Page 114 of The Fighter
“I was talking about the husband dad killed in public. You remember, right?”
“Uh-huh. To the day I die.”
Erika rubbed her face. “Let’s not talk about that.”
“Now that I know how Dad witnessed Mom being raped, it puts everything into perspective. Back then I just thought he was a sadist getting his kick out of torturing a man.”
“I didn’t agree with the way that man was executed,” Erika squeezed Mila’s hand. “No one deserves to be burned from the inside like that.”
Pearl gaped. “How do you get burned from the inside? You don’t mean literally, do you?”
Khan shook his head. “Let’s not go into detail. Just know it was a gruesome way to die.”
Magni didn’t spare us the details. “The rapist was tied down in public and had a scorching iron stick pushed up his ass. He roared and screamed in pain while people spat on him. It was fucking horrible to watch.”
Pearl covered her mouth and turned her face away and it made Khan wrap his arms around her. “I’m sorry, honey. I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”
Laura moved over to stand next to Magni. “Our people have come a long way since then. There’s a higher respect for life today. I would say that what our family has done for this country is nothing short of spectacular. The fact that girls go to school now, that we have more women and therefore more children born into families seemed like an impossible dream back when Khan first came to power. Forty years of peace, better jobs, better infrastructure, more money, and an influx of goods that we didn’t have access to before, not to mention the possibility of getting a visa and traveling the world. If the men and women of the Northlands don’t vote to keep us in the Gray Manor with Khan as their ruler then they are fucking fools.”
Magni looked up at her with his eyes hooded like he was fighting off falling asleep. “Do you get that Pearl is talking about democracy, Laura? She wants us to be like the Momsies. We can’t let that happen! Motlanders are repressed and brainwashed. They can’t even say the word fuck without getting reported.”
“The Northlands will never be like the Motherlands. We’ll have a better version of democracy, with the freedom to think what you want and express it with as many curse words as you want to.” Laura reached for Magni’s hand. “And if the people want someone else to lead them then screw them. We’ll find some tropical island to live on in peace – doesn’t sound like the worst plan to me.”
“Hmm.” Khan looked at Solo. “What do you think? You’ve been so quiet.”
Solo held up both palms. “I’m open to thinking outside the box. I’m not sure if we Northlanders are ready for democracy but if you go that route, I’ll support it.”
Khan huffed out air. “You might be right. The critics already call me too progressive and say I move too fast.”
“They say you’re Pearl’s puppet. That’s what they fucking say.” Magni grumped.
Mila stood up. “I would like to say something.”
We all turned to her.
“I just feel bad for Grandma. She confessed to causing Dina to fall to her death and now she must be afraid of what’s going to happen to her. But you’re all more focused on how to save yourselves.”
Erika sat with her shoulders pulled up and her head down. Mila was still holding her hand when she continued, “I can’t imagine carrying a burdenlike that for that many years.”
“I never meant to kill Dina.”
“We know that.” Pearl sighed and looked up at Khan, who was running his hands through his hair while muttering, “This is such a fucking mess. Why didn’t you tell us?”
“You and Magni were children.”
“But after we grew up, how could you keep something like this from us?” Khan turned to Magni. “Doesn’t it make you wonder what else they kept from us?”
“What good would it have done to tell you? I was trying to protect you.”
“That’s not your fucking job.” Magni was scowling at his mother. “What is wrong with you? How can we protect this family if you’re keeping secrets from us?”
Mila gave her father a sharp look. “That’s not very helpful and it’s the wrong question to ask.”
“What is?” Magni’s voice was gruff.
“Don't ask what’swrongwith you. Ask whathappenedto you? Grandma was raped in front of her husband, she lived decades in fear, and all that time she did her best to protect her children from seeing what was really going on. Some would say she was brave and carried a heavy burden of pain on her shoulders to shield the people she loved.”
“How is it protecting us by keeping us in the dark? Khan and I stopped being children more than twenty years ago.”
