I Will Never Forget

Trigger Warning: Violence and Sexual Harassment

I remember when you could step outside and take a stroll without seeing a government enforcer on every street corner. When it wasn't normal to see a family being thrown into an enforcer's car; the children screaming and the mother weeping. When it was normal for families to live together instead of being separated by gender. This makes me sound old, I know. But I'm not, I swear. I just remember what everyone else seems to have forgotten.

About seven years ago, a new terrorist group started planning coordinated attacks. They picked relatively small targets at first. When I say relatively I'm referring to what they did after. At first it was a bomb at a football game. A collapsing bridge. Then it started to get bigger. More lives were lost. A building collapsed onto a construction site. Lights at a major intersection all turned green simultaneously. The government condemned them in a public statement, but that was it…Until the west wing of the White House blew up. 

They launched manhunts. Military lockdowns. Curfews. They started implementing new rules. Men were separated from the women and children. They claimed there was less chance of innocent people getting taken advantage of that way. Curfew started at midnight. Then it got switched to nine; and then to ten P.M. They ended up settling on six P.M sharp. Everyone knew things were changing, but no one could say if it was for better or worse. Looking back, I would say worse. Definitely worse.  

I pulled my coat around my body a little tighter as I passed an enforcer. She nodded at me as I walked past her. I returned a tight lipped smile. No one spoke to each other anymore. There was too great a risk of being arrested for loitering.

Today spirits were slightly raised as it was the fifth anniversary of the major raid that had exposed and stopped the terrorists. The government would let people visit their families. For people like me, girls sixteen and older, the time was split. First, we would visit with our families. Then, we would go on a ‘date’, if you can call it that, with a government assigned ‘partner’. My situation was a little different. My father had been arrested for trying to see my mother when she was in labor shortly after the separation law had been put into effect. He wasn’t allowed to see us anymore. This would be my third attempt to see him. 

I’d gotten caught on my first attempt, about three years ago. I was thirteen then, considered too young for them to do anything except to give me a strict warning. I had to abort the next attempt because they moved him to a higher security prison. Apparently, he had decided to mouthed off to an enforcer. 

I reached the end of the women’s district. Male enforcers were everywhere. They were checking ID before allowing the families into the men’s sector. I eyed the enforcers, my heart pounding. Finally, my eyes fell on the one I was looking for. He was a big guy. A few uncovered tattoos peeked out from the neckline of his ballistic vest. As could be expected, everyone was avoiding his line. I took a deep breath, pulled out my ID, and walked up to him. He didn’t recognize me at first. To be fair, I wouldn’t have recognized myself either. 

“ID.”

He asked gruffly. I handed it to him wordlessly. He started to scan it,

“Lynette Holloway?”

I could hear a hint of recognition in his voice. 

“Yes sir, I’m trying to visit my father, Rick Holloway.”

He froze. Then he turned to look at me.

“Lyn?”

I nodded. 

“It’s me, Eddie.”

Eddie, or Edward Wallace, used to be my Father’s best friend. I remember stealing cookies from the jar with him; dyeing easter eggs; tiptoeing out of bed to the TV, where he would be waiting with a bowl of popcorn and soda. I used to call him ‘Uncle Eddie’. At least, until I learned he was the one who turned my dad in. So much for friendship. 

Eddie looked at me and back to the ID. 

“You know this won’t go through.”

I sighed. 

“Please, let me through. I have to try.”

His expression remained unreadable. I felt my face crumple. I spoke again, failing to keep my voice from cracking a little. 

“Please. He’s my dad.”

I could still read the hesitation on his face so I pulled my trump card. I’m not proud of it, but I did what had to be done.

“It’s the least you could do. It’s your fault that I can’t see my dad anymore.”

He winced, 

“That’s not fair. I was trying to protect you guys.”

I look at him, my expression stormy. He sighed in defeat. 

“Fine. Go. Please be safe. I can’t help you if you get caught.”

My face lit up, and I had to stop myself from hugging him like I used to when I was young. Instead I smiled at him.

“You taught me everything I know. I promise, I won’t be the next person you have to put in a cell.”

He unlocked the gate using his ID and shouted to his partner that he was going on break. He walked with me for a couple blocks and brought me through a couple checkpoints; he even roughed up a catcaller who refused to take no for an answer. 

“I have to get back now. Be careful. You're a girl walking alone in the men’s sector. A lot of these guys haven’t seen a woman in years. Keep walking straight and you'll find the prison. You might be able to get in if you can act like a scared girl who really wants to visit her dad. Tell them he’s an enforcer in the maximum security area. ”

I nodded and turned away. I wasn’t sure if I could forgive him, even if I appreciated everything he was doing. After a few seconds, he called me,

“Lyn.”

I turned around.

