. He was going on and on about the poor nurse and bringing kids into the world. He was always very passionate about politics and news, but this was more intense than usual. Then he looked him straight in the face and said "I am not sitting around and watching it happen anymore. It is time we as a nation stood up for ourselves." Bobby thought it was the beer talking, but i his gut he knew it wasn't. Mark called over Terrance and asked him to mind the grill. He motioned Bobby to follow him and he took a walk down the end of the yard by the koi pond. "I have started a group."

"You mean like a band?" Bobby was confused.

"No, a group. People like you and me who have had enough. People who are tired of getting screwed by the representatives who were elected to protect us. It is time to protect ourselves. Our forefathers would not have allowed these things to go on. Hell elected officials less than a generation ago wouldn't have allowed this to happen. I want my country back!" He was whispering and screaming at the same time. "I have a plan, a very serious plan and I have started a to create a network of people around the country who will help me carry it out."

Bobby simply listened for several minutes. He like the idea of a revolution against the current government, but could it really be done. Mark was a smart guy. If anyone could come up with a workable plan it was him but a network of people? How was this going to work? His thoughts were interrupted.

"Hey are you listening to me? Are you with me?"

Without hesitation "yes! tell me what I can do and how we make it work?" the men shook hands and patted each other on the back. Then they went back to the grill. It was then they Bobby realized that was all he would know for a while. Mark would fill him in as the plan unfolded. The rest of the day was spent laughing, eating and worrying that his sister looked tired and should just go to bed, but she wouldn't.

Very early the next morning Marilyn went into labor. His nieces Peace and Liberty were born at 5am. They were perfect, identical twin girls with locks of raven hair and light eyes. Each one weighed just about 5lbs which was small, but they were fighters. Their grandmother, his mom, loved the girls names, but their grandfather thought they were hippie names. Had they been born before the BBQ he might have agreed with his dad, but after the conversation the night before he realized the symbolism. Then he wondered how much his sister knew of this crazy plan? He would wait to hear from Mark before he brought it up to Marilyn.

Bobby sat up in bed, the dream had felt so real. Like Mark had just told him the idea, but it wasn't. Mark was dead and a date had been set and he had so much to do. He needed to figure out a way to keep Marilyn and the girls safe and continue with his piece of the puzzle. He pulled a notebook and pen from his backpack and sat down at the desk. He only turned on the small hello kitty desk lamp because he didn't want to disturb the girls or Thomas. He started to write down a list of supplies. Things he would need to get and put in the house without looking like a lunatic; food, emergency supplies etc. He needed them all to stay home on the 5th. It was summer vacation and Marilyn was usually out every day with them doing some activity or another. It was normally great, but how to convince her not to go. He added that to the list, that might be the hardest task and his team was taking out a crucial target. He put the pencil down, his eyes were heavy. He heard Mark's words in his head "Sleep is your friend, lack of sleep makes you stupid and sloppy and that makes you dead." He out the notebook away and turned off the light. As he placed his head on the pillow he started to think about the events that quickly followed the twins birth.

Bobby heard the commotion and headed into the hall. His sister was headed down the stairs and Mark was half dressed and darting in and out of their bedroom. They caught eyes and Mark yelled "The babies are coming!" and he darted back into the bedroom. Even though it wasn't his babies Bobby felt a little crazy at that moment. He followed Mark into the bedroom. and watched as he frantically looked for the pants already on the bed. He scooped them up and handed them to him. As he put them on Mark spoke again. "I wasn't drunk and I am not crazy..ok I am crazy but not about this."

Bobby nodded his head and helped Mark get downstairs quickly where Marilyn was already in the car and an overnight bag and a tote bag were in the doorway. Right in the way so they couldn't be forgotten. Each of the men grabbed a bag. Mark got in the driver's side and Bobby leaned in his sister's window. "I will close up here and head to the hospital. He kissed her on the cheek. "I love you and cannot wait to meet my beautiful nieces!" Then he turned to Mark be careful." Mark gave him a salute and they backed down the driveway. Bobby went back into the house and headed back upstairs. It was in this moment he realized he was still only wearing a t-shirt and boxers. He changed, turned off all the lights upstairs and headed to the kitchen. He made a small pot of coffee and placed a cup in a travel cup. Marilyn always kept paper travel cups so she could send people on their way with extra coffee. She got in the habit from their mom who always made people have one more cup before they drove home. She believed that the caffeine would make drivers more alert. Her father Marilyn and Bobby's grandfather had died in a car accident when she was a child. They had told her that he fell asleep at the wheel. Many people suspected he had been drunk and this was a simple story for a child, but it stuck with her and this habit was born and the tradition continued with Marilyn. He turned the pot off, washed it out and dumped the grounds. He added a couple ice cubes to his coffee to cool it down and put a lid on it. Next he turned off all the lights except the hall light. Then he checked his key chain that he had the key to the house and headed out.

