Wayside: A Serial Novel - Episode 14
This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Episode 14: Remember
As she departed Siado’s apartment, Josina checked her phone for messages. There was one new email in her inbox.
From: Rasmussen, Kate
Re: Update
Hello Josina,
We received a reply to the letter you prepared for us to share with your biological daughter. She responded that she was happy to get your letter and would like to establish contact with you. She has given me permission to tell you her name and send a photo. She has asked for your phone number so she can be the one to initiate contact. I have forwarded it to her.
In the meantime, Josina, please find attached a recent picture and expect to hear from Jasmine Myers in the near future.
Kindest regards,
Kate
Josina stopped in her tracks, her hands shaking all of a sudden. She gasped as she opened the image to find a younger version of herself smiling on her screen. The same cocoa-colored skin, soulful brown eyes, and a broad smile revealing neat, white teeth. Her jet-black hair cascaded down her slender shoulders, partially obscuring the logo of a university on the front of her shirt.
“My baby girl.” Josina whispered, smiling so broadly her face began to ache after a few seconds. “You’re beautiful.”
She pocketed her phone and continued her trek to The Black Sheep. She couldn’t wait to talk to Jasmine. More than that, she couldn’t wait to show the picture to Ben and tell him all about the quest to find her daughter – after breaking the news that she had a daughter, of course. Once the surprise wore off, he’d be thrilled for her.
Josina couldn’t help but dream about meeting Jasmine for the first time. She couldn’t envision it happening without Ben by her side. He was the most important person in her life and this would be one of the most important moments in her life. She was ready to tell him everything she’d been keeping inside. She knew he was ready to talk to her as well. She just had to be patient.
Continuing on the walking path, Josina smiled and nodded at everyone she passed. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a young woman sitting on a bench on the side of the path. The woman’s head was tilted slightly downward, as if she were resting or praying or deep in thought. As Josina got closer, she realized it was Ben’s guest, Olivia.
Maybe I should introduce myself, Josina considered.
A few steps closer and she could see the young woman was crying.
“Olivia?” Josina called out.
The young woman sniffled. She continued to stare blankly at the ground.
Josina took a few steps closer. “Olivia? Hello?”
Still no reaction.
Finally, Josina sat down on the bench next to the young woman, prompting her to look up.
“Hi,” she said softly, brushing tears away from her cheeks.
“Hi, you’re Ben’s friend Olivia, aren’t you?” Josina asked.
“Yes… um… hi.”
“Oh… I wasn’t sure. I was calling your name while I was approaching.”
Olivia pulled her hair away from the side of her face to reveal she had earbuds in her ears. “Sorry, I was listening to my voice mails. Ben’s gone to a meeting so I thought I’d sit outdoors and catch up on messages, maybe return some phone calls while he’s busy.”
“Oh, my apologies if I interrupted you!”
“You didn’t.” Olivia smiled politely.
“I’m Josina, by the way.”
“Oh, Josina!” Olivia’s face lit up. “I was hoping I’d get to meet you. Ben talks about you all the time.”
“He does?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “It’s an honor to meet you. He said Wayside never would have happened, had it not been for you. He told me a lot of people had ideas about how to build and run a community like this one, but you’re the person who made it all come together.”
“He’s giving me too much credit,” Josina said with chagrin. “But thank you for sharing that with me.”
“Of course,” Olivia nodded.
“May I ask, how did you and Ben meet?”
“On a dating app,” Olivia said with an awkward smile. “You know, you don’t have to use those apps for very long to realize why most people on them are single. Ben is one of a kind, though. He’s kind and sincere, and so passionate about helping people. I don’t have many friends so I felt lucky to find one in him.”
Josina smiled and nodded. Her mind went into overdrive, furiously processing this new information and trying to make sense of what Olivia had said. She and Ben had met on a dating app, as Josina suspected might have been the case. However, Olivia’s comments about Ben had been anything but romantic.
She had described him as a friend. Not a boyfriend; not someone she was dating. But having just met her, it was hard for Josina to discern the nature of Olivia’s interest in Ben.
Ben talks about you all the time.
From Josina’s limited experience with dating, she knew what a turnoff it was to go out with a guy who was constantly bringing up another woman. If his mind was on someone else, it signaled his heart and mind weren’t fully open to building a new relationship. Olivia didn’t seem turned off, though. Her warmness in meeting Josina seemed sincere. She didn’t get the sense that Olivia viewed her as competition for Ben’s affection.
All hopeful signs that Ben and Olivia were purely platonic, Josina told herself. And yet, she realized people generally turned to dating apps for dating, not for striking up friendships.
The arguments would chase each other round and round in her head if she let them.
Instead, she pushed the pointless thoughts out of her mind and focused her attention on Olivia once more.
“It’s been lovely meeting you, but I need to run along. I’ve actually got to get to the same meeting Ben is attending. We’re having brunch, in case he didn’t mention it. Should I put in a to-go order for you and have him bring it to you after we’re done? The strawberry cheesecake French toast is everyone’s new favorite menu item, I hear.”
“That’s so sweet of you, but I had breakfast already. I’m supposed to go with Ben and some other people to the mall this evening in Pine Tree and shop for a dress for the dance on Friday. I better not eat too much today if I want anything to fit!”
“I know how that goes,” Josina laughed. “Well, I’ll look forward to seeing you at the dance. Before I take off… is everything alright? I couldn’t help but notice you looked upset, so I just wanted to see if there’s anything I could do for you.”
