Chapter 3

Four people were seated in a conference room. The stated purpose of this meeting was to bring together the seven individuals who had voted in favor of the botched project that had brought Abby into their midst. Three of those individuals were not present, and this appeared to irk Orval James, once again the self-appointed leader of this get-together. He had called the meeting on his own, without any input from Kara or other members of the Delmarva leadership. A tall, traditionally handsome man, Orval was dressed nattily in a suit and tie. The three others in attendance, all women, were attired in business blouses and skirts. This was mandatory attire at a Patriot-style business meeting.

“This meeting will now come to order,” said Orval in an authoritative manner. “Isabella Genovese has informed me that she will not be in attendance today, as she has some legislative matters to attend to in Philadelphia. Those matters will keep her up there for at least the next couple of weeks.” Lucky her, he thought. “On the other hand, Ruby Devlin and Dr. Emily Jamison are not present, and have offered no explanation for their absence.” The distaste in his voice expressed at the latter two individuals was lost on no one. One of the people in attendance, Clair Richter, nodded along in complicity with every single word that emerged from Orval’s mouth. The other two, Taffeta Vicario and Mimosa Loiseau, sat quietly in place with no discernable reaction. Taff was a tall, slender, still-attractive brunette in her mid-forties, while Mimosa was a shorter blonde woman of French-Canadian heritage.

“With that out of the way,” Orval continued, “I want to discuss the failure of the project which was approved with a two-thirds majority vote and given final approval by our governor. I also hope, with input from each of you, to plot a path forward, to find a solution which will bring about the re-emergence of our great nation. But first, I want to solicit remarks from the designer of the failed apparatus, Dr. Taffeta. Can you enlighten us as to what happened?” His remarks were dripping with condescension; it was apparent that he aimed to place the blame for the device’s malfunction squarely upon Taff.

“I will enlighten you, yes,” answered Taff, “but I want to say something else first.”

“This is highly irregular,” commented Orval, “but go ahead and have your say.”

“I want to say,” Taff went on, “that I thoroughly regret voting in favor of that project. Essence was right, and I should have listened to her. In hindsight, it was irresponsible to do what we did. What I wish more than anything, is that I could use that time machine to go back and undo my vote. I’ll take the blame for the failure of my apparatus; that’s on me. But had I voted correctly, it never would have gotten to that point.”

Before Orval could react, Mimosa cut in.

“I also wish I could go back in time and change my vote to ‘nay’.” We have a young woman walking around among us who has been snatched from her time period, against her will, all because of a misguided committee vote. Orval, I mistakenly bought into your hyperbole and bluster, and I can’t express how much I regret that. Had I voted correctly, this would not have happened. This mistake is something I’ll always have to live with.”

Orval glared across the table at the two dissenters; he hadn’t anticipated this development. Taff and Mimosa met his derisive stare with glares of their own as a brief standoff resulted. Clair, the fourth person in the room, also directed a malevolent glare at the two women, although she had not yet uttered a single word so far. Apparently, her sole intent was to parrot Orval’s point of view.

When Orval finally spoke, he chose to direct his remarks to Taff, completely ignoring Mimosa. “Dr. Taffeta,” he began, sticking to the strict Patriot mode of address (title followed by formal first name), “I had asked you to address the failure of your apparatus, not your regret at casting a vote which has already been recorded in history. Let’s not mince words here. The vote was taken, the project was approved, and then your device simply didn’t work the way you said it would. Was this complete and utter failure of your device due to negligence, or professional incompetence, or actual dereliction of duty on your part? This is a serious matter. You need to be aware that this might affect your professional standing, and even your future in this community.”

At that, Taff actually laughed. “My future in the community, Orval? Are you kidding? You have no basis for making that comment. None. You have no more authority around here than the lowliest greenhouse worker. Hell, you had to schedule this meeting secretly! You’ve crafted yourself as some sort of a patriotic visionary, and you seem to exert this charisma that encourages weaker people,” she shot a glance at Clair, “to follow you blindly. For a short time, I was one of those people. I now see the error of my ways.”

“As do I,” chimed in Mimosa.

Orval wasn’t backing down. “Again, you are missing my point. There is a problem here. What shall be done about it?”

