Snowmom

CHAPTER 24 “I’m not sure yet,” Joy continued quietly, “but I haven’t gotten my, um, my sign that I’m not. Dave and I had been trying to get pregnant again, and, well… ” She stopped before she broke down crying. Victoria was four and a half, and Joy and Dave had been trying to give her a sibling for the last two years. They had done everything short of invitro fertilization, but to no avail. Every time that Joy thought she was pregnant their hopes were raised, only to be shattered again and again. Jack raised his eyebrows and whistled softly through his teeth. “Wow,” was all he could say as he glanced away and let out a deep breath. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, wanting to do something with them, but not knowing what. Joy felt the hope that she had just experienced begin to fade. Her eyes began to tear up, and she hated that she couldn’t just turn the faucet off. She didn’t want Jack to think of her as weak, but the truth was that he was right. This was the only real option to a decent life that she had ahead of her, and now, it might not even happen! She cleared her throat, hoping that her voice wouldn’t betray her feelings of fear. It did. “Does that make a difference in your proposal?” she asked, her voice cracking mid sentence. Jack could see the emotions she was feeling through her eyes, as she wasn’t that good at hiding them. He held her gaze, watching her intently. Thoughts of caring for three babies, in addition to the older children, and having to provide for another person in the long run raced through his mind. Could they do it? Would she be able to manage five kids? Would he? Then he thought of Joy’s fate if they didn’t get married, whether she chose to stay at the Reservation or not. Just as quickly as the doubts had come into his mind they went away. He felt a peace about this, one he couldn’t understand or even begin to explain. He felt as though God’s hand was on them, and He would walk with them wherever He led them. Joy bit her bottom lip gently to keep it from trembling and looked away, afraid to hear what she was sure Jack was getting ready to say. Jack saw the worried look in her eyes and felt his heart sink. The same feeling that had come over him earlier that night when Simon had tried to hurt her was coming over him now. “No, no!” he responded quickly taking her by her elbows and searching her eyes. He took her chin in his hand and lifted her face, forcing her to look at him. “No, Joy, it just makes it all the more urgent,” he said quietly, not taking his eyes off of her face. Joy looked away from Jack’s piercing gaze as a tear rolled down her cheek, her lips trembling. She quickly brushed it away, glad for the distraction it provided. “Ok, then.” Joy nodded, as she took a deep breath, trying to gain control back. “Let’s say I marry you. I would be a mother to your children, and you a father to mine. But what about us? What would we be to each other?” Jack shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “We will remain friends, and trust the Lord for the rest. I promise I will respect you and your privacy, Joy. I will not ever expect anything from you that you are not completely willing to give.” He was a little uncomfortable with the question as he really hadn’t thought everything through, but was sure that they could figure something out. “But what about sleeping arrangements? Would we live separately? How would that work if I’m to help you with the twins?” Joy bombarded Jack with questions, her mind spinning out of control, trying to figure out what the best was for her and Victoria. As she thought through things quickly, she had to admit to herself that she was thinking about what was best for Jack and his kids as well. That has to be a good sign, she thought to herself. “Whoa, Joy. Let’s take one step at a time. I can sleep with my kids at the cabin until the log home is finished, then we can all move in there. It has three bedrooms, so I’m sure we can figure something out. In the meantime, you can help me with taking care of the cabin and the kids everyday, and I’ll work at getting the house done for us,” Jack answered, feeling a bit overwhelmed himself. All of the sudden a thought crossed Joy’s mind, and she was almost ready to say no to the whole thing. “Jack, what about Bethany? She is single, too.” Jack looked a little shocked, as if the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind. He scratched his chin, noting that he’d have to shave in the morning before the service. “Yeah, I suppose she is,” he said, not sure what to do about it. They walked a little more in silence, each into their own thoughts. “Would,” Joy paused and cleared her throat again, “would you rather ask her to marry you?” She offered, really hoping that he wouldn’t. “No!” Jack answered a little faster than he had intended. He didn’t want to sound like he didn’t like Bethany, but the truth was that he really didn’t. He didn’t appreciate the advances she had made towards him that same night, or the looks she gave him while they danced. She seemed to think that she owned him somehow, and that was certainly not okay with him. “No, Joy. The fact that she is single and we don’t know what’s going to happen to her doesn’t change things at all.” “Would you ask her if I said no?” Jack coughed, trying not to snicker to loud. “No, I wouldn’t,” he answered as seriously as he could. “I haven’t been able to put much thought in what I’m asking you, but I feel like it’s the right choice. I will think and see what I can do for Bethany, but I assure you, no matter what your reply is, I will not be asking her to marry me.” He paused for a second, and then added “or anyone else for that matter,” after he realized that of the women he knew, Joy would be the only one that he wanted to marry. They turned and started heading back towards the farmhouse. Joy felt relieved that Jack didn’t want to take his offer back, but was still concerned for Bethany. She knew that it’d be foolish not to take Jack’s offer on account of Bethany; after all, Joy wouldn’t expect that of her. Joy took a deep breath of the cool night air and let it out. “What about our kids?” she asked gently. “Will you be more than a provider for Victoria? Will you be her father as well? What I’m getting at is how would we raise the kids? Would you discipline Victoria, and do you trust me to discipline Luke, and later on the twins? I know this might sound petty, but it’s important to me.” Jack nodded his head, wanting to reassure her. “It’s very important to me too, Joy. But I’ve seen you with Victoria, and with my kids, all four of them in a very stressful situation. You did great. I was very impressed with how you handled everything,” he teased a little, “that is until you went and cut your finger!” They both laughed, relieved at a little humor in the situation. “Seriously, though,” Jack continued, his eyes piercing through hers again as if he could see through to the depths of her soul, “Yes. I do trust you to raise my children. I’ll have to. And you’ll have to trust me to raise yours. It’s the best that we’ll be able to do.” “Okay,” Joy said quietly, pulling Jack’s shirt closer around her shoulders. Some how it brought her comfort, almost as if Jack himself had his arms wrapped tightly around her. Joy pushed the thought aside, wanting to focus on the conversation, and not wanting to deal with the feelings that went along with the thoughts. Jack stopped and turned to look at her, wanting to see if he could read anything else in her face. Joy bit the inside of her cheek thoughtfully, and looked up at him, her eyes softening. “You are a very generous man, Jack Daniels.” He smiled at her and moved a stray lock of hair out of her face that the wind insisted on blowing across it. “Is that a yes?” he asked quietly, wanting to make sure that he was understanding her right. Joy gave up a small smile of her own and nodded slightly, her eyes shinning in the moonlight. “Yes,” she replied, her voice suddenly strong and confident. She didn’t know what was going to become of them, but she too felt a peace that she could not ignore. She looked up at Jack and hoped that her deep appreciation for him showed through her eyes. How could she ever thank him? She still had many questions that would have to go unanswered, but for now was very relieved that her near future was taken care of. Jack sighed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t quite sure why, but this whole thing was turning out much better than he thought it would. His children would now have a full time mother, and Joy would be saved from the likes of Simon Little. He pushed aside the feelings that arouse deep inside of his heart, promising himself that he would deal with them later. “Do you mind if we pray? I realize that we are both making a life changing decision, and I’d like to put it in the Lord’s hands.” After Joy nodded, Jack reached out and took both her hands in his. “Abba, we come before you with thanksgiving and praise. Our hearts are full of wonder at your ways, even if we can’t fully understand them. As we begin our life together, we ask that you will be the one that leads us and guides us, that our new family together will be a reflection of your love, of your grace. We give this decision to you, and ask that you take it and bless it for your own honor and glory. In your name, and for your sake we pray, amen.” “Amen,” Joy whispered opening her eyes and looking back up at Jack. He let go of her hands, and turned to go back towards the farmhouse. “Ok. Let’s get back to the house and get Allen. He can go get your dad, and then he can marry us. We have to hurry if we are going to do this in time, while it’s still today.” He started walking back, but Joy stopped him, putting her hand on his arm. “Jack,” she said softly as she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a hug, “thank you.” Jack wrapped his large arms around her, and his heart skipped a beat as her body pressed against his. I’m going to have to keep an eye on this hugging business if I’m going to stay true to my promise, he thought as he pulled away. He smiled down at her, and led her back to the farmhouse. They walked back in silence, Joy holding Jack’s shirt tight against her once more. Neither of them spoke a word, as they both thought about what they were about to do. Once they were back at the house, Joy went into her parent’s room and knocked on the door softly as Jack went to get Allen. Joy updated Liz on what was happening, and Liz reached over and gave her a big hug as she started to cry. “Oh, Joy, I can’t tell you how relieved I am. There seemed to be no way out of this, but I can see that God has provided a way.” Liz said, stroking Joy’s hair thoughtfully. “Why is it that we have to do things that we don’t want to do? How can this be God’s will? I have peace, but I don’t understand,” Joy whispered, as if she didn’t want anyone to hear. “Well, sometimes God asks things of us that we aren’t willing to give, Joy. Sometimes life is easy. But for times like now, He makes it abundantly clear that His grace is more than sufficient for what we are going through. Think about Queen Esther. Do you think she wanted to marry that king? It was not up to her whether she wanted to or not, she didn’t have a choice, much like the situation you are in. I’m