Ancient History

"What exactly did you do in the antiwar movement, Mom?"

Gad, thought Thea, another one of those Wisdom Questions. What did you do in the war, Daddy? What was it like in the Great Depression? — Well, sonny, things were a lot different then, heh heh... It made her feel ancient. What could be next, she wondered — menopause, grandchildren? But Leroy had meant the question honestly, and it was true, she'd never told him the details.

"I didn't do much. I went along on some marches and got a faceful of tear gas. Mostly I just carried signs and helped arrange transport and food for people. I did skip a lot of school in the process."

"Hmm."

"Yeah, well, it wasn't costing any ten grand, remember."