Liberation Day: Stories

A grandfather writes a letter to his grandson, Robbie. He apologizes for hand writing it and says that, because these are “strange times” (95), it is probably best not to send the letter by email. The grandfather describes three people by their initials—G., M., and J.—saying that G. lacks proper paperwork and that M. may be implicated for knowing this information without acting on it. Then, the writer focuses on J., saying that he knows his grandson is very concerned for her. Although the writer has tried to speak to a lawyer regarding J., he worries that the lawyer is not who he once was; though the lawyer once went after the Department of Justice, he now stays mainly at home and refuses to speak out against the government in any way. He asks where J. is now and speculates that J. may be implicated by the government, despite her citizenship status, and for declining to give information on G. and M. in their respective citizenship inquiries. The grandfather reiterates a question that Robbie asked him in a previous letter: “You asked if you are supposed to stand by and watch your friend’s life be ruined” (97). He asks, rhetorically, what his grandson could possibly do in this situation.