Is It My Right or Your Wrong?

Samantha remembered the day she met David. She was standing on the other side of the White House gate. He was a White House journalist who happened to be pro-vaccine. She on the other hand was pro her body and her choice. 

She was vaccinated as a child and recently with the flu shot as an adult, but she was vehemently against the government forcing and mandating its employees to receive the lethal injection. 

If America is truly free, she thought, then what happened to freedom of choice? Why are there severe consequences for not getting the ‘two jabs and being done with it’ as some say? Why is it that not being a mindless drone is considered an act of insubordination by the military or considered no longer aligning with the mission of the workforce? 

Private companies are now requiring it too. It frustrates her that cities are even jumping on the bandwagon and offering incentives for the darn thing. If it isn’t poison, why would they offer an incentive to get it? It’s like a stranger offering candy to a child before they lurch at them with their true intentions. Some vaccination radicals are even considering parents neglectful if they don’t get their child injected with a serum that could cause more harm than good. 

She thought this as she stood in a crowd of men and women from all across the nation holding decorated signs urging the White House to take a stance promoting the freedom to choose and using a loudspeaker to convince them. She handed the loudspeaker to her business partner Emilia, known to her friends as Emmy, who continued the chants and broke through the crowd formation to stand in front of the lively group. 

Police stood on the borders watching and waiting. White House correspondents stood on the other side of the gates listening, watching with scowls on their faces and eyes that condemned them for being different. For going against the grain. For not assimilating. Emmy lifted the loudspeaker to her mouth and began her quick monologue. It was uplifting, expedient, and what they needed at the moment. 

After another thirty minutes of protesting, Sam and Emmy disbanded the crowd, thanking everyone for showing up. They handed out freebies from their backpacks and encouraged the crowd after three long days of protesting. Sam decided to grab a bite to eat with Emmy before returning to their hotel. They had an early morning flight tomorrow heading back to California.

David stood watching as the protestors that returned for yet another day stood in a crowd and loudly chanted, “my body my right” repeatedly. It was mentally exhausting for him because they disturbed his day. He couldn’t get any work done. 

As a journalist and part of the White House Press Corps, he sometimes needed to stretch his legs and get some fresh air. Everyone was consumed by the ruckus the protestors were causing near the White House lawn and on Capitol Hill. They were everywhere, like roaches. 

He just wanted to write. He didn’t graduate Cum Laude from Columbia to be inundated with pesky protestors, even if it was par for the job. He reasoned in his mind that they were on the wrong side of this. Everything they said was backward. 

What was wrong with the government requesting its employees be vaccinated? It’s for the safety of the workplace. And why did they keep saying they didn’t have a choice? They have a choice, everyone has a choice. Either be an upstanding contribution to society by protecting yourself and everyone around you or don’t. That’s a choice. No one is forcing anything. 

It makes sense that if government employees choose not to be vaccinated that they would be disciplined accordingly. Cities are even incentivizing the vaccine. Some fast food places fell in line with the incentives. What more could they ask for? 

He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples as the continual sound of the crowd grew louder and he could feel a headache rising. He didn’t get much sleep since he’s been dealing with writing about the protests across the nation. He supposed a strong cup of joe would cure what ails him. 

His eyes opened looking for the source of his discomfort and he saw a brunette holding a megaphone and giving a speech. A woman with pink hair holding a white sign reading “my body my choice in bold black letters with a red line through a vaccination needle” used her free hand to motion a thumbs up in a show of support to the megaphone holder. 

It waned on for another thirty minutes and finally, they disbanded. The sound of their footsteps departing was music to his ears. He would even pay to hear that in concert, it was such a well-needed reprieve from the previous chaos.

“Emmy that was fantastic!” Samantha beamed as they sat quietly at a table in the small but modern cafe about a ten-minute walk from the White House. “I agree. The turnout was bigger than I expected. It looks like news travels fast whether in California or DC. People want to be involved.” 

“Exactly! This is huge. I can’t believe there’s a pandemic during our lifetimes. I just hope our words sunk in for someone. I hope all of this isn’t for nothing.”