“Oh, no, I’m fine, but thank you.” Olivia reached up to wipe at her eyes. “My mom is terminally ill. Somedays it hits me harder than others, you know? I’m okay, really, but thank you so much for asking.”
“Of course. I’m very sorry to hear about your mum.”
“I appreciate that.”
“I hope the rest of your visit at Wayside goes well,” said Josina, rising from the bench to leave. “And I hope to see you at the dance, if not before. Take care, Olivia. It was nice to meet you.”
“You too, Josina,” Olivia smiled. “See you around!”
***
The ten Founders’ Council members who had arrived for brunch dove right into the menu. After Bellamy keyed in their orders for the kitchen staff, she hung up her apron and returned to the table to join the meeting.
Josina was the eleventh council member to arrive. She dashed through the entrance of The Black Sheep’s dining patio, announcing Siado would be a few minutes late, then sliding into the empty seat next to Ben. She watched as he clinked his fork on his glass to call the meeting to order.
“Let’s go ahead and get started,” he said. “Thanks to Bellamy for hosting us this morning. The purpose of this meeting is to continue a discussion we started in our group text yesterday about honoring the people who lost their lives at YOLO Park before it became Wayside. Before we dive in, is there anything else the council needs to discuss today?”
Jessica raised her hand. “Maybe we could catch up on the vandalism situation at some point?”
A few heads nodded around the table.
Chris groaned loudly. “About that,” he began, “I just learned my brother Chase is staying in Pine Tree at the moment, just 3 miles away. He has a history of getting wrapped up in shady stuff and causing trouble. I’m not aware that he’s ever been to Wayside, but he’s certainly taken a bottle of spray paint to a building or two before. I’m really hoping he didn’t have anything to do with the vandalism of our mural, but the fact that he’s nearby makes me at least question if there could be a connection.”
“It seems unlikely,” Cassie said as she rested her hand on his arm. “Obviously, I don’t know Chase as well as you do, but I can’t imagine he’d be involved.”
“Thanks,” he hung his head. “I hope you’re right, but I still feel a duty to inform the rest of the council.”
“Let’s get an update from Joel,” Ben interjected. “Was anything found in your team’s review of all the camera footage?”
Joel shook his head. “Nothing aside from the footage you’ve already seen. Wherever the person disappeared to after vandalizing the mural, it was out of view of the security cameras around the park. It must be someone who lives here, who is familiar enough with where the cameras are mounted, since they were able to approach and retreat without being recorded. We’ve also reviewed visitor logs from the past month and don’t see any red flags. There are only a few guests visiting Wayside right now and I’ve personally spoken to all of their sponsors. Everyone has given an alibi for their visitors.”
“And no one has come forward?” Reese asked with concern.
“Not yet,” said Joel. “If that's still the case when Friday rolls around, we have a decision to make about what to do next.”
“Thank you, Joel,” said Ben. “Let’s plan on a Zoom call for the entire council on Friday morning to discuss next steps. In the meantime, let’s move on to the discussion of honoring those who died here at—” Ben’s voice trailed off. He cocked his head curiously, staring into the distance.
“Benjamin, what’s wrong?” Josina asked.
He pointed toward the patio entrance of The Black Sheep. “Siado’s got a new look. Took me a minute to recognize her.”
The rest of the council turned to find its absent member approaching, her face covered in makeup to resemble a skull. A crown of flowers rested atop her head, matching the colors of her traditional Mexican party dress. Siado’s fellow council members showered her in compliments.
“That’s beautiful!”
“How stunning!”
“Siado, that’s really something!”
“Lovely!”
“Thank you everyone!” Siado replied. She settled into the empty seat next to Josina, then turned to whisper in her ear. “Washing off all the makeup would have taken too long, so I decided to just lean into it! I did some touching up so I’d look more like a whimsical skeleton and less like The Joker.”
Josina laughed. “It’s amazing,” she whispered back.
“Glad you’re here, Siado,” said Ben with a smile. “And dare I say, you might just be the best dressed of all of us.”
Laughter followed from the council members.
“We’re just getting the meeting started,” Ben began. “We wanted to spend some time talking about a way to honor the memory of the people who died at YOLO Park before it became Wayside. I’d like to open up the discussion for ideas. Who would like to get us started?”
“Me!” Siado said with excitement. “How many of you know about el Día de Los Muertos… the Day of the Dead?”
A few hands were raised around the table.
“I’ve certainly heard of it, but don’t know enough to understand what it’s all about,” said Su-Jin.
“It’s a big deal in New Orleans,” Prateeka jumped in. “There’s always a huge parade with a street fair, face painting, dancing, food, and all kinds of other festivities. It draws a crowd almost as big as Mardi Gras does.”
“Imagine how big the celebrations are in Mexico,” Siado grinned, stretching her painted-on skeleton smile across her face. “For those of you who aren’t familiar with Day of the Dead, it’s the Mexican holiday we observe on November 1st and 2nd, for remembering the loved ones we’ve lost. We paint our faces to look like skulls, so we see the faces of the dead all around us – and within us. We celebrate life by making little altars with pictures and belongings of our loved ones, and we face death each time we look in the mirror, to remind ourselves we’ll be reunited with them someday. In the United States, we have birthdays, anniversaries, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, and all kinds of other special days to celebrate the living. Sadly, there isn’t a day of celebration for remembering our loved ones who have died. There’s no Day of the Dead equivalent. But there could be. We could celebrate our own way here at Wayside.”
