Part 2

I.

It all started in the middle of the morning when I decided to leave my cubicle to head to the lavatory. I noticed a dark figure coming towards me. It was the dark haired girl. Her right arm was in a sling but it could not be noticed because it was the same color of her overalls. It had been four days since we had met at Mr. Charington's shop. She inched closer until we were about four meters apart. Then, she stumbled, almost flat on her face. I motioned to help her up and I asked her if she was okay. She said her arm only hurt for a second and it would be gone momentarily. She stuck her free hand out and I pulled her up. She said "Thanks Comrade" and walked away. I noticed something in my hand, she had slipped a piece of paper into my hand. As I walked away, I transfered it to my pocket. I did not unfold it because there were telesceens everywhere. I thought of taking it to the water closets and reading it but I dismissed to idea. I walked back to my cubicle and threw paper casually among others. I never stopped thinking about the letter. Only two thoughts occurred to me; she was part of the Thought Police and was going to arrest me. The other thought was that she was a member of the Brotherhood and wanted to make me a member of this organization to defeat Big Brother. After eight minutes of waiting, I unfolded the paper and on it read: I Love You. I was stunned. I had to make sure that the words were actually there. I found it difficult to work for the rest of the day. I had to talk to her to find what time and place we could meet. And possibly my only opportunity to do so was during lunch when she was sitting alone at a table away from a telescreen.

I asked her what time she got out, where we could meet, what signals to use, and what time. We figured out we would meet at Victory Square at nineteen hours. I arrived at Victory Square before the decided time and I wandered around the statue of Big Brother. This is where I found her. She gave me directions to her own secret place where there were no telescreens or hidden microphones. After the discussion, we walked away together, not making eye contact but holding hands.