Paradime Read Online Free PDF Page A

About all of it. They told me to go back to work. To mind my own business.’
    ‘I don’t—’ Kate throws her hands up. ‘This is unbelievable. What did you do ?’
    Here comes the hard part.
    ‘I stood there like an idiot for ten minutes and then went back to work.’
    ‘ What? ’
    ‘Kate, this is a military base. In a war zone. Mortar shells are going off. There’s artillery fire. Meanwhile, I work in the kitchen.’
    This elicits an elaborate gesture of incredulity. ‘ So? ’
    ‘I was powerless. There were no authorities I could go to, because I was already talking to them. You want a definition of powerless, that’s it right there.’ I look at her now. ‘So tell me, what was I supposed to do? What was my next move?’
    She shrugs. ‘I . . . but—’
    ‘What I did . . .’ I pause here for a second to catch my breath. ‘What I did, and without delay, was go and speak to some of the line cooks, some of the servers and cleaners. I was expecting real anger, and plans for . . . I don’t know, a fucking armed rebellion or something, but what I got instead, weirdly, was another wall of silence. They were too scared to speak, because already, within hours, the intimidation had kicked in, the checking of papers, talk of visa irregularities, breaches of contract, fines, deportation, this, that, whatever. Then, after a couple of days, word came through that there was going to be a huge Gideon shake-up anyway , that a thousand people at Sharista and a second base nearby were being let go. It was a numbers thing and had to do with this pending DoD case. Supposedly. But anyone connected to Sajit and the other two? Sent off back to wherever. That meant me as well, and God knows know who else. It was a clean sweep.’
    Kate just stares at me.
    I stare back.
    ‘I tried again,’ I continue after a bit. ‘Couple of times. Once at the base, before shipping out, but all I got was, “What are you talking about? We don’t know what you’re talking about.” And then at the airport, at Kandahar. There was a congressman, in the departure lounge, Jack Gwynne, a New Jersey guy, I recognised him from a thing I saw once on TV. He was with a delegation, I think, and had quite an entourage, aides and personal assistants and shit, but I just walked right up and started talking to him.’ I pause here, remembering the incident. ‘I talked for maybe twenty seconds, really fast, trying to get it out, with him just looking at me, before I realised, damn, he’s not listening to a word I’m saying, all he’s doing is waiting for one of his fucking aides to come and rescue him, because I’m that guy, I’m the nutjob, the deranged person that people like him have to put up with all the time, but that he can’t be rude to in case I have a vote. Well, one of his aides, big guy in an Italian suit, did rescue him, and was subsequently very rude to me. This was five minutes later in the men’s room, when he had me pinned against a wall. “Pull something like that again, cocksucker,” he told me,“and my Christ, the fucking shit that will rain down on you.”’
    Kate flinches. ‘Oh my God, Danny.’
    ‘I know. And all this guy was referring to was me talking to his stupid boss without an appointment. It was insane. Anyway, fifteen hours later and I’m back in JFK.’
    ‘But . . . Danny . . .’
    She doesn’t know where to begin is my guess. ‘Yeah?’
    I guessed wrong.
    ‘We can’t let these bastards get away with this. We have to do something, we have to fight them.’
    ‘Jesus . . . fight them with what ?’
    ‘I don’t know, how about,’ she waves a speculative hand in the air, ‘how about with everything we’ve got .’
    ‘Come on, Kate, we’re not in Zuccotti Park now.’
    She glares at me. ‘I’m a little confused here, Danny, you don’t think this is awful, what you saw, what these people are doing?’
    ‘Of course I do. But—’
    ‘But what ?’
    ‘I’m not in a position to do anything