A west side short story II
Sirius followed the map Alexa had given him until he arrived in the quiet residential neighborhood where he finally reached the address Emma had given him the day before. The suburban house before him was a two-story brick building, with a white wooden fence surrounding the property. The garden was covered in a thick blanket of snow, with a variety of plants and shrubs peeking out from beneath the white powder. A small birdbath, now frozen over, stood near the entrance. The neighborhood was peaceful, with little noise other than the occasional sound of a car passing by. Once he walked through the gate, Sirius met Emma's gaze, who left the group she was talking to and came to greet him. Despite the frosty temperature, Sirius felt a warm sense of familiarity wash over him as Emma surprised him with a hug.
"Evan! You're here!" Emma exclaimed.
Sirius apologized, "Sorry for the delay. I got lost on my way.", although Emma didn't seem bothered at all, as she quickly replied, "No, you're just in time! Everyone's already inside!" She eagerly pulled him towards the entrance of the house.
As they entered the house, they were immediately greeted by a boisterous circular lobby filled with people their own age, the deafening sound of cheering and clapping reverberating off the walls. All eyes were fixed on the bushy-haired man standing atop a precarious round table, littered with empty beer cans and plastic cups, as he passionately delivered his speech with vigorous gesticulations. The mesmerized crowd hung onto his every word, captivated by his energy and words.
The man exclaimed, "Whether, in the East or the West, there is no democracy to be found! Only despotic militarism reigns on both sides! We must start the protest against military aggression right here at home, where we feel its effects every day, by standing in solidarity with one another!" The public responded with even louder cheers.
"Just look at what happened today, Josef Strauss, a man who brags about eating communists for breakfast, handed a billion Deutschmarks to Honecker, who is supposedly his worst enemy! Why do you think he did it? …So, we stay entertained by our patriotic instincts while the Americans deploy their nuclear warheads here, in the exact place where we live! I reject all of them! And only accept peace! The only mass demonstration from West and East German would be against mass destruction and mankind's extinction!" The man said, before finally going down from the table under the applauses.
Emma grabbed Sirius' arm and deftly navigated them through the throng of people until they arrived at the man before he could climb the stairs to the upper floors of the house.
"Excellent speech, Heir Rauch!" Emma said, her enthusiasm evident.
"Thank you," Rauch replied, shaking her hand and turning to both of them. "May I have your names, please?"
"I'm Emma Zimmer, and this is my friend Evan," Emma introduced them.
"Please, call me Jochen," Rauch said, shaking Sirius' hand. "So, what do you do?"
"I'm a part-time Economics student," Emma answered.
"Interesting. And what about you, Evan?" Rauch inquired.
"I'm a writer," Sirius replied, glancing around.
"Fascinating. Are you a good one?" Rauch asked him.
"I'm trying my best to," Sirius responded.
"And how are you doing that?" Rauch probed.
"I travel to get my stories straight from the source, or at least find something to write about," Sirius explained.
"That's admirable. I just met you, but I'm already looking forward to reading what you write," Rauch complimented him.
"Thank you," Sirius replied.
"Yes, I'm sure your work would be more faithful to reality than the same scripts that are constantly broadcasted on television, never confronted with any opposite view or self-criticism, and just drumming in people's heads how we are always the good ones and everyone who disagrees is evil," Rauch remarked before turning to Emma. "What about you, Emma? Was Economics your first choice?"
"Of course not," Emma replied.
"So why are you wasting your time on it?" Rauch queried.
"My father pushed me into it. He thinks it's time I start thinking seriously about my future, but I honestly don't see myself working for a bank, nor do I think I'm cut out for it," Emma explained.
"He's right about the second part. You should think about your future. Let's try something else then. What do you want for your future?" Rauch asked.
"I'm not sure," Emma admitted.
"Perfect. You're too young to already know what you want. Have you ever traveled abroad?" Rauch asked.
"Never," Emma confessed, with a hint of embarrassment.
"Despite what you may hear on the news and read in the papers; you'll be surprised by all the world has to offer apart from war. Right, Evan?" Rauch turned to Sirius.
"Traveling gives to the spirit a fresh impulse," Sirius nodded in agreement.
Rauch seemed intrigued and was about to continue the conversation when a woman appeared at his side, smiling at them. "Jochen, sorry to interrupt, but it's time."
"It was a pleasure talking to both of you, Emma and Evan," Rauch said before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his business card. "We organize meetings regularly, and I would be thrilled to see you there in the future." He handed the card to them before walking away.
Emma gently tapped Sirius's arm and led him towards the buffet. Someone promptly handed him a plate, and they helped themselves to some food and drinks. Afterward, they found a comfortable spot on one of the couches in the living room, which was enveloped in a dense cloud of smoke.
