Protection and Preservation, Book 07
Chapter 2

Copyright© 2014 by radio_guy

[Janice – Flying West]

A week later, we reassembled, loaded up, and left for the west.

Our first stop from Pintlala was Jackson, Mississippi. It was a frequent stop when flying. There were no people in the area based upon our prior stops at the airport and many flights with Cessna's over the last few years. Tom and Vic used Alabama and Mississippi as their training ground for flyers. With a smaller Cessna, you could land at any of the many small airports and request help if you had trouble.

We quickly topped off and headed toward Dallas with Mike flying his Otter in the lead. We flew into Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport that afternoon taxiing to the general aviation area, as was our habit. We had seen only possible signs of human habitation on our way over. Upon landing, we searched for and found good fuel topping off the tanks of both planes. It was time to explore.

Mike and George had an idea about that. They had loaded a small generator in their plane. They pulled it out and took it to an area with trucks. They found a few with keys and charged the batteries and cleared the fuel putting in fresh gas. They went through five to get three that would run but we had motorized transportation. Things would be much easier.

We had a few hours of daylight left and some wanted to explore. Lois and Mel would stay with the children except for Charlie and Bobbi. We left them with guns and set out in our rejuvenated SUV's. We could maintain contact with HT's. We left the airport and headed for Grapevine, a nearby suburb. We posted circulars everywhere. We had brought three reams of five hundred flyers each. We left about twenty where normal scavengers in the area would see them easily. Being motorized made looking around easier and faster.

We had found the grocery stores distressingly undisturbed. We left our flyers but I was wondering if anyone would ever see them. We gathered some wine and some canned goods. There was little else we needed or wanted that we found.

We pulled back in at the airport and drove out to our planes and our shelter for the night and parked. We locked the doors of the SUV's and took the keys. It was an old habit and one we didn't plan to break. We went inside to find Mel and Lois working with the children to prepare a supper. As I came in, I said, "If you have the food, we brought the wine."

Mel smiled and was given a kiss by each of her spouses and a hug from Charlie and Bobbi. She never wanted to go on our exploring missions but she was also perhaps the coolest, best shot in our marriage after Robby. At our homes, she hunted with the best of us and had made shots that even Robby and Bennie thought were little short of miraculous. She was no push over. Her hand-to-hand skills were good, too. She looked like she was soft and cuddly but we all knew better. I think the kids would think of talking back to Bennie or Robbie before giving her any lip.

Supper was being cooked and Robby opened a couple of bottles of wine for us to share while we waited. After supper and some talk, we all retired to our makeshift beds for the night. As had become a habit on trips, I always slept close to the door with either Robby or Bennie. We three were the lightest sleepers and would hear any sounds out of the expected. I noticed that Mike and Jen were on the other side of the door that night.

It was a little after five when I woke. I didn't move waiting for a repeat of whatever sound woke me. I opened my eyes to see Bennie's eyes staring back at me. Both of us had heard it. I silently rose and put on shoes and gun belt. Bennie did the same. We started for the door and I realized Mike was watching. I held my finger to my lips and then cocked my finger and pointed at him. He nodded. We opened the door and slipped outside. We were looking around carefully. If both of us heard something, it was real and should be investigated.

We were in the shadow of the building still looking around when I heard it again clearer. It was the sound of metal on metal but to our left not close to the planes. I pointed and Bennie nodded. With me in front, we began to work our way toward the source of the noise. Bennie touched my arm and I froze. I waited and heard the noise again to my left and slowly started that way. Bennie took the safety off his rifle and followed me. My pistol was still in its holster but loosened and ready. We saw two figures crouched over to our left doing something. I looked over at Bennie and pointed. He nodded.

I moved forward and right to different cover and quietly said, "Good morning."

One of them looked up and said, "Hello, were you in the planes that came in yesterday?"

"Yes, we were staying here tonight. What are you doing?"

They both stood with their hands in plain sight. The same one said, "We were going to start a little fire waiting for you to wake up. However, I didn't expect to meet someone as lovely as you. Donna will not appreciate not having come with me."

"Who is Donna?" I was more dressed than usual to sleep. I was wearing panties with my tee shirt.

"She's my wife. I'm Jerry Baxter and he's my brother, Paul."

"Where's Donna? Why isn't she here?"

"She is at our farm with our kids. If you are friendly, I'm supposed to invite you for breakfast. We live north of here and have a farm. Paul's wife is with her, too."