“Come on, don’t be like that. You know it’s not for nothing. All those people wanted to show up and support the cause. It’s a worthy cause.”

“I agree. It’s just.” Sam paused “My parents still caught covid even though they’re both vaccinated. I’m so angry that they're forcing people to take this poison and people are still getting it and dying,” her brow furrowed as she passionately conveyed her message.

“My sentiments exactly.” Emmy comforted her by saying, “They’ll make it through this, Sam. Besides, they’re too stubborn to give up now.” They both laughed. Samantha was hopeful that Emmy’s words were true. The news channels were terrifying to watch lately. It was always showing the worst of humanity, the worsening condition of the pandemic, and more tragedy. It weighed heavily on her heart. 

“Let’s not let our food get cold,” Emmy said, jarring Sam out of her dreary thoughts. Sam gave a small smile. They prayed to thank God for the food and asked him to bless it before they began to dig in. There were no napkins on the table so after finishing half the bowl of New England clam chowder Sam stood and said, “We need napkins. I’ll be right back.”

Sam quickly grabbed some napkins near the front of the cafe and returned to the table. “Do you want a cinnamon roll or any dessert, my treat? I told myself I wouldn’t but their cinnamon rolls look soooo good.” she smiled over the mouthwatering pastry. “Sure, I’ll have a bear claw, if they have it. And can you get mine to go, I’m ready to head back to the hotel and enjoy a long, relaxing shower.”  

“You got it” she chirped away happy now that the thought of a warm, moist cinnamon roll would soon smear her taste buds. She stood in line and salivated over the caramelized brown sugar and cinnamon so she didn’t hear a call for the next customer. “I think you’re next” the man behind her tapped her on the shoulder. When she looked behind her she saw a handsome man with dark chestnut hair and blue eyes. She felt like she’d seen him before but couldn’t place where. “Thanks,” she said and turned around and placed the to-go order for her and Emmy.

“Put it on my tab” the man behind her directed towards Roger, the Barista. “You got it, Dave!” Roger happily rang up the order, “Will there be anything else Miss?” He addressed Sam, “no you don’t have to do that” she turned around toward the stranger behind her. She wasn’t used to people being so nice, especially in the current climate. “I insist,” the stranger said, leaving no room for debate. By the time she righted herself, Roger had already packed the sweets into a paper bag with the cafe’s cute logo on it and handed it to her. “Have a nice day!” he beamed as he held the bag out to her. She took the bag, returning his smile. “Thank you,” she said to the stranger as she made her way back to the table. She couldn’t wait to tell Emmy what happened.

“Emmy, you’re not going to believe what just happened,” she said as she sat at the bistro table and placed the paper bag on the mosaic-tiled table. Sam spoke low, “a guy paid for our desserts!” Emmy’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. She too acknowledged how rare it was for someone to do a random act of kindness nowadays. 

Emmy’s surprised expression relaxed and she began speaking conspiratorily, “does he have brown hair, and he’s wearing a suit that looks custom-made?” Sam didn’t know the answer to the second question because she hadn’t noticed before but now she followed Emmy’s line of vision and in fact saw the handsome stranger approaching the table.

“I like your hair,” he said casually like they’d been friends for years and he was just noticing she changed her hair color. “Thank you,” Sam said. “Thanks again for the sweets, would you like to pull up a chair and join us?” She asked and waited on his response. 

“Wait. Weren’t you standing on the other side of the gate?” Emmy asked now eyeing him suspiciously. Sam looked with suspicion too until it dawned on her, “you were on the other side of the gate and you were just staring at us like we were the worst of the worst,” she said now realizing who he is. 

He scrunched up his face, his brow furrowed, and said, “what exactly do you mean?” just moments before it dawned on him that she was the woman with the pink hair from the protest today. The tension was thick in the air. The moment recognition set in they all seemed uncomfortable like a secret had been revealed. 

