Elizabeth

Jolene and I are harvesting vaccine from a dozen infected eggs. We’ve turned almost all of JT’s chickens over to producing vaccine, and are breeding more chickens for immunization production as fast as we can—but it’s still slow work. Even though everyone at the Haven is now vaccinated with the new secondary strain coverage, we keep a tight lid on the chain of exposure, isolating the hens that produce the vaccine from the rest in a special coop with a biological warning sign on it.

Jolene is separating the eggs, a process deceptively like getting ready to whip up a meringue. The yolks are destroyed in our small incinerator, but we centrifuge the whites to extract a concentrate of the neutralized virus, and unfortunately each egg only produces two or three doses of vaccine.

Jolene looks up at me, her sweet face concerned. “I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that we won’t have enough vaccine for everyone at the rally in Grimesville. You’re feeling responsible that it’s your job to make sure they’re all protected. Well, it’s not your job. Everyone has their own destiny. We can only do what we can do to help.”

I sit back on my stool. My hand aches from filling syringes. There’s a knot between my shoulder blades, and a headache behind my eyes. But Jolene is right. I can’t take on the fate of everyone in Grimesville, and all the people from the surrounding countryside coming to the rally.

“Have you decided if you’re going to speak at the rally?” Since John made his plea for Cash and Jolene to get involved with politics, she’s been on the fence.

“I’m just there to give Cash moral support.”

I frown and roll my tense shoulders as Jolene cracks another egg. “You should be doing a lot more than giving Cash moral support. You are as dynamic a speaker as he is, Jolene.” My sister-in-law shakes her head. “Remember the wedding? You had the crowd on their feet!”

Jolene looks up, her cheeks pink. “That was different.”

“How?”

“That was just the excitement of the moment. I’m not a leader, Elizabeth.”

“And JT isn’t a farmer, and Nani isn’t a pediatrician, and I’m just a grad student but now I’m in charge of the cure. We are all taking on new roles. Cash sleeps underground now! My Dad is gay, and a receptionist!”

Jolene laughs. “He’s really good at keeping that front desk organized.”

I scoot closer to her. “Jolene, we need female leadership in this new government from the get-go. Why should Cash be the only leader? You already do everything together. Why not provide leadership to this country, together?” I gaze into her aqua-colored eyes. “You’re someone every woman can relate to. And you have the qualities that we need to rebuild this nation: self-sacrifice. Hard work. Heroism. Inspiration.”

Jolene looks down, stacking the broken eggshells. “I’m from a trailer park, for God’s sake. My mother was a prostitute, my dad a john. My brother was a skinhead leader! There is a swastika carved into the back of my head.” Her voice goes quiet on that last one.

“And your story is all the more powerful because of that!” I peel off my PPE and reach for her shoulders, turning her to face me. “Our pasts don’t matter. What we do now, in this moment in history, how we support each other…that’s all that matters.”

“You should be giving this speech at the rally, Elizabeth.” A ghost of a smile on her face. “You sure you and JT don’t want to be the new leaders?”

“No. I’m too shy. I can get passionate with one person, but I freeze up in a crowd. Dad always used to try to get me to go up on stage with him and I hated it. And JT? He’s just coming around to see things Dad’s way at last. He’ll never be one for a public life.”

Jolene chews her lip, determination setting in around her eyes. “You’re right, Elizabeth.” She looks around my lab. “You worked so hard to get this vaccine. I’ll honor that by doing my part, too.”

“Yea!” I hug her spontaneously.

Jolene smiles, a blooming of beauty across her face that shows how accurate Cash was when he named her Sunshine. “I don’t know what’ll happen in Grimesville, but you’re right; women should have a voice that’s equal to men’s from day one of any new government. That will never happen if someone doesn’t volunteer for the leadership shit detail.” She smiles. “Oops. I swore.”

“I couldn’t be prouder to call you my sister.” Tears prickle my eyes. “You’re the perfect Co-President.”

“Ha. It’s a little early for that, and I think we are going to have to come up with a better title, not to mention a name for our movement beyond the Resistance! But I’m ready to do this.” She grins at me. “And I know I have awesome backup.”

I stand up, stretching my hands toward the ceiling. “Let’s take a break and go talk to the rest of the family. I know Dad is going to want to work on a speech with you.”

Jolene’s face pales but she stands up, nodding. “And if we get everyone in here cracking eggs and centrifuging, there’s a chance we might have enough doses to cover everyone who comes to the rally.”

I take her hand and lift it high. “Jolene, Madame Co-President!”

Jolene laughs in embarrassment, but I can easily see my handsome brother and sister-in-law hurtling to the highest office in the land as they spearhead a new government.

And as I put the rack of syringes filled with precious fluid away in a cooler, I’m proud of the part I’ve played, too. We are better together.