Page 74 of The Pacifist
“The good thing is that things are changing for the better. For one, we now know that our neighbors to the North aren’t really monsters. They are just big, hairy men who are crude at times.
Magni pushed his arm against mine. “What the fuck is he talking about? He’s saying crude like it’s a bad thing.”
I smiled but kept my focus on Jonah.
“Twelve years ago, after a powerful speech by Pearl Pilotti, a number of brave Council members agreed to lift the ban on mentioning the Men of the North. Today we have many of the men living among us. Likewise, many of our fellow Motlanders have chosen a life up North.
“That’s why I have to ask you this; doesn’t it bother you that it’s legal to have a romantic relationship, while it’s still illegal to read about it?
“My point is that sometimes it’s not the people who are wrong. It’s our outdated laws that need to be revised. Rather than punish good people like me and my family for enjoying alcohol, a game of cards, and some racing in private, we should lift the ban on those things and allow our people freedom to live as they see fit.
“Thank you for listening.”
Jonah stood stoically and waited for the reaction of the Council.
Pearl’s mother, Isobel, had served as the chairman of the Council for as long as I could remember and she spoke first. “Thank you, Jonah. You made some good points, and I’m sure the Council has a whole lot to say. Let’s begin the questioning.”
Almost the entire room of women had activated their question mark buttons, signaling that they wanted to speak.
Juliana Hernandez, a woman close to seventy who had been a member for more than thirty years, stood up. “I’m deeply disturbed by your lack of regret. I’d hoped for a heartfelt apology and instead you’re putting the blame on us and former members of this council. I demand an apology for you calling us bullies. Shame on you, Jonah. It would be irresponsible of us to lift any ban on things that have the potential to harm our dear citizens. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since Josephine Martin, the poor woman who married an Nman, got killed by him. She died because we failed to protect her, Jonah. I fought as hard as I could against our women being allowed to marry those awful men, but I failed. Now, I will carry her death as a burden on my conscience to the day I die. For you to suggest that we should make books legal again is the kind of reckless behavior one would expect from a man. Romance books are a gateway to more disasters. We can’t allow those toxic fairy tales to poison the already fragile minds of romantics. They may be soft hearted, but they are also naïve and believe in soulmates and finding one true love. Josephine was a romantic who followed her heart, but it cost her everything.”
Jenna McFulham was the next to speak. “I just want to point out that if we were to lift some of the laws you suggested, it wouldn’t help you since you broke them while they were still in place; you understand that, right?”
Jonah didn’t respond so Jenna continued,
“Although I sympathize with the guilt that Juliana is carrying, I don’t think the blame for Josephine’s death is on us. She was an adult who made a decision for herself. No brides have ever been killed before or after, so her death should be seen as an isolated case. Personally, I thought Jonah made some good points today. I’m willing to look at lifting the ban on romance books. Not that I would ever read one myself, but with the rise of people who enjoy that sort of thing, I agree that we should show acceptance and tolerance.”
Councilwoman Leah was the next to speak. I’d seen her before and thought her drooping eyes reminded me of Holger, my big Great Dane. “Jonah might have a point about the romance books, but I would like to remind the council members that Jonah isn’t accused of reading forbidden books. His crimes are much worse, and with the complete lack of guilt he’s exhibiting, it would suit him to reflect on his actions and work on his self-awareness. The Council is no place for a self-proclaimed rebel and rule breaker.”
Pearl protested when Khan stood up and turned down the sound. “Turn it up, I want to hear it.”
“Why, that debate will go on for hours and it’s clear that Jonah is screwed.”
“You might not want to watch the whole thing, but I do.” Pearl got up and walked out of the room with a worried expression on her face.
Leo emptied his beer and sighed. “Jonah gave a good speech, but they’re still going to kick him out and lock him up in one of those places of reflection. It’s hard to wrap my head around that drinking a beer is a crime half an hour from here.”
Raven sat leaning against Leo. “At least we’re getting Hunter back to play soccer here. Willow is excited about that, so it’s not all bad.”
“Yes, it’s bad, Raven!” Khan began pacing the floor. “Getting a male on the Council was hard enough and I was hoping that by the next election in two years, at least ten or twelve men would follow. If Jonah is kicked out for criminal behavior, who knows how long it will take for the next candidate to get elected?”
Magni stretched out his arm. “Don’t be so gloomy, brother. You might be surprised that the people want what Jonah has to offer. The forbidden has a certain appeal to humans. Maybe they’ll vote in fifty men next time just to make a point.”
Khan stopped pacing. “Let’s hope so. But right now, it’s not the people who get to decide. It’s a hundred uptight mother hens who think it’s their job to shield their citizens from all potential harm. There’s no way they’ll ease those rigid laws, and Jonah took a big gamble by standing his ground like that.”
Magni snorted. “What choice did he have? If he had apologized, every man in the world would have lost respect for him. I’ve always found Jonah annoying, but he faced those women head on and didn’t take any shit from them. That was badass and for that I respect him.”
I gaped a little. For my dad to say that about a Motlander man was a first.
Khan stood with his left hand supporting his right elbow, while his right hand was covering his chin and nose. It was his favorite thinking pose.
Even though I was still grieving over my broken dream of a life with Jonah, I wanted him to succeed and be happy. “Couldn’t we do something? We should show our support from the North. Maybe Pearl could go and talk to them. She’s always been good with that sort of thing and Jonah always talks about the time she changed the Council’s mind with a powerful talk.”
Khan tapped his chin. “Hmmm, yes, I think I know what we need to do.”
“Brilliant, what is it?” Raven sat up straighter.
“Mila just gave me an idea. Pearl’s speech back then was good, but if you ask her, she’ll tell you that it was the video that Christina and Kya recorded with Boulder, Archer, and Raven that made the difference. The Council wouldn’t let her return to me because they feared I had brainwashed her, but then Boulder and Archer spoke about how I’d gone soft in my head with Pearl around and how I’d shown mercy to my enemies. They joked that people were starting to wonder if it was me or Pearl who was running the Northlands.”
