Chapter 25

'I say, Junior ... your mom is great.' Company was raring to go but ... first there had to be an accommodation made. 'What is that? That being the cat.

"Evidently ... that ... is my cat."

That's not quite how I would phrase it ... you're my human. What is that?

"That that is Company ... and you will get along ... both of you. Now that that is settled ... we have aircraft to move."

"Meatloaf tonight, Junior. Will you be staying?"

"Mashed Potatoes with a hole in the middle full of melted butter?"

"Yes, dear."

"Corn dodgers?" 'Mom makes the best corn dodgers ... really thick cornmeal mush with chunked chopped onions and creamed corn fried in real lard. Not what one would expect from a yankee ... but sooo good.' "Hot?"

"Yes, dear ... and buttered green peas and corn on the cob."

'Yes ... I can always time it.' "I'm not homesick anymore, mom." Junior ran to Too and gave her a big hug. Too hugged back.

Junior, for a teenager, had a bit more control of her life and hormones. With the watch she could do and had done terrible things. When the United States had nuked the island, Junior had lost it ... After the surrender, many of the states voted to join the Princessapality.

Mom was doing her best to restore transportation ... rail transportation and boat transportation. She had access to a great deal of gold and used it to rebuild industry, restore fisheries and improve mining. Big business didn't like it but big business was American. Lately American was the destruction of the American way. Close it down, ship it overseas, and buy it back cheaper ... but raise prices to put more money in the pockets of the rich. Business has always been buy cheap and sell dear.

It wasn't coming overnight, but it was coming. The across Michigan Canal was nearing completion and the abandoned rails were being replaced with long line track and concrete sleepers. The new Princessapality had fair wages for fair work ... and their health insurance was a non profit. Mom ... Wendolyn Wanzor Austin the second ... kept her eye to the honesty of employers.

The little people stayed. The wealthy left ... lawyers weren't happy Too had disposed of the stupid laws. In a monarchy, there's no voting ... there's no one to bribe with campaign contributions and there's no lawyers making laws that benefit lawyers and not the voters.

Your average freight train carried the produce of 15 thousand trucks ... the average Lake Freighter carried the produce of 2500 trains. On a cost per ton/mile boats can't be beat.

There's always room for trucks ... from the dock to the freight terminal to the retailer. The first truck hijacking resulted in seven hijackers swinging in the breeze out side seven interstate rest areas. After that lesson, criminals abandoned the Princessapality as fast the the shyster lawyer and the crooked business man.

The meatloaf was typical ... ground grass fed chuck and first layer country pork sausage with red, yellow and green peppers all mixed together ... spectacular ... the mashed potatoes had lumps. Junior pulled the onions, shelled the peas and picked the corn. She fell asleep at the dinner table, David Daddy carried her up to her own room and she slept the sleep of the glad to be home.