Chapter 22 — Hasta la Victoria, Siempre!
A serial novel in the form of correspondence among a family while the world as we know it collapses around us. I recommend you start at the Introduction:
https://readmedium.com/climate-for-change-introduction-5331d5ab9313
But you can start anywhere you want.
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Chapter 22
Printed on computer paper (hand-delivered by Charlie):
Dear Benji,
Mom told me it was my turn to write. I miss you. I can’t wait until this is all over, and you come home, especially since we would probably get an increase in food and heating fuel rations. It would also be your turn to do the dishes. Just kidding on both of those — sort of. I really do miss you. Jorge and his family are worried sick about Daisy, too.
We have been busy. Jorge and I have recruited a bunch of our friends to be reporters for VeRU. People don’t suspect 11 year-old kids. We can go pretty much anywhere. We pretend to play soccer or street hockey or Frisbee, while we are actually on a stake-out. We can interview people and say it is for a school project when it is actually for our subversive newspaper. We have some great artists, too. We have one girl who created a funny picture of General Stewart for our cover two weeks ago. It was a simple line drawing, but everybody knew it was him. Since then, I have seen graffiti images all over the city using that drawing as inspiration. I feel proud to be continuing your work. We are sending copies of the most recent issues with your friend Charlie.
Mom has distributed most of the letters that Charlie brought back with her to the Mothers of the Disappeared. She also made copies of the “guest list” you sent back for your camp and Daisy’s camp. When we went to the meeting, there were so many people crying. Some were crying because they got news that their children were alive, and others were crying because they didn’t get any news. I was crying because other people were crying. Maybe one issue of VeRU will be just a list of names of the guest list, but I wouldn’t want to endanger you or Charlie.
We are collecting a list of people killed since the coup. This list is hard to find. I am afraid we may never know how many people have been killed. Our soldier friends from the neighborhood say there are mass graves out by the zoo in Apple Valley. Jorge and I are planning to go out there to do some reporting for VeRU.
Our block has been a good place for me in the last few months. With all the people who have moved in, most of the houses are doubled up. Some are tripled up. There are a lot of kids, and we always have games going. The soldiers helped us make a skating rink in the park, and we skate most days. I have been playing hockey, and I love it. Our chickens are the darlings of the block. I am so proud. Each egg is a precious treasure because it can be made into some sort of baked good. People bring us food scraps and peels and anything green to give to the girls. Our weekly potlucks have become less extravagant, but they are still big parties. Mom and I cook all day. We still have some of Grandma and Grandpa’s meat in the freezer. I hope after the crisis is over that our block still does the potlucks. I want people to stay close.
Everyone I know is worried about the military build-up and the possibility of war. All of the young adults have been training every day in the parks. We see them when we are skating. They have been issued military gear, and they are starting to look more like an actual army and less like a bunch of teenagers pretending to be army people. We can hear the gunshots echo through the city from their practicing at the rifle range. The other day, the training group from our park was issued skis. Yesterday, our neighborhood military company went out on their skis for a training run around the city. It was crazy to see them ski down the road with their white uniforms and their rifles strapped to their backs. The line seemed to go on forever. I know many of them are just 16 years old, but they looked like full-on adults to me.
Christmas came and went here. It seems like ages ago, since it is starting to feel like Spring. With the rationing of electricity, people had to get creative about Christmas lighting their trees and houses. On our block we decided to turn on the lights for just a few minutes each day. At exactly 7 p.m. every night during the week between Christmas and New Year’s, all the people on the block would turn on their lights. We would all go out into the street and sing Christmas carols. I loved it. We have many people on our block who are from Central and South America, and they taught us some songs in Spanish (I have been learning Spanish, too!). You will remember there are also a few Jews on our block, and they joined us and taught us some of their songs, too. There are even some atheists and pagans who had solstice songs. I didn’t even know there were solstice songs! Mom said it was more about people coming together to celebrate light in the darkness than about one particular belief. We invited the soldiers from the block and many of them joined us, too. I loved the singing, and every night when we were done and everyone turned off their lights, I was left with a warmth that made it easier to bear the cold house.
I miss the singing and lights. Now it is past the slog of deep winter. The days are longer and the sun feels warmer, but Jorge and I still can’t ride our bikes because of all the slushy melting snow. We have been taking the bus all over. Now, in the end of winter, the buses are crowded all the time. As cold as it is outside, it is overly warm on the bus. People on the bus are sick and coughing all the time! I can’t wait for it to really warm up.
Well, brother. That is all for now. Hasta la victoria, siempre! — Mel.
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Next chapter:
https://readmedium.com/chapter-23-spring-bfbe9e3b599d
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Author’s note: And if you are not yet a Medium member and want to find out what happens to Benjamin, you have two options:
- Join Medium. I think it is worth it! Use my referral link: https://gaertner-andy122.medium.com/membership
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