“Then shut up. Carry on, young man.”
“We want to get married. Sergeant Major!”
“That’s what I thought I heard you say. And I guess you want my approval as your marriage counselor? My blessing, so to speak?”
“Well, yes.”
“Well, you can forget it! For Christ’s sake, boy, show a little backbone. A little social responsibility. You kids are the kind who are giving our kind a bad name. You don’t see white folks lining up trying to evade the law, do you?”
“They don’t need to line up.”
“Watch your mouth, young lady. And nobody told you to sit down. This is a military office.”
“She’s been standing for hours, Sarge. Major. My fiancée is, uh—”
“I’m pregnant.”
“Will you quit butting in, young lady! Now, let me get this straight. Is she pregnant?”
“She is.”
“Why didn’t you say so in the first place?”
“That’s why we want to get married. Sergeant Major.”
“You’re in the wrong office. I’ll need to see a Melanin Heritage Impact Statement and a release from the Tactical Maternity Officer before I can even begin to counsel you. Take this slip to Office Twenty-three in Building C.”
“Outside again?”
“Only for a few yards.”
“But the sunscorch factor is eight point four!”
“Quit whining. Show a little pride. Imagine what it’s like for white people. Next!”
“NEXT!”
“We were told to come here and see you because I’m—”
“I’m a woman too, I can tell. At ease. Sit down, you both look tired. Want a cigarette?”
“Isn’t smoking bad for the baby?”
“Suit yourself. Now, how can I help you? Captain Kinder, here; Tactical Maternity.”
“All we want is a certificate so we can get married.”
“Negative, honey. No way. If you were both sterile, or overage, maybe. But nobody’s going to give you kids a same-race if you are already PG. Not with active replicator AAs in such short supply. Who are all us white folks going to marry?”
“Each other?”
“Very funny. And watch our kids fry. But seriously, you don’t have to get married to have a child. You can have all the AAs you want OW. What’s the problem?”
“We want to keep it.”
“Keep it? Negative. You know that under the Melanin Heritage Conservation Act, Out-of-Wedlock African American children must be raised in Protective Custody.”
“You mean prison.”