Five days after their previous encounter, Jake sauntered into the coffee shop, showing much more confidence in heels than she had just a few days before. She spied Rahin sitting at a table in the back by himself, nursing a small black coffee, as usual.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said brightly. “It’s a woman think, you know.”
Rahin gave a wry smile in return. Jake could sense right away that his good cheer was forced.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Regretting our date already? Or are you thinking about taking me up on my offer to be your wingman?”
Rahim said nothing at first. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a folded flyer printed on pale green paper. He slid it across the table to Jake. “It’s not a date,” he muttered. “I thought you needed to see this.”
After glancing at the cover, Jake gasped. “Holy shit! What’s this?”
“It’s what your crew should have seen coming. Looks like every incel in the country is buying an AR-15 and joining militias like these to protect their toxic idea of manhood. A buddy at work gave this to me, thinking I’d be interested. Jake, he’s not a loony storm-the-capitol guy. He’s just terrified of these chicks who claim to be goddesses. He mentioned the phrase ‘Great Replacement’ to me, and people like him are prepared to do whatever it takes to keep things as they were.”
Jake rolled her eyes. “Same assholes, different scenario. It’s not like we need to be scared of their guns, at least.” She tried to put up a brave front, but the flyer had her rattled. She had never felt such unadulterated hate directed at her before.
“This feels different,” Rahim said. Unlike Jake, he had known the direct sting of racism in the past. “The general public regards you guys as alien invaders or something. The press is on the fence about you. Politicians are testing the waters to see if opposing your lesbian utopia is a winning issue. People I usually respect are calling it a cult.”
Jake drew a deep breath. “Well, Maiko said it would not be easy. And it’s going to be a challenge to keep cool in the face of this bullshit.” She then glanced up to see Rahim looking anxious and despondent. She took his hand in hers. “But thank you for bringing this to my attention. You’re a true friend.”
Rahim shrugged. “It wasn’t a hard choice, really. I hate bullies, and I really hate bullies who threaten my friends. I’m just so worried about what might be coming. People are seriously starting to talk about all out war against you guys.”
“We’ll worry about that when it happens,” Jake said, squeezing Rahim’s hand. “And our numbers grow every single day. Hospitals and nursing homes are clearing out to join us. We estimate that we’ll have converted ten percent of the population within the next month. You know, my offer to join us still stands.”
Jake finally cracked a genuinely warm smile. “Don’t think I don’t appreciate the offer. Maybe someday. I still want to enjoy Mr Happy while he’s here.”
“Is that a proposition?” Jake teased.
“I’d say that your sex change made you horny, but it actually seems to have dialed you back a few notches,” Rahim laughed. He gestured towards two attractive women in their twenties who worked at the offices across the street. “The one on the left is really cute. How about you turn on your magical wingman powers and help a brother out.”
Jake cracked her knuckles. “OK, but if I turn them both gay, don’t blame me.”