MITCH’S FLOWERS

by Samantha Coleman and JoAnn Baca

“Mitch. Mitch!” Winslow shook the young man awake. “You aren’t supposed to nap during sentry duty!” teenaged Winslow growled.

Mitch opened one eye, then closed it again. “Leave me alone,” he mumbled.

“I would, but you’re taking up all the room in the sentry station, and I’m supposed to replace you, not cuddle up next to you.” Mitch could get on his last nerve under the best of circumstances, and his sloppy attention to sentry duty didn’t qualify as the best of circumstances. This wasn’t the first time he’d been found slumped down and sleeping rather than keeping tabs on who was coming and going – not even the first time Winslow had found him that way.

“OK, OK, keep your knickers on.” Mitch made a show of rising slowly, stretching his arms, and opening his mouth in a wide yawn. He ambled from the hidden seating area behind the false brick wall. “See ya, wouldn’t want to be ya.”

Winslow counted to ten while watching Mitch disappear down the passageway. Then he counted to ten again. He was on his third count when he slipped into the sentry station and assumed his position.

A message over the pipes got him aggravated all over again. Father to Sentry Post 12 – two visitors were not announced – see me after shift.

Great. Now he would get in trouble for something Mitch had done…or rather, had not done. Well, he wasn’t going to take the punishment for this infraction. Father hated tattle-tales, but Mitch’s lackadaisical attitude was just plain dangerous. Winslow would remind the Old Man who was responsible for the slip-up this time.

* * *

Rebecca was plaiting Olivia’s long brown hair with ribbons. “It’s turning out really pretty,” Olivia commented as she looked at her hair in a hand mirror.

Smiling, Rebecca replied, “We have to make you look so irresistible that Marcus…well…can’t resist you!”

Olivia sighed. “He’s shy and I’m shy. Between us, we can barely come up with anything to say to each other.” She turned to gaze up at Rebecca. “Maybe I should tell him I’m not feeling good?”

“No way! You like him, don’t you?”

Olivia nodded. “A lot,” she admitted.

“Well, he’s always staring at you, so I think he likes you a lot, too. And people who like each other a lot should hang out together, even if they don’t say much.” She tied off the thick braid that hung down to the middle of Olivia’s back. “Just ask him about…you know…guy stuff.”

“Guy stuff?”

“Yeah, like…sentry duty or…working with Pascal’s dad in the Pipe Chamber. Guys like to talk about themselves. You know…brag about how great they are.”

“Who does that?” Olivia didn’t think the boys she knew were like that.

“Mitch does,” Rebecca said. “He’s cute, but all he does is talk about himself, so I don’t have to say much.”

“Becs…that Mitch…he’s…”

“Don’t you say it, too!” Rebecca was tired of hearing warnings about Mitch. It was true that he didn’t always do the right thing, but she felt he was misunderstood by everyone.

“OK, OK!” Olivia hated confrontation. If her best friend liked Mitch, that was her business. She just didn’t want to see Becs get hurt, that’s all.

* * *

When Winslow’s shift was finished, he went straight to Father’s study as requested.  Father was sitting at his table reading a book when Winslow entered the chamber.  Clearing his throat, Father started to speak, but Winslow cut him off. Winslow explained what exactly happened in a very adult manner.

“I know you think it was me who let those two into the tunnels. If you’ll look at the schedule, you’ll see that I was scheduled from noon to four pm. Mitch was scheduled from eight am to noon. What time did those visitors arrive?”

Father stopped before he had a chance to speak. Mentally he did the math. There was no way the visitors in question could make the walk between the post to the tunnels for Winslow to be on duty. Cocking his head thoughtfully, Father asked, “And you say Mitch was on duty prior to you?”

“Yes, sir,” Winslow promptly answered.

Contemplating his next line of questioning, Father asked, “Tell me what exactly you know about what happened earlier today.”

“When I arrived for my shift, I found Mitch asleep.”

“Has this happened before?”

“More times than I care to count.”

Nodding his head deep in thought, Father finally said “You’re dismissed.”

Before Winslow could leave the chamber, Father scribbled down a quick note. “Will you please deliver this note to Sam, Mitch’s dad?”

As Winslow was walking to Sam’s place, he heard a message ring across the pipes calling for a Council meeting.

* * *

Winslow made a sweeping gesture with his arm as he invited Sam into Father’s study. He then melted into the background. He then headed to the dining hall to get some dinner.

Once he had filled his plate, he sat beside Vincent and Pascal. He saw Mitch sitting at another table with Marcus, Olivia, and Rebecca. It looked like a double date was ensuing. The boys were talking mostly to each other while the girls patiently listened. Occasionally one of the girls would add something to the conversation.

“As soon as I turn eighteen, I’m outta here,” Mitch declared.

“Where would you go?” Marcus asked.

“Back home, above?” Rebecca half asked, half suggested.

“No. I plan on getting a job on the docks,” Mitch said, matter of factly, in between bites of mashed potatoes and gravy. “Maybe I’ll get hired on a ship. I hear some of those ships don’t ask too many questions.” More bites of roast beef were consumed. “See the world. That kinda thing. Either way I’m outta here for good.”

The last straw was when Rebecca asked, “Will you come back to visit?”

“Nope. I don’t plan on returning to this hell hole again – ever,” Mitch answered vehemently.

Olivia glanced at Rebecca as she saw the hope of a romance die in her friend’s eyes.

Mitch barely noticed when Rebecca excused herself and left the room.

Unlike her normal demeanor, Olivia simmered between disbelief and anger for the boy who had just broken her best friend’s heart. Olivia excused herself. “Excuse me, I need to see id Becs is ok.”

Marcus caught on and made a mental note to ask Olivia how Rebecca was doing. He knew Rebecca liked Mitch. He also knew Mitch was interested in Rebecca. Unfortunately, Rebecca had no intentions of leaving the tunnels, and Mitch refused to stay. How big of a cad could Mitch be?  Obviously big enough to string Rebecca along and break the heart of someone that adored him.

Just then the pipes rang out summoning Mitch to Father’s study. Once there, he knew Winslow had snitched on him. The entire council was there. One by one Mitch looked them in the eyes defiantly: Father, Pascal’s dad, Winslow’s dad, William, and the newest member, Mary. When he got to his own dad, he was seething in anger. He did nothing to hide his contempt.

“We called you here because it has come to our attention that you have fallen asleep numerous times while on sentry duty. You have also allowed others to take the blame for your lackadaisical performance in doing sentry duty.”

Mitch tuned Father out, especially when he got to the danger to Vincent if the tunnel community were discovered.

“…We thought it best if your father was present and included in the decision of your punishment.”

Mitch was jolted out of his thoughts when the word ‘punishment’ was said.

“Since it appears sentry duty bores you to sleep, you shall help William in the kitchen. You are to do everything he tells you to do. He will also be keeping a close eye on you, so slipping away for a quick nap will not be an option. This punishment is to last one month,” Father decreed.

Oh, yeah. Like hell I’m doing kitchen duty. That’s girl’s work, Mitch thought to himself.

“Your punishment starts at three am tomorrow morning,” William informed Mitch, adding, “Got to make sure breakfast is ready by five am.”

Mitch forgot about how he would plot his revenge on Winslow for telling on him and began putting other plans into place.

* * *

That night Rebecca found a spray of red cyclamen, blue sweet pea, and white clover on her bed.