Maragana Girl Ch. 10

"You know that once we get inside I'm gonna have to take off my cape. I don't have any choice, it's part of my sentence."

Cindy breathed deeply. "There's no way you could keep it on? I mean..."

"Sorry..."

With that Kim quickly pulled her cape over her head and kicked off her boots. Cindy looked away. However, Dukov and his client had to walk up the stairs ahead of her sister to lead her to the Spokeman's office. Cindy could not avoid studying her sister's bare backside as she followed her upstairs.

As they entered Dukov's office everyone hung up their coats. Kim picked up a tray of tea and sweet rolls the secretaries had left before going home for the night. She returned with it to Dukov's desk and poured tea for herself and the other two. However, Dukov decided to leave the two sisters alone for a while. He quickly emptied his cup and stood up.

"Kimberly and Cynthia, I believe it is appropriate that I should excuse myself from your conversation for a while. I must go to the courthouse anyway. I will return within an hour. Cynthia, once I return we will accommodate you at your hotel. Kimberly, you may stay with Cynthia or return home with me, as you see fit."

Cindy was enormously relieved to see Dukov depart, but his absence made Kim feel somewhat uneasy. For the first time Cindy had a chance to get a good look at her sister's face and see what eight months in Upper Danubia had done to her. There was, of course, the sight of Kim's collar. Kim's hair was a bit of a shock as well. Kim looked so...different...with her hair done up in braids. There was the expression in Kim's face. That was different as well. Cindy had expected to see Kim with a broken, miserable demeanor, but instead saw a look of relaxed confidence that somewhat unsettled her. Cindy realized that no matter what might have happened to her, Kim was not miserable.

Cindy laid out the same strategy to Kim she had laid out to Dukov, pursuing her release through the EU trade treaty and simultaneously litigating her case through the courts in both Upper Danubia and the EU. At first Kim was excited about the prospect of her release, especially if it could be taken care of before the July 2nd switching. To head home a year early, that would be great!

However, Kim's mind started to fill with doubts when she started talking about her current life in Upper Danubia. When she thought about her Danubian friends, the Dukovs, and even her job, she realized how much she would miss them. Kim also fully understood the devastating impact her departure would have on Eloisa's musical group. They were just starting to achieve real notoriety, and her departure would be huge blow to the entire project. And there was Sergekt...Sergekt, how could she explain this to him?

Dukov returned. He quickly looked at his client's face, hoping to gauge what was going on in her mind. He was somewhat relieved to see Kim's expression, not full of happiness, but instead full of worry and apprehension. It turned out she was smart enough to realize the difficulty of the choice she was facing.

Kim decided to spend the night with Cindy, but not to talk to her anymore about her case. There were many other issues she had to resolve with her sister, painful confessions and the hope that the relationship between Kim and the rest of her family somehow could be re-built. Cindy slowly reconciled herself to Kim's constant nudity as they talked at length about their pasts and Kim's relationships with the other members of her family. Cindy came to realize just how messed up Kim's life had been before her trip to Danube City.

At that point Kim still took it for granted she would be going home shortly. She wanted to repair as much of the damage in her life as possible. She knew going back would be extremely difficult. As she conversed with Cindy, she began to realize how difficult returning to her life in the US truly would be.

One problem Kim faced was the complete lack of a social life waiting for her at home. Her high school friends had scattered. Cindy told her sister that one of her ex-boyfriends was in jail for ecstasy-dealing, another friend had died in a car-wreak, and yet another had overdosed and never completely recovered. Some of Kim's friends were out of state at various universities, others were sitting at home, not doing anything other than getting drunk or getting high. As for Tiffany, no one had any idea where she was. She spent a long time at her mother's house recovering from her bout with hepatitis, but then she vanished.

"Well, what about college? Do you suppose I'd get into college?"

Cindy sighed "Kim, that's something else I got to tell you. Your grade-point average in school was 1.9. You won't be getting into any college with that. All the places you applied to turned you down. Maybe you could take some classes at a community college...then you could build up an academic record...I don't know. Maybe you could try the military, see if that would help you. Dad seems to think that's what you should do."