"That sounds nice ... I'm Janice Cook-Thomas-Sullivan and one of my spouses, Bennie, is out checking the area."

At that moment, Bennie came up behind them and said, "Hi." He used his friendliest voice. I could tell that it still scared the two half to death ... As I have written before, when you're well over six feet tall, heavily muscled, and have a voice from below the bottom of a well, you have a tendency to be intimidating even when you're not trying.

Paul managed to get out a strangled "hi" in return. After gulping, he said, "I guess you provide the muscle for Janice."

He chuckled, "Janice can beat me bare-handed. I do help lift things for her."

Jerry said, "Yeah, small mountains, I would guess." He chuckled still a little uneasy.

I said, "Why don't you join us in the hanger? We'll get organized and follow you to your place."

Bennie said, "Paul, I'll help you with the horses while Jerry follows Janice."

"Okay, Bennie." He held his hand out and he and Bennie shook hands. Jerry came up to me and offered his hand. I took it and gave him a good, firm shake.

"Come on, Jerry. We'll wake the rest up." Jerry walked with me into our sleeping quarters. "Wake up, everyone! We have guests!"

Mike, Jen, and Charlie were all three dressed and standing at the door with rifles. They relaxed. If I had said friends, they would know there was trouble but guests or company were both safe words. I really couldn't imagine someone bad coming in without a lot of shooting and other noise first. However, it was good to have a few code words just in case.

Jerry's rifle was still slung over his shoulder and he kept his hands out and visible until our greeters relaxed. He shook hands with Jen, Mike, and Charlie and was told of their relationships to me. Instead of organizing breakfast, we organized for travel. When Bennie and Paul came in, we were ready to go. Bennie gave me the high sign that he thought all was well and nodded and looked at Melissa. She was talking to Jerry and saw me staring at her. She gave him a pat on his shoulder and turned toward one of our children and gave me a partial thumb up sign as he spoke to her. The others picked up on that and relaxed a little more.

Jerry came up to me. He said, "You folks are amazing. You are married to four?"

"Yes, that's rare but it works for us."

"You met Mike and Jen and George and Lois?" He nodded. I continued, "Jen's parents are the only multiple partner marriage of their parents and it's just three, one man and two women. The women were good friends living together in Preservation and, at that time, there were more women than men. Then Jim came along. It's worked for them. Both Preservation and Protection actively permit plural marriage as long as all parties involved are in favor and have no reservations about the relationship."

Jerry said, "You all look happy. I can't imagine anyone forcing you into a relationship if you weren't willing." He smiled.

Charlie came up and said, "Mom, we're all ready to go. I'm supposed to ride shotgun with you."

I said, "Then, we'll go Charlie. Come on, Jerry. You and Paul will have to show the way."

We loaded everyone in our three SUV's and followed Jerry and Paul who were riding their horses. They went at a brisk cantor but it took most of an hour to get to their places. They lived next to each other with the houses close together and the fields extending in every direction from that common point.

Jerry and Paul waved as they came in to their yards. Two women and a bunch of children were out to meet us. Charlie leaned out the window and waved back. We pulled up into the front yard and piled out. Jerry and Paul introduced their families to us. Jerry's wife, Donna, was almost as tall as I and very good-looking. Paul introduced his wife, Joan, who was another very attractive lady. They both had a number of children. I noticed that Charlie was talking to a pretty girl, who turned out to be Donna's oldest child named, Bella. I found out later she is named after her great-grandmother. It made me realize that Charlie is getting older! I looked over at Mel and she grinned back at me with a gentle nod toward Charlie.

Donna, Joan, and Bella had worked together to make a big breakfast though some additional cooking was needed due to our numbers. We had a good breakfast and got to know Jerry, Paul, and their wives better. My spouses and I had a quick talk and wanted to set them up with a radio. They had power provided by windmills and a bank of batteries. It wasn't as good as our setup but flat land doesn't lend itself to hydroelectric power generation. It did work and their base power unit was twelve-volt direct current. We explained our intent to Jerry and Donna and it was greeted enthusiastically.

After a superb breakfast, Bennie and I went back to the airport with Charlie and Bella in the back seat with Bella as our guide. I was tempted to tease Charlie about not needing him but decided that he didn't need teasing. Bella was a pretty girl and I could always tease him later when she wasn't with him. On reaching the planes, we grabbed a radio and an extra antenna. We carried four rigs in each plane with pre-tuned antennas for forty and eighty meters.