Emma chuckled, "Believe it or not, but all the windows are open", she said.
"You won't hear me complaining. in fact, I'm immune" Sirius said.
"Yeah, that's what everyone says before bringing on a peanut allergy or…" Emma said before Sirius held up a flawlessly rolled joint between her eyes.
"Got a lighter?" Sirius asked.
"Emma readily handed him a lighter from her jeans pocket, replying with a confident 'Of course!'
"Dankeschön!" Sirius said as he lighted the joint before passing it to her, "Ladies first?"
"Thank you!" Emma said, taking it between her fingers.
"So, hum…Is the guy we just met your group leader?" Sirius asked.
"There is no leader around! Everyone is free to jump on the table and speak his mind," Emma replied.
"I see… what was he saying anyway? You seemed completely under the spell!" Sirius said.
"Was I so obvious?" Emma asked, passing him the joint.
Sirius smiled as he formed two big circles with his hands, holding the joint between his lips. "Your eyes were this big," he said, describing Emma's expression.
"I should be more careful before I start drooling in public... Anyway, what he was saying is that we're living in a lie; our rulers don't care about us. He criticizes the impulsive tendency of our leaders to resort to military action as the only means to resolve conflicts, and it's our side that's constantly escalating the situation.", she replied.
"So, what is your take on that?" Sirius asked.
"I think he's right! I mean…We want to bring American mass destruction weapons here in the West and aim them at the East! Afterward, we blame the East for wanting to defend themselves from a possible attack. Like…We keep talking about dialogue and negotiation while doing the far opposite," Emma replied, taking the joint from Sirius. "I don't deny the East is a dictatorial regime, and I'm glad I was born on this side of the border, but I don't think they want a war either"
"I'm confused…If you want peace and the others aren't interested in a war either, why would it start?", Sirius asked.
"The American imperialism!" a man's voice sounded near them as Emma's lips moves to answer.
A young man sporting blonde curls and a football jersey suddenly appeared behind them. He jumped onto the couch and perched on the backrest, snatching the joint from Emma's lips. He then extended a hand toward Sirius.
"Hans, a school friend of Emma," he said, shaking his hand.
"I'm Evan" Sirius said, "Imperialism?"
"Yeah! You see, all of this is only a pretext so the USA could carry on their plans in Europe…They don't give a fuck about democracy or freedom. What they truly want is to get rid of any competition so they can force their way of life, economics, and political interests on the entire world. Then, set all the world trade rules so it would always benefit them first, even if we would be the ones to get our hands dirty for them" Hans said, then shrugged and added, "Just like we, Europeans, have done with Africa and South America."
"So, if the price implies starting an Armageddon in Europe, they won't think twice…After all, this is where their bombs will fall not in their own cities," Emma added.
"And as the cowards in charge don't seem to find their balls, we're the ones who have to save our own future," Hans said.
"How are you going to do that?" Sirius asked, curious.
"By remaining peaceful, united, and rejecting their violence," Hans said.
"I don't think that would scare anyone, but I still wish you good luck," Sirius said.
"This isn't just about us, Evan. It affects everyone. We need to act now while we still have a chance. Otherwise, in the best-case scenario, we'll only be reduced to spending wallets, and in the worst, we'll be reduced to ashes. Don't think for a moment that whoever wins this war will be content with just victory. They will keep expanding their wars. Pilling up corpses!"
Sirius asked, "I'm a bit confused. Perhaps it's the weed, but can you clarify who the bad guy and good guy are in this story? I mean, who's for freedom, and who is opposing it."
"NO ONE!", Both Emma and Hans said simultaneously, as if it were obvious.
"The system, regardless of its form, is merely a mechanism to maintain control over the masses. Over US!" Hans said.
"That is what Rauch said in his speech earlier. Democracy is only a myth! Even though we got the freedom to vote, we only get to choose from a retrained list of puppies owned by the system. Then, whoever wins the election switches from a candidate of the people to a guy in a fancy suit lecturing the same people that got him elected, as if his voters are too dumb to understand anything. The other side isn't much different! They claim themselves the leader of the people while living lavishly in palaces while stripping the people from their right to exist as individuals, or even the right to express a simple opinion…Long story short, we're all getting fucked over, and rather bury our heads in the sand than do something about it", Emma angrily said.
A short moment of silence followed, then Hans calmly said, "I get your perspective and agree to some point. However, comparing the situation in the West and the East isn't fair. We're far better set here."
"Are we?" Emma asked.
"Everyone in the East lives under surveillance! The Stasi's spy network of intimidation is enormous. One in three people is informing on their neighbors, friends, or family. They have your telephone bugged! So, they listen and record every word you say, they intercept and read your mail, they have bugs in your apartment and people on the street! We don't have anything like that here! And we can protest and say whatever we want without risking prison or worst!" Hans said.
