This is another story set in my dystopian world that has banned abortion and contraceptives. I got the idea from my good friend and co-blogger at Angry Black Lady Chronicles, Ian Boudreau, who wondered what it would be like to be someone who enforces the laws in such a world, so this story is dedicated to him.
Once again, I have broken it into two posts because I’m wordy as fuck. This is part two. Read part one here.
“Ralph, honey, dinner’s ready.” Sarah poked her head into Ralph’s home office and flashed him a nervous smile. “Come eat while it’s hot.”
“I’ll be there in a minute, Sar.” Ralph smiled fondly at his wife. “I’m just finishing up the last of my paperwork.” Sarah slipped out of the room and quietly shut the door. Ralph returned to the papers in front of him and frowned. He scribbled his signature three times in succession before stuffing the papers into his briefcase and snapping it shut. He pushed his briefcase to the very edge of his desk and glared at it in distaste. He closed his eyes for a minute before going into the dining room.
“Pass the salt, please.” Ralph handed the shaker to Sarah so she could pass it to Leah, third of their five children. The family ate in relative silence for several minutes, focusing on the stew and potatoes. Sarah was watching the others eat more than she was eating herself, and when she saw Junior reach the end of his bowl, she poured half of her stew into his empty bowl.
“Ma, I’m fine,” Junior said automatically, though he began eating his extra serving even before Sarah was done pouring. He was the starting quarterback for the Jericho Horns, and he never felt like he had enough to eat. He didn’t complain about it, of course, because he knew that his parents did the best they could. Still, there wasn’t a night in which he didn’t go to bed with a twinge in his gut.
“You’re a growing boy,” Sarah said firmly, her cornflower blue eyes flashing indignantly. “You need it more than I do.” She scraped out the last bit of beef from her bowl into Junior’s and placed the last piece of bread onto his plate as well. The other four children studiously ate the food on their own plates and didn’t seem to notice the interplay between mother and oldest brother.
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