Chapter 22

[West Georgia]

I left there and went by Ted’s. He was outside working on a plow as I drove up. Lois was beside him to hand him tools. “Hi,” I said.

He said, “Hi, or should I say, ‘Greetings, oh great one?’” He grinned.

“What the hell?”

“I’ve been talking to Janice and your dad. They both told me of your elevation.” As he said, that Lois had put down the tools and came to me giving me a full body hug with some neck nuzzling.

“Thank you for leading the salvation and giving me the opportunity to meet Ted.” She murmured into my ear loud enough for Ted to hear, too. She stood back.

“So, what can I do for you, Jack?” Ted asked.

“I’m just out checking on folk trying to look at where we have empty houses that could be make ready for new people. Checking out who is doing well and who needs help.”

“We’re pretty full along this stretch of road. However, across the highway are ten or fifteen houses. The only one with people is the first on the corner. Five or six of the women who were with Lois have moved in there. Like most everyone else, they have a generator running most all the time. We’re going to have a gasoline issue soon if we don’t get some power going.” That was a long speech for Ted so he must be really concerned.

“That’s a part of my going around. I’m looking for pond sites and looking at those places that are too far separated or far from a possible pond to make sense. That corner house is probably one of them. It never was a farm, anyway.”

Lois spoke up, “We have too many women compared to men. Also, most of us women are city folk and have never farmed. I’m learning but I have a good teacher.” She and Ted grinned. “Many of them just don’t know and don’t even know what they don’t know. Most of them are not radio aware which will not help in the future.”

“It sounds to me like we need to have a community meeting.”

“Yes, we do,” Ted responded, “and we, Lois and I, want to be married. How are you going to handle that?”

“The good news is you and Lois aren’t the only ones. The bad news is that Shirley and I haven’t figured it out yet.”

“Jack, by the meeting time, you need to figure it out and be ready.”

“Yes, Shirley and I are going to talk about it over supper and announce our thinking tonight over the net and find out if everyone is satisfied with the idea. My only comment will be, ‘if you don’t like it, come up with something better.’”

“That’s the spirit, Jack.” Ted said.

Lois smiled. “I’m sure you and Shirley will come up with something that will be liked by everyone.”

“I hope so. This leadership stuff can be tough.”

“You’ll do fine. I need to get back to work fixing and sharpening the blades on this plow. I’m trying to plow more land than in the past and ran into some rough spots that didn’t do it any good.”

“Jack,” Lois asked, “what is going to be your view on lazy people who won’t work?”

“I never thought of that. Why do you ask?”

“The women at the corner got Ted and Robert to hook up their generator. They drive around in nice cars, wear nice clothes, and eat pretty well from raiding stores. They don’t ‘do’ anything with their time. We asked if they would help with some simple chores but they weren’t interested. They just bewailed the fact that they had to look further to find food.”

“Thanks for the heads up, Lois,” I said, “I had not really expected that but, at the same time, it doesn’t come as a complete surprise either. I guess Shirley and I will have to develop some more policy. That’s what’s scary. There are so many decisions to make and a lot of them have serious ramifications.”

That’s why you get paid the big bucks, Jack.” Ted smirked.

“Yeah, I guess I better get to earning them, too. I’m off to Robert and Mary’s and I will check on the corner house, too. I can do both those places and still get home in time for supper.” I shook Ted’s hand and received another hug from Lois, climbed in the truck and left.

Robert and Mary were home reading on their front porch when I came up. I climbed out and greeted them.

“Hi, Folks. Good to see you. What are you reading, Robert?”

“Hi, Jack. It’s a book on basic farming. Ted is keeping our farms going on current technology. I thought I would study up on how we will manage without the machines. What brings you around?”

“I was told by Shirley to get out and look at where people are living, where there is no one, and what places will and will not work in the future.”

“That sounds like a tall order,” Mary said.

“It is and is more than I will accomplish in a day. I am also trying to determine what might need to be done. The biggest suggestion is to have a community meeting.”

Mary said, “Your dad told me that he and Annie and your grandparents have dubbed you and Shirley leaders.”

“Yeah,” I said and grimaced, “and it’s a lot harder than one would think.”

