4:00 a.m. – Wartime Strategies
The clandestine meeting was held in the space between positions #8 and #9. Alyx had drawn a plan in her sketchbook.
"I have access to resources," she explained quietly. "My roommate works at a grocery store. I can get eggs and tomatoes."
"Eggs and tomatoes?" said a woman named Brenda. "Are we going to cook?"
"No, Brenda. We're going to throw them."
A silence. Then, slowly, evil smiles began to appear.
"I like it," said Robin.
"It's illegal," Lily pointed out.
"So is parking a car with a broken alarm and not letting us sleep," said Alyx. "Let's call it poetic justice."
"Or just vandalism," said Lily.
"Semantics."
The vote was unanimous: when the owner appeared, he would receive a shower of expired agricultural products.
But there was a problem. It was 4:00 a.m., and no stores were open.
"I can go," said Alyx. "I know a place that opens at five. It's twenty minutes away."
"Are you crazy?" asked Robin. "Going alone at this hour..."
"I've done more dangerous things. Trust me." Alyx smiled with a hint of mystery. "I'll be back in an hour."
And she left, leaving Robin and Lily with twenty furious women and a car that wouldn't stop beeping.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
5:15 a.m.
Alyx returned with two huge bags. A dozen eggs, eight tomatoes, and as an extra, three lemons they'd found on sale.
"The lemons are in case we want to get creative," she explained.
"I love this woman," murmured Brenda.
The plan was in motion.
5:30 a.m. – Waiting for Dawn
With the mission established and supplies secured, the tension lessened slightly. Lily, Robin, and Alyx returned to their spot, surrounded by their new fellow conspirators.
The car was still beeping, but now the beep sounded different—almost like a challenge.
"You know what?" said Lily, curled up between the two of them. "This reminds me of when I used to camp out for concert tickets."
"You camped out?" asked Robin.
"I'm a resourceful woman. Lilith Fair, 1998. I slept on the street for three nights to see Sarah McLachlan."
"And was it worth it?" asked Robin.
"I cried during 'Angel' and lost my voice screaming 'I love you, Sarah!' So yes."
Alyx smiled. "I've never camped out for anything. In my other... in my previous life, things were different. There were no lines. There were... well, other things."
Robin looked at her curiously. "Are you ever going to tell us where you really come from?"
"No. But not out of malice. It's just that... some stories can't be told. They would change too many things."
"Like when Ted talks about architecture," Lily nodded. "It changes my will to live."
Alyx laughed. "Something like that."
There was a comfortable silence. Then Lily sighed. "Girls, I have to tell you something."
"What?" asked Robin and Alyx in unison.
"I'm nervous. Not about the dress. About the wedding. About everything."
Robin frowned. "Nervous? You've been with Marshall for years, and with Alyx. They're the soulmate of soulmates."
"I know. But this is different. It's not just Marshall and me. It's Marshall, me, and Alyx."
Alyx tensed slightly. "Do you want me not to be there?"
"No, no, not at all. It's just that... I never imagined my wedding like this. With three people. There are no manuals for this, no traditions. There's no 'what's expected.' We have to invent everything."
Robin nodded slowly. "Makes sense. Society isn't ready for polyamorous trios with a wedding included."
"Exactly. My mother is already hysterical. 'So how are you going to get married? Who goes first? How do you exchange rings?' She never stops asking."
Alyx put a hand on Lily's shoulder. "We can invent our own traditions. That's the beautiful part."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. A ritual. Something just for you. For the three of us."
Lily looked thoughtful. "I like that idea. A ritual for the three of us."
"It could be something small," said Robin. "A song. A place. A time of day that only means something to you."
"Or a word," added Alyx. "A word that only we understand."
"Like 'watermelon,'" said Lily.
"Watermelon?"
"Yeah. Once, Marshall and I were at a party, and someone said 'watermelon,' and we burst out laughing for no reason. Since then, when one of us says 'watermelon' in public, the other knows it means 'get me out of here.'"
"That's adorable," said Robin.
"It is. And now I can teach it to Alyx. Our three-person secret word."
Alyx smiled. "I like it. We'll have a secret word."
"And a ritual," added Lily. "We could do something every year on the anniversary of when we decided to be together."
"When exactly was that?" asked Robin.
Lily and Alyx looked at each other.
"It's complicated," they said in unison.
BEEP.
The car interrupted the moment. The three of them looked towards the cursed vehicle.
"That car is going to pay," murmured Lily.
"It's going to pay with egg yolk," Alyx agreed.
6:30 a.m. – Dawn on the Sidewalk
Daylight was beginning to appear. The line had grown. Now there were almost forty women, plus some partners and friends who had come to keep them company.
The car was still beeping.
At some point, the conversation drifted towards more serious topics.
"You know what worries me?" said Lily, biting into a peanut butter sandwich. "The legal stuff."
"What legal stuff?" asked Robin.
"The marriage. Marshall, me, and Alyx. Legally, the three of us can't get married. It's illegal."
"Ah, that." Robin nodded. "Yeah, the U.S. isn't ready for legal polyamory."
"But we talked to a lawyer," said Alyx. "A friend of Marshall's explained that we can have the same as a traditional marriage with legal agreements."
"How?" asked Robin doubtfully.
"Power of attorney, shared wills, shared custody if we have kids, cohabitation agreements. All of that can be signed."
"And is it the same?" asked Robin.
"Not exactly," Lily admitted. "But it's almost the same. And for the government, it doesn't matter. We pay taxes just the same."
"Revolution starts with small steps," said Alyx. "And with a lot of notarized paperwork."
"It's romantic and bureaucratic at the same time," Robin smiled. "Very you."
Lily leaned back against Alyx. "Thanks for coming tonight. Both of you."
"It's been a pleasure," said Robin. "I'll never forget the sound of this damn car."
BEEP.
"Me neither," sighed Alyx. "I'll hear it in my nightmares."
BEEP.
"Do you think the owner will show up before the store opens?" asked Lily.
"I hope so," said Robin. "The eggs aren't going to throw themselves."
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What did you think of the "secret word" idea? Should the trio invent their own wedding traditions?
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