“I absolutely love that idea,” said Reese, leaning in for a closer look at Siado’s makeup. “You know, there’s a wide range of belief systems. Not everyone believes in an afterlife. Some people believe life simply ends when the body dies. Some believe in reincarnation. And some people don’t have fully formed beliefs about what happens when we expire. So how could we do something like this and make it inclusive?”
“It doesn’t have to be all about my traditions,” Siado said with another skeleton grin. “Everyone at Wayside could share their own traditions, as well as observe or participate in some new ones. So my question for all of you here – what are your traditions? How do you celebrate the lives of your loved ones?”
The council members fell into silence, casting pensive glances at each other.
“Storytelling.” Joel was the first to speak up. “And I don’t just mean people standing up at a funeral service to give some impromptu comments about their memories of the deceased. I mean real, honest-to-God, storytelling, where people gather around a storyteller and give them their full attention. And the storyteller might sing songs, or use props, or throw in some jokes. They entertain and delight and make you laugh and cry at the same time. And they do it in a way that makes you feel like it’s not really the end just because the story is over. There’s something magical about it, really. Our bodies fade away, but our stories live forever.”
Reese grinned. “We did a lot of storytelling too when my dad died, Joel. He'd made us swear we wouldn’t hold a formal funeral service for him. He didn’t want us to spend a lot of money on it and have to deal with the stress of it all. We had him cremated and scattered his ashes in the creek near our house where he loved to take his boat out and go fishing. But before he died, he prepaid for a huge catering order of pizza, hot wings, and a keg of beer… and told only my uncle about it. My uncle made arrangements to have it all sent to my mom’s house, where we gathered after scattering the ashes. We were all so emotionally exhausted I don’t think any of us realized how hungry we were. Once we smelled the food, it was game on. We spent the evening eating and drinking and sharing our favorite memories of my dad. It didn’t even feel like a funeral or a memorial service. It really did feel like a celebration. Maybe the fact that we drained the keg had something to do with it.”
Laughter followed around the table.
“Now that’s a funeral I wouldn’t mind going to,” said Tony. “If we sent more people off with keg parties instead of packing them into a church to sing hymns and cry over sad eulogies, people probably wouldn’t dread them so much.”
“Well, we can’t do keg parties at the academy,” Jessica laughed. “But we did start a little tradition of our own earlier this year when Wanda, one of our teacher assistants, died. We held a memorial service for her in our little amphitheater behind the school. The students wanted to release balloons, but we asked them to think about doing something different that wouldn’t harm wildlife or the environment. They came up with their own idea – bubbles. Each kid got a small jar of bubbles and they all spoke a ‘message’ to Ms. Wanda, telling her their favorite memory of her, or how she made a difference in their lives. They blew the message into a bubble and watched them float up into the sky. Even the faculty participated. It was a really special way to celebrate her life and say farewell. I hope we don’t have to face any more deaths again soon at the academy, but whenever we do, I imagine we’ll bring out the bubbles again.”
“See?” Siado grinned. “This is what I’m talking about. We should have at least a day each year here at Wayside in which we can be intentional about remembering those we’ve lost, and can share all of our traditions with each other.”
“I love the idea,” Cassie chimed in, “but didn’t this discussion start around honoring the people who died here at YOLO Park before it became Wayside?”
“Yes, I think maybe we’re talking about two different things,” Josina observed. “Both are worthy of our attention. I love Siado’s idea of us having our own Day of the Dead, or Day of Remembrance or whatever we’d like to call it, for our own loved ones. But since we didn’t know the people who died in YOLO Park, we don’t have memories, stories and shared traditions to honor them. I think it might be more fitting for us to place a memorial somewhere in the park with their names on it. Maybe a plaque or a bench or something of the sorts, something visible in a place where we’d see it on a daily basis and could hold those people in our thoughts when we do.”
“What about a mural?” Jessica suggested. “The students are already talking about repainting the side of the academy building, but something different this time. Maybe they could incorporate a tribute to the people who died here.”
“And we could invite their families to Wayside for the unveiling of the mural,” Chris suggested. “I’m sure it would mean a lot to them. We could give them a chance to speak and tell us about who those people were to them, so we can feel like we know them a bit better, so we can keep them in our thoughts in a more meaningful way.”
“I love that idea, Chris,” said Siado. “The challenge is going to be the quarantine period. Most people aren’t going to be able to put their lives on hold to travel here and quarantine for 10 days before entering Wayside.”
Chris dropped his head with a sigh of frustration. “You’re right,” he sighed. “Sorry, I forgot about that. Cassie and I have never had any visitors so we’ve never had to deal with it.”
Several council members chimed in with their own exasperated sighs.
“I hate to be blunt, but it is a quality of life issue here,” said Su-Jin. “I know we’ve talked about it recently, but it seems to be taking more of a toll as the days go by. Many of my patients have mentioned feeling like they’ve had to completely give up relationships outside of Wayside to live here. It isn’t very safe for us to go visit them outside of our gates, and while we could host our loved ones here in our own homes, most of them can’t quarantine for 10 days before entering. I’m highly in favor of cutting the quarantine period.”
“Cutting it by how much?” Ben asked.
