Chapter 19

When I awaken Linda is already up and clothed once more. I had hoped for another time with her this morning, but of course her brother is here and it is not ... polite? ... to behave so in the presence of the brother. I arise and go to shower, and when I am done I dress in the new clothing she has provided me from store and return to the common room.

The brother, too, is awake and clothed, and I greet him uncertainly. His actions to me yesterday were very strange, at one time he would be pleasant and at others not so, but I think we parted well at the end and in any event he tells me good morning in a good voice.

I hear him tell Linda that he will go elsewhere in this day. She says thank you, as if this is a thing he does for her. We sit together and eat the food that Linda makes in ease with one another.

After the brother leaves and Linda is done with cleaning from our meal she comes to the room where we sit. I ask will she tell me now of what occurs.

“It’s an awfully long story, Hugo,” she says. “Right now Danny is going to find out if the police, I told you about them yesterday, if they’re looking for us. Searching for us. I can’t let them find you yet if they are, with no ID.”

“I do not understand why ID so important,” I say to her. “I am this person that I am. If this is not enough, you can say too that I am this person. Your brother can say. Why papers matter more than people?”

She explains, and it is long and slow, but at last I begin to understand some.

It appears that in this time people have divided the world into pieces that they call countries. There are many countries, and those in one do not trust those in any of the others. Each wishes that in its territory only those who are born there will live, or those who come in through some complicated way that involves these papers.

This is the feeling, she tells me, that makes such as the war I see on teevee, where men hunt each other and kill each other all for the sake of their countries. And it is this same feeling that makes them unwilling to trust any who cannot show papers to prove they belong in the country where they are.

Men have created marvels such as car to travel so far as they may like, but then they have set up barriers to prevent such travel. I do not understand how this is sensible.

There is much more, though. Even when there is not war, she says, the distrust and even hatred of one country for another guides all of the ways of people now. Those elsewhere will seek to harm or destroy the things here in the country where we are. She does not say it, but I think it is likely that those who are here may do or wish the same for the ones who are in other countries.

I think Linda sees that I am very surprised and unhappy at what she tells me, for she asks do we not also have wars.

“We do not war on other men for differences that are small and unimportant,” I say. “If we war, it is against the things that may hurt all of us that are not of people. We war against big fire, against water that may flood us, against the things that are the enemy of all. To live is hard enough for us, we do not make it more hard still by being enemies of ourselves. I think perhaps it is that you make living too easy with the many things that you have, that you must make difficulties for yourselves.”

She is nodding her head as I speak. “You might well be right,” she says when I finish. “But this is the world today, now. We can’t change it, so we have to live in it.”

“How then may I get this ID that is so important, to show that I am allowed in this place, this country?” I ask.

“Danny and I are working on that,” she answers. “We’ll find a way. But first we need to know how quickly you need it.”

“And if I need it very soon?” I persist.

She shakes her head. “We’ll deal with it.”

I think that I may be a danger to her by staying here in her dwelling. I ask is it better for her if I go.

“No!” she says with much force. “We’ll both go if we have to. But we’re together. I love you. You say you love me. So we’ll do what we have to do, but we’ll do it together.”

I do not understand, but I find that this pleases me. I have seen that there are very many people in this place—in this time. There could be many men for Linda. Not only does she choose me, she does so even though that choice makes danger for her, and she will not alter her choice even to avoid that danger.

If it were needed, I would risk danger for her as well. But there is not danger now that I can protect, it is she who must do so for me.

That is such a thing as I have never before known.

We still talk when I hear car again outside, and now her brother is returned.