CHAPTER 18


   Since she had never really been to any event that was not within driving distance of her home, Sara was a little taken with what she found in Washington. She had certainly never dreamed that a protest encompassed all that it did. When she had seen such things on television, with people marching down the street and waiving signs, she had just assumed that was all there was too it. She had never thought about things like, where did all of those people stay? As Sara discovered, none of them, that had showed up for the march, were actually from Washington. She was starting to wonder if that were the case for every march she had ever seen on her phone. If it were, then the hotel industry certainly liked such things because her mother's little organization, to Sara's shock, had actually booked an entire motel! It was nothing swanky, it was kind of old, and definitely cheap. Still, Sara had to wonder as much about where the money came from as she did about the origin of most of the people.
All of these 'protesters' were sure as hell not paying for this. Just talking with a few of them was enough to confirm that. Most of them couldn't even afford rent and were probably living in their parents basement. That was not counting the college students who were from this campus or that. They were bused in with charters and, once again, Sara suddenly found herself confronted with the question of who paid for those. Just a few questions, to some of those who arrived as groups, like the college crews, definitely confirmed that they did not. In fact, most of them had no idea who even chartered the buses. The few who had some knowledge of it were vague. Sara had to suppose it was people like her mother who were doing that but, again, where was this cash coming from?
These were things that would have probably never crossed Sara's mind but, her Mom had left her in a position where it constantly confronted her. While her Mom had rushed off to the center of activity, at the National Mall, Sara found herself stuck at the registration table that was set up in the parking lot of the motel. In between bus arrivals, when Sara would figure out how to shove as many people in a room as she could get away with, about all she had to do was wait on the girl who was supposed to bring her bottles of water. That girl was infrequent with her visits and Sara had given up depending on her. Instead, she would get drinks out of the vending machine and occasionally send a text on her phone. When she got no reply, she would actually call and, that always got her the same message, “we're sorry but the cellular customer you are trying to reach is not in our service area.” What the hell did that mean anyway?
Finally, a diversion showed up and Sara was only half thankful to see Clancy strolling across the parking lot, and on his phone. He seemed happy but, that was nothing unusual. He pulled up a chair, finished his conversation, and then sat down next to Sara. She had to ask about the smile on his face, “that thing in New York? Correct me if I'm wrong here Clancy but, is that something we should be happy about?”
The question took him a little by surprise but, Clancy was quick to brush it off with a, “maybe but, that's not what this call was about.” He pointed to his phone and said, “a little bird just told me, Joseph Oscar is retiring.”
Sara only winced, “who?”
That actually confused Clancy, but not for long. He developed a 'go figure' attitude and sounded almost condescending when he rhetorically asked the young girl, “you don't know who your own senator is? Understandable, he is something of a bore.” He then quickly changed the subject back to New York, “and yes that thing in New York will definitely have an impact on us here. Those plans are already in the works.” Sara was not sure she really understood what the guy was talking about. Clancy noticed and explained, “the rumor was true. Alicia Devon was definitely in that motorcade.” Before Sara could ask he told the teenager, “the presidents daughter.”
Sara was a little shocked and almost nervous when she asked, “is she ok?”
Clancy just shrugged it off with, “I guess, maybe, I don't know. Who cares. There's a lot of finger pointing going on right now and, the rumor going around is that, they're going to clear the mall due to concerns of terrorism.” That made Sara quickly think about her mom. Dana was right in the middle of everything going on over at the National Mall. If someone were to do something! Sara's first impulse was to rush right over there. She actually went as far as to stand up but, Clancy put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down. “Don't sweat it kiddo. That rumor isn't true.”
“Yeah?” Sara was not convinced and, in particular, when it was her mother on the firing line. “How exactly would you know that Clancy?”
He was quite pleased with himself when he replied, “cause I started it.” His phone went off again and he raised a finger, signaling for her to wait, as he got up and answered the call. He was a lot more serious with whoever this was and she definitely heard him say, “why would we do something like that? No, I've already got in contact with them. They're already here.”
Sara was not so sure she wanted to hear the rest. She was still worried about her mother. This stuff was suddenly starting to feel real. Before now, back home, Sara had felt like she was doing something when she went to protest but, that something was always in a different world. These days, that was saying a lot. It was like all the stuff on the news was no different than a television show. Sara knew there was a difference but, she could not make herself feel it. Even after her sister went missing, it still felt like, one day, Angie would just come waltzing back in that door and none of what had been tossed around the internet would ever be anything but HTML.
That was why, when Clancy sat back down, Sara honestly asked, “I don't get it Clancy. Why are we protesting the Dell being closed. I mean, if it's really true, isn't that what we're trying to do here?”
He did not seem to be the least concerned about the contradiction, “it's news kid. It pumps up peoples interest. They turn on the cable, they go looking for internet sites, and the media responds to ratings. It's kind of like turning a light bulb on, it helps people see us. We have to jump out when somebody else is paying the light bill. Helps our cause.”
That made Sara wonder about a few things. Did she even really want the Dell closed? If what Nate had told her was true then, Angie was still on the other side of it. Then there was an even more practical question. Could it be closed? Even if they decided to do so was it possible? The president had said they could get it open again, even if a lot of people did not believe him but, it was just all so confusing. That made Sara point something out to Clancy, “I thought we were protesting the war.”
Clancy was busy sliding through texts as he mumbled, “is there a difference?”
“I don't know Clancy,” Sara replied, “you tell me. You have all the answers. I'm just a high school senior.”
That got a chuckle and, as Clancy finished reading his last text, he commented, “sounds to me like you've figured out a few for yourself.”
“What's that supposed to mean?” Sara replied.