The conversation turned to their parents. Details came out that further filled Kim's mind with doubts. There was a final blow coming.

"You know that you really hurt Dad with all your crap. I mean, it seems like you've changed, but I can't see that he'll ever really forgive you. I mean...we all love you and want the best for you, and of course we want you back home, but sometimes...you just push things too far and they can't be fixed. Once you get back Dad wants you to get your own place. I suppose you could stay with me a while, till you find something."

With that the two sisters got in bed and turned off the lights. Cindy immediately went to sleep, but Kim spent the night in restless thought. The familiar sound of her sister's breathing brought back many memories in Kim's mind. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she relived much of her past, the pleasant memories of her early childhood, the not-so-pleasant memories of her more recent years. Cindy's bleak words continued to echo in her mind.

"Sometimes you just push things too far and they can't be fixed."

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The next day Kim called her boss at the music store to tell him she would be late for work that day. She urgently had to see Spokesman Dukov: immediately, first thing in the morning. He went to his office an hour early to accommodate her.

Kim laid out her situation. Dukov listened attentively to what he already knew, Kim had very little to go back to in the US. She would be giving up a lot if she left Upper Danubia. With a series of questions about her life the Spokesman made Kim clearly understand her situation. She had no job, no prospects of study, no friends, no family with whom she could live, no boyfriend waiting for her in the US. Nothing awaited her except a bleak emptiness.

"Kimberly, this is your life and only you can make this choice. I will support either decision you make. If you decide you want to go home, I will do what I must, even go to Brussels if need be, to ensure your release. If you decide to stay here, your life in my house will continue as before. I cannot decide what is best for you, but I care for you and want to see you happy, no matter what your decision."

"I don't know...I mean...I wanted to go back so much...but what am I gonna do when I get home?"

"I have the same concern, Kimberly. Indeed, what will you do with your life in the United States?"

Kim sat silent for a long time. Finally she came out with a question that somewhat surprised her Spokesman.

"Spokesman Dukov, what would happen if I complete my sentence and then, say, married Sergekt? Is that possible? Like, could I stay here?"

"It is possible, yes. Upon finishing your sentence your passport will be returned to you with a 'transition visa'. That visa will remain valid as long as you retain your current employment. Should you quit your employment, your status will revert back to tourist and your visa will expire in 30 days. If you marry with a transition visa, you would have to apply to become a Danubian resident. You would be eligible for full citizenship after another year."

"Then...I hate to say this...but the truth is...I don't have anything to go back to. I mean my life's gone. It's like...I'm stuck here."

"You are faced with a choice, Kimberly. Neither choice is pleasant, but then very few choices in life are pleasant. But your decision is a real one. You can return, or you can stay. My suggestion? I firmly believe you should complete your sentence. You are changing; your character has transformed. Do you not want to see where that transformation might lead you? Do you not want to see where your time with Eloisa and Sergekt might lead you? Or do you want go home, face life alone, and change back to who and what you were before you came to our country? That is your choice."

Kim shook her head. "I can't believe this. I can't believe I'm making this decision. I mean..."

"So you wish to stay?"

"I can't go back, Spokesman Dukov...I just can't. It's not that I 'wish to stay', but...to go back... I can't do that ...there's nothing there...I don't want to go back. But, what am I gonna tell Cindy?"

"Kimberly, your sister will remain in our country four more nights. Take her with you and allow her to see your life here. Let her understand what you will give up if you go home. In doing so, by showing her your life, I believe that your decision to stay will be better resolved in your own mind as well. Remember what I said, you Americans are too impatient. Not everything needs to be resolved instantly."

Kim went to work, while Dukov went to the hotel to pick up Cindy. He had to attend a trial in the morning, so he asked his daughter to take a day off from school to show Kim's sister around Danube City. Cindy was impressed by the peacefulness and tranquility of a city that was not jammed with cars like every other place she had ever seen. Danube City, like any other European City, did not look its best during the late winter, but it still looked pretty good with its historical architecture and well-kept appearance.

