-4-

The first glimmers of daylight appear in the sky, though the moon remains visible. Josie has never been outdoors this early, certainly not in Midtown Manhattan. Free of traffic, Sixth Avenue is a wide naked corridor between skyscrapers.

Last night, her second in the apartment, both of her friends couldn’t settle.

Maisie went to bed early; so did Nina after her father called to wish them luck. No one in Josie’s family would wish her luck unless she followed the chosen path: high school diploma, secretarial job, nice young man, marriage, and don’t wait long to get pregnant. Her trajectory is already different. Once she asked her father, “Are you happy?” He said, “Who is happy?”

A few streets from where she’s to meet Ben, a man in a long shabby coat steps out of a doorway and walks close behind her. She isn’t sure how to respond. What if he follows her to the action? What if he’s an undercover cop? What if she’s arrested for defacing property? It would cause a family scandal. They wouldn’t have to know. Her friends would bail her out. Their lawyers would appear at the arraignment. The whole episode would be an experience, which is what it’s about.

“What do you want?” she demands, turning around, her tone sharp.

Bewilderment crosses the man’s face. He stretches out a hand and begins to babble at the rate of a thousand words a second. What’s the matter with him?

“Go away,” she says.

He looks at her curiously, round eyes worried.

Perhaps he’s a beggar? She holds out a nickel. He shakes his head vigorously and points ahead as if warning her about something only he sees.

Her eyes follow the direction of his finger. “Nothing there,” she mumbles.

He nods sagely as if to say, It’s coming.

She decides he’s a prophet sent to test her street smarts. She’s on her own now, isn’t she? “Okay,” she agrees, and continues walking.

He follows a few feet behind.

Ben waits at the appointed spot near the building. “Who’s your friend?”

She turns and waves good-bye to the man. He shuffles off with a backward glance.

“Who is he?”

“My guardian angel.”

“Everyone needs one.” Ben hands her a can of red spray paint, which makes the action real. She stuffs it in her jacket pocket and again remembers last night. She sat alone with the TV news, awful scenes from the war filling the screen as newsmen described a firefight in hushed tones, and the camera panned over mangled bodies awaiting helicopter pickup. The war took hold of her in a way that it hadn’t before: a flesh-and-blood event occurring each second of every day rather than anyone’s idea of it. She wants to be able to do something, anything, to call attention to the carnage.

The building that houses the Honeywell offices is massive, with entry through three rotating doors. Nina and Lowell were there earlier and, in very tall bright red letters, had spray-painted the slogan above the main entrance. Seeing it, a jolt of adrenaline rips through her. With heart racing, she aims the can at the facade and paints the antiwar slogan again and again as fast as she can until the moon disappears into the white sky.

Josie warms her fingers around a mug of coffee. She has only a few minutes to spare before having to leave for work. They’ve all met back at the apartment to assess the action.

“A toast to success,” Ben says.

“People will be walking past our slogans right now,” Maisie adds. “I’d love to see some exec’s face as he enters the building.”

“It was very well thought out,” Nina says. “What’s wrong, Josie? You look as if you don’t agree.”

Concerned that she hasn’t yet earned the right to be critical, she hesitates. But they’re waiting for a response. “I’m wondering if . . .”

“What?” Nina asks impatiently.

“How will we know the way people react to our slogans if we’re not there to hear what they say?” She flashes on Johnny, who would no doubt walk by muttering something about vandalizing private property.

“Interesting point.” Ben nods.

“You should’ve brought it up yesterday,” Nina says. “It’s dangerous for any of us to return now.”

“Of course,” she agrees quickly, unwilling to cause upset. These are her new friends. She wants to remain in their good graces.