Su-Jin shrugged. “Maybe as much as half. Most people who get Covid, Influenza, and other airborne infectious diseases will test positive by the fourth or fifth day following the exposure. If they test negative on day five, there’s only a slight chance they’d test positive on days six to ten.”
“It’s not just about Covid, though,” said Bellamy. “The incubation period for measles is two to three weeks.”
“Then our existing quarantine period is already inadequate,” said Su-Jin. “We’ll never be able to completely eliminate the chance that outside guests might bring an infectious disease into Wayside, so we have to consider the best balance of risk against the benefits of allowing guests to enter.”
Josina cleared her throat. “What if we just eliminated the quarantine period altogether?”
The rest of the council members turned to face her, wide-eyed with surprise.
“You’re kidding, right?” Joel asked. “You’re suggesting we drop all visitor restrictions?”
“No, I’m not kidding,” Josina shook her head with conviction. “And I’m not suggesting we drop all restrictions. We already restrict visitors to friends or family members of current residents. We don’t let just anyone inside. That’s a major restriction, in and of itself. We already expect Waysiders to take responsibility for their guests once they’re inside our gates, which means holding them accountable for masking indoors in public places, which we all agree are the highest risk settings for community transmission. And we’ve never had a single guest refuse to mask indoors yet, have we?”
Everyone at the table shook their heads or mouthed the word ‘no.’
“So even if a guest came into Wayside with an infectious disease, our universal masking agreement in indoor settings would break chains of transmission. We still trust N95s to keep us safe, don’t we?”
This time, nods and curious looks followed from around the table.
“So what would be different if we didn’t require a quarantine?”
Prateeka spoke up. “Waysiders would have to host their guests in their homes while they might be infectious.”
“That’s true,” said Josina. “But it wouldn’t be anything new for us. Didn’t you all quarantine yourselves or other household members in your home at some point before moving to Wayside?”
Most of the council members nodded in agreement.
“So what did all of you do to stay safe when someone in your home had a potential exposure, or an active infection?” Josina nudged them to share.
“Daily testing of everyone in the household,” said Tony. “And we can get tests free here at Wayside, so that’s one barrier removed.”
“Opening windows, running air filters,” said Reese.
“Which can be done here at Wayside as well,” Josina responded.
“Masking in common areas of the home, staying in different bedrooms with doors closed when unmasked,” said Jessica. “This is something we need to think about, though. Not everyone has a spare bedroom for a guest.”
“Good point,” Josina acknowledged. “But we’re a resourceful bunch here. We have a lot of creative minds at this table. Surely, we can figure out a way to address that situation. Any ideas?”
Ben nodded. “We should bring Amanda and her team into this discussion. I remember when we first toured the shipping container homes, she mentioned they were working on a mobile tiny home design. They were planning to build a small fleet of portable studio apartments that could be moved around Wayside as needed, in case a household member was infected and needed to quarantine away from others, or if someone had guests but didn’t have space to house them.”
“So it would be like a detached cottage in the back yard, or somewhere close by?” Jessica asked. “That actually sounds amazing. My mom has been wanting to visit but I’m in a one-bedroom unit and don’t relish the idea of one of us having to sleep on the sofa. If she could stay in one of those mobile tiny homes, that would solve both the space issue AND keep me safe from any pathogens she might bring with her.”
“Hold up,” said Joel. “I’m not sure I like where this discussion is going.”
“Okay,” Josina acknowledged. “Tell us what’s on your mind, Joel.”
With a loud sigh, he folded his arms across his chest. “We all moved here to be safe from the world outside our gates. Sadly, nothing has changed out there. People are still living in denial, still freely spreading diseases everywhere they go, and still putting the entire burden on the most vulnerable to keep themselves safe. I, for one, am not a fan of dropping the quarantine period. It’s kept us all safe thus far.”
Chris nodded in agreement. “I can’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu,” he said with a frown. “When mandates and mitigations started getting rolled back in 2021, it just kept going and never stopped until all protections were gone. It almost feels like we’re starting down the same path here at Wayside. You’re making good points, Josina. It’s just that I have more at stake than most Waysiders do. Cassie can’t risk getting Covid or any other diseases that could hurt her or the baby. If we don’t quarantine guests before entering, we lose a degree of control over the circumstances that are keeping us all safe. Even if all the risks are still minimal, it’s scary for me to think about.”
“Me too,” Siado said. “It really scares me to think about it as well, Chris. Covid killed my parents and my grandmother, leaving me without a family. It put me in the hospital. I’ll do whatever it takes to avoid getting it again. That said, just because I’m physically well at the moment doesn’t mean I’m mentally or emotionally well. I’ve really been struggling with loneliness lately. I might feel different if I lived with other people, but I’m all alone. You and Cassie are lucky to have each other and I’m so happy for you, that your family is growing. But I hope you can understand that having a family here with you at Wayside is a privilege. I still have friends and colleagues outside of Wayside. I miss them. I’d love for them to be able to come visit me, but it’s been impossible so far with all of our rules around quarantine.”
Chris pondered Siado’s arguments. “You’re right, I am in a very privileged position. I’d probably feel more like you do if I still had relationships outside of Wayside that I was trying to maintain. Unfortunately, most of our friends ghosted us after they learned we wouldn’t be joining them in unmasking and going back to normal. And while I’m still in touch with my mom and my brother, there’s no way I’d invite them to visit us here at Wayside. I don’t trust them to keep us safe. If I can’t trust my own family, how can I trust the guests everyone else brings in?”
