Chapter 31

We had more people than could sit at one table for meals now. Even with the children at a separate one, we still had to do shifts for the adults. It wasn't a big problem, but the dining room was easily large enough if we only had a bigger table. I was trying to think of the best way to build one when my earlier thoughts of prodding the potential hidden spacemen hangers on into more gifts came back to me. I decided to get a discussion started, hoping for many more questions to let me voice my wants in a seemingly innocent manner.

"It would be nice if we had a table large enough for all of us to eat at the same time, and in the same place."

"But how would you get a table that large," Taachachi asked.

"I can't think of a way now, I was just wishing for one. There are many things I know of that would help us out greatly."

"Like what?" Taachachi asked, and it led to a long talk. I mentioned several things, and then encouraged them to do the same. Later we moved on to problems they had and I explained things I knew about that would make their lives easier, if we only had them. I didn't have any idea if what I was thinking of was true or not. I had no way to discover whether or not some of the spacemen were still hanging around, but in case they were I kept the talking and the wish list going.

I ended up repeating the tractor wish so the rest could hear about it. I wanted to be more specific about the kind I really wanted and the attachments it would need. Plows were discussed and explained along with discs, harrows, sickle mowers, and square balers. I went over everything I could think of that could be used with a tractor. I didn't stop there.

After lunch was done I encouraged the discussion along and continued by talking about everything I could think of. When I'd worn out all the possibilities for the tractor, I started in on building hardware, plumbing supplies, tools, and medications for the horses, from wormers on up. As I got wound up on things I could use I didn't let them get me wound down. The education value would be helpful if we didn't get a damned thing, but somehow I got the feeling we'd get something at least.

If my benefactors were going to create a new cave every time to keep up the sham that the things had been here all along, I was going to try making it easier for them by mentioning everything that came across my feeble mind. It's not as easy as it seems though. Planning for our needs without using paper or pencil, and around the dining table to boot, can get confusing. I knew things were bound to get left out. I did the best I could and we finally headed back to work. Right at the last I called off the rawhide thong cutting, hoping I'd get some of the things I'd wished for. Namely long nails and longer lag bolts.

Taachachi and I were the last to leave. She asked if Biltee and I were going hunting this afternoon and I told her I'd decided to take the afternoon off.

"I want to go into the bedroom and lie down for awhile."

"Are you feeling ill?" she asked.

"No, I just want to keep thinking about what we discussed at the table."

It put an end to the questions for now, and I was off to take a nice hot shower and then do just what I'd told her I would. I lay on the skins of the bed and talked to myself. Usually I didn't but if my theory was even half assed right I knew I needed to do it this time at least. I had no way of knowing whether the spacemen, if they were even still here, intended to make things easy on me, but I had no way of knowing they hadn't either.

Speaking aloud had another benefit that I hadn't thought of before I started doing it. It kept me from wishing myself to sleep. If I'd only gone over it in my mind I'd have been sawing logs in no time, and that was another thing. A small sawmill and planer would be a damned handy thing to have around.

By the time I'd gone over everything I could think of, from a front end loader to a set of fuel tanks and an unlimited supply of motor oil, supper was on the table and Taachachi came in to remind me.

"Can we talk about more of the things you know about while we eat?" she asked, as I got up and put on some clothes.

"I'd be glad to do it. I never get tired of thinking about things I want."

"Good. I have never heard of most of those things but they sounded wonderful. Even if we don't have them it is nice to hear about them. I even thought of some things I be able to do with them," she said.

"That's even better. I want you to tell us what you've thought of doing, and when you do I'll try to see if I know of something that would make it easier."

As soon as I got to the table I knew she really had enjoyed the talk we'd had. There was food everywhere and it was a lot more than we could possibly eat. Taachachi had also increased the crowd. The table was piled high with food, but it was going to be a cafeteria-style meal today.

Probably every plate or eating bowl anywhere in our caves was here. Every adult that lived with us now must have been here too. I didn't even remember ever seeing some of them. We ate in the living room, sitting anyplace we could find and nearly filling the place up, and it was a big living room. They'd planned things well and had a chair for me, off in a corner. I was facing the rest of the room and to me it seemed we were having a tribal meeting of some kind. After the meal I found out it was exactly what was happening.

It took an hour for me to summarize what we'd talked about during lunch so the others could get caught up, and then we were off on a brainstorming session deluxe. After the first four questions I noticed what I thought was a slowly changing attitude from most of them. I was becoming their teacher along with my old job as leader. I also sensed that I was gaining respect. Not by leaps and bounds or anything like that, but they all seemed to be coming around, even if they were doing it cautiously.

Near the end of the session I asked how they liked meetings like this and was gratified to find that almost all of them approved and at least none of them said they thought it was a waste of time. I knew that didn't mean none of them thought it was a waste. It just meant that none of them wanted to say it aloud. That would have to do. As a parting shot I said I'd try to find a way for all of us to be more comfortable next time we had a meeting.

Maybe I was full of myself tonight, but after the get together broke up I started looking forward to bath time and then bedtime. Some of the women stayed to clean things up and put them right again, but a few followed me off to get the bathing started.