After the usual public displays of affection are outlawed, Alexei and Maria are careful to show their love only through the three approved methods. When Alexei tells Maria some exciting news, they forget themselves and hold hands. They're sure the t...
I have to turn my light out at 9:30 pm. There's no way I'm breaking any more rules than absolutely necessary until I figure out how to get us out of this situation.
"Goodnight, Dad," I smile as he comes in to make sure my curtains are drawn and my light is out.
"Goodnight, Maria," he kisses my forehead.
He starts to walk away as I lift my covers over my legs. He is almost in the hallway when I decide to stop him.
"Dad?"
He turns and looks at me, the light from the hallway outlining his silhouette as he speaks, "Yes?"
"Do you really think we're doing the right thing?" I pause and wait for an answer before adding, "By not doing anything, I mean."
His shoulders slump forward slightly, "I don't know what the right thing is, my dear. But I know we have very few options. It seems doing anything right away might make it worse rather than better. I'm sure you can understand."
I can't, actually.
"Yeah, I guess." I curl up under my blanket so he will believe I'm going to bed.
"Well, goodnight," he closes the door to my room.
"See you in the morning," I speak to the air.
In my dark room, I lie in bed thinking about how to get us out of this predicament. I can't believe Ma wants to just ignore it and hope it goes away. When has that ever worked?
I rack my brain, trying to remember the law exactly. I remember the basics of it as though I've only just learned it:
No two persons shall maintain physical contact of any kind for more than three seconds.
There are a bunch of exceptions, though. What are they again? Maybe I can make one of those work for us. I just don't remember any of them. I really should have paid more attention in school.
The only exceptions I remember are a bunch about children and the elderly. There are others, though. What are they? Is there one about being sick? Maybe I can say I was sick.
I sneak over to my desk and open my two-year-old civil code book. It's from my final year of public school, but it should still give me a good idea. I don't think much has changed in the last couple years.
The small amount of light streaking through a crack in my curtains is all I have as I search for the public affection laws. I angle the book so I can see the table of contents.
I have to squint to see the page numbers as I search for page fifty-three. I swear this book is written for bugs! The writing is so small. Who designed this thing?
I find the law and flip through a couple pages of exceptions that apply to the young and elderly. Finally, I come to one category I hope can help me: illness.
I use my finger to scan each exception in turn, careful not to miss any: broken bones, missing limbs, pregnancy.
None of these apply to me. And I'm pretty sure being pregnant would be way more against the law than holding hands, so I keep reading.
Finally, I reach the last exception: fainting. Can a person claim it was to prevent fainting if said person is already sitting down at the time of the incident?
The more I try to twist it, the clearer it becomes that I cannot. It's right there in aged black and white. According to the law, Alexei had no reason to hold my hand.
But he had every reason to hold my hand.
I feel the fire burn up inside me from the pit of my stomach. This law is so unfair I could scream!
This book is useless! My arms move without me as I almost slam the book shut. Fortunately, I catch myself in time and the book closes with the faintest thunk. I hold my breath, listening for any signs I may have woken my family or the neighbours.
If I can't find a loophole, what's the other option? I can do what Ma says and leave it be until the police come knocking. Or I can try to make sure the police never find out it happened in the first place.
But how?
When I open my eyes the next morning, I cannot remember closing them. I can feel the indent where my book pressed into my cheek as I slept. The small crack of light that was so useful last night is shining straight into my eyes as I blink back tears.
The clock says 5:45, so I have at least an hour before my parents expect to see me downstairs for breakfast. I can't risk reading anymore books, but I do have time to formulate a plan. I set about tidying my room while I think it through.
The obvious problem is that there is video evidence of the situation. So how do I get rid of that before it falls into the wrong hands?
I fold the small pile of clothes I failed to put away after yesterday's laundry. As I put them into the drawers, I cannot help but notice how similar all of my outfits look. I'm not sure if it's a rule or just custom, but everyone I interact with seems to stick with the same colours and styles.
Too bad I go to that cafe so often. If they didn't know me, maybe I could get them to delete the tape. I guess I could break in and steal it, but I'd need to figure out where it was first.
That left only one option: I had to find someone who knew how to get that tape.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