“I would imagine,” replied Taff, “that we would try to actually solve the problem. Let’s clear everything with Kara first. Let’s talk to the young lady and find out what she wants. If she wishes to go back to her own time, I’ll get started on trying to repair the machine. If she prefers to stay here for some reason, we can support her and do everything we can to incorporate her into our community.”

By the time Taff had gotten those remarks out, Orval was already shaking his head.

“Once again, Dr. Taffeta,” he stated, “you are completely missing the point here. I’m not asking about the lady who is here because of your failure. I want to discuss what we should do about your incompetence and your future in the community. How many times have I said that already? You may think I have no authority, but I have a great deal of influence here, and I could severely damage your reputation.” Clair, again, silently nodded along with Orval’s diatribe.

With those remarks, Taff reached the point where she had just had enough. “What kind of goddamn world are you living in, Orval?” she practically screamed. “You think it’s more important to discredit me than actually fix the problem? You know what? Go ahead. Do your worst. Spread your bullshit. Most of the community will just ignore you. And while you’re doing that, wasting everyone’s time, I’ll be focusing on the problem. First and foremost, we need to make things right with our visitor.” She emphasized that statement by pointing directly at Orval with each word.

“Dr. Taffeta, you are out of line,” Orval replied severely.

Taff simply exploded. “You want out of line, Orval? I’ll fucking show you out of line! You know how ridiculous these formal meetings are, your dog and pony shows where we have to get dressed up in these clothes from a different era? Here’s what I think of your pretentious affectations!” At that, the extremely riled-up Taff stood up from her chair. She gave a sideways karate kick with her right leg, sending one high-heeled pump flying across the room. Then, she repeated the act with her left leg, as another shoe went airborne. Finally, she grabbed the front of her white, button-down blouse with both hands. With a quick outward tug from each hand, the blouse ripped straight down the bodice, buttons flying everywhere, bringing into full view a white lace bra and a good amount of exposed skin.

Orval and Clair looked on in speechless shock at this outrageous breach of decorum. Mimosa, placing her hand over her mouth to hide the fact that she was about to burst out laughing, looked over at Taff with admiration. Her eyes said, I can’t believe you just did that.

Orval also stood up from his chair, his eyes shooting daggers at Taff. “There is nothing more to discuss here,” he stated resolutely. “This meeting is adjourned.” He then grabbed his briefcase – something no one had carried around for at least fifty years – and strode with purpose out of the room, followed by Clair, his ever-faithful lapdog.

Mimosa turned to Taff as soon as they exited. “What do you say we go and have a talk with Kara?”

“Good idea,” agreed Taff. She looked down at her ruined blouse, her bra-covered breasts protruding through the gaping hole. “But I think I need to change into something nicer first.”

Following that disastrous meeting, Orval accompanied Clair to her residence. He sat down in her ancient sofa and ran his hands across his head in frustration. Now in private, he loosened his tie. “No one ever listens to what I say,” he complained. “These people are impossible. It’s like they have no sense of the way things should be.”

“Such awful behavior,” Clair put in. “Can you imagine that? Kicking shoes around the room? And that ... thing she did at the end?”

Orval shook his head. “I wish I was up in Philadelphia like Isabella. They understand up there. The only reason I’m down here in this miserable little backwater is because of Theresa.” Theresa was Orval’s wife. A victim of early-onset Alzheimer’s, she was in the late stages of that horrible affliction. Sadly, her mind was not there anymore. She no longer recognized Orval and required around-the-clock care.

“At least they treat her down here,” Clair pointed out. “They wouldn’t treat her in Philadelphia.”

“True,” he said, “which is the only thing they have going for them. They can’t even muster ten people to form a reasonable committee. That measure should have passed unanimously instead of just squeaking by, and I could have taken credit for that. The problem is, they had to bring in Essence and Mercy, two troublemakers who were in obvious cahoots, plus an old man who’s probably suffering from senility. And on top of that, we just found out that two more of them are traitors.”

