Local Lit

They had been carrying on their furtive love affair for several weeks, sneaking in and out of each other’s units and stealing glances at common house events. Claudia didn’t want to tell the community about their relationship until she was sure of it. She feared that Rita Jane’s interest in lesbianism might be short lived. Rita Jane assured her repeatedly, that t she wasn’t going to leave her that she wanted to be with her and only her, but Claudia didn’t want to go public yet.

As new lovers tend to do, Rita Jane imagined that she would be with Claudia forever. She couldn’t imagine that she had ever felt this strongly about anyone or that she ever would again, but she was old enough, and cynical enough, to know that things might change.

She was desperate to tell Dan. More than anything, she wanted him to be happy for her. She thought he would, but she also suspected that he, like Claudia, would wonder if the relationship was only a temporary affair. She wanted to convince them both that she was serious, but she supposed that only time would do that.

It was a community workday, and she and Dan would be spending the morning together doing yard work. She was planning on using their time together to tell him about Claudia. Dan was in charge of landscaping. Rita Jane knew nothing about landscaping, but liked the idea of growing things, and had volunteered for the unpopular job of tilling the compost heap. They had arranged to meet early, before the workday started, so that Dan could explain to her the intricacies of composting.

Rita Jane reluctantly tore herself away from daydreaming in the sun and walked to the back of the TLC property where the community had erected a composting area. There was a large plastic box with a removable lid. All winter, residents deposited table scraps, yard cuttings, and paper products and with the aid of worms, these melded into rich soil just in time for spring gardening. Dan told her that one time he found a purple bra and panties in the composting box.

When she arrived at 8, he was already at work in the compost heap, dressed in shorts and a tank top, which showed off his muscles as he shoveled the piles of the earthy-smelling, composted material onto the dirt pile. Rita Jane half-listened as Dan explained the composting process, absorbed in thinking about Claudia and the best way to tell Dan about her new love.
“Claudia’s really sick today,” she started off, not sure why she had started the conversation in that manner.

“That’s too bad,” Dan said perfunctorily.

“She’s been throwing up almost every morning.”

“Mm-hm,” Dan said. “Do you see these worms here? They eat the material and then…”

“Dan, I don’t care about how garbage gets to be worm shit. I’m trying to talk to you about Claudia.”

“What do you want me to say?” He put down the shovel and glared at her. “She didn’t have to have the baby. For Christ’s sake, she wanted an abortion. This baby was your idea.”

“My idea! I’m not the one who had sex with her and got her pregnant. She’s the one that had to make the choice about what to do. It’s not an easy choice to make.”

“Choice!” Dan yelled. “What choice did I have? It’s not like she cared what I had to say about the situation.”

“You had a choice,” Rita Jane screamed back, “You didn’t have to have sex with her in the first place!” She picked up a handful of disintegrating garbage and threw it at him. “I can’t believe what an asshole you are.”

He turned towards her and tightened his fist as if to punch her, then put his arm down and hung his head like a cowering dog trying to decide whether to bite or beg to be petted. “I wish I had never slept with her. It’s the biggest regret of my life.”

Complicated thoughts and emotions melded together. She was at a loss for words. His despair was her happiness. She had found love and a baby, but at a big cost to him.

“We’re lovers,” she said softly, deciding to skip over the preamble, all the “I- have-something-I-have-to-tell-you” introductory clauses.”

She couldn’t tell if he had heard her or not.

He picked up a rotting orange covered with brown muck and threw it at her chest. “As far as I can tell, you’re the only one who’s getting what she wants!”

In their thirty-year friendship, the two had had a long history of fighting together. Rita Jane was tall and strong and could hold her own with him. She charged at him with both of her hands in front of her and knocked him into the box.

“You bastard!” Rita Jane jumped on his chest and pushed his head into a pile of coffee grounds and grapefruit rinds. He grabbed her wrists and pulled her over into the box and smeared another handful of muck into her hair. Something that looked like a beet green tangled in her curly hair.

She slipped one wrist free and managed to grab another handful of muck and smear it in his face before he grabbed her writs again.

“What the hell?” Aimee stood above the box with a large plastic container filled with vegetable peelings from the common house. “What are you two doing in there? That is the most disgusting food fight I have ever seen.”

“She started it,” Dan whined.

“You deserved it,” Rita Jane retorted.

