Chapter 27

Reg was found in the nursery, playing quite happily with his children.
“Ah, there you are girls. I was wondering where you were, as I was left with the children so long. Elizabeth did poke her head in, but when she saw me with one of the youngsters, she just turned and went out; no doubt glad of an excuse to escape!”

“Not quite, Reg,” said Prudence. “We girls were having a meeting of the Group, and didn’t feel you had to be present at the initial stage. Frances will pass on to you what we came up with.”

“Oh?” Reg was interested. “I presume you know what you are doing; you normally do. That is fine by me.”

“Glad you know that, darling. Frances will bring you up to speed on the matter, so you can then expedite it to Governor Kempe. Tomorrow we aim to do more shopping, so you are detailed for babysitting again, dear.”

“Oh? I am glad to be of some use, Prudence. I am getting greetings as ‘Papa’ and ‘Dada’, depending on which term you have taught your children about me.”

“Either is acceptable, I am sure, Reg darling. You also know where the baby changing things are kept in the nursery, don’t you?”

“Yes, I am familiar with that task now, Prudence.” He was a bit waspish, but Prudence ignored his tone.

“Right. We have found that by phone you can book a minibus from the rail station to your chosen shopping precinct, and the same in reverse, so we have done that for tomorrow. No need for you to be looking out for us, dear. If need be, we’ll phone you.”

The next day was an early one for Fiona and the teens, to get to the pharmacy before opening time. They found a small queue outside the door, but still waited until the official time of opening before unlocking the front door and allowing the customers in.

One said, “I’ve been waiting for ages!”, to which Fiona responded, “I can’t understand why, as our opening time is clearly stated.”

“But my train got to this city nearly an hour ago!”

“Then complain to the rail authorities, if you want the train to arrive later. Most travellers on board want the train to arrive earlier!”

The man gave up his rant, leaving Fiona wondering why he needed a long-distance train. Finally she asked.

“Where did you come from, that you needed to take the train?”

“Metropolis, of course. The pharmacy business there is pretty basic, and the word is that this one is much better – more stock, a wider range, and quicker attention by staff.”

“My goodness,” said Fiona. We’ve only been officially open for one day! Does news travel that fast?”

“By social media, it does. Many of your customers posted glowing reports, so I had to come and see if they were justified.”

“I don’t know about the pharmacy business in Metropolis, but we are applying standards that we think the customers will expect.”

“Well, the one in Metropolis seems to think that anything will do if they are the only commercial pharmacy around.”

Fiona sighed.

“Monopoly is never a good idea in economics. It makes the business operation sloppy and fails to adequately provide the goods and services to the quality that customers want, so it ends up bad for everyone.”

“Well, Missus, if you want to compete with that other business, I am certain you will win.”

“Thanks for the compliment, sir. Now, if we can get you served at the counter? Jane, are you free to help this gentleman?”

Jane came from the back of the shop where she had stopped to pause for a little.

“Yes, ma’am. Can I help you, sir?”

He told her what he was looking for in the way of medication for an insect bite.

“Ah, an antihistamine is what you need.”

Back at home, Reginald was configuring the education report before sending it. Next, he prefaced it with a few words of explanation.

“Governor, this report is the output of most of the Rehome Research Group team, who have been giving the subject of higher education on Rehome some discerning thought. While certain subjects such as physics, chemistry and mechanics are mostly concerned with fundamentals of the universe, and thus applicable anywhere, other aspects of knowledge is location-specific. Many subjects are grounded in the facts as they exist on Earth, particularly botany and other biological subjects. Even geology is based on the principles and processes obtaining within the structure of Earth, and not necessarily directly related to Rehome. Principles might remain consistent, but the processes may very well be different on other planets, such as Rehome.

Following on from these thoughts, they feel that a standard university curriculum is not applicable here; and so my ladies propose setting up a research institute instead, focusing on exploring and describing the ecological environment of Rehome. They see students doing practical research on specifics of this planet; perhaps the life-cycle of a plant or animal and how its relates to associated species as prey or predator. The aim would be to build up knowledge and expertise on how Rehome works at a basic knowledge level. This may reveal economic benefits from fruits, fibres, and the possible domestication of certain animal species like the garrad.

I commend this report to you, Governor.”

Having applied this preamble to his email, he attached the report as a document file and sent it off.

Later in the day, he found a man at the front door, apparently looking for him.

“Yes?” Reg asked him. “Can I help you?”