sure that she had to do things that she didn’t want to do, but regardless, she trusted God. She did what she had to do, and God used her to save her people. Now I’m not sure what God will do with this, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He will use it if you allow Him to. Jack is a good man, Joy. I’m grateful that it is him that you are marrying, and not some other man like Simon Little.” Joy nodded, fully knowing that it was a blessing that she was marring Jack instead of Simon. She shivered at the thought of how different life could be for her, and for Victoria. She knew that Jack cared for Victoria, and was grateful that he would hopefully fill in the gap for Dave as a father. “Are you going to get married in jeans or are you going to have a ‘real’ wedding later like Leslie and Marie?” Liz asked, interrupting Joy’s thoughts. Joy looked down at what she was wearing and shook her head. “No, Mom. This will be the only wedding. But for Jack’s sake, I’ll go freshen up a bit, and maybe even put a dress on,” she smiled. “It’s the least I can do for the man that is saving my life, right?” Liz nodded, “I’m so sorry, honey!” Liz gave her daughter another hug, and then Joy went and looked in the closet for a dress. She had hung all of her good clothes in this room, so she was able to find her long, white dress that Ann had made for her earlier that year. She fought with herself for a few seconds, wondering if she should wear the dress. It was white, and she knew that meant purity, and she was obviously no longer a virgin. At the same time, she had kept herself pure, and although she didn’t know how she and Jack were going to relate to each other, she was also going into this relationship pure. It was a strange feeling, but she felt that she should wear the dress. She took her braid out and brushed her hair, allowing it to go free. She looked at herself in the old mirror above the dresser, wishing she could see better in the dim light but decided it was going to have to do. She also decided to go barefoot instead of waking Victoria up to get the shoes to go with the dress. She wondered if their kids should be there. No, she thought. This was all traumatic for them as it was, they could talk to the kids in the morning. She washed her face in the bathroom and put a little make-up on, wanting to look her best. She even put on some of her homemade perfume, making her smell like fresh roses. “So how do I look?” Joy asked Liz as she went back into the room. “Lovely, dear. Just lovely.” Liz smiled back at her, holding Joy’s hands. She pulled a necklace off of her neck and put it on Joy. “Mom! Your necklace?” Joy exclaimed, touching it softly. Liz nodded and turned it so that the clasp was in the back. “This was the one my mom gave me when I got married,” she said. “I was going to leave it to you when I died, but I think you should have it now. See the three strands in it? It’s symbolic, based on the verse from Ecclesiastes 4:12 were it talks about the cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Read that whole passage, Joy. I think God has a wonderful plan for you and Jack. I know you are not in love now, but I trust that it will come, and that in the meantime you can learn to take care of each other, and of course, your kids.” Joy gave Liz another hug, thankful for her support. “Thank you,” she whispered, truly touched by the gift. “God is good, Mom. I feel such peace about all this, even though I don’t fully understand it. I know Jack does too, I could see it in his eyes. This will all be new to both of us, but like you said, I know that God will take it and use it for his glory.” Liz nodded and then led Joy out of the room to find Jack standing there, talking to Ed. Jack looked at Joy, his eyes glowing. This made Joy blush, and she quickly looked away, hoping he hadn’t noticed. Maybe she shouldn’t have changed. After all, Jack didn’t, and she didn’t want to give him the wrong idea of why she had. It was for him, but at the same time, it wasn’t. Joy shook her head at herself, hoping that she wasn’t sending mixed messages to him. She hoped he would understand that she wasn’t ready to sleep with him tonight. Mr. Bodaway was there, too. When had he come? Joy wondered, as she hadn’t heard anything about him coming. “Mr. Bodaway is going to be a witness for out wedding,” Jack told Joy and Liz quietly. Joy nodded her head and smiled at Mr. Bodaway. She was glad he was there, as she knew that he was a good friend of Jack’s. She wished that the rest of her family could be there too, but decided it was best to just keep it simple. As Joy approached Jack, Ed started their wedding. “Would you please hold hands?” he paused to allow them to do so, Jack taking Joy’s small hand in his. “Jack, do you have something to say to Joy?” Jack looked at Ed surprised, then nodded. “Joy, I promise that I will care for you and your children. I will respect you and provide for you, I will be with you in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad. I promise to always be your friend, and will be faithful to you for the rest of my life.” Ed nodded. “Good. Joy, do you have something you want to say to Jack?” Joy nodded. She was glad Ed had asked Jack first, as this gave her a little bit of time to figure out what she would say. “Jack, I also promise that I will care for you and your children. I will love them as my own, and will do my best to raise them as God intended. I will help you in whatever way I can, and will also be faithful to you for the rest of my life.” “Let’s bow our heads in prayer,” Ed said, and they all followed suit. “Father, we present to you Jack and Joy and the promises they