What We Trade Our Hearing For (a North and South Story)

19. Every Time I Look for You

"One more point of contention

I need some intervention

Approached with vague intentions

Betray my short attention

Span the distance, bridge the border

Beg forgiveness, round the corner"

-Blink 182

Maggie

Nick seemed strange and out of place at her parent's kitchen table, two parts of her life colliding. Maggie was well past the point in her life where her parents knew all of her friends; she knew they might not approve of many of them. Nick was a bit rough around the edges, tattoos on his arms and gauges in his ears. But Maggie's dad took his appearance in stride, warmly welcoming him as a guest of Maggie's.

"It sounds like she made this choice on her own, while she still had the will to choose," Mr. Hale said after carefully listening to their story.

Leaning back with a sigh, Nick nodded. "Sometimes I wonder, was this how God intended things to be? I can't believe it is. What's the point, when the rich keep getting richer and the rest of us live on their scraps?" Maggie looked to her father with concern, worried about what he would say. Maggie's family largely wasn't religious, though they claimed to be Catholic when the topic came up. Mr. Hale much preferred the scholarly and artistic pursuits over religious ones.

There was silence for a moment while Mr. Hale thought this over. "Well, we have the ability to enjoy the world and try to find the best in others."

"And some get to have more enjoyment than others, isn't that right? There will always be someone who has and someone who doesn't." Nick stood up angrily.

Mr. Hale was quick to try and calm the larger man. "That's not something we can control," he said thoughtfully. "We can only control how we react and what we do with the circumstances we have. You see the world in terms of war and strife, and I am sorry for that. Yes, there is cruelty and hatred. But isn't it better to try and find the good in the world? To try to find a way for everyone on all sides to work together peacefully? Don't you think someone like... John Thornton would be open to such a pursuit?" Maggie cringed inwardly at the mention of John, knowing that Nick wouldn't react kindly. She knew her father thought very highly of him, but John was a very contentious man in a lot of people's minds.

Her prediction was correct. "Thornton?" Nick laughed in disbelief. "He's the one that brought in them college kids to break the boycott. It's his fault that we are in this mess in the first place. And now, just when we need him to be the bulldog that he is, to go against men like Butch that only want violence, he refuses to press charges and backs down! He says they'll be shut out by the scene, that's their punishment. I never knew he was such a coward."

The words hit Maggie in the gut, making her wonder if she was partly to blame for John's lack of action. If he pursued the ones who had joined the mob, she would likely be drug into the fray. That was something neither Maggie nor John wanted to happen. "John was right, Nick," she heard herself saying, hardly believing the words. "It is much better just to let it drop, otherwise it will continually be in the news and John might come out looking vindictive." As she said it, she realized it was true. John was a very thoughtful and conscientious businessman.

She saw the fight leave Nick as a fresh wave of pain came over him. "Becca always said the boycott was going to tear us apart. I guess she was right, all because of weak men like Butch." He fell heavily into his chair, glancing up as if to clear tears from his eyes.

It hurt Maggie, seeing the normally stoic man in such a state. "Not everyone is as strong as you are, Nick. You kept up with the boycott for so long..."