“You are Reginald Robertson?”

“I am.”

“The owner of this land grant and this house?”

“In a way. My wives would challenge my sole ownership! We own both as a family, I will admit.”

“That is fine. I am James Tugendhat, the manager of the quarry we propose to establish here. I am led to believe that we are also taking on the house as a combined company base and manager’s home. Is that so?”

“That’s the deal,” Reg said. “We get a replacement house built a fair few kilometres from here, where the entrance to the new National Park will be. Governor Kempe has appointed us to run the Park on behalf of the Colony, and apply the rules that his staff have decreed to be required for the protection of the local ecology.”

“A step up, then. Good for you! Am I able to have a look through the building to see how it can be used as both a business office and a home for the Manager – that is me?”

“Come in, come in, Mr Tugendhat. Where does your surname come from, may I ask?”

“It is of Czech origin, I am told, but that is all I know of it. Your house seems quite large for a family home.”

“Yes, a reflection of the number of wives I have. Are you married, sir?”

They continued talking as they walked through the house.

“Yes, but just to the one woman. We have two teenage children, both daughters.”

“I have two teenage daughters myself, but one is adopted, the other is a child of Jessica’s first marriage, so a step-daughter for me. Both girls are a delight, as I hope your girls are also.”

“They are, Mr Robertson. Your house is beautifully decorated.”

“All down to my ladies, Mr Tugendhat. I leave household matters to them, as I am useless in that sphere. We have not been resident here for very long, and shortly we will be on the move again, as soon as our new house is ready.”

Tugendhat gruffly spoke, “Unfortunately a quarryman is not an attractive prospect for a woman looking for a husband, Mr Robertson.”

Reg grinned.

“You obviously have not been on Rehome for long, Mr Tugendhat. Women coming to the colony are almost all on the lookout for a husband, and not being beautiful is not a drawback in the circumstances. You have obviously heard that multiple spouses are considered normal in the Colony. I am assuming the plan is to boost the planetary population, as multiple wives can produce more children in a short time. Come to think about that, it is time I visited the nursery to check on my own brood. It is their nap time, which is why I had so much time for you at the moment.”

He led the quarry manager to the door of the nursery, opened the door gently and entered. They were greeted by everything from snuffles to snores; fortunately no wailing at all. They tiptoed back out.

“Good God, so many!” he exclaimed to Reginald.

“So far, anyway,” Reg agreed. “One by each wife, with another on the way from my latest wife. Some of the girls have decided to start on a second. That is why we need a large family home.”

“But so many children? How many wives do you have, man?”

“Nine, and I have told Frances that we have plenty, so not to go looking for any more.”

“One of your wives has encouraged you to have more?”

“James, if I can be familiar, I didn’t start out looking for a wife. I was asked to help tutor Frances, and it turned out there were three to be tutored, and all three ended up seducing me, so I had these three as lovers, and another girl asked to join us. Frances is the gatekeeper and approved Prudence. Fiona was attracted by our loving group too.

By sheer accident, we encountered the unruly daughters of a farmer I had dealings with, and he and his wife asked us as competent university students to persuade their daughters to become good citizens. Hermione and Jemima had to move to our house for that training, and eventually they joined us as staff in our business and also another pair of lovers. Jessica came to us after we rescued her teenage daughter from an abusive father. Jessica wanted away from her husband too, and to cut a long story short, she joined us and her daughter became our daughter. We picked up another daughter as another rescue operation, so we now have two teenage daughters despite my own youth.

Fiona is giving them initial employment as pharmacy assistants in the business that Fiona has just opened, so they will get an introduction to the world of work and meet more people.”

“Good God, man. Your life is very complicated. This all happened on Earth?”

“Yes. Sandra was the only one who joined our merry band after we came to the colony.”

“But you couldn’t marry them on Earth; the laws in most countries are for monogamy.”

“True, in as far as the law is concerned, but we found a female cleric who was willing to perform a group marriage for us, as she saw us as a loving family. Once we moved to Rehome, that marriage was recognised by the Colony law.”

“You must have been pleased at that. You think I should be looking for another wife?”

“No,” said Reginald. “I think your wife should be doing the looking, for she will want someone she can get along with. That is more important than your choice!”

“I get the point, Mr Robertson. When do expect to be moving house?”

“Depends. We can’t move until the new house is built, and while the parts can be delivered quickly, getting the builders there is not easy. There is no road, and the rail infrastructure has not been laid down yet. Don’t worry, you will be told as soon as we know when we can move.”

