HPD-2058

HPD-2058

Myrna buried her nose in the dirty laundry and drowned herself in the scent. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the wall. From experience, Myrna understood she needed to enjoy this moment while she could. She only had minutes before she would no longer be alone. When the cold from the cement floor started seeping into her skin, Myrna opened her eyes and struggled to her feet. She pushed herself up the wall so she would not drop the armload of Landis’s laundry.

               Striding to the open front-loading machine, Myrna considered the ridiculousness of her situation. She pushed the bundle of clothing through the opening and slammed the door closed. She should be the one upstairs, surrounded by her sisters and mother as they all sipped champagne. Instead, Princess Trina, from some no-count country up north, was enjoying the privilege while Myrna was in the basement smelling her lover’s sweaty shirts.

               Myrna opened the little tray at the top of the machine and added detergent. She pushed the try shut and pressed the start button on the front of the washing machine. She turned her back to the machine and allowed her body to sink back to the hard floor. Mere seconds passed before Beatrice called for Myrna from the top of the stairs.

               “Myrna, are you alive down there?”

               Myrna mounted the stairs with the exuberance of a sloth.

               “Come on, Myrna. Pick up the pace. We still need to replace the linens on the beds and stock the bathrooms with towels,” said Beatrice.

               The last thing Myrna wanted to do right now was see a bed. She was particularly interested in avoiding Landis’s bed.

               As if trying to torture Myrna, Beatrice said, “Start with Landis’s bed. Use the silk sheets for that one. Maybe it will make the consummation ceremony more exciting. He’ll be so busy keeping the girl from sliding off the bed that he won’t have time to consider whether he actually likes her.”

               Myrna’s knees went weak, and she nearly needed to grab onto the doorframe to keep from falling back to the floor. Beatrice had turned to continue preparing the house for the onslaught of guests that were soon to arrive and hadn’t noticed Myrna’s reaction.

               “I miss the old days,” said Beatrice as she stalked down the hall. “Weddings were about two people falling in love and starting a life together, not about alliances and ensuring procreation.”

               Myrna considered Beatrice’s words. In the not so old days, what Beatrice just said was true. In the much older days, things were much like they are now. Parents would try to arrange a marriage for each of their children that might help better the family’s standing in the community. The only difference was that then it was tradition and now, well, now it was law. Parents needed to start the marriage process at about the time their children began formal education. There were the genetic tests and the exchange of pedigrees, as well as saving for the ever-rising dowries for children who were less than perfect marriage candidates.

               Myrna grabbed a set of silk sheets from the closet and dragged herself to stand before Landis’s bedroom door. Since romantic love was banned by the Human Preservation Doctrine of 2058, Myrna didn’t dream of describing her feelings for Landis as love. She couldn’t love him because it was illegal to love him. Of course, HPD-2058 did not prevent Myrna from being dangerously infatuated with Landis, and it did not prevent him from reciprocating that infatuation.

               As Myrna pushed into the bedroom, her own scent swept over her. She and Landis had shared the bed before her no less than seven hours ago. That had been their last tryst before Landis’s marriage contract with Trina went into effect. The girl was from so far north of here that she hadn’t visited since she was a toddler. Now, at age fourteen, she was old enough for her parents to sign her over into the custody of Landis and his parents. Landis would take full custody of his new wife next year when he turned twenty. That was the legal age for a man to assume full responsibility for his bride.

               Myrna dove onto the bed and wrapped herself in the sheets. With the smell of all she and Landis had done hours before washing over her, and the memory of how Landis had felt pressed against her skin, Myrna felt anger build within her. Landis did not want to marry Trina. He had no interest in a girl he didn’t really know. He had told Myrna that very thing as the two of them had twisted among the sheets on this bed, as they had done many nights over the last several years. Landis had told Myrna there was a place, somewhere on the other side of the ocean, where love still reigned true. Myrna had asked Landis to take her there and Landis had promised he would so they could be together.

               Landis and Myrna were both still here. It had been a complete surprise to Landis when Trina and her family had arrived from up north two weeks ago. Landis’s parents had been wise not to inform him that his marriage contract had come due and there was now no hope of leaving for that fabled land across the sea.

               Myrna sat up in the bed abruptly. She wiggled to the edge of the bed and jumped down, planting her feet on the floor. The comforter, still wrapped around one of Myrna’s legs fell to the floor as she strode toward the door. The silk sheets were now part of the unmade mess on the bed. Myrna didn’t care. No one would use those sheets tonight.

It didn’t matter that she was just a maid. It was of no concern that Trina was already dressing for the ceremony. Myrna did not care that Landis would need to leave his home behind. It had been he who had told her about the land of love across the sea. It had been a cry for help. Landis was bound by law to fulfill his contract with Trina. He could do nothing to change the requirements outlined on parchment by his parents. Myra could.

Myrna straightened her uniform as she hurried down the hall to the study. She stopped before the enormous fireplace and fixed her hair in the mirror above the mantle. She ran her first two digits over the wood to check for dust and felt satisfied when they came away clean. Myrna headed left to the gun cabinet and removed the first rifle her hand touched. The shiny walnut stock was beautiful.

With her right hand, Myrna rotated the bolt and pulled it back toward her. She paused for a moment. It wasn’t Trina’s fault that she and Landis were paired. Myrna reached for a box of ammunition as it occurred to her that Trina probably didn’t want this contract any more than Landis did. Myrna placed a cartridge in the chamber and pushed the bolt of the rifle forward. She rotated the lever down and turned to leave the room.

Myrna stepped from the study with confidence. She had always been a problem-solver. She smiled with satisfaction as she walked toward the parlor and prepared to meet Trina. Let the HPD-2058 be damned. In just a few moments, Landis and Myrna would flee across the sea to begin a life of happily ever after.