We grabbed a complete setup and the simple instruments to check it out and carried the rig to the SUV. Bella was very interested in the plane and Charlie took her through King explaining the controls and all to her. I think she was more interested in my son than the plane but it made a good excuse to be with him and talk. I enjoyed my son's first time to have a girl interested in him. There were a few at home and had been a few at Lavaca but he wasn't as interested in any of them as he was in this girl. I had to admit that she was tall and very pretty.

We loaded back up and returned to the ranches. On the way back, Bella had to lean to her right toward Charlie and use her left hand. I noticed in the mirror that she and Charlie were holding hands. That was why her right hand wasn't available! They had the typical goofy smiles for each other and were oblivious to anyone else. When we arrived, Bennie said, "Charlie, I need your help. Both hands." He and I grinned at each other as Charlie and Bella dropped each other's hands like they were hot potatoes. Charlie came to Bennie and took the radio while Bennie took the antenna. I gave Bella a couple of tools to carry and I grabbed everything else. We went in and Bennie rumbled, "Where should we set the radio?"

Jerry pointed at a table at a window and Charlie carried it over. I said, "Bella, you have the tools for the radio. Would you work with Charlie?" She nodded happily. I said, "Jerry, we need to put up the antenna. Have you picked out a place?

"Yes, we talked with Pam and selected a tree close to the window." We went outside and hung the antenna using a bow and arrow. I fed the cable through the window and Bella took it. We grinned at each other. She gave it to Charlie who screwed the connector into the back of the radio. He had already connected the power and was waiting when we came in after securing the antenna.

An inverted "vee" fan dipole is a simple but very effective antenna. It always amazed me that those thin wires could carry enough power to transmit and receive signals hundreds of miles away. I had Charlie turn the radio on. He did and adjusted the frequency to 3.970 MHz. We heard Poppa talking to one of the folks in the Alabama part of Preservation. Our hosts listened, spellbound. Poppa finished his conversation and Charlie said, "Grandpop, this is Charlie calling from our new friend's home in Texas."

Poppa's warm voice came on and said, "Charlie, it's good to hear from you. According to my notes, you were in Dallas last night."

"Yes, sir. We spent the night in Dallas at the airport. We met Jerry and Paul this morning. We had breakfast at their ranch and have set a radio here."

"That's good. Would introduce me, please?"

"Yes, sir. Next to me is Bella. She is Jerry and Donna's daughter and my age."

"Hello, Bella. That's a pretty name. How are you today?"

Charlie handed her the mike and she said timidly, "Hello, I'm Bella. Where are you?"

Poppa came back on and said, "I am located in the old state of Georgia and live in a community that we call Preservation. It's good to meet you. You sound like a beautiful young lady."

Bella grabbed and held Charlie's arm. She said, "Thank you, sir." She gave the mike to Charlie but didn't release his arm.

Charlie said, "Grandpop, please meet Jerry. He is Bella's father."

He handed the microphone to Jerry as Poppa said, "Jerry, I'm Jack Matthews. It's good to meet some new friends."

Jerry said, "Good morning, Jack. I am Jerry Baxter. Your explorers are at my home north of Dallas, Texas. My wife, Donna, and I live here with our children. You have already met our oldest, Bella. My brother, Paul, and his wife, Joan, live next door. We are part of a loose-knit community in the area though most live north and east of our homes. We are farmers and ranchers."

Poppa responded, "It's good to meet you, Jerry. Hello to your wife, your brother and to his wife. It's good to meet new people who live peaceably. My foster daughter, Janice, or my son, Mike, can tell you of our communities. At some point, I would like to meet you in person along with the rest of your community. Preservation is allied with another Texas community in Port Lavaca, just outside of Houston. Their leader's son and wife are on this trip, too. Please consider all of them my representatives."

"Thank you, Jack. I appreciate that. Mike has been telling me that you use these radios to communicate regularly and that we would be welcome to join your evening net. I would like that. If everyone can stay a couple of days, our community meets every Friday evening and I would like for them to meet the rest of us."

"Thank you for the welcome. That is up to our folk but they can talk to you about that. Thank you for the contact. I look forward to talking with you again. Jack from Preservation is clear."

Jerry looked unsure about what to do. Charlie took the mike and said, "It's good to hear you, Grandpop. Charlie is clear from the Dallas area.'

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