At that moment, a wail started from the region of the nursery.

“Sorry, Mr Tugendhat; duty calls! Please see yourself out.”

“Have fun,” he responded. “See you soon.”

The wail was turning into a chorus, as the wet (or mucky) child set off the others. Reg hurried to get started on calming his brood. It took him ten minutes or more to get several changed and the others cuddled and laid back down. Erika’s Gerald persisted in pulling himself up to a standing position, holding onto the bars of his baby cot, so that he could see what was going on around him. Reginald was amused at this precocious trait, recognising something of himself in the boy’s antics.

Once the chaos was sorted out, Reg moved to his study to phone The Personalia to find out progress on the new house at the Park.

Once he identified himself and his enquiry, he was told, “We duplicated your existing house design, and added the components for an extension to act as the Park offices, then placed the order. Delivery is scheduled for today, if all goes well with the supplier. We asked the Governor to send a machine to level the building site and the area for the parts delivery, and he promised immediate attention. He said that he would have a bulldozer do two jobs at once, for work has started on the clearance of land for the new rail line. The bulldozer will be diverted to work on the house site before the parts arrive, and then it will return to the clearing and grading of the rail line.

Once the parts for the house and offices have arrived at the site, the builders will use the track made by the bulldozer to get up to the spot and start laying the house foundations. They estimate only three weeks to complete the house, as so much of it comes ready-assembled, just needing to be plugged together then screwed into position. Most of the plumbing is inbuilt, with only the utilities to be connected up. The exterior walls come with a basic rendering, making that exterior surface simple to finish. We should have mentioned that a water tank will also be built next to the house, leaving you to fill it from the closest water source. There is a stream a few hundred metres distant, so we will provide a set of water pipes for the builders to install from the stream to the water tank. Power will come from solar panels on the roof, and we understand that solar panels will also be on the roof of the rail terminal, with all the panels feeding storage batteries in both buildings. There will be a connection between the batteries, allowing for power to be moved to whichever building is needing most at any time.”

Reginald was impressed.

“One final question: What arrangements are being made for waste disposal?”

The Personalia voice responded, “Waste water will enter a septic tank built into the ground at a slightly lower ground level to the house. Solid dry waste will be required to be placed in an incinerator downwind of the house, with an air vent to provide a through blast of oxygen to give high temperatures to burn almost everything except metals. The incinerator will be installed shortly after the house is completed.”

“Thank you. That was all I needed to know. Your help is much appreciated.”

“We are glad to help, Reginald Robertson. When your septic tank eventually needs to be emptied, a rail tanker can remove the liquid down to the central wastewater depot for treatment. Goodbye for now.”

After closing his phone, Reginald mused on septic waste treatment. If there was a handy gentle slope, they could probably install a wastewater treatment field using natural processes to cleanse the water and at the same time allow nutrients to disperse slowly into the environment. It would most likely require a professional team to construct the treatment field without allowing major waste products to slip quickly into the surrounding land. That was Reg’s conclusion after thinking about constructing their own version at the present house. Professionals would do it better.

“Waah!” came from the nursery. Reg hurried to see what was amiss.

Two of the children were standing up, gripping the bars of their baby unit. As soon as he appeared, the noises stopped and he was greeted with encouraging smiles and the welcoming words “Da-Da”. He took the hint and collected the two boys – he assumed them to be boys by the colour of their clothes – and hugged them to him lovingly. He still had trouble recognising all the faces.

“Hi, babies. Daddy is here for you. Mummy is busy now, so you just have me to look after you. What do you want?”

The children looked blank, not understanding most of the words, but one bent his knees, trying to bounce, so Reg helped them to bounce on his thighs. This got him giggles and chortles, so he was obviously doing the right thing.

Five minutes of this tired him out, so he slowed down and persuaded the kids to lean back on him. They seemed to like their Daddy holding them, and relaxed in his arms. Soon both were snoozing, and he eased them back into their beds.

Reg wondered if he was supposed to make a start on the evening meal, but his women had not mentioned food, so he decided that he was not supposed to do anything about it. He was right, for when they got back, they were carrying shopping bags of food.

Frances told him their other purchases would be delivered later, probably in the morning. Reg didn’t dare to ask what their purchases were. He would be told if they deemed it important, otherwise he would have to wait and see.

Frances did inform him that things were changing in the city.