The PerSe restaurant was subdued this evening. Columbus Circle used to bustle with activity every night, but since the worldwide economic collapse, most of the businesses had folded. Only a few, like PerSe, remained in existence by catering to a more exclusive clientele.
The sun had descended, leaving the summer night air pleasantly warm and comfortable on the outside veranda. John and Lorna practically had the place to themselves, and they could see for some distance from their vantage point. The only blemish to the scene was an armed MP standing in one corner of the veranda. Two more walked a beat in the street below, their military grade automatic rifles hanging loosely in front of their chest. From personal experience, John knew that the soldiers could bring those weapons to bear in a matter of moments.
John ignored the soldiers. They had become a familiar sight around the city after the governor had called up the National Guard to squash all the rioting and looting that had taken place several years ago. They had never went away, effectively replacing the local police force. The President had enacted martial law. Military police patrolled every street and every corner. Looters were shot on sight. It was a mess, but few seemed to have an answer to the problem.
“Wine please,” John said to the waitress.
She bobbed her head and disappeared into the back.
“Are we celebrating?” Lorna asked, leaning across the table and smiling. Oh, that smile! It had the power to enchant him!
He smiled back. “Oh, yes. I am about to make a deal that will make me rich.”
“Oh?” Her eyes twinkled mischievously. “And you don’t think you’re rich now?”
He frowned and then got it. “My dear. It is true. Every moment with you is worth a million dollars.”
Lorna rolled her eyes. “You need to work on your lines.”
“I thought it was rather good.”
“Tell me about this deal.”
He shrugged. “It will bring a lot of money into the economy.” He gestured around them. “And we need it bad. Few have had our advantages.”
“Or our government contacts.”
At that, John sighed. “Yeah, I know. Keeping my enlistment open has been the only thing that kept us afloat. But, sweetheart, if this deal goes through, I could quit permanently. No more soldiering for me.”
“That would be nice.”
The waitress arrived with the wine and a basket of bread. She took their order and left.
John picked up where they had left off. “And you could quit whatever it is you do for the government. Get out of all that hush-hush stuff.”
Lorna sat back, seemingly to deflate. “That would be nice too. I just hope they let us.”
“They couldn’t stop us.”
“Are you sure?”
John had no response to that. He wasn’t sure. Things were so upside down at the moment that even basic human rights had been suspended in favor of the long-term needs of the nation. The United States was on the verge of becoming nothing more than a smattering of rogue states. Ironically, it was the old third world nations that rose out of the economic collapse and began to thrive. John believed it because to them, nothing had really changed. They had always lived in poverty. Only now, they were the powerful, rich countries.
His thoughts were interrupted by a woman who scrambled on to the veranda from an outside stairwell. Her disheveled hair, rotting teeth, and dirty clothes reminded John of a witch he had once seen on a movie somewhere. She cast furtive looks over at the soldier before dashing right for John and Lorna.
John half rose from his seat, preparing to defend himself and Lorna, but the dirty woman had no intention of attacking them. Instead, she attacked the basket of bread sitting on their table. Snatching a roll, she began stuffing it in her mouth like a ravening dog would.
John stood, not knowing what to do. The poor woman was obviously starving, but she was clearly stealing as well. Stealing had severe consequences. He turned towards the solider who was already moving towards them, having seen the commotion. His combat boots shook the floor as he walked towards them.
The soldier was angling for a kill shot. John saw that right away. His own training kicked in and he interposed himself between the starving woman and the soldier. “Wait! Don’t shoot!”