“You will do fine.” Robert said.

“Yes, Jack, you and Shirley are a great team.” Mary added.

“I talked to Ted and Lois before coming here. Your little stretch of road is pretty full.”

“Yes, it is. We do have one potential problem.” Robert said. “There are a few women who have taken up at the house on the far corner at the highway. They aren’t doing anything and are mooching off anyone they can. Right now, that’s not too bad because they do their own scavenging. In the future when scavenging gets tougher, there will be a problem. They haven’t contributed or helped but may expect us to feed them. I’m not sure Ted or I will be willing to do that. They don’t seem to want to be part of the community. If you are going by yourself, be careful. They are different and seem to have low morals.”

Mary said, “I think they are drinking too much and are trying to forget what had happened to them. They need purpose to their lives.”

“That makes sense. It would keep them busy and create self worth.” I said. “Anyway, I will go talk to them. There are things that need to be done which will help the community. Computer research is just one. We need to have some schooling on farming and animal husbandry, too.”

“That’s my point. There’s plenty to do.” Mary said.

“Okay, I will talk to them on the way home. Shirley and I will discuss that, too.”

“What’s your other topic?” Robert asked.

“Marriage.” I answered. Then I continued, “There are a number of people who want to formalize their situations and we need some way to handle things that works for everyone. There are a number of questions that come up from that one word. What is the ‘age of consent?’ What about children? What about divorce? What about survival in the event of death?”

“I hadn’t thought of all that.” Robert said.

Mary said, “It seems that every topic spawns more topics. Speaking of topics, how is the web to computer project going?”

“It’s not and that’s part of the problem. We need some people on that. There will come a time when it’s too late and we’ll be sorry.”

Mary looked at me and said, “You’ve got some heavy work to do thinking through all that and then planning to make it happen. If you’re going to be home for supper and go by to see those women, you had better be going, Jack.”

“She’s right, Jack.”

“I know. It was good to see you. We will have a community meeting in a few days. I plan to announce it on the nets and to post notices everywhere. You take care.”

“Bye, Jack,” they said. I got back in my truck and drove out and up to the corner.

I stopped at the sign out of habit. It was a good thing that I did. A car came barreling down the road from town and turned into the road across from me. It pulled into the drive of the house across from me. I looked again and crossed the road at a reasonable pace and pulled into the drive.

“Hello, ladies,” I said to the two women exiting the new, fancy car as I got out of the truck. They were both scantily dressed as if it didn’t matter. I thought about their immediate past history and realized that it might not, to them, at least.

The one from the passenger side said with a slur in her voice, “Hello, good looking. We just made a liquor run, come in and have a drink.” She swayed a bit as she stood. Her tee shirt was tight and showed her lack of a bra.

“I appreciate the invite but I don’t have time. I was just stopping in to see how you are doing before heading back home to my wife.”

“One little drink won’t hurt you.” said the driver.

“Like I said, ‘Thanks, ‘ but really no thanks. Are you doing okay?”

“I guess we’re doing as well as can be expected. Not much to do.”

“My wife and I could use some help on computers doing web research. It would be appreciated.” I paused but didn’t see much interest in their eyes. I continued, “How many of you live here?”

The driver said, “There’s the two of us and three more. It’s not a great place, but it’ll do. Two guys from across the road hooked up a generator for us until the power comes back on.”

I looked up quickly and then said, “The power is not coming back on. There is no one to fix it. There are not going to be any more deliveries of food or gas either. All that is over. Most people are dead.

“At some point, you will need or have to learn a useful skill or you will have trouble living. Have you thought about what happens when you run out of gasoline or when the food in the stores runs out?”

They both looked at me strangely though I thought that the driver might have a glimmer.

“There will be a community meeting in a few days, please plan on attending. It will be important. Notices will be posted about where and when. Good afternoon.” I said as I got back in the truck and headed home.

I made it home in time to help with supper. Janice arrived with Bennie and Ben who left shortly thereafter. The three of us sat down for supper and talked.

Shirley said, “You had a long trip around the area. What did you find out?”