"How about the Berufsverbote?" Emma asked him, with a challenging tone.
"The what?" Sirius asked.
"I'm glad you asked, Evan. You see, the government, police, and secret service are using a policy of intimidation to censor and prevent any kind of criticism or dissent from politics. It's very simple. They conduct background checks on people who apply for public service jobs. Every public or private agency doing business with the government is required to investigate employment applicants' backgrounds to ensure that anyone with any affiliation with what they consider to be radical groups or movements is excluded from government-related employment. So if you criticize the system, you get branded as 'radical' or 'communist,' and then good luck. They don't even respect the constitution, which is supposed to guarantee that all Germans, regardless of their political, philosophical, or religious beliefs, have an equal chance to enter all forms of public employment." Emma said.
"BUT, unlike in the East and the Soviet Union, you have the legal right to challenge a hiring rejection based on your political affiliation," Hans said, irritated.
" It's impossible to prove it, and the legal procedure would keep being obstructed and dragged on for years, as you'll be challenging the guys making the rules. You can't possibly believe they didn't think about it before granting us that so-called right" Emma said, "In the east, they bug your phone? Here in the West, they monitor your mind, and as soon they have something on you, it's a checkmate."
"But we still can outsmart them!" Hans said.
"And how would you do that?" Emma asked, with an amused voice.
"Listen, their system only works because people believe in it! We got to hit the streets and join forces with the peace activists in the east who want the same thing as us: no war! If we don't, we'll be helping them plant rockets all the way from Hamburg to Munich!", Hans said.
Sirius noticed that Emma had flicked her ash onto her jeans, mistaking them for an ashtray, and didn't seem to have noticed her mistake. Sirius understood that the debate between them was going to continue for a while, before escalating as the tone of their voices was already heated.
Sirius leaned back into the couch and said, "In my world, things are a lot less complicated. There's a bad guy who shows up, the good guy beats him, and that's the end of the story... until history inevitably repeats itself, maybe decades or centuries later."
"What world are you talking about?" Emma asked, exchanging a playful glance with Hans.
Hans checked the small bag on the table and asked, "Did you smoke all the weed while we were talking?"
"Sorry about that. Anyway, it really got my craving going," Sirius remarked, struggling to get up from the couch. Glancing at the clock in the living room, he noticed it was already 8 pm.
"You can't be already leaving. Are you?" Emma asked, surprised.
"Yeah... I've only been here for a day, and it has been non-stop since then. So, I'm drained. However, I enjoyed this conversation, and it was a pleasure to meet you, Hans," Sirius said, refraining a yawn.
Hans smiled and shifted from the couch's backrest to sit on a cushion, saying, "I feel the same way, Evan!"
Emma stood up and offered, "Let me walk you out!"
As they made their way through the narrow hallway of the house, Sirius noticed several others, like himself, retrieving their coats and scarves before departing. Once outside on the small steps leading to the entrance, the temperature had significantly dropped, causing Sirius to shiver as the frigid air seemed to penetrate his very bones.
"Sorry if we threw so much at you at once; we have the annoying habit of getting carried away very easily," Emma said.
"Would I be wrong if I say you guys need these meetings?" Sirius asked.
"Nah, it's the opposite actually," Emma replied casually. "These get-togethers are when we can really chat and connect. Our parents and relatives just don't get us in the same way, you know? They're from a different generation."
"I get it, I went through the same thing when I was living with my family," Sirius empathized.
"Anyways, where are you staying?" Emma asked.
"I'm renting an apartment near the bar you work at," Sirius said.
"Really? Those are fancy ones," Emma said.
"It's only for a week," Sirius said.
"So, where will you head next? England?" Emma asked.
"No, I think I will stay in the country a little longer," Sirius said.
"If you want to, why don't you take the trip with us? We're taking the train to Bonn; we will protest there in front of the US embassy! Along the way, other groups will join us; it's going to be huge! You should come with us!" Emma said.
"Bonn? Where is it exactly?" Sirius asked.
"In North Rhine-Westphalia, a little further south of Cologne and not far from the Belgium border, so we might visit" Emma replied.
Sirius thought about it for a moment. Mr. Acker was sure that Sirius would act in Hamburg, and the Ministry of Magic believed him to be a Death Eater. They would never imagine that a second Sirius would use a muggle way of transport to escape from Hamburg, hidden among a group of hippies.
"You know what? I would love to!" Sirius said.
"Great! Meet me tomorrow at the bar, and I'll tell you more, fine?" Emma said.
"See you tomorrow," Sirius said.