“I’m going to head back to the hotel.” Emmy stood grabbing her backpack and Sam handed her the paper bag and waved bye. Emmy was usually very polite and Sam found it unusual that she didn’t thank the guy or depart with any pleasantries. I guess that time had come and gone. “Here” Sam reached into her backpack, grabbed a ten-dollar bill, and handed it to the man who still stood near the bistro table. “No, please, it's my treat,” he insisted. 

“Why?” Sam insisted shoving the bill closer to him. “May I?” he motioned to Emmy’s empty chair. She nodded. “Because I’m a man and I saw a beautiful woman and I wanted to do something nice.” Sam stared at him lowering the bill but still held it within reach for him to take. He continued, “I’m David” he extended his hand, but she didn’t take it.

“I’m Samantha–Sam for short,” she said as she curiously eyed him now. What’s his motive she wondered. “It’s nice to meet you, Sam,” he said and she couldn’t deny how she felt when he said her name. Like placing a baby gently on a pillow to protect it. He said her name softer than he said anything else. It was a contrast to his otherwise rigid demeanor and she didn’t know why. She liked it.

Sam eventually left the ten dollar bill on the table as a tip, along with the rest of her uneaten soup that had gotten cold, and left the cafe after talking with David for two hours. She wasn’t sure where the day had gone, and neither was he. He was glad that he went in early this morning so his long lunch would be overlooked. Besides, if there was anything urgent, he’s sure he would have been summoned by now. Sam received one text message from Emmy during their chat and texted her back that she was okay and returning to the hotel soon. 

David offered to walk her to her hotel and she accepted his offer. They talked more and exchanged numbers. The next day when she flew home to California, she couldn’t stop thinking about David. They had so much in common despite their initial differences regarding the vaccine. They were both surprised at how incorrect their initial judgments were of one another. 

The next month David had work to do in Los Angeles. They met for lunch and walked along the boardwalk. A few months later they were officially dating. After traveling, meeting each others’ families, hiking together, and loving each others’ fur babies, they realized all the back and forth was a lot. David proposed and Sam said yes.

Present Day

She lay on the sofa, her feet propped up with her ankles cradled by a plush pillow, and read the State Department’s website. The smell of fresh bread baking wafted through the home. She also made David’s favorite lemon poppy seed cake and it was cooling on the marble countertop. 

The article read like a caress over her skin. Almost every country that formerly declared it a necessity to enter their country with proof of vaccine, and/or proof of negative covid test, if someone had the virus in the last 90 days, had now conceded that international visitors no longer required the stringent demands. America included. Oh, how the tables have turned. She smiled at her silent win. Maybe the non-profit along with thousands of other protestors had made a difference. She couldn't wait to share the news with Emmy!

David entered the living room with his legs weighed down by adorably chubby two-year-old twins sitting on his feet and holding onto each leg. This caused him to move like a robot toward her on the sofa. 

He kissed her briefly, “good morning,” he said smiling. “Good morning,” she said looking up at him. “morny!” the twins shouted in unison with their baby voices. “Good morning,” she said in a singsong voice as she swung her legs to the rug, put her device down, and outstretched her arms towards her boys. 

They smiled before they jumped and ran as quick as their chubby legs would let them. From their father into their mother’s arms, they stayed while she showered their faces with kisses, tickled them, and blew raspberries on their necks and bellies. David departed to the kitchen for breakfast. 

“Honey, why do you do this to me? You made my favorite cake but you know I can’t eat it. Andrew has been hinting that we might have a urinalysis test this week. I can’t pop positive for anything, even this delicious lemon poppy cake.” He feigned hurt.

Samantha remembered the upcoming pee test but every once in a while she would have rebellious thoughts and once again become the free-spirited woman he met years ago on the other side of the gate. “I’m sure one slice wouldn’t hurt.” she smiled coyly and continued playing with their boys. 

Who would have thought a conservative guy from Brooklyn and a free-spirited girl from California would marry and have two adorable little humans. 

She didn’t care if they were pro, anti, democrat, or republican. More than anything she wanted them to love one another and be kind.