Episode 29: A Final Appeal

Good morning, Mike,” Acey smiled as Deputy Martínez let her into the basement holding area. She walked over to his cell and handed Mike a bag through the bars. “Homemade bagel with egg and cheese and a coffee.” She passed him a paper cup.

“You made me a sandwich!” Mike declared, “and they’re even homeomorphic!” He compared the foil wrapped sandwich he pulled from the bag to the coffee cup. “At least until I unwrap the bagel and have to deal with the hole. Thanks!”

“The egg and cheese block the hole,” Acey assured him, “so it’ll still be homeomorphic.”

She watched him unwrap the foil and take a bite of the bagel.

“There’s a crew out there hanging rainbow banners from the front of the courthouse,” Acey informed him. “They’re everywhere.”

“That’s wonderful,” Mike replied, swallowing a bite of bagel. “The bagel and coffee, I mean. Not the rainbow banners. Thanks for bringing breakfast.”

“Sometimes, I don’t get you,” Acey shook her head. “You’re usually one of the nicest, most polite guys I know. Then sometimes you behave like a caveman, completely intolerant of diversity.”

“I honestly don’t care,” Mike answered between bites of the bagel. He took a cautious slurp of the still-too-hot coffee to clear his mouth. “At least I didn’t care. ‘Live and let live,’ I figured. Now, I’m not so sure.” He took another bite of his bagel.

“What do you mean?” Acey asked.

Mike finished his bite and washed it down with some more coffee.

“Because tolerance isn’t enough for them,” he replied.

“They demand affirmation.

“They demand preferences.

“They demand respect, as if the color of their skin or the topology of their sexual relations is some kind of accomplishment deserving of praise and adulation. If you refuse to give them enough praise and adulation to satisfy them, you’re the villain.

“They insist that tolerance isn’t enough, and at the same time they’re unwilling to extend any tolerance whatsoever to anyone who disagrees with them.

“It’s not ‘tolerance’ they want.” Mike looked at Acey and took another sip of coffee. “They want submission. You can’t expect a man to be tolerant of someone ELSE, when that someone else won’t tolerate HIM in return.

“So, yes,” Mike concluded. “I suppose I AM intolerant of diversity. Because diversity apparently can’t tolerate ME.”

“It’s not like that,” Acey shook her head in exasperation. “Toleration ISN’T enough. We tolerate the things we have to suffer through: like a headache, a bad day, a friend in a bad mood…”

“Like being stuck in jail?” Mike interrupted.

“Fine. Like being stuck in jail,” Acey affirmed. “Toleration implies putting up with things – or people – you don’t like. All your tolerance does is reinforce those differences and say that you have to put up with them anyway. You have to move beyond tolerance to inclusion.”

“There ARE an awful lot of unpleasant people in the world,” Mike pointed out. “I’m sure there are also an awful lot of people who might find me unpleasant. Civility and good manners demand that we have to put up with each other, like it or not. But I don’t see why we have to be ‘inclusive’ of each other, if we don’t want to be.”

“Whatever your personal beliefs, Mike,” Acey replied, “you benefit from having more advantages and privilege than most people.”

“Advantages and privilege that include free lodging in the gray-bar motel?” Mike asked. “I think I’d prefer to be part of the oppressed and downtrodden with the ability to throw people who’ve hurt their feelings into jail, instead. How about we all work on tolerance first and worry about the inclusion stuff once we’re not firing people, cancelling their social media accounts, and throwing them in prison when we disagree with them?”

“That’s not at all what it means, Mike.”

Truth be told, it was a bit difficult helping Mike recognize how privileged he was while he was busy suffering the consequences of his refusal to understand his privilege. Acey was getting exasperated, so she changed the subject.

“Have you thought some more about the offer Mom made?” she asked.

“I have,” Mike replied. “I’m not sure I can trust her, even with an offer in writing. Do you honestly think she’ll abide by it without trying to find some excuse to fire me?”

“She doesn’t like you,” Acey admitted, averting her eyes. “I don’t think she likes the prospect of you getting tenure. But you’ll have a chance. You’ll have three years to get a track record for success under your belt. To crank out some research results and papers. Even if you don’t get tenure, you’ll be in a good position to continue your career somewhere else. It’s better than being stuck teaching high school. Plus, I’ll have three years to work on Mom on your behalf. The horse may yet learn to sing.”

“You think I need a horse for a mother-in-law?” Mike smiled. “Is that what you want, Acey?”

She smiled back at him.

He finished the bagel, wiped his hands on a napkin, and stood, holding the bars and facing his girlfriend. “It is an attractive offer, Acey,” Mike acknowledged. “Yours in particular, but your mother’s, also. I think I know who must have pushed pretty hard to get your mother to extend that offer. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Acey replied. “I understand how you feel. It’s a difficult and confusing world we’re in. Sometimes you have to go along to get along. I’m way out on a limb trying to help you, trying to be your advocate with my mom. Mom’s appalled that I would even be thinking of settling down with you. She wants me to be some kind of rebel. Like her. Like Senator Castillo.”

“In today’s environment with all the social pressure against it, getting married at a young age and having kids IS an act of rebellion,” Mike pointed out, looking at her over his glasses.

“I know,” Acey smiled, “and you know I’m interested in getting… rebellious… with you.” She paused and became more serious. “You do need to apologize, Mike,” Acey insisted. “For you. For me. For our future together. For everything you’ve always wanted.”

“It’s… compelling,” Mike admitted. “It would be easy to throw in the towel. To have all this be over. To go on with life and get to start a real career in research.” He paused, looking into her eyes. “To have the security to be able to start a family.”

“If you love me at all, Mike, you have to trust me on this,” Acey looked uncharacteristically serious. “You need to apologize.

“They’re planning on making an example of you, if you don’t.

“I’m afraid for you. If you love me, you need to just say, ‘I’m sorry,’ and not make yourself a target.

“The stakes are too high.

“They aren’t simply going to let you walk away from this.

“I love you, Dr. Michael Philip Andrews.

“I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Life doesn’t always hand us easy decisions,” Mike acknowledged. “I don’t know. I really don’t know what I’m going to do. But I do know one thing… I love you, too, Amber Chakra Buchmann.”

Acey leaned into the bars, and the pair kissed.

“Ah-hem,” Deputy Martínez cleared his throat at last. “It’s about time to be getting you up to the court room, Doc,” he pointed out.

“See you there in a few minutes,” Acey said her farewell and departed.