Cry to Me

15.

It was the end of February. The weather outside was still cold, especially at night without the sun, but during the day the sun was low and illuminated the city and their flat almost ethereally. The days were also starting to last longer, and with it a distant hope for the future that usually comes when winter turns into spring. During one of these days, David arrived back from work moments after Taylor. He was clearly excited by the quick manner in which he moved and the look on his face.

David: I have something to tell you!

Taylor: What is it?

David: My supervisor called me in today, and they want to promote me!

Taylor: That's great!

David: That's not all. They've given me – us – permission to leave. We can get our own place, we don't have to be locked up or watched anymore. I'd be splitting my time between a few locations in the city, but he said they'd really like you to stay on the medical staff. They'd start paying you, of course, and they'd benefit because they wouldn't have to train anyone to replace you.

He stopped talking and waited for a response, but Taylor was too stunned to know exactly what to say.

David: So? What do you think?

Taylor: I... they're letting us go?

David: Yeah.

Taylor: Where would we go?

David: Anywhere in the city you want. You can keep your job, or get a different one if you want. There's public transport, and they're going to give me a car as part of the promotion and as compensation for having to travel.

Taylor: But why now?

David: I don't know, but does it matter? This is our chance to finally get back to normal life.

He reached out and grabbed her hand with his.

David: So? What do you say?

She took a while longer to try and grasp the meaning of his words. Once she realized he was serious, she started to smile.

Taylor: Yeah, of course!

Over the next few weeks, things started to change very quickly. They chose a condo just a few blocks away from the complex, and Taylor decided she wanted to keep her job in the med ward. Initially it had been a difficult decision, as there were times she swore she would never step foot in that building again. But when it finally came down to it, she figured she could at least continue building her skills while saving money to maybe go to school again. David started his new position before they moved buildings, and his schedule seemed to change every day. He never said exactly where he was going at any given time, and she knew not to ask, at least not right away.

When they moved into the condo, they both found it hard to adjust to the new freedom they had been given after the months of being confined. It was their first official day in the condo and David was at work, so Taylor decided to take a walk outside for the first time and grab some groceries. She walked down the sidewalk along the busy street outside of their apartment, which was lined with shops selling clothing, fragrances and food. The variety of options was almost overwhelming to Taylor. She initially felt awkward as she passed the other people walking on the sidewalk, some out with their pets, others going to work. It had been such a long time since she felt any normalcy like the way things used to be, and the newfound freedom was almost too good for her to truly buy in to. As the days went by, though, it slowly got easier.

While they were allowed to keep the clothes and electronics they had used in the complex, the best part of their freedom was the fact that they could freely use social media, meaning they could contact anyone they wanted to without permission or supervision. Taylor found herself calling one or both of her parents pretty much on a daily basis. This was not only because she could now make calls this often, but David was travelling for up to days at a time, and so she often came home from work or shopping to find herself alone with no one else to talk to. While she did suspect the military to still be watching their movements and possibly even spying on them through their electronic activity, Taylor knew better then to say or do anything that would potentially compromise their new living situation. The only downside to that, however, was that Taylor could never tell anyone exactly what she had been through.