Chapter 27

When I finished the driving lessons for my group, we drove to where Barbara and Magnie were. I dropped off Fretail and Gerona and had Marlit take another try. We drove over to the canyon mouth and back to the meadow. She did much better this time. I also told Magnie she needed to watch everything the other women did so she would know when it was her turn. I then had Pauloa drive again, this time she also did much better and I had Magnie sit in the front seat next to Ambat when she drove. Now it was Magnie’s turn. I showed her all the levers and pedals. Then we set off for the canyon. She immediately started going too fast. I asked her to slow down. She said, “Why, I can do this.” I again told her to slow down. She didn’t, so I turned the key off and took it out of the slot.

“Magnie, I want you to climb in the back. I will drive us back to the cave.” She started to say something but I told her to save it until we got back home. Once we went by Barbara and Fretail, I motioned them to come back too. I parked in the garage and said, “Everyone in the main cave, right now. Gerona, get the rest of the family and meet us there.”

Barb and Fretail came in and I told them to go to the main cave. I fumed in the garage a few minutes calming down. I walked in and everyone tried to talk at once. I held up my hand and asked for silence. “Now I have called you all here for two reasons. One is that Magnie is being very difficult. She is not paying any attention to neither Barbara, nor I regarding our instructions in driving. Because of that I want to explain to everyone about safety and driving. Fretail now knows that the truck is just too big for her to handle. She is short in stature and because of that she cannot see properly to drive it. She came to that conclusion on her own, therefore I commend her on that.

“Ambat, Marlit, Gerona, Pauloa, and Fretail were in the truck when Magnie almost hit us with the ATV. Because of that near miss, we discussed the consequences if she did in fact hit the truck. They figured out themselves that Magnie could have been killed if she had hit us, plus there might have been injuries for us as well.

“I also explained that I have been driving a very long time and that I knew some things that I could teach them if they would listen to me. They agreed that they would. Now Magnie has ignored Barbara and my help in this area. Because of that I am telling you and her that she does not have driving privileges again until she can start listening to us and doing as she is told. I wanted all of you to know that. This is her punishment for being a very bad wife. Now we will go on with our chores for today, but Barbara and I will come up with the list of who will be driving what tomorrow to go get Joulnar’s camp and bring them here.

“We will not be taking everyone. We will have to leave some of you behind. We will not have the room for all of you and we need the room for our new people of this camp. It will probably take more than one trip to get everything, so we will need to have our people here to guide the newcomers to their new home. I will have a map showing where people will be going. Each family will have a piece of paper with a symbol on it. That symbol will match a map I will have at each corridor. Match the symbol to the room they will be placed in. I will show all who stay here how to do this. Now any questions?”

Nadira said, “I do not know how to read symbols how can I help if I don’t understand this.”

“Ok, here is an example. If I put a long line on the map on the space for the first room and give the family who will move to that room a stone or paper with that symbol on it you will know it is their room. Another family I will give a stone with 2 marks on it, can you guess where they would live?”

Gerona said, “They would go into the second room or the one that the symbol of 2 lines was in.”

“Yes that is right. Now is there anyone who cannot count to 30?”

Jerrel and Bertet held up their hands. I said, “How about twenty?”

Again Jerrel and Bertet held their hands aloft. “Ok, how many toes do you have?” Most everyone looked at their feet, and Jerrel proudly said, “10!” just as Bertet held up 10 fingers.

“Now, both of you can count to twenty; you have ten fingers and ten toes which makes 20. So see everyone learned something more today. Now I can teach you another way of counting, let’s go to the dining room.”

We all went into the dining room and everyone sat down. I stopped and got some paper and a pencil from my office. I stood at the head of the table and asked, “Angel, how many people are in this room?”

Angel was pointing to everyone and I could see she was counting softly to herself. “Ten plus two, Daddy.” she said proudly.

Nadira said, “Is it not ten plus three? You did not point to yourself.”

Angel said, “Of course you are right, I forgot to count myself. Sorry daddy we are ten plus three.”

“Very good both of you; see that is counting but to make it easier if you have a stick and dirt or a large stone, here is how you can count.” I made four vertical lines on the paper then crossed them out with a slash line over all four. “Now Pauloa, how many marks did I make?”

“You made four little lines and one big one so you made five marks.”

“Very good; now watch again everyone.” I drew four more vertical lines and I made another slash line, but in the other direction. “Now Magnie, how many lines did I draw that time?”

“You made five again, but the big line is different. Why?”

“Very good again; I don’t know who said women couldn’t learn, but they were crazy. Yes, the long line is different. Can anyone tell me why it is different?”

Bertet had her hand up and I said, “Yes Bertet?”

She put up one hand and let each finger go up. Then she pointed to the first five I had drawn. Then she put the other hand up and let each finger come up and pointed to the other five; and then held up all ten fingers.

“Yes Bertet, you are right. The first five had a line one way and the second five had a line going the other way so you knew it was now ten. If I spaced them further apart I would have two fives which is not ten but a new number 55. That is too high for right now, but you get my meaning. So if I put down five more marks like this,” I drew five more showing the five slash, “How many is that Pauloa?”