“I truly am sorry about your dad. Not a day goes by that I don’t deeply regret it.”

“I know, Uncle Eddie.”

Saying those words felt like I was betraying my dad, betraying myself; but it seemed he was truly trying to make up for it. I could finally see my dad. I had a picture of my brother I could show him. I could tell him about my life. Talk about how I had my first ‘date’ tonight. I’d never met the kid, but he was almost guaranteed to be my match, or soulmate, or whatever you prefer to call it. I didn’t believe in it, hadn’t since the program had been introduced. That didn’t stop the fluttering sensation in my stomach.

I got distracted by the prison. It was supposed to be a high security prison,so I wasn’t sure how to get in. I decided to trust Eddie though. It was possible he was trying to make up for how he destroyed my family. I smoothed my dress out and walked through the doors.

The enforcer at the front desk looked me up and down. When he decided I wasn’t a threat, he returned to his lunch and asked, 

“Can I help you Miss?”

I looked at him, doing my best to appear innocent,

“I was hoping I could see my dad. He wasn’t able to get the night off and I really miss him.”

The enforcer looked at me sympathetically.

“Where does he work?”

“In the lower section, I think?”

“High level…”

He seemed unsure. Whether it was about sending an unprotected girl into the darkest recesses of a male dominated prison, or breaking the law in letting me do so, I’ll never know. Regardless, I stood there, hands folded, waiting, my heart jumping out of my chest, the rest of my life hanging on what he decided to do. Finally he nodded. 

“Go straight down the hall till to the stairs. Here’s my ID, scan it and return it when you come back up.

I accepted the key and smiled at him,

“Thank you.”

He nodded gruffly, and waved me along. I followed his instructions and found the stairs pretty quickly. There was a sign clearly indicating this was the way to high security. I laughed under my breath. The only thing high security about this was that it was lower than the other levels. I scanned the card while holding my breath. The door clicked open and I sighed in relief. 

After wandering around I finally found the cell area. Everything was black, and I couldn't see two feet in front of me, much less the prisoners in the cells. I guess they could see me though. There were repeated whistles, and calls of, 

“Hey, baby, give me a smile”

“Hey princess, why don’t you come on over here?”

I ignored them and focused on my next step. I didn't have a plan. I guess I was hoping that my dad would somehow recognize me, but it had been years. I paused to take a breath, and then, amongst all the noise I heard a new voice, 

“Excuse me, Miss, can I help you with something?”

I considered my options briefly, but considering the fact that I didn’t have many, I walked in the direction of the voice. It sounded like it was coming from the corner, so I blindly stumbled in that direction. The man spoke again.

“I’m in the very corner. You’re getting close.”

Finally, I found his cell. From what I could make out, he was sitting in the back of his cell. I put my hands on the bars to steady myself. He stood up slowly.

“May I approach the bars?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

He shuffled up to the bars, but stood with his side to me.

“Are you lost?”

“I’m looking for someone.”

“I doubt you’d want to associate with anyone who’s stuck in this hellhole.”

I tried to explain, but he cut me off. 

“Who are you looking for?”

“Rick Holloway”

I felt the silence on the other side of the bars. 

“Why are you looking for him? He’s not too popular around these parts. Young girl like you would be better off avoiding him altogether.”

“I can’t. I need to see him.”

After a couple seconds of silence, I started to give up hope. I began to turn away, but the man said, 

“I’m Rick Holloway.”

I froze. I didn’t know if I heard him right. I turned around slowly, my heart beating out of my chest.

“You’re Rick Holloway?”

He nodded, I could barely see the motion, but I was sure. 

“Dad, it's me. It’s Lynette.”

I heard his breath catch, and I realized how quiet the room had gotten. 

“Lyn?”

It was posed as a question, but he knew it was me. He thrust his hand through the bars and clasped my hand. All I wanted to do was embrace him. He had other ideas though. 

“How did you get in?”

“Eddie helped me. I think he feels bad...He should.”

He immediately recoiled. His voice became urgent and hushed.

“Lynette. You have to get out of here. Eddie is lying. When I told him your mother was in labor, he encouraged me to go see her. He practically pushed me over the border. Then he turned me in. He does this all the time. A lot of people in in the lower level prison are in there because he did the same thing to them. He gets a bonus for every person he catches!"

I stood there, dumbfounded, so he shouted,

"Go. Run!”

I did. I made it through the stairs and thought I might be able to get out safely. I burst into the lobby, and there stood three enforcers. One of them walked towards me. 

“Lynette Holloway, you are under arrest for the illegal entry of the men’s sector and the unapproved conversation with a convicted criminal.”

Then I saw Eddie standing behind them, supervising the operation. There was no remorse on his face. As they led me away, I swore that one day, I would get back at him. I didn’t know how, I didn’t know when. Unlike everyone else, I would always remember.