Anita nudged me with her elbow to get me to keep quiet: she already had a better grasp of the situation than I did.
The second-in-command held up a sheet of paper. “Who’s the pregnant one?” he said. The three of us looked at one another. Katie stepped forward. “I am,” she said.
“No husband, right?”
“No, I…” Katie was holding her hands protectively in front of her stomach. She’d chosen single motherhood, as many women did in those days.
“The high school,” the leader said. The two younger men stepped forward.
“Come with us, ma’am,” said the first.
“Why?” said Katie. “You can’t just barge in here and—”
“Come with us,” said the second younger man. They grabbed her by her arms, hauled. She screamed, but out she went through the door nonetheless.
“Stop that!” I said. We could hear her voice outside in the hall, diminishing.
“I’m giving the orders,” said the leader. He had eyeglasses and a handlebar moustache, but these did not render him avuncular. I’ve had cause to notice over the course of what you might call my Gilead career that underlings given sudden power frequently become the worst abusers of it.
“Don’t worry, she won’t be hurt,” said the second-in-command. “She’s going to a place of safety.”
He read our names off the list. There was no point in denying who we were: they already knew. “Where’s the receptionist?” said the leader. “This Tessa.”
Poor Tessa emerged from behind her desk. She was shivering with terror.
“What d’you think?” said the man with the list. “Box store, high school, or stadium?”
“How old are you?” said the leader. “Never mind, it’s here. Twenty-seven.”
“Let’s give her a chance. Box store. Maybe some guy might marry her.”
“Stand over there,” said the leader to Tessa.
“Christ, she’s wet herself,” said the third older man.
“Don’t swear,” said the leader. “Good. A fearful one, maybe she’ll do as she’s told.”
“Fat chance any of them will,” said the third man. “They’re women.” I think he was making a joke.
The two young men who had disappeared with Katie now came back through the door. “She’s in the van,” said one.
“Where’s the other two so-called lady judges?” said the leader. “This Loretta? This Davida?”
“They’re on lunch,” said Anita.
“We’ll take these two. Wait here with her until they come back,” said the leader, indicating Tessa. “Then lock her in the box-store van. Then bring the two lunch ones.”
“Box store or stadium? For these two here?”
>
“Stadium,” said the leader. “One of them’s overage, they’ve both got law degrees, they’re lady judges. You heard the orders.”
“It’s a waste though, in some cases,” said the second one, nodding towards Anita.
“Providence will decide,” said the leader.
Anita and I were taken down the stairs, five flights. Was the elevator running? I don’t know. Then we were cuffed with our hands in front of us and inserted into a black van, with a solid panel between us and the driver and mesh inside the darkened glass windows.