“Chris, I hear you,” said Josina. “You don’t trust everyone else’s guests. That’s understandable. But do you trust your fellow Waysiders? Would you trust the rest of us to invite only visitors that we knew for sure would be willing to test, quarantine, mask in public, or whatever else was asked of them to keep our community safe?”
“Fair question,” said Chris. “I hadn’t thought about it that way.”
“I can see both sides,” said Cassie. “And I’ll be honest, if I did have friends or family members who were willing to visit me, and I felt reasonably sure I could trust them to follow an in-home quarantine protocol with daily testing and masking in public… I’d be thrilled to have company.”
Chris faced her with a surprised look. “Really?”
“Yes, really!” She raised her voice. “I’ve been sick most of my life, which has left me cooped up at home and in the hospital, so I’ve largely missed out on having a social life. It wasn’t until I got my new lungs that I was well enough to get out in the world and spend time around other people, and just when I was starting to make friends, the pandemic happened. Don’t get me wrong, I love everyone here at Wayside, and I consider everyone here at the table my family. But it just seems sad for me to imagine that no one else in the world outside of our gates could ever be a part of my life. To be honest, I’ve really struggled with loneliness too, as an expectant mom. Outside of our community, pregnant women go to childbirth classes and do yoga together and things like that, and when their babies are born, they get together for play dates. Babies need to socialize with peers just like adults do, but there’s nobody else at Wayside even remotely close in age to a newborn.”
“But you think it would be better to risk getting our baby infected by hosting outside guests with babies?” Chris said with disdain.
“No, I’d never want to risk our baby getting infected!” Cassie retorted. “I meant… I just wish there were a way for me to make friends with babies the same age and host them safely here at Wayside.”
“There is a safe way to do it,” said Chris. “It’s with the 10-day quarantine that we already have.” He stood up and pushed his chair under the table. “You know what, excuse me everyone. I need to go take a walk and clear my head before I say something I can’t take back.” In an angry huff, he stormed out of The Black Sheep.
Cassie’s jaw dropped. “Sorry everyone,” she apologized to her fellow council members. “He’s not usually a hothead, but with a mother who’s in decline and a brother who has clearly lost his mind, Chris has the weight of the world on his shoulders right now.”
Suddenly, emotions were running high and the table was abuzz with side conversations.
“Hey… excuse me everyone,” Siado called out, clinking a fork against her glass of ice water. “I know everyone has strong feelings about this, but there’s just one more thing I wanted to share. A very wise person recently told me the downfall of the pandemic response in this country was when our leaders forced everyone to choose between physical safety and social safety.”
The other council members stopped talking, giving Siado their undivided attention.
“People shouldn’t have to choose,” Siado continued. “And here at Wayside, thankfully we’re all on the same page about our need to stay physically safe. We just can’t forget that human beings are social by nature. We need family and community, and we can’t expect our neighbors at Wayside to completely satisfy those needs for us. If we force people to choose, Wayside will fail, just like the world outside of our gates.”
Josina made eye contact with her. Good job, she mouthed with a smile.
“Thank you, Siado,” said Ben. “And thank you everyone else for your comments. This certainly is an emotionally charged topic, and I appreciate that we have different feelings about it. It does warrant more discussion and input from the rest of our community, so we’ll need to revisit this at our next formal council meeting. In the meantime, it looks like brunch is arriving, so if everyone is okay with tabling the discussion about potential changes to our visitor quarantine protocol—”
“I’m hungry, motion to table discussion,” said Reese, spearing a slice of French toast on her fork while the server was still holding the plate. The council members laughed at her eagerness to dive in.
“Second,” said Cassie, Prateeka, Joel, and Tony at the same time.
“Wow, that had barbershop choir vibes,” said Siado.
“I’m not even going to bother with a vote,” Ben laughed. “Dig in, everyone!”
As the council members began feasting on their brunch, Josina leaned in toward Ben. “Nice job reeling that in,” she said. “When Chris stormed out, I was worried the rest of the council might absorb that same energy and this meeting would break out into fist fights. It’s good to see that wasn’t the case.”
“Everything I know about running meetings, I learned from you, Jo.” Ben said with a soft sigh. “Frankly, I’m nervous about the council delving into this topic again. I hope I’ll be able to maintain order and steer the conversation in a positive direction next time.”
“I have faith in you,” Josina whispered. “On a different subject, I just met Olivia on my way here this morning. She was sitting on a bench by herself and looked upset, like maybe she was crying. I called out her name a few times but she didn’t respond. When I got closer to her, she finally noticed me and looked up to say hello.”
Ben furrowed his brow. “You mean she didn’t recognize her own name when you called out to her?”
“That’s what I thought at first, but then she showed me that she had earbuds in. She said she was listening to her voicemails, so that makes sense.” Josina replied. “She seems very nice. We chatted for a bit. I’m glad I got to meet her.”
“Thank you for being kind to her,” Ben said in a solemn voice. “I guess I feel kind of guilty now, after hearing you ask Chris if he trusts the rest of us to invite only guests that we ourselves can trust. The truth is, I really don’t know Olivia that well.”
“It’s alright,” Josina assured him. “Benjamin, if anyone deserves some grace, it’s you. Besides, I trust you, and I trust your judgment. Even if you don’t trust yourself.”
“You really mean that, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.”
