Chapter 11

It was very late in the afternoon when we pulled down my driveway at the house. Sharon had called and warned Emma that we were coming early, like now. I rolled around the barn to park my trailer in its accustomed place. We headed to the house where Emma waited for us. I think she was surprised when there were three of us instead of two.

She sounded shocked when she said, “Doctor Baker, what are you doing here?”

Misty smiled. “I was out west and Sharon’s father saved me by getting me out of Yellowstone. I’m now Doctor Anderson because I fell in love with him. We were married in Montana.”

“Wow! I want to hear more! I bet it was a real adventure! Were you at Yellowstone when the eruptions started?”

Sharon said, “Yes. Let’s get inside and I’ll tell you all about it.” We walked inside. Sharon led Emma into the den to talk.

Misty said, “This is impressive. Would you give me the tour, Taylor?”

“Sure.” We walked through the house. When we went into the master suite, she grinned. “Why the grin?”

“I can tell you haven’t had a woman living with you in this room. It’s become masculine over the years.”

“Misty, you can make it over to suit you. I would hope we will live here.” She nodded smiling. I continued, “The house is pretty much self-contained. We get our water from a well. The power for the house comes from the road and regular lines. However, I’ll show you the switch to go to the water wheel generator. Hot water is solar and the well and barn have always been run off the water wheel. No land-line phones and I use a satellite dish for TV. I do have internet service but it’s slow. The cable people didn’t want to run a line for me so I went a different way.”

“Taylor, ‘we’ will live here. It’s a lovely house which will be our home. Over time, I will talk to you about changing some colors, perhaps. This may all grow on me nicely just as you have, darling.”

She paused. “Taylor, what do we do about outside situations? I’m concerned about the cold and the violence.”

“I am, too, about both. All we can do about the cold is prepare for it. I want to check my water wheel to be sure it will continue to work under long-term cold conditions though I think it will. While it’s our backup, I want it to work. It also keeps costs down on this house since some of the electrical things are totally off the grid.

“Second, I am troubled by the violence. We’ve seen none of the shortages that should have been a basis for violence. What will it look like when shortages arrive?”

“Taylor, what do you mean, ‘When shortages arrive?’”

“Misty, we’ve seen a lot of country and it’s suffering from untimely cold. Harvests will not be good. Food shortages will start occurring and transportation problems may introduce some fuel shortages into the mix. Those things will not help slow the violence nor help ameliorate the effects from the cold.”

I pulled her to me and we kissed. “However, we have time before either of us is expected to surface. I want a honeymoon with my wife. Here works for me.”

Misty kissed me. She said, “Taylor, we’re in the right room. Shut the door.” I took the step to the door and pushed it closed gently but firmly. When I turned around, Misty was lying on the bed naked. She smiled, “I really would like you to make love to me, my husband.”

I smiled and lost clothes as I walked to the bed.

It was much later when we put our clothes back on and left the bedroom. We were holding each other lazily when we went into the den. Sharon was grinning when we entered. “Here’s the newlyweds! Would you help us organize some supper?”

I nodded. Misty said, “Yes, Sharon. Lead us into the kitchen. However, I know where the most important room is located now.”

Sharon grinned. “At least now, I won’t be able to hear every little noise.” We blushed and she laughed with Emma.

They led us into the kitchen and we prepared a light meal for supper. We turned the TV on and tuned to The Weather Channel for their latest forecast for our area and for the country. Yellowstone was still in the news and the weather. More volcanos were making their presence felt down the west side of the nation and further south. Central America was being devastated by eruptions and earthquakes. It appeared to me that the ring of fire around the Pacific was catching fire in actuality. There were initial reports of ‘quakes and eruptions across the Pacific. The problems were spreading and becoming worse.

We turned to the local newscasts to hear more about their thoughts on the weather. ABC was stridently making everyone aware of the weather generated troubles and emphasized the riots through the northern part of the country. Chicago, Detroit, and New York City were all under martial law in an effort to “maintain order” though the pictures suggested that the violent activity wasn’t being stopped. It was big news that the National Guard troops were not entering many of those areas because of the types of publicity the police had received. The police had totally withdrawn because they had been pilloried for shooting back at “unarmed innocents.” One clip on TV showed a young man being shot as he turned to run. The full video on the police department web site showed him leaving a shop with his arms full of goods. When told to stop, he dropped everything to shoot before dropping his weapon from his injured arm and turning. The next shot killed him. The body cam showed that he was going for another pistol as he turned only to fall dying. Inside the shop were two people dead and one wounded who later stated that he had shot them. Even after the video appeared, the national news never showed it or changed the damning story. They did, of course, give plenty of time to describing the lawlessness occurring without a police presence in those neighborhoods until one of their crews were killed by rioters.

Sioux Falls had been pacified and the troops were being pilloried for the killings that had occurred there. The fact that the troops had been fired on by the rioters first and who hadn’t dispersed upon command was glossed over. One National Guard major, an African-American woman, was interviewed for a few moments before being cut off. She was refusing to send troops under her command into Detroit without specific instructions and guarantees that would protect them from later reprisals by authorities. She blamed the newscasts for her position.