There was no answer. Clancy spotted some guy out by the road. Sara had seen this kid earlier. He had walked by several times. He had friends with him who were all dressed in a similar fashion. It was not so much that they had uniforms on but, seemed to prefer the color black in whatever mismatched apparel they wore. They also all wore skull caps or scarves. None of it was particularly shocking or stood out but, this kid definitely got Clancy's attention. He excused himself and walked out to meet with the kid. Sara watched until it got boring. She forgot about it and sent another text that, like all the rest, went unanswered.
It was not until Sara got relieved at the table and went back to her room that she even remembered Clancy's little meeting. It was almost dark and had been a long day. She turned on the television for back ground noise and took a shower. She found it absolutely absurd that she had more privacy in this motel room than she did in her own home back in Florida. Unlike all of the other people that came in for the demonstration, apparently Dana had rated her own room that, naturally, Sara shared. There were others who had the same set up but, if they could actually find a vacancy, they paid for it themselves.
Once again, Sara was wondering where all of this cash was coming from. Her mother had not even worked since Angie went missing. Sure, Clancy was fronting the bills but, where the hell was he getting it from? Sara had never given much thought to such things but, she had her own job now or, at least, she hoped she still did. Sara wanted that money even if her mother was against the idea. Sara could finally see that this money equaled freedom and, ever since Angie's stunt, that was the last thing Dana wanted her youngest daughter to have. As far as Sara was concerned, her mother could, “bite me.”
Sara turned up the television as she walked back from finding her hair dryer. Even with the increased volume, she could barely hear it as she dried her hair. She was not all that concerned anyway, since, it was only the news. It had been the last the channel her mother had it on before they took on the world this morning. It was when she heard her mother's voice that Sara actually turned off the dryer and looked back into the motel room. It was her mother and it was not. Then it came again and Sara realized it was actually coming from the television. She ran to it and was amazed to see her mother on the screen. Of course, whatever Dana had said was pretty much over so Sara would have to ask about that.
The image, on the screen, switched from the crowds on the national mall to what looked like a strip mall. There was a coffee shop, some kind of loan business, and even a karate school. Their windows were being smashed in and Sara realized she knew the people doing it. It was those guys in black, the ones that Clancy had been talking too. She even recognized the specific guy despite the fact that he had his skull cap rapped around his face like he was some old western bandit.
Sara suddenly realized that she had not paid any attention to what the reporter was saying during the riot footage. She turned around and looked for the remote. She got the volume jacked up just as a live image of the Washington Monument came on the screen. It was dark and the parks around it looked empty. The reporter then said, “as you can see now, the mall is empty. Park, Capitol, and Washington Police came in earlier and began clearing the people out. We've asked if this had anything to do with the threat of terrorism but, as of now, we've had no confirmation from anyone. It's more likely that this was related to the rioting in Arlington though. The police have confirmed that many of the protesters would not leave and there were arrests. As you heard earlier, from the mother of the missing soldier, Angie Thompson, their organization denies any affiliation with the nearby riots. We have to say that this was largely a peaceful...”
Sara yelled at the screen, “mom you fucking idiot!” She was not sure if she was more scared or angry. Was her mother in jail? Sara panicked because she had no idea how to get her out! Could she even get her out? Why hadn't she called? Sara went for her phone and began scrolling through her messages and call history. It was as quiet as it had been all day.
It took a moment for Sara to settle down. She realized she was still in a towel and decided to get dressed. It was only after she did that when she realized that she needed to be the one dialing. She sent a text to her mother. There was no answer. She called and the phone was off. Sara felt tears welling up in her eyes as she sat on the bed and stared at a television screen that said nothing useful. Then, finally, the door flung open and Dana came waltzing in. She was laughing and thanking, whoever was outside, for the ride. Dana almost did not notice her daughter as she glided by her and headed for the small fridge under the television. Only after Dana got a beer did she actually seem to realize that her daughter was crying, “what's wrong honey?”
“Mom,” Sara was still in shock, “did you get arrested?”
Dana was confused, “well, yeah, that was the plan.”
Sara exploded, “and you didn't think I might need to know that!”
Dana waived it off and before taking up another swallow of her beer she told her child, “what's the big deal? This is a protest, you know? I feel so young. This is like back when I was in college, back when that jackass was president and we...”
“MOM!” Sara stood up and fire shot out of her eyes, “I was scared!”
Dana deflated, “I'm sorry honey.” She put her beer down and gave her child a hug, “I forget this is your first time.” She waited for Sara to stop sobbing and then looked her child in the eyes, “it's fine. I'm fine. That's just how this is done, ok? I was never in any real trouble. We even had lawyers waiting for us. The fines had been paid before we even got to jail, so...”
What that told Sara was probably not something that her mother had guessed. Sara backed away and felt the anger coming back, “you knew didn't you?” Dana had no idea what her child was talking about so Sara spelled it out for her, “that Clancy was going to hire some ass holes to go mess up a shopping center?”
At first Dana got a strange look on her face, like it was some kind of revelation, then she thought about it and snapped at her daughter, “don't you talk to me like that young lady.”
Sara did not back down, “you did know!”
Dana had never seen her daughter hold the line like this. It was why Dana decided to ease off just a bit and try a more rational approach, “I knew he was going to do something. I didn't know what it was. Look we had to...”
“Mom,” Sara was even more angry now, “how is this going to bring Angie back? How is any of this going to help?” Dana became frustrated and Sara recognized that look on her mother's face. It was the same one she got, every time this subject came up. Sara beat her to the punch this time, “she's not dead! Don't tell me she is!”
Dana composed herself and tried to remain calm. She collected her thoughts and managed to get one word out of her mouth, “Sara....” Her daughter left the room and slammed the door behind her.