Once Dukov's latest client had been switched and was lying on a recovery table in his office, the Spokesman decided to take a couple of hours off work to take Cindy to Kim's music store. Cindy was reluctant to go in when she saw the entire staff was working nude, but Dukov explained to her the reason and the store's significance in the Danube City music scene. Cindy agreed to go in and confronted the sight of naked cashiers and information clerks, all of them wearing metal collars. What struck her was the fact the staff's demeanor was that of any other store. They worked the registers, tidied up the shelves, and interacted with customers in a perfectly normal manner. Cindy watched Kim from a distance as she bantered with some German customers in English.

Kim turned the information counter over to a co-worker and greeted her sister and her Spokesman. She toured Cindy around the store and introduced her to Eloisa. Kim then took Cindy upstairs and showed her the recording and rehearsal studios. She then excused herself, needing to get back to work, but she mentioned that Cindy would be invited to have dinner with the Dukovs that night. Dukov took his guest back to the Central Police Station and temporarily excused himself as well, since he needed to finish up with his newest client and contact his parents to pick him up from the Spokesman's office. Dukov encouraged Cindy to walk around a bit and perhaps visit the National Parliament, which had a famous museum of medieval artifacts.

Cindy found herself alone during the late afternoon, walking the streets of Danube City in the cold drizzle of late winter. Her emotions were in turmoil. She was angry that she had come all this way to get her sister out of Upper Danubia, and here Kim was, working at that damn store as though it were just an average day. It was a bit of a shock for Cindy to be confronted with the fact that Kim actually was happy in Upper Danubia. Somehow she had pictured her sister sitting next to a sign at the edge of her collar-zone, crying and wistfully dreaming about her lost freedom. Instead she seemed content with her life. It was obvious she was very close to that blond girl in the store and that she liked her job. And Kim was singing? What was up with that?

Cindy suddenly had her own doubts about her father's idea of bringing Kim home, especially if he wasn't going to let her live with him. Her life had been very messed up in the US. She now seemed to be doing OK, here in this weird little country. Maybe pulling her out wasn't such a good idea, not if she didn't have anything to go back to in the US. Still, no matter what, Cindy's task was to get things moving for overturning or shortening Kim's sentence. She resented Kim's nonchalant attitude about the entire project, not yet realizing the truth that her sister really did not want to leave.

Dinner with the Dukovs did not help Cindy's mood any. The traditional formal clothes worn by the Dukovs somehow bothered her. This was just too strange, having dinner at some medieval costume party, with her sister sitting naked among this family and talking to them in Danubian. And yet, Kim seemed to like these people. She had a nice room, in some ways better than the one she had at her parents' house in the US, and certainly better than anything she would be getting upon returning.

The next night Kim performed on stage with Eloisa. The performance was much simpler than the ones the group normally did. It was just Eloisa, Kim, and three guys on stringed instruments, including Sergekt; while the backup singers and most of the other musicians had the evening off. Once again Cindy was confronted by the reality that Kim actually had a life in this country. Cindy realized that her sister had a beautiful voice for singing, something that no one in Kim's life, not even Kim herself, knew before her trip to Europe. It was very strange to see Kim up there on stage with that blond singer, their hair done up in exactly the same manner. What was truly bizarre was that, in spite of her Asian features, she really did not look out of place among the Danubians.

After the performance, Kim introduced Cindy to Sergekt. All three of them knew that the only purpose for the introduction was to allow Cindy to see what Sergekt looked like, since neither spoke the other's language. This meeting was yet another shock to Cindy, being confronted with the sight of her sister's nude boyfriend. She felt very uneasy about the situation, but at the same time she realized this naked European was far better than anyone Kim ever had gone out with in the US.

The following night, the fourth out of six nights Cindy planned to stay in Danube City, the two sisters sat down in a booth in the back of the hotel restaurant for dinner. Cindy had spent the day very agitated that there seemed to be no progress on any of her efforts to challenge Kim's sentence. She began berating Kim about not pushing Dukov to get the ball rolling on the appeal. She only had two more full days here and could not go back without having something to show for her trip.