Clair was not lacking in intelligence, despite her utter complicity with Orval on practically all matters. She was, after all, a physicist. She detected the hypocrisy in Orval’s statement; there was the obvious irony in the senility remark. She also considered, for just a split second, how one of the “troublemakers” that Orval had just disparaged – Mercy – was his wife’s primary doctor and was managing her treatment. She opted to let it slide, as usual, and instead told Orval exactly what he wanted to hear.

“You have insight into the situation that no one else has,” she lied.

Orval sighed, and then subtly changed the subject. “Insight is one thing. Needs are another. I am a man. My wife is an invalid, and doesn’t know who I am.”

Clair sat down on the sofa next to Orval. Leaning in close, she kissed him on the mouth. “I aim to take care of those needs for you,” she told him, for she had needs of her own.

“It won’t be the first time,” he said, as Clair tugged on his hand, pulling him up off of the couch, and led him in the direction of her bedroom.

On her fourth day in the future, Abby was settling in, or at least as much as possible. She still felt disoriented and missed her life back in 2023. But she was surprised that she didn’t miss it as much as she might have thought, given the state of the world here in 2081, and a future for the inhabitants of this world that was uncertain at best. Still, she knew that her “old life” had been nothing to write home about. Here, she had people to talk to, and the possibility of contributing to something important.

Abby was headed over to the main office building. Kara had asked her to drop by for a one-on-one meeting. She fervently hoped that Kara was about to tell her she’d be allowed to work with Essence’s group. At the same time, she was nervous. She’d been summoned to speak one on one with the governor. How often had that happened in her time? Sure, she already knew Kara, and also knew she was not your ordinary governor, but what to make of that?

Kara’s door was open, and Abby greeted her with a hello and a smile as she stepped inside.

“Good morning, Abby,” said Kara with her usual cheery demeanor. Abby’s uneasiness quickly disappeared; Kara just had a comforting presence about her. “I just wanted to check in with you and see how you are doing. How do you feel? And is there anything I can do for you?”

“Thank you, Kara,” Abby replied, “for everything you’ve already done for me. I guess I’m doing about as good as you might expect. I’m determined to make the best of the situation. Essence has been wonderful, and I’ve had the chance to meet a few of our neighbors.”

“I knew that having you stay with Essence would work out. It’s a win-win situation. Essence is such a kind and caring person, plus she’s been staying by herself for so long – I know she appreciates the company. But I do have a few orders of business to take care of. First of all,” Kara paused briefly. She reached into her desk drawer and produced a digital camera that looked like it had been manufactured at around the beginning of the twenty-first century. “Do you mind if I take your picture?”

Abby had already taken note of the large display that covered one entire wall of Kara’s office. A series of cork bulletin boards had been mounted on the wall. Literally hundreds of photos had been attached to those bulletin boards by push pins. The photos, all black and white, were solo shots of people, mostly facial shots. The person’s name was written by hand at the bottom of each photo.

“I want to add your picture to the display,” explained Kara. “Every resident here at Delmarva has a picture on display in my office. It serves as a reminder that each person is an individual, and no one is more important or less important than anyone else. Plus, it helps me attach faces to names.”

Abby was thoroughly impressed, and not a little touched. “Back in my day,” she began, stopping to giggle at the absurdity of that phrase, “public leaders wouldn’t even think of doing something like this. You could certainly teach them a thing or two.”

“Thank you, Abby. That means a lot, especially coming from you, and all you’ve been through. With all the suffering and loss we’ve experienced in this time, I guess you can say we’ve gotten our priorities in order. Now smile for me.” Abby gave her a wide smile, and Kara snapped the picture.

“How do you create those prints?” Abby wondered as she watched Kara connect the camera to a laptop computer with a short cable.

“Well, you know we still have an abundance of working computers. What we don’t have are printers, or more specifically, printer ink or toner. So, I’ve devised a work-around. I have a device that was invented a little bit after your time. It runs on nothing but electricity, and it takes an image from a computer and basically etches it onto a sheet of paper. The paper needs to be chemically treated afterward. It’s no more complicated than dipping it into a solvent for a couple of minutes – it’s very similar to the developing process that was used back in the old days – well before your time, even. I managed to get a hold of a good supply of the chemicals.”

“You do this yourself?” said Abby in wonder. “You really know your photography.”

