The Kiss: An Anthology About Love and Other Close Encounters(28)

Heidi tore out all of her stitching and started again. The eye of the partridge, so good for keeping your sock heel strong, would make a much better belt. All of her papers were tucked safely in a locker in the gymnasium on her campus. If she could get arrested they’d have to deport her.

She longed for them to deport her.

Knit. Slip. Knit. Slip. Knit. Slip. A free trip back to Germany. That’s all she asked.

The door to the recruiting office swung open and two uniformed men came out. They frowned at the crowd gathered in the parking lot. They were both silver haired and handsome. If they had been boys, Heidi might have been able to get into the spirit of the event, but they had clearly lived through Desert Storm at least, and looked no worse for the wear. Jamie turned back to her yarn.

The nursing moms hissed at the men.

The beach-chair knitters booed at them.

The preschooler looked at Heidi with a lifted eye brow. Heidi mouthed a “boo” and the preschooler nodded her approval.

“A bit out of your element, eh?” Phoenicia asked.

“A bit.” Heidi scrunched up her nose.

“You’re a good kid, coming out here all alone. Few introverts make that kind of sacrifice. BOO!” Phoenicia turned to the soldiers.

“Make blankies, not war!” the moms began to chant.

The toddler scooched back over to Heidi. She leaned in and whispered “I don’t like mommy’s scratchy blankies. Can I have your granola bar?” Her fat little fingers snuck into Heidi’s sock and pulled out the snack.

A rush of panic washed over Heidi. Would the mom get mad? She didn’t usually give snacks to strange kids. Would she get in trouble? Her heart raced. If it looked like she was trying to snatch a child she could get herself deported.

Or would she?

She looked over at the chanting moms. She might just get locked up forever if she kidnapped an activist’s kid. “Better not.” Heidi slipped the bar back out of the child’s hand.

The preschooler’s face crumpled in slow motion. First her brow wrinkling. Then her eyes disappearing into slits of anger. Then her mouth. First, a compressed line, lips white. Then a big black “O” of disappointment. A wail of anguish like a siren rose out of the tiny person.

The woman who had been nursing her flipped in her chair. Two women next to her pressed their hands on their chests. “Great,” one said to the other, “Now I’ll have a wet shirt all day.”

“What did the bad lady do to you?” The woman’s voice carried even over her child’s crying. She gave Heidi the evil eye.

“She took my sna-a-a-a-a-ack!”

The ruckus caught the eye of the taller of the silver haired soldiers. He narrowed his eyes at the women.

“Heidi?” Phoenicia said. “I would have given you another one.” Her voice was disappointed.

“I just, I didn’t want to give her food. I’m a stranger.” Heidi held out her hands in confusion. Her yarn slipped off of the needle.

The mom wrapped the preschooler in her arms. She held her against her bosom and rocked her. “Now, now, Honeyblossom, mummy has more snacks for you.” She whipped up her shirt and pressed the child to her chest.

The preschooler looked over her mother’s shoulder for just a second and gave Heidi the evil eye—her face a perfect match to her mother’s.

The soldier turned red. He spoke in a low tone to the man he was standing with, very few of his face muscles moving.

Heidi rolled her yarn back up.

“That was a no-win situation, Heidi.” Phoenicia said. “What would that woman have done if you HAD given her kid food?” She shook her head, then shook out her blanket, a vibrant rainbow of yarn daisies.

Heidi wrapped yarn around her needle again. Just make a belt and hope to get arrested. That’s what you are here for.





Step 4


The men stood at the door like sentinels. No knitter dared approach them.

A row of aqua blue plastic temporary toilets were lined up somewhere behind Heidi. After two bottles of Phoenicia’s water, she really needed one.

The Army Recruiting Office was in a little, mostly empty strip mall. The office would have a bathroom, unless holding it in was an important skill for soldiers that they wanted to teach early. And two doors down, the only other occupied space in the mall might have one as well. Did she try and storm the recruiting office or make her way to the Urgent Shred Center?

If she went to the Urgent Shred Center she’d catch the eye of the soldiers, which might make her a candidate for arrest, should things get sticky.

If she stormed the Recruiting Office she’d could get arrested right away.

Heidi stood up. She stretched her cramped legs.

“If you’re going to the toilet, bring your knitting! This only counts if we all knit continuously.” Phoenicia called out.

Heidi picked up her needles. They had been considered a weapon when she had flown from Germany last summer.

Wolfgang.

Her heart sunk. He was her motivation and her driving force, but she couldn’t—absolutely couldn’t—let her think about him until she was on her way back.

But if they were a weapon on an airplane surely they’d be one at a protest.

She shook her feet a little before she stepped across the sidewalk to the two distinguished gentlemen in the doorway.