I answered, “Most people are doing okay. There is a real need for a policy on marriage. There are a lot of people who want to tie the knot in some form or fashion. We are going to have to do something about power generation. Finally, there are five women who are living on the corner on the way to Ted’s in need of guidance. They are drinking heavily and don’t have anything to do.”

Janice said, “I heard about them and have seen them in town. They don’t wear much and leer at all the males they see. One of them even tried to seduce Bennie! They don’t eat much, just drink.”

“That’s what I saw when I was there.”

Shirley said, “What’s this about marriage?”

“That’s a current big issue. There are a number of couples who are living together but who would like to formalize their relationships in some way.”

“Yes,” Janice said, “Ben wants to marry Jean. They want to find a house of their own. I want it to be close to here.”

“You and Bennie can both drive. There are plenty of cars for you.” I kidded.

“I know but it’s better to keep him handy.” She said. Shirley and I both grinned. She blushed.

Shirley said, “Let’s talk about marriage and how to define it.” Janice and I nodded. She continued, “We don’t want to force any particular method on people. The idea of an announcement serving as a basis for a marriage sounds good. It makes it public. Beyond that, should there be any requirement?”

“Shirl, while I was out and about, age came up in my thinking. We have a number of teenagers who are naturally attracted to guys like Bennie.”

“That’s not fair, Jack.”

“I know, dear. I’m sorry, Janice.”

“It’s okay. If he’s the right guy, then he won’t be attracted back.”

“Seriously, should there be a minimum age? Georgia had an age of consent before the Day but I don’t know what it was. Should we have one and, if so, what should it be?”

That discussion continued while we ate supper and even cleaned the dishes. We went in for the net without a resolution. The net went off without a hitch. Jimmy and his family would leave in the morning heading our way. After the net, our discussion continued.

We finally came to a decision. Marriage would be by announcement along with whatever other statements, vows or ceremony that the bride and groom wanted. You would also have to be sixteen years old to marry. We didn’t reach the age of consent issue as such. We decided that it would be on an individual basis. Consent wasn’t optional. The idea that “no” meant “no” without question carried from the situations with the Ed’s and with the Blasters.

We didn’t address divorce at all. I guess Shirley and I hoped it wouldn’t happen. I didn’t believe that but decided we would cross that bridge when we came to it. My list for tomorrow would be to go to town and see what was happening and how the generators there were lasting.

I left in the morning and drove into town. Janice came with me to the shop where I dropped her off. I went in and spent a few minutes with Ben and Michael going over their plans. It was looking good for generator building.

I left there and went to one of Dad’s warehouses to check gasoline for the generator. Dad was there along with Carol’s husband, Bill. Bill was a Lay Speaker in the church before the Day. I asked him if he would take on being pastor of the church until we found someone else.

He said with a small grin, “You’re talking about for life or until someone is called from within the church.”

“Probably so.” I said. “I’m not sure how many new people will attend but I am guessing a fair number. You know the family will be there. You might be pleasantly surprised by the attendance.”

Dad said, “Good. That’s settled. Annie will be happy. Now, let’s look at our supplies and the generator.” We went in and found the generator running well though the tank would need filling. The door was not tightly closed which was not good. “I don’t mind that someone is using the food but not closing the door is inexcusable. It means we might lose what’s in there. There won’t be any more.”

“I have an idea, Dad. Give me a few minutes while you handle the gas.” I went in the store office, found a computer that had no power. I came back out and said, “Let me go find some power and a computer with a printer. I will print signs to post warning people to be sure the doors are closed firmly and completely.”

I grabbed some heavy paper from the office supply store next door. A couple of blocks over, I found power. I broke into an office and turned on the computer and a printer. Preparing the signs and printing them only took a few minutes. I closed up everything and left with signs for Dad and the extra paper. I would need that for community meeting signs. Passing my truck, I put the extra paper in the cab and went into the store.

At the freezer and refrigerators, I posted the signs prominently. Dad and Bill returned with gas and nodded. We left there and went to the other two locations where he and his brothers had food stashed. One hadn’t been disturbed outside. At the other, the door to the refrigerator had even been left unlatched. The generator had a load but it had managed along with the cooling system. Things were not what they should be and, during the hottest part of summer, it could have been a disaster.