I didn’t go into the office as normal. I wanted to stay as far away from the sergeant, Emma and my other colleagues as possible. I knew that they would also succumb to the plague, I simply didn’t want to be the one who gave it to them. No, I stayed in the hall, brimming with our “clients” coming in for a check up and a sign off. I’d seen them so many times I could link some faces to names or offences.
I forced myself to a friendly chit chat with the women at the desk, luckily somewhat protected by the glass barriers, and aimed all my sneezing and coughing at the mixture of violent offenders, drug dealers, petty thieves and perverts in the hall. I peeked over their shoulders, interrupting them when they were talking to each other or to the girls. In other words, my behaviour was totally carefree. Some guys got annoyed–who the hell did I think I was, stomping my feet and breathing down their necks? They hissed at me and one even got so close that our noses almost touched.
“Get the hell outta here bitch, or you’ll get it,” he growled so that I was the only one who could hear him.
I felt a tickling in my nose. Without even bothering to cover my mouth with a hand, I sneezed and watched as several drops landed on the man’s face.
His eyes widened in surprise. He sucked in a breath and his chest puffed up like a toad. Would he dare hit me right at a station full of policemen? I was certain that if we were just around the corner, hidden from view, he wouldn’t hesitate, but here?
All of my hatred towards violence, cruelty and indifference suddenly bubbled up to the surface. I’d spent years and years watching criminals avoid punishment for their crimes and walk away free, without having anything to do about it. But now?
I felt like laughing. None of these shady creatures, looking at me like I was their next victim, had any idea that it was me who had the upper hand!
I finally understood Mark’s need to end it all once and for all.
“Bitch?” I repeated after him, my voice heavy with sarcasm. “Can’t you think of something a bit more original?”
This was a private joke between me and the girls at the station. We were called cunts, dickheads, sluts, and wankers so often that we were genuinely appreciative of any comment which steered away from this tired set of insults. My personal favourite was an anonymous phone call–I’ll shove my baseball bat up your ass and make you a popsicle!–, because Get lost you slag! and Fuck off! didn’t have the same ring to them.
I laughed out loud, registering Emma’s shocked expression out of the corner of my eye. She didn’t know me like this. Was she wondering if I’d gone crazy? I probably had.
I’d had enough for today. I threw her one last look and mentioned that I had to get going. Walking to my car, I couldn’t miss the two policemen walking out with me. It happened to be the same two that were dealing with my car crash a month ago. I guess they were making sure that I made it behind the wheel in one piece after that crazy stunt I pulled.
Their worries were pretty accurate, because the guy I’d so eagerly sputtered all over sneaked out just a few seconds later. I hope you’re not a resilient individual, I thought. I started the car and drove off.
I got home and started pacing back and forth again, but only until the adrenalin from the confrontation at work wore off. Then I collapsed onto the sofa and fell asleep, exhausted.
I was woken up by a ringing phone. By sheer force of will I managed to open my eyes and look at the kitchen clock. I’d only been asleep for forty five minutes, and both my body and mind were limp.
I pinched my cheeks a few times to get some colour into them before answering Dad’s call. He didn’t need to see his daughter looking like death.
He wasn’t fooled. “Are you sick?”
“I think I might be coming down with something.” There was no point in lying to him. Maybe I’d found a good-enough excuse, a justifiable reason why I can’t join them in New Zealand.
Instead I asked about their trip that day. Ruby was so exhilarated she could barely breathe. I didn’t want her to be afraid or panicking, she should remain a carefree child, for as long as possible.
I wondered how long it would take before Dad found the letters I’d hidden into her suitcase. Or has he found them already? That seemed unlikely, surely he wouldn’t have left Ruby chatter on for so long. He wouldn’t be smiling and nodding, he’d be demanding an explanation.
“How did it go at work?” Dad asked when Ruby finally reached the end of her tale and couldn’t remember any more details from the amazing experience.
“It was busy. Hectic,” I replied quickly. At the end of the day, I wasn’t lying, I had seen the station busting with activity today. The fact that I wasn’t working had nothing to do with it. “I’m glad I’m back home.”
“We’ll wait for you at the airport tomorrow. You’re getting in at ten past five, is that right?”
I sat up slowly. I’d fulfilled my duty to The Collective. There wasn’t really anything else keeping me in Perth.
“Yep!”
I couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing them again and planned to catch my flight after all. Plus, Mark only forbade me from going to New Zealand because of the protest yesterday. I did what I’d promised and