“Jo, as strange as this may sound, I believe I have some kind of connection to Olivia.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “I don’t know how, exactly, but I can feel it. There’s something so familiar about her voice, her face. As hard as I’ve tried to figure it out, I can’t make sense of it.”
“A connection? Hmmm.” Josina rested her elbows on the table and cupped her chin in her hands. “This might sound outrageous, but is there any chance she might be related to you? I know you have a brother somewhere out there. Maybe he fathered a daughter with a woman when he was younger?”
Ben shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’ve never met him but from what I understand, he’s only been in relationships with men and doesn’t have any interest in women. Even if he had fathered a child, I can’t see Olivia being his. He’s blonde-haired, fair-skinned, blue-eyed – just like both of his parents.”
“But Olivia is Hispanic,” said Josina. “Like you.”
“Yes.”
“Any chance she might be a sister? Or perhaps your daughter?”
“No,” Ben said. “I’m sure of that.”
“I see,” Josina whispered. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually.”
Ben’s eyes followed a plate of hashbrown casserole as the server placed it on the table before him. Relieved for the distraction, he reached for his fork.
"This looks amazing," said Josina, pausing to take in the giant waffle on her own plate. "I'm going to shut up now and see how much of this I can fit in my belly. Bon Appétit!"
They paused their conversation long enough to eat their entrees.
“Saturday,” Ben broke the silence through his last bite of of hashbrowns. “Olivia is leaving Wayside Saturday morning. Could we catch up then? Maybe you could come over and we could spend the day together, after she’s gone back home?”
“I’d like that,” Josina smiled. “I’d like that a lot.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Ben said as he glanced at his watch. “Speaking of Olivia, I should probably get going and meet up with her. I’m taking her to tour the health center and talk to the hospice care staff about what they could do to help her mom if the two of them moved to Wayside. That is, if we don’t run out of time. I’m praying her mother can hold on. Would you mind running the rest of the council meeting?”
“Yes, of course. Consider the gavel passed.”
“Thanks, Jo.” He rose from his seat and pushed the chair under the table. “I’ll be in touch. See you later.”
“Sounds good, Benjamin. Take care.”
Josina watched him walk away, feeling a heaviness she hadn’t felt at the start of the council’s brunch. She called the meeting back to order and invited discussion on any new topics before the group adjourned.
“Just a reminder – our trip to the mall in Pine Tree tonight, for those of us who need formalwear for the homecoming dance on Friday,” said Reese. “If you’re coming along, we’re leaving from the main gate at 6 pm.”
“Thank you, Reese,” said Josina. “Anything else?”
“Please keep your eyes and ears open for any potential security concerns,” Joel chimed in. “I know everyone is excited about the dance, but don’t forget, whoever vandalized the mural is still here at Wayside. I hope they aren’t planning to do anything else to cause alarm, but we all need to be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary, just in case.”
“On that note,” said Josina, “Joel, since we’re on alert for threats right now, I think it would be helpful if we planned some safety drills for the entire community. It’s been a while since we’ve done any, so we could all use some practice with using fire extinguishers and evacuating into the underground tunnels and such.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Joel scribbled a reminder on his notepad.
“If there’s nothing else to discuss, do we have a motion to adjourn the meeting?”
“Motion to adjourn,” said Joel.
“Second,” said Cassie.
“All in favor?” Josina asked, scanning the table to make sure everyone’s hand was up. “Excellent. Meeting adjourned. Thank you all.”
As the council members rose to leave, Josina moved toward Joel, sliding into the seat next to him.
“One more thing,” she began. “How hard would it be for your team to put an additional alarm pull station in the community?”
“Not hard at all. We’ve got some extra equipment in the warehouse. I’d just need to put in a work order with my team and have someone do the install.”
“Good,” Josina nodded. “Could you put one up in the cul-de-sac with the container homes?”
Joel furrowed his brow. “Sure, we can. Any particular reason why?”
Josina leaned in closer and lowered her voice. “I’m just a little worried about Ben right now. If anything were to happen to him, it would be good for a pull station to be close by.”
He scrawled another note for himself on his notepad. “Anything in particular you’re worried about?”
“I’m just worried that if someone here at Wayside does have ill will toward our community and they’ve got something else planned beyond the vandalism of the mural, Ben might be a target. Considering how much he’s done for us, I think it’s only right that we do all we can to keep him safe.”
He gave her a stern look. “Then maybe it isn’t the best time to be talking about dropping the quarantine.”
“Message received, Joel.” Josina gave a quick nod. “Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to spring that on the council over brunch and kill the mood, so my apologies for the timing. We'll revisit it at our next council meeting, once we've all had some time to think about it and are better prepared to resume the discussion. In the meantime, you can get that pull station set up near Ben’s home, yes?”
“Consider it done,” said Joel.
***
Ben followed Olivia as she wove her way through the mall, dodging fellow shoppers and aggressive sales pitches from associates manning the kiosks in the center. Their newly purchased formalwear was packed into suit bags that were draped over Ben’s arm.
“Are you sure it’s not too heavy?” Olivia asked. “I don’t mind carrying one of the bags.”
“Thanks, but I’ve got it,” said Ben.
“It was really exciting to go shopping and pick out a dress. I haven’t done that since my high school prom in California.”
“I like the dress you chose,” said Ben. “And I was impressed by how quickly you made a decision and were ready to check out. I don’t mean to sound sexist, but I always thought it was a big deal for women to go shopping and spend time trying on different dresses. You’re like me though; if the first outfit I try on fits and looks acceptable, it’s good enough for me.”
