Alas, Babylon

Florence Wechek, forty-seven years old, wakes up in Fort Repose, Florida. She is a Western Union manager and has two pet lovebirds, Anthony and Cleo. On the news, she sees that the Russians have sent Sputnik 23 into space. The American military recommends shooting the Sputnik satellites down. There is also trouble in the Middle East, where Syrian forces have crossed into Jordan.

Florence looks out her window and sees Randy Bragg, her neighbor. He sits on his porch and watches the street. He usually drinks before breakfast, and she thinks he is a Peeping Tom. She has seen him take women upstairs at his house, including one Florence recognized, Rita Hernandez, and she doesn’t approve of his lifestyle.

Randy, however, likes Florence, who voted for him in a recent election. He lost the election for Florida state representative to local politician Porky Logan after answering a question from the crowd while giving a speech. When asked his position on the Supreme Court—a coded way of asking if he agrees with the Supreme Court’s stance in favor of racial integration—, Randy said he supported the Constitution. His pro-integration position, unpopular with the crowd, led to a  humiliating defeat, and people called him a race traitor.