I couldn't work any slower than before. The summer heat wafted through the open door, wrapping itself around my shoulders, sucking all the precious air from my lungs. Sleepily, I continued. Tops and bottoms. Below and above. With my needle and thread. Sew, sew, sew. It was infinitely banal. Vests, shirts, breeches and pants, jackets, stockings and socks. Tops and bottoms. Below and above. Needle and thread. Again and again. A musket ball to the head couldn't make things better. My mother was sitting across from me. I imitated her, as I always did – cross-legged on the wooden chair, the garment on my lap, sewing, over and over again. Outside, I could hear the cacophony of grunts, mutters, and cheers of some soldiers, loading muskets, taking inventory of gunpowder, removing the rotten intestines we had in stock. I wasn't old enough to drink, but I knew what we now call bad drinking. We all had to chip in and make them from time to time - people in our time didn't like to buy red coats. Unless you were a loyalist, you probably wouldn't spit on the likes of King George. Except me. I'm funny like that. It's not that I'm a lobster or anything, I'm just...different. My father is a British soldier. Mother and I sew uniforms for the colonial army. He sends me letters whenever he can, but I haven't received any for a long time. We stay in Maryland – Father stays anywhere. My parents never divorced – they're not granted as easily as you might think these days. Only about thirty per year in these regions, I think. The mother always wears her wedding ring; I don't think Father does. It's been difficult, but I can handle it. My political views are, as I said, different. I guess I'm undecided. I help mom wherever I can, but I know dad is disappointed in me. Sometimes I lie to make them happy, even though I know they don't believe me. I'm sure it hurts them, and I guess I'm too selfish to care. I have to guess a lot in these difficult times: when we have to move, what we have to eat at night, who comes in and goes out, the safety of my family, what my life will be like in ten years. We live in a fort - me, my mother, my uncle and other families.