Asleep No More

She hushed a restless child. They needed to remain hidden for a little while longer. A sister moved closer and helped her distract the little ones. We are all sisters brought together by circumstance. On the wall above the door, a small clock marks the time. The ticking echoes setting her teeth on edge. At last, a few of the children drifts off to sleep.

Huddled in the small room, in a whispered conversation someone asked the question on everyone's mind. A question asked in homes, churches, salons, stores, and now, here.

"Where were you when everything changed?"

Confusion and uncertainty flicker over their faces. No one remembers the exact moment when the change happened.

The change came, not as a thief in the night robbing us all at once. No shot heard around the world, no plane crashed into trade centers, no nuclear explosion, nor did a comet race toward Earth setting the change in motion. No, their loss came as a slow death, a cancer, a wearing away, little by little.

"Do you remember?" The question echoes through the room. To her, their answers rang hollow.

"Busy, couldn't vote today, it'll never pass, the rulings will never stand."

No one believed things would go that far. But then, the gavel came down, the rule passed, and change happened.

Still, assurances abounded from all parties. "The change won't be so bad; everything will work out, all will be all right." So, the people relaxed and fell asleep.

Choice no longer an option, voices silenced and time stood still. All because no one believed suppression of this magnitude could happen here, and now, in this country. However, change came, and it was bad.

Her voice low, so as not to disturb the children, she leaned close to the old woman on her left, "Tell us again."

The wise one nodded, and she watched as a few gray strands slipped from beneath the folds of her scarf. A smile lit her weathered and wrinkled face as she reached over and squeezed the younger woman's hand.

"We fought and won this battle long ago, and we'll do so again. My grandmother couldn't vote or drive. Why, in her time, if a woman wished to work outside the home, she needed permission from a man in her family. An unmarried woman dared not walk anywhere unchaperoned. We were an extension of a man's property, doing what he said and going where he wanted. Like now, women's bodies were not their own. That is until many extraordinary women rose up in unison and spoke out against inequality. They wanted their daughters to know freedom."

A hush fell over the room; they sat spellbound as she continued to tell them of women who later worked side by side, as equals with men, able to speak their minds and vote freely. How not so long ago, they even held important seats in government. Eyes glistened with tears as the old woman continued to speak.

"No, don't cry, what's done, is done. What we do, and where we go now is what matters. Today it's our turn, to take up the mantle. We too are strong and extraordinary women."

Outside a pulsating sound grew ever louder, like the hum of bees. The room became quiet as they waited. She stood and answered the soft knock at the door. Morning light spilled through the doorway. With swift efficiency, the women woke and gathered their children.

In her heart, she knew the old woman was right. No time to waste on tears. Tears, like regret, was a luxury reserved for the weak. No time left for stories either. No longer would they remain silent or follow without question as if blind.

The women stood. Scarves of every color fluttered to the floor like flowers dropping their petals. One by one, they stepped through the door and joined the throngs filling the streets.

She paused to stare in amazement, and listen to the loud drone of voices. As far as the eye could see, women marched. She held fast to her daughter's hand and together they began walking to take back their future. Women asleep and silent no more now was the time for their dissent to roar.

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