By the time he reached the hospital his parents had arrived and Marilyn was in labor. Mark's Dad strolled in right behind Bobby carrying a couple of giant teddy bears one pink and one purple. They had bow ties the size of his head and took up a chair each in the waiting room, but he looked so proud sitting there next to the bears waiting for his granddaughters to be born. These were his first grandchildren. He and Marilyn had another sister Elizabeth whom they didn't really keep up with, by her choice. When she married Darrin she decided that Marilyn and Bobby weren't good enough and she basically cut them off. She kept in touch with their parents, but only briefly on holidays and such. Elizabeth had 5 children and so Marilyn's twins were Robert and Maria's 6th and 7th grandchildren. They were excited. but not as much as Jack, Mark's dad.The twins took their time arriving and seven hours later Mark came out sweaty and exhausted to announce the Arrival of Liberty and Peace. The family shuffled down the hall to see mommy and babies. Bobby and Mark helped Jack move the giant bears. Mark left the room offering to get coffee if anyone wanted, Bobby followed him down to the cafe. "They are beautiful!"

"Yeah, thanks but we both know they get that from their mother." they both laughed.

"I want to talk to you about what I said last night. I have been networking with people across the country. I have found hundreds of people like me who are tired of what is going on in this country. People of all walks of life who want a serious change and together we have started to create small groups and each group is a small cog in a larger plan. We are planning a rebellion against the government."

Bobby waited for the punchline,the chuckle the just kidding man" but it didn't come. He was serious and Bobby knew it, but it scared the crap out of him. He hated what was going on but he never really thought anything would change and here was Mark talking about networking with people to bring about a revolution. Were we really there? He paused in his thoughts. Yes, they were. He thought about his nieces growing up in today's society and he knew they needed to try, because what we had now doesn't work and it would only get worse without change. "Why not just run for a government position?"

"I am too old to work my way up into the system to create change that way and besides we all know the elections are fixed. We have dead people voting, non-citizens voting, people voting more than once, however they continue to vote down any thought of allowing a felon to vote once they have paid their debt to society. We have a system where parties change the rules to ensure the election of the candidate they decide should be running. The opinion of the people doesn't matter, the popular vote doesn't matter. The people are not only being ignored they are being cheated." he took a breath and looked around. "Besides , I want change at all levels. I can't be at all levels without help. This plan works. I have been recruiting people across the country. We have been obtaining meeting locations and each local group recruits it's own members. We are extremely careful about whom we recruit. I don't want a bunch of crazy, half-cocked psychos. I want men and women who are fed up and want change. Once each group is large enough I will give them a piece of the plan. It is one big puzzle. The groups work in their space to prepare for the action that needs to take place in their assigned area. Each group has one piece, no one but me sees the whole picture. Until now, I want you to see the whole picture Bobby."

Bobby was still silent. He was shocked by how much effort was really put into this. He originally thought it was a drunken rant, but it was more;so much more. He wondered if he should walk away, tell Mark he wasn't interested? The problem was, he was interested every word that was spoken pumped him up and created enthusiasm and fear. He wanted the changes that Mark was talking about, he wanted real, representative government. A government where the people elected were fighting at all levels for what the people needed and wanted, not what they were being paid off to vote for. He wanted a country where the elderly were covered. People who had worked their whole lives shouldn't have to worry that they wouldn't be able to live comfortably after they retired. He wanted the handicapped citizens of this country to truly be cared for, get the medical they needed and the education and services they were entitled to without every step being a never ending battle for the parents or caregivers of these people. The veterans of this country who had placed their lives on the line for this country were homeless, hungry and without proper medical care. These men and women should be a priority not an after thought and the truth was the current government didn't even consider them a thought. Actors and singers were running programs and fundraisers. They were creating foundations to help these men and women, but where was the government? The worst was the children. Millions of people especially children were hungry. The welfare system was a train wreck, it needed to be revamped and monitored. The child protection agencies were chasing ridiculous calls while other children were starved and beaten to death without even a home visit. The system was messed up, but no one in the government really wanted to fix it. He wanted there to be less taxes, study after study has proven that less taxes meant people had more money from their pay checks to take care of themselves. There was a large group of people in this country who were angry at and consistently knocking big box stores that paid their employees too little,in their opinion, because they couldn't live on what they were being paid. However, no one EVER mentioned that if the government didn't take almost 50% of their wages in taxes, they COULD live comfortably on what they earned. Bobby's thoughts were interrupted. He realized that Mark was still talking and he had gone on his own tangent thought about what needed to be fixed.

"I have really thought hard about this and it works. It will take time to set everything in place, but it will be better in the end." Mark finally took a breath.

"What does Marilyn think?" Bobby suddenly thought about his sister and her new baby girls. What this whole thing means to them.

"I am keeping it from her. She already knows my opinion on all of these matters, but I am not involving her. If something goes wrong and I am arrested or something she needs to be able to say I had nothing to do with this and be there for the girls."

"OK, where do we start?"