Part 41 (1/2)
Daniel didn't answer He looked at Davis ”Look over there There's an ar for us Now do you believe me?”
Davis stared ”I see theht behind the a croe are”
”What's more important? People's Hves or e all over the country,” Davis said
Daniel looked at hi like lahter ”A block away,” he said heavily ”Try to stop them a block away”
But there was no stopping them; the press of the crowd behind pushed theuns and clubs For a h hisjust across no-h the last open field, about two hundred feet away from the police, when Daniel turned his back on them and held up his hands to stop the crowd
”Now!” he shouted ”Form your picket line here!”
An unexpected voice joined hi to the right, one to the left and spread out behind the what to do Daniel pushed at one of the flag bearers ”Get going, an to move off ”Okay, now,” Daniel shouted to the crowd ”Follow hilanced at hirim ”Don't thank me I'm scared”
”With some luck,” Daniel said, ”we may still be okay”
But luck was not to be with theeharound He tried to pick his wouldn't support hi in their panic Then there were blue-unifor out indiscriminately with their truncheons and billy clubs He saw Davis and Sandy fall to the ground under a hail ofafter they were inert and prostrate
He felt the tears spring to his eyes ''Oh, shi+t,' he cried, the hurt in his soul greater than the one in his body ''shi+t, shi+t, shi+t”
Then his araye way, and he fell into an ecUpse of the sun
Now Maybe because it was Sunday Or lunchti had left its imprint on the psyche of the A on the low stone wall for almost an hour and not one car had passed
I reas stations and factories began to close, laying off thousands of workers He held a news conference at which he blasted everybody The President, the Congress, the oil corowled ''They're all in cahoots to bring up prices and pick the pockets of the American workers who built the very oil fields the fruits of which they are now denied We gave the Arabs the power by developing their resources at the expense of our own and the American worker because ere told it would be cheaper Noe find out how cheap it really is The cost is blackmail and extortion And there is only one way to deal with blackmailers and extortionists Exteral reasons Our national security, our very lives and welfare are threatened Send in the marines!”
Accused by ois pro-Zionist and anti-Arab, he replied in scornful tones ''We didn't fight two major wars to make the world safe for the Arabs and the oil companies so that they could enrich the up and fighting for its rights If we don't do that noe may turn around five years from now and find we have delivered up ourselves and maybe all of Western civilization into the hands of Cao; but now, it was forever At least for one, and no one heard his voice any it would take forhim
When you know me, Jonathan
I know youy Father Fve always known you His voice was gentle 'You only thought you did
But now youre beginning to learn ''Learn what? '/Where I come from Who I am'
Who you were, I said pointedly He chuckled ”A point of view
”Nothings changed Youre still what I always thought you were
'7 never clai else I will always be whatever you think I am Just as you will always be whatever you think you will be
”F tired of sitting on walls and fence posts and standing at the sides of roads F anymore
”Youre lonely But be patient The journey will soon be at an end Then you will go hoether
”Idont knohat it is Fm supposed to learn
”Love, my son And that only a fool throws it away
Tw tired of all that shi+t, Father, F and sharp ' 'Look up the road, my son, and discover why no cars have passed in this last hour and why you have been sitting on this particular wall at this particular moment in time
Arapidly toward htly from its silver radiator It sped past irl with sun-yellow hair strea behind her in the wind Several hundred yards down the road I saw its brake lights go on, then, as the car stopped, the white backup lights as it reversed toward me
The car backed off onto the side rairl in the car and I just sat there looking at each other We didn't speak Just looked at each other
She was beautiftil Suntanned bronze, al down below her shoulders now that the as not taking, high cheekbones, wide ray with a splash of blue I had seen them a thousand times before But I didn't knohere
Finally she smiled, her teeth white and crinkles at the co them even bluer Her voice was low and soft but very clear and distinct ''Hureat fall,” I answered
'A11 the king's horses-”
'And all the king's ether ”Couldn't put Huhed
'Are you Humpty Dumpty?” she asked
'I don't know,” I answered ''Do you think I am?”
''You could be,” she said seriously
”No That's a nursery rhy on the wall like that?”
”I didn't know until you ca for you I allanced around quickly ”By whoone now”
Her eyes caht I heard you call