Olivia laughed. “Well, the rest of the ladies who came with us on the van seem to be enjoying themselves. I caught that look you made when Cassie asked the associate in formalwear what time the store closes. Your eyes got really big, like you couldn’t believe we’re going to be stuck here for the next couple of hours.”
“Hopefully nobody else saw me make a face,” Ben laughed. “It’s nice we were able to get done with our shopping early and break away from everyone else to walk around the rest of the mall for a bit.”
“Yeah,” Olivia nodded, glancing around at the different storefronts as they passed. “Believe it not, I haven’t been to this mall yet, so it’s nice to come check it out. And kind of sad, too. Every time we pass by a store with stuff that makes me think of my mom, it’s like a knife through the heart, you know? Like in that candle shop we just passed, they had a cashmere-scented votive burning in the front of the store. It’s her favorite fragrance, so I almost went in to buy it for her. Then I remembered she doesn’t have much time left. It’s so strange to know she’s still alive, but won’t be for much longer.”
“I’m sorry,” Ben said softly. “Any updates on how she’s doing?”
“My friend who’s taking care of her said she’s about the same. I guess that’s not so bad, all things considered.”
They walked quietly for the next few minutes. Once they reached the center of the mall, they noticed a small crowd had gathered around a display in the middle.
“What’s going on here?” Olivia stood on her toes in an effort to see beyond the people in front of her.
Ben craned his neck for a better view. “It looks like a local shelter has brought in dogs in cats for an adoption event. Want to go take a look at the shelter pets?”
“Are you kidding?” Olivia said with excitement. “Yes!”
They maneuvered through the crowd to get closer to the rows of crates with animals inside. Olivia knelt to peer in on a litter of kittens, poking her fingers through the wire bars of the crate to pet them.
“They’re so precious,” she murmured.
“You have a cat, don’t you?” Ben asked. “I remember one of your pictures on the ‘Not Gonna Settle’ app had a little black kitten in it.”
“Not anymore.” She looked up at him. “That was Chalito, a stray kitten we took in when we lived in California. He was so sweet. I miss the little guy.”
“That’s too bad he couldn’t come with you to North Carolina.”
“Yeah,” said Olivia. “The guy who brought us here wouldn’t let—”
She stopped abruptly.
After waiting a few seconds for Olivia to finish her sentence, Ben tapped her shoulder. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, sorry.” She stood. “Let’s keep walking. I guess… this is all just making me sad.”
They resumed their trek around the mall.
“So someone brought you here,” said Ben. “I thought you mentioned previously that it was just you and your mom who came here?”
She nodded. “I know. I’m sorry if I’ve caused confusion. It’s a complicated situation.”
“I understand complicated. If you want to talk about it, I can listen without judging you or giving you advice or anything like that.”
“Let’s sit down for a minute,” Olivia replied.
She pointed toward an empty bench that faced a cabin cruiser boat parked in front of a Bass Pro shop. Ben followed her lead and settled on the bench, draping their formalwear across his lap. She sat next to him, her eyes fixed on the boat in front of them.
“Do you like boats, Ben?”
He cleared his throat. “I… don’t really have an opinion about them, I guess.”
“Okay. Do you mind if we just sit here for a moment?”
“That’s fine,” he said.
Olivia continued to stare at the boat for the next few minutes, then tilted her head downward and closed her eyes, seemingly in prayer. When she lifted her head again, she turned toward Ben.
“This probably sounds ridiculous, but the one place in the world where I’ve ever really, truly felt safe was on a boat. I just tried to envision us being in this boat in front of us, maybe out in the ocean somewhere, away from the rest of the world. I thought it might help me open up a bit and talk to you.”
“Okay,” Ben said. “Did it work?”
“Maybe.” She sighed loudly. “It’s a long story, but since you asked, here goes. When I was eight years old, my mom was working as a server at an oceanside restaurant owned by this wonderful couple –Larry and Michael. She had to stay late one night because the restaurant was hosting a big private event for a Latino community group. At the time, we were living in a rough part of the city, so she didn’t want me at home alone after dark. She had me take the bus from school to the pier where the restaurant was located. When I got there, she put me at a two-top table in the corner to work on my homework until she was done with her shift. The restaurant was jam-packed, they had a mariachi band, and everyone seemed to be in a festive mood. One moment everyone was having the time of their lives, and the next, everyone was screaming and jumping up out of their seats. I looked around to see at least a dozen men in black uniforms with huge guns spreading out around the room. People were yelling ‘la migra, la migra!’ I looked for my mom in the crowd, but couldn’t find her. I was terrified. I just…. I froze. It was like my heart stopped inside my chest, my vision got all blurry, and my body went numb.”
“An immigration raid,” Ben said softly. “My God, how scary.”
“It was at first,” she said. “Next thing I knew, someone was sweeping me off my feet and carrying me out the back of the restaurant, all the way down the pier to the water. It was Larry. He told me everything was going to be okay. He loaded me into a boat, kind of like this one. It was pitch dark, so I couldn’t see very well, but I heard Michael tell me to sit down on the floor and keep my head down. Then he started the engine and suddenly, we were zooming away from the shore. Then four people came out of the boat’s cabin. One of them was my mom. She ran toward me and sat on the floor with me, crying and shaking and holding onto me for dear life. The others were her fellow servers and a busboy from the restaurant. They were all scared to death too. We all just held onto each other and prayed for dear life while Michael took us out into the ocean. A few minutes later, we were far enough from the shore that we could barely see the lights on the pier anymore. Michael cut the engine on the boat and we stayed there, just drifting in the dark, until it was safe to come back to shore.”
