Chapter 22

Dear Will,

Actually I have no idea what life might be on a ship or in a pod. Well not a real one. I told you about the new television shows being produced by Hollyweird. The "pod" they show has one room that might be fifteen feet by thirty feet. There is no privacy at all. When the master demands some "fun" it occurs in a large bed in one corner of the room while anyone else just sits around and watches the walls. I also hear that no one ever visits the pods. In the five weeks since the shows started, the pods have had no visitors is what I've been told. I refuse to watch the shows, but they are talked about during lunch at school.

I'm done with the musical group for now. Erica and I performed in four, but we want to concentrate on school and our classes. It was a ton of fun though. I've included a few pictures from the various shows we performed in.

Mom and Dad continue to get better. I told you about how they reached an agreement with Becky, or at least I think I did. Becky could be an inspirational speaker. She loves to come over at night and talk to Mom and Dad about all the untapped potential they have. She's managed to get them to start attending ballroom dancing classes and some karate classes. Mom has gained a lot of confidence from this. She even ripped into Mitchell Pratt when the turd showed up trying to give John a bribe. Well, he claimed it was a gift, but a two-thousand dollar go cart for a ten year old boy qualifies as a bribe in my opinion. Mom refused the gift, put the prat into a hammerlock and marched him to the curb. John was at Louisa's, but I was cheering her on.

Dad has also gained even more confidence. I suspect that he probably can retest and get a good enough score to volunteer, but his birthday isn't until March. He's happy about everything. He's doing so well at work that Mister Merks had to find additional lumber mills to help supply more material. Dad even went out and negotiated with a company that has been disassembling old buildings to have them deliver the lumber to Merks. They save the wood and sell it to people restoring old homes. It's been extremely profitable.

I don't see many of your friends anymore. They would be off in high school. I did hear that Trent found someone to take him along last week. But from what I hear, he might not be as happy about it as you are, the woman who selected him was by all reports homely. Oliver bragged that he'd never be desperate enough to allow a bull dyke to take him along after this story started being passed around.

Yes, Oliver is in ninth grade and going to high school. The jerk comes by at least once a week to gossip and try to convince me that when I turn fourteen I should become his girlfriend. I have been ignoring that. The problem is that he goes back to school and complains that I won't listen which seems to cause Lindy to think she has a chance. A day or two after I refuse him she shows up on the doorstep.