Frank Klus - Azaleas Don't Bloom Here

“How you feeling, Eugene?”

“Better. I’m still sore though. I think I have a broken rib.”

“What did they do?”

“They just put a salve on me and then bandaged the lacerations. I told them about the rib, but the doctor just felt my rib cage and told me it wasn’t broken. No X-ray or anything. Christ, I’m sore.”

“Did they let you call your lawyer?”

Eugene was sullen. “What kind of justice is this?”

“It’s Squad justice.”

“But it’s not American justice.”

Fernando was quiet and Eugene fell asleep.

The next morning they were lined up for breakfast. Everything was highly regimented. They marched into the cafeteria, which was dirty from the previous meal. Inmates were expected to clean up their own area. Eugene and Fernando sat down after tossing someone else’s trash away.

“Tell me more about this crime of yours,” Eugene said.

Fernando was tall and spoke slowly with a Spanish accent. Eugene sized him up as someone without much education. “Some economist from Harvard… I think his name was Galboth… or something… anyway he calls it urban feudalism.”

“Feudalism?”

“What does feudalism mean?” Fernando asked.

“Well, I’m no expert, but during the Middle Ages, in Europe, the aristocracy and the kings owned all the land. Peasants, called serfs, could be given some land by their vassal in return for their labor on his land, but they had no rights. They weren’t allowed to leave the land.”

“Yeah, that’s like what I had. Only instead of land it was money I was given. They had me by the balls.” Fernando grabbed his privies with a big grin on his face, and then laughed.

The whistles began blowing, indicating breakfast was over. They marched back to their cells.

Fernando sat down on his bunk and motioned Eugene to sit next to him. “So, Eugene, are you married?”

“My wife committed suicide several months ago.”

“Oh, man, I’m sorry. How are you dealing with it?”

Eugene didn’t answer at first, but his face became red and turned sour. “The Commandant raped my wife. She killed herself over it.” Eugene looked down while Fernando just stared at him, his mouth agape. “They accused me of killing three of his men, but the only one I want to kill is him. Now, here I am. The bastard stole my wife and sends me to prison.”

“That’s incredible! My wife left me, and I don’t know why. We were as happy as two people could ever be. Then she got into trouble with loans from her work. We ran off together but they caught us the first night. They told me to go home and took her to jail. They wouldn’t let me see her for days. Then one day I went to a lawyer who got me in; only she was gone. They said she was released, but she never came home.”

Eugene just stared at his new friend. “Where did she go? Did she go back to her old job? What did the lawyer say? What’d he do for you?”

“The lawyer was working for free. She wouldn’t do anything else. Anyway, the only thing she agreed to do was get me into the jail, but I couldn’t find my wife until I got a big envelope from some lawyer. It was divorce stuff. I was accused of being a bad husband who let his wife get into debt. I was told to sign the papers, but I refused. Then she came to the house with some other men. Gene, she was horrid to me. I never saw her like that before.”

“What was she like before? And what did she say that made her so horrid?”

“Oh, she was always smiling; so cheerful. Whenever I was feeling down, she’d pick me up. She’d say something funny. Whenever things went wrong for us, which was a lot, and I’d say, ‘Honey, I screwed up. I’m so sorry,’ she’d put her arms around me and say, ‘that’s okay, sweetheart. It’s not your fault.’ I tell you, Gene, she was always wonderful that way.”

Gene grabbed his shoulder in a friendly gesture.

“When she came over with those men it wasn’t her anymore. One of the men said ‘Sign the papers,’ real mean like. When I hesitated, she got real mad at me. Said I caused her to get in trouble. She said I was a lousy husband. I was really scared. I thought she’d say, ‘It’s okay, darling.’”

“I don’t understand, Fernando. How could someone change that fast? You said she was only in that jail a few days. What the hell happened?”

“My friend Jaime thinks she went to the camp.”

“Camp?”

“Yeah. It’s where they do things to you. They take you there when they want to change you; make you into somebody different. They monkey around in your head; turn you into whatever they want. They make you think differently.” He stopped, looking troubled. Then he turned to Eugene. “Do you think that’s what happened to her?”

“I don’t know, Fernando; maybe.”

Fernando looked away, feeling sad again. “I sure miss her.”

Gene just hugged him. “I know, buddy. I sure miss Catherine.”

“It’s not so bad being in prison when you got a friend to help you do time with.”

Suddenly, a guard came to the cell door and ordered Fernando to come with him. Fernando turned to his friend with a fearful expression on his face. “They’re coming for me, Gene. Don’t let them take me to the camp.”

“What’s this about, guard?”

“Shut up, you, and mind your own business.”

“Gene, don’t let them take me.” Then, Fernando turned to the guard with a most frightful look. “Leave me alone. I want to stay in jail.”

“Please, guard, I don’t want to cause any trouble. Please, Fernando is scared to death.”

“Scared of what? All I know is the warden told me to get you. Jesus Christ, you think I was taking you to the death house or something. Now stop this whining and come with me. You’re probably being released.”

“Maybe he’s right, Fernando. Maybe they’re letting you go home.”

Fernando looked at the guard, still fearful. “Can Eugene come with me?”

“No, just you. Now come on out of there.”

Fernando started to resist and Gene came to his aid. He tried to get the guard off of Fernando, but another guard came in and beat Eugene. The two carried a screaming Fernando out of the cell while all the prisoners in that wing began screaming as well.

Afterwards, Eugene felt a little silly. They were just going to release him. It’s so ridiculous that someone would go out screaming about a camp; and me, going to his rescue like they were going to execute him or something.

As time passed, Eugene couldn’t forget what Fernando said. Then he thought about some of the things the pundits were talking about . If you couldn’t get along you should be made to get along. Jeez, thought Eugene, What if taking your freedom away isn’t enough. Could they really take your mind too?

“Mr. Casimir, you have a call on Line One. It’s Mr. Martinez.”

“Thank you, Judy,” Casimir said, switching to Line One. “Al, I’ve already spoken to the D.A. and—”

“That’s not why I called. It’s all over Washington.”

“What is?”

“Eugene Sulke! Rather, the situation he’s in. The word is out that you fucked his wife, he’s pissed off about it, and you’re about to permanently silence him. Nothing about the murder. Of course the mood in the Populist Party is it wouldn’t make any difference. They think we believe it’s okay to kill anybody we don’t like.”

“But, Al, a few recalcitrant Populists has never been a problem before.”

“You don’t understand, Jay. I don’t have god-like powers. We’re not talking about some worthless minority, some detritus off the street; we’re talking about a white professional, non-political, Middle Class brat being picked on. The whole goddamned country is going to cheer for this pest.”