When the Reckoning Comes

by LaTanya McQueen

Celine stealing Chiclets from the gas station, smiling to the clerk as she walked out unafraid. Jesse doing it too, although hesitating before jamming the packages of candy in his pockets, a small recognition of fear of being caught, knowing deep down the repercussions wouldn’t be the same for him,

Mira learned that day was how easy it was to let someone convince you of their truth instead of believing in your own.

a profound sadness came over her at the realization that this place would be their only experience of this history, a whitewashed house and grounds cleansed of the lives of the slaves who built them.

Celine had ignored what this place was so she could have what she wanted. What must it be like to not see what Mira did? To have the privilege of such a choice?

Mira tried to reconcile the woman she’d seen with the girl she’d known, but memory can shift in its recalling, making the past become not what one remembers but what one believes.