Ben looked up at the boat, trying to imagine the scene Olivia had just described. A chill ran down his spine.
“It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever lived through,” she continued. “When my mom applied for the job, she lied on her application about her status. Her papers were fake, but were convincing enough for Larry and Michael to trust she was legally eligible to work for them. They hired her and she was one of their star servers for almost two years. But that night, when immigration showed up and four of their employees ran for the door, they found out the truth. Larry and Michael could have turned them in, but they didn’t. They’d gotten to know my mom and the others. They cared about them. They saw them as human beings, not undocumented immigrants. So when that surprise raid went down at their restaurant, they didn’t even think twice about what to do. Larry and Michael protected their employees. And me. I was born in the states so I’m a citizen, but if my mother had been detained or deported, I would have been left alone to fend for myself. They kept us all safe, Ben. They showed me that there are good people in the world, people who care about others and can be trusted.”
Ben felt a knot forming in his throat. He wanted to say something kind or reassuring to Olivia in light of how vulnerable she’d made herself with this revelation, but feared he would lose his composure if he tried to speak.
Olivia continued. “My mom expected Larry and Michael to be mad that she’d lied to them. They weren’t. They told her they both knew what it was like, having to live with a secret in order to stay safe. They actually hired a lawyer to help all their undocumented employees pursue legal status. My mom met with the lawyer, but found out there was a bunch of documentation she’d need from her native country – and didn’t have any of it. She had no birth certificate since she’d been born at home instead of a hospital. She’d only attended school for a few years as a child. The school building had been torn down and the land was sold to an American investor that built a resort in its place, so she had no education records. And no medical records, because the only healthcare she got in Mexico was from the curandera.”
“That’s so unfair,” Ben said softly.
“She’s lived her life like a ghost, like she doesn’t count because she doesn’t exist on paper. And when she’s gone, there will be no one to remember her but me. Her only crime was being born to a poor family in a poor town, and once the resort took over the rest of the community, she was shoved out with all the other locals. The owners of the resort wouldn’t even give them jobs unless they could speak English, and most of the people from her town didn’t. My mom – like many of the others – came to this country believing she could make a life here. And just when she’d been given an opportunity to pursue a path to citizenship, she suffered the disappointment of finding out she’d never be able to make it happen. She didn’t want Larry and Michael to face criminal charges for trying to help her, so she packed up all of our things and we ran.”
Ben dropped his head. He sniffled loudly.
“That’s what we did throughout my youth, Ben. California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico… we spent my childhood running from one place to the next, sometimes ending up back in the same places we’d left just months prior, just running, running, running. Just trying to survive.”
Ben wiped tears from his eyes. “I can’t imagine what that was like. I’m so sorry, Olivia.”
“Thank you,” she said softly. “By the time we ended up back in California a decade later, the electronic employment verification program was in place, so fake papers weren’t enough to get my mom a job anymore. All she could do was clean houses here and there for people who were willing to pay cash. Fortunately, I was able to go to college on a full-ride scholarship, graduate with honors, and land a full-time teaching job before I even had my diploma in hand. The plan was for me to work and support the both of us, so my mom could just lay low at home. I thought we’d made it. I thought we could finally stop running. But then the pandemic began, we both got sick, she never got better, and now she’s dying. I always thought we’d be safe staying in California, but politically… I don’t have to tell you how much things have changed.”
“I know,” Ben whispered.
“Not even two months ago, I was going to work every day, caring for my mom when I wasn’t working, and trying as hard as I could to not get sick. Just when I thought life couldn’t get any harder, I woke up one morning to a text from a friend that officers were stopping people at the entrance of our neighborhood. Anyone who couldn’t produce documentation of their status was getting detained. I couldn’t let that happen to my mom. I promised her I’d take care of her up until the very end, and it’s a promise I refuse to break. I knew we had to run again, but I was so overwhelmed, I didn’t know what to do. I was scared. Desperate. I met a man who said he could help us, so I trusted him, and—”
“There you guys are!” Reese called out as she stepped around the boat. “We’ve been looking for you two! Ben, haven’t you been getting our texts?”
Ben reached for his phone. Olivia took the opportunity to look at hers as well.
“Sorry, Reese,” Ben apologized. “I do see your messages now. We were talking and I got distracted.”
“No problem,” Reese replied. “I’ll text the others to let them know I found you. We’re done shopping and ready to head back.”
Olivia stood up and pocketed her phone. “I need to run to the restroom before we go. Could someone point me toward the food court?”
“I could use a trip there myself,” said Reese. “Come on, I’ll walk with you.”
“Actually,” Olivia said, “Sorry, but I’ve really got to pee. I literally need to run before I spring a leak and set this boat afloat.”
“Go ahead then,” laughed Reese, pointing in the direction of the restrooms. “My running days are over, but I’ll catch up with you in a minute!”
As Olivia sprinted away, Reese faced Ben. She immediately noticed his bloodshot eyes, the wetness on his cheeks above his N95.
“Ben,” she said softly, “what’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. I’m okay.”
“You don’t look okay.”
“I’m okay, Reese. I promise,” he insisted. “But I don’t know that Olivia is.”
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