Aimee helped them out of the bin. A crowd was assembling on the piazza waiting for their working orders. Laughter broke out when they saw Rita Jane and Dan, looking like creatures from a horror movie. Dan rummaged in his back pocket and pulled out a list of chores he had already compiled. He handed it to Aimee. “Will you assign tasks while I go clean up?”

By the time Rita Jane returned from her shower, the workday was well underway. Several people were clipping hedges and digging up annuals, children were walking the perimeter of the property picking up trash, and another group was draining the hot tub. Dan was nowhere to be found.

She was clipping dried morning glories off the perimeter fence when she had the uncanny feeling that she was being watched. Several cars were parked in front of the fence, but they appeared to be empty. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead and stained her shirt. She walked back to Tulip Lane for a drink of water and noticed a black Ford Explorer with tinted windows. The car was strangely out of place with the assortment of Toyotas, Hyundais, and Hondas in various conditions that lined the street. She thought she saw two men wearing suits sitting in car. Why would someone sit in a car wearing a suit on a day like today?

“Come take a look at this car,” she called out to Aimee who was weeding on the other side of the fence. “Does it look strange to you?”

“Drug dealers or the government,” Aimee said. “Or maybe both,” she laughed at her own joke. “I’ll go find out,” she said, putting down her trash bag.

“You shouldn’t go alone,” Rita Jane said, but it was too late. Aimee was already rapping at the window.

In a few seconds she called back, “It’s Dan’s friends, Agent Warner and Agent Turner. They want to know if we’ve been hanging out with any terrorists lately.”

Rita Jane ran over and joined her. “Why are you here?” she asked angrily. She wanted to yell at them to leave Claudia alone, but didn’t want them to have the satisfaction of knowing they had upset her.
“Relax,” Agent Warner said, “we’re just doing routine surveillance.”

“You’ve already charged Claudia. What more do you want from her?” Aimee said.

“We’re still investigating the case,” Warner replied. “We’ve spoken to many of Connors’s associates.”

“Associates,” Aimee said sarcastically. “What are you talking about?”

“People who know Ms. Connors,” Warner said, unperturbed. Aimee rolled her eyes, “Why didn’t you say that in the first place.”

“Is this some kind of a commune?” Warner asked.

“It’s a co-housing community,” Aimee said.

Turner said, “Do any Republicans live here?”

“I don’t know,” Aimee answered seriously. “I’m not sure if any Democrats live here. We don’t consider a person’s political affiliation as a condition for membership. Personally, I’m a member of the Green Party, which is also the D.C. Statehood Party. The Democrats are a bit too conservative for my taste.” Warner nodded as she spoke, but looked like he had no idea what she was talking about.

“But I better not give you any names or you’ll go investigate them, too, won’t you?” Aimee was having fun with the agents, clearly not intimidated by them. Her bravado inspired Rita Jane to ask, “Do you really think Claudia Connors is a terrorist?”

Now it was Warner’s turn to be serious, “You can’t really be sure what terrorists look like. After 9-11, we’ve learned to be suspicious of everyone. All I know is that Emad Khadonry is a terrorist and Claudia Connors helped him.”

“Emad is no terrorist. Why can’t you guys find Osama bin Laden. It’s been what, a year and a half and you still haven’t found him. Maybe if you’d stop picking on Emad Khadonry and Claudia Connors you could find yourself a real terrorist. But I know you won’t answer that question so here’s another one for you, do you guys know that female FBI agent whose been reporting all the security breaches since 9-11?
“She’s whacko,” Turner said.

“A real nutcase,” Warner agreed. “She didn’t get a promotion and she’s bitter. She’s itching for a lawsuit.”
“Why didn’t she get a promotion?” Aimee asked. “Because she’s a woman?”

“No, because she’s a nut case,” Warner repeated. “She’s just got a grudge, that’s all. She’s probably going to sue under the whistleblower laws and get a lot of money.”

“Are you suggesting that she made all that up just to get attention?” Rita Jane asked.
The two men nodded.

“I’d say you guys are the nutcases,” Aimee said. “Anyway, you’ll have to excuse us because we have a lot of yard work to do. Good day, Gentlemen.” She gave them a small bow. Rita Jane wanted to yell something clever but all she could think of was, “Leave my girl friend alone,” and she decided not to say that.

The women returned to their work and after a few minutes, the black suburban drove away. As it passed by, Rita Jane gave the agents the finger.