“It’s a hobby of mine,” said Kara with a smile. “My photo lab is right across the hall. We can go look at it later if you like. Before that, there’s just a few matters of business we need to go over. First, of course, was the picture. Second, I’ve thought about it, talked to a few people, and I see no reason why you can’t assist Essence with her research project. We can certainly use the help.” Kara paused and smiled, knowing those words would make Abby very happy.

It was all Abby could do to keep from jumping up out of her seat and shouting with joy. She maintained her composure and offered Kara a grateful smile. “Thank you, Kara. Like I told Essence, I’m willing to help out in any way I can. I’m really looking forward to it, and as long as I’m here, I want to become the best damn researcher I can be.”

“I think it will be good for you,” said Kara, smiling at her enthusiasm. “Moving on to the next item ... this may seem to be a strange question. Do you have any experience with firearms?”

Abby nodded. “Not a strange question at all. The answer is, not too much, but I’m not a complete novice either. My ex-boyfriend used to frequent a shooting range not too far from my place, and sometimes I would go along with him.”

“I’m sure Essence has told you about our gun training. We consider it mandatory here for all residents. With the world as it is now, being able to shoot is essential. Not only in the case of an enemy invasion, but in the event a pack of dangerous animals gets into our community. We require the training, and we also require that each household has at least one working firearm within their dwelling.”

“I’ll be happy to take the class,” said Abby. “Like I said, I’m not the most experienced shooter, but I’m not afraid of guns, either.”

“Good. So that’s settled. There’s just one more thing I’d like to discuss with you. I hold a meeting once a week with – well, I don’t like to use the term ‘community leaders,’ because we are all at the same level. Let’s just say it’s my advisory committee. We are meeting tomorrow morning, and I think it would be wonderful if you could join us. Essence will be there, and it will give you the chance to meet a few people you may have heard about already.”

Abby felt honored, but a wee bit intimidated at this prospect. Still, she didn’t want Kara to see that. “Of course, Kara. Thank you for the invitation. Let me know the time and the place, and I’ll be there.”

Around twenty-four hours later, Abby was seated in a conference room. Kara was seated to her left, while Essence was seated to her right. Six others were present at the meeting. It was not a large or luxurious room by any means; that simply didn’t exist in this community. In the center was a circular table just large enough for nine people to seat themselves around.

From the moment Kara had issued her invitation, Abby had been worried that she would feel intimidated. Now, that she was here in the presence of these older, highly intelligent people, “intimidated” had progressed to “petrified.” Feelings of inferiority washed over her, and she fervently hoped she would not be asked to speak too much. I’m a call center worker who lives in a trailer park, she thought. What am I doing here in this company?

Essence took note of Abby’s nervousness. She leaned in and whispered, “Don’t worry. You’ll do fine. I have confidence in you.” Essence accentuated the encouragement with a gentle pat on the shoulder. This did give Abby a slight jolt of confidence.

Kara was the first to speak. “Good morning, everyone. As you can see, we have a new meeting participant among us. Essence and I have already had the honor of meeting her, but the rest of you have not. So, what I’d like to do is this. Let’s go around the table, and each of you can introduce yourselves.” She paused and shot a quick look at Abby, indicating she would begin Abby’s introduction. “This is Abby Blevins. All of you have heard her story. Abby was a resident of Centreville, Maryland in the year 2023. She now finds herself among us. She’ll be helping out with Essence’s research group.” Kara looked at Abby, inviting her to say just a few words.

“Thank you, Kara,” she said, her voice coming out loud and clear. “And thanks to all of you for having me at this meeting. Kara and Essence have told me a lot about your community. I’m impressed with the way you all pull together, and I want to say that I’ll do as much I can to help out for however long I’m here.” Abby found that after she’d gotten out the first couple of words, her nervousness seemed to evaporate.

“Thanks, Abby,” said Kara, turning to the man seated at her left, inviting him to make his introduction.

“Welcome, Abby,” he said. “My name is Lars Eldridge. I’m married to this lovely lady sitting between you and I.” This caused Kara to smile broadly. Everyone in the room chimed in with an “Awwww,” followed by a couple of remarks of “Isn’t that cute.” This clued Abby in to the fact that this was an extremely informal group, which served to put her even more at ease.