Kim realized that telling Cindy truth could not be put off any longer. It was time to break the news about her decision to not appeal the conviction. Kim stared at her plate and twirled a spoon on the table as she nerved herself to speak.

"The truth is, I don't think I ought to go home. I don't think this appeal is such a good idea."

Cindy's lips tightened. Deep down she knew Kim was right, but was not ready to admit that to herself yet.

"Kim that's bullshit. What they've done is they brainwashed you. Of course you..."

"No. That's not it and you know it. It's what you said the first night you were here, in your room upstairs. That's what got me thinking."

"What was that?"

"That 'sometimes...you just push things too far and they can't be fixed'. I realized that's true. Everything you told me...Mom and Dad, my friends, my grades, the job situation, it all...just made me realize...I really don't have anything to go back to. There's nothing there. So why bother with all this appeal stuff, getting the Danubian government pissed off at the US, messing up the trade deal, spending all that money...just to have me go back and sit in your apartment with nothing to do? What's the point?"

"The point is that we still love you and we want you home. We want you out of that stupid collar and with your clothes back on. We can't stand seeing you like this."

"I don't like it either, but it'll end. And maybe, by July of next year, I will have gotten something out of all this...I mean I have gotten a lot already. If you think about it, my life's really not that bad. I'm better off than a lot of my friends from school, from what you've told me about them."

"Well, yeah, but they're just a bunch of druggies."

"...and that's what I was becoming, a druggie. It wasn't just pot, Cindy. I was doing other stuff as well, and it was getting worse. When I came here I stopped, stopped completely, but it's because I was forced to. To be honest, you put me back in the US, with nothing to do...and no friends...what do you think is gonna happen? I'm gonna start using again. I won't want to, and I'll hate myself for it, but it's what'll happen. It's just the way it is."

"So that's why you don't think you ought to go back? You're afraid you'll start using again?"

"Yeah. I really don't think I ought to go back. I don't want to go back to being who I was last year. It just isn't what I want."

For a long time Cindy sat silent. Finally she asked.

"So that's it? You really don't want to push the appeal?"

"No. I can't see how it's gonna help me. From everything you told me about back home, I think I'm better off staying here, in spite of all the criminal crap I have to put up with. I never thought I'd say that, but I think it's the truth."

Cindy stopped arguing. It was blatantly obvious that Kim was right. There really was nothing waiting for her in the US, apart from boredom, depression, and a return to using drugs. Cindy was convinced. The only thing left was to convince their parents. That would be Cindy's job, not Kim's.

The day before Cindy left Upper Danubia, Criminal # 98945, in her own handwriting, composed a letter to the Danubian government. The letter had to be stamped at the Central Courthouse and then notarized at the US Consulate. At Kim's request, Cindy would take an original copy with her to the United States and turn it over to her father's attorney. The letter read:

I, the United States citizen Kimberly Annette Lee, under my own judgment, wish to formally express that I have no desire nor plans to file any legal challenge to my conviction for marijuana possession and the public use of marijuana in the territory of the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia. My decision not to appeal my conviction is final and I wish to have it respected in the courts of law of the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia, the United States of America, and the European Community. I am determined to complete my sentence to the satisfaction of the judge who sentenced me, the laws of the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia, and my Spokesman for the Criminal, Vladim Dukov.

Signed:

Kimberly Annette Lee

Criminal # 98945

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Cynthia Lee's final night in Upper Danubia passed quietly, since there no longer was any urgency about her purpose for being in the country. Cindy and Kim felt enormously depressed, at yet at the same time somewhat liberated, given that Kim's situation was settled. Perhaps what she was doing was not the most courageous decision that she could make, but it was the only logical decision, given her circumstances. There now was time for the two sisters to simply relax and try to repair the relationship between each other. Cindy promised to visit Kim later in the year.