have made to each other. We trust that You will be with them at all times, that You will hold them close, and that you will be their provider. But most of all, we trust that You will be Lord of their new family, Lord of their new home. We ask that You will help them to grow closer to each other as they grow closer to You. In Your name and for Your sake we ask, amen.” There was a number of amen’s responded, including Mr. Bodaway. Jack squeezed Joy’s hand gently, wanting her to know that this was his prayer, too. “Ok,” Ed said as he cleared his throat, “now by the powers invested in me by God, and this Reservation, and in the presence of these witnesses, I pronounce you man and wife. I won’t tell you to kiss the bride, but you can if you want to,” Ed grinned. Jack bent down and kissed Joy softly on the cheek. She smiled at him and blushed, but didn’t turn away, looking deeply into his eyes. Ed came over and hugged Jack tightly. “Thank you, Jack. Thank you!” he whispered patting him on the back, tears running down his face. Hugs were shared all around, and then as Jack, Liz, Ed and Mr. Bodaway talked quietly, Joy wrote out a third marriage certificate for that night. She thought of how odd it was that she had to write her own marriage certificate, but glad that she could. When it came to writing what her new name would be, she hesitated, and then wrote in what she thought Dave would have wanted her to be called. She busied herself writing out copies, wanting to have several originals on hand in case they needed them. She hoped that there wouldn’t be any problems, but wanted to make sure that if there were, they weren’t for lack of marriage certificates. She signed all of the copies, liking the way they looked. Once done, she handed the certificates over to her dad to sign. Liz and Mr. Bodaway were next, and then finally, Jack. Jack took the papers from Mr. Bodaway, and just as he was getting ready to sign them, he noticed that Joy already had. He was surprised by what he saw, and looked up at her in shock. There, where her new name was to be printed, she had written what she wanted her name to be. They had not discussed it at all, and as he looked at it again, he smiled at what he saw. Her name read Joy Hope Daniels. -------------------- Guess what, this is the last that I have too. Not sure what happened, thought I had more. Maybe she only put in this many and had said there would be more.

CHAPTER 13 It was the darkest that Joy had ever seen. “Well, great Joy. Now we’re stuck. If we had waited, then maybe we wouldn’t be here right now!” Bethany said, her tone of voice demeaning. “Waited for what, exactly? Had we waited, we might have had to take all the stuff down the stairs instead of this way.” Allen said. “Yeah, well, if we had waited, well, never mind. No use in arguing about it now. Man it’s hot in here!” Bethany said, trying to change the subject. Joy smiled, knowing Bethany couldn’t see her. Bethany hated to be wrong, but she hated more to be called on it. Ed started pounding on the door. “Hey! Hello? Anyone out there?” “Dad, Dave should be here soon. I sure hope he knows how to get us out though.” Joy said as she shifted her weight. There was no place for them to sit, as the elevator was filled with boxes. She took a deep breath and tried to relax. She shook her head. Normally her eyes would have been adjusted to the dark by now, but it was too dark. She wasn’t a fan of dark or tight places, and she was in both of them now. She was very glad that she wasn’t alone; otherwise she wasn’t sure what she would have done. “Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of beer…” Allen started to sing, and they all laughed. Joy was glad his sense of humor had survived. They all joined in the song, hoping that someone would hear them and get them out. By the time they got to eighty-two, they heard Dave outside of the elevator. “Joy? Are you in there?” He asked. “Yup, it’s us, Dave. Can you get us out?” Joy asked, hoping for a positive answer. “Well, I’m not sure where my tools ended up, and the ones that were in the closet aren’t there. Your Mom called 911, but they said that they would come as soon as possible. They are really swamped right now, and who knows how long it’s going to take. You don’t have any water in there, or anything, do you?” Dave answered. “No, we don’t.” Ed replied. “Dave, listen. Does the company have a generator? Maybe you can give the building enough power to get the door open.” “Well, yeah, I think so! It’s in the other building though. I’ll get on that, and if the firemen arrive before I do, then all the better, ok? I’ll also look for some tools over there, just in case. Don’t worry, we’ll get you out of there!” He said, knocking on the elevator door to reassure them. “Hurry!” Bethany said, knocking back frantically. “Ok, see you soon,” Dave said, his voice trailing off. “Eighty-one bottles of beer on the wall, eighty one bottles of beer…” Allen led them in song again. Joy leaned on the boxes, trying to stretch her back muscles. She pressed the indiglo light on her watch to see what time it was, so that they wouldn’t loose track of how long they were in there for. It was just after ten. She sighed and leaned against the wall. She continued singing with the others, but couldn’t help wonder what was happening to her beloved country. Could that many people really want to hurt them? That many nations? Didn’t they stand to suffer just as much or more than the States did if it went down? Allen picked other songs for them to sing, trying to keep them encouraged. They tapped on walls and boxes, trying to keep their mood lively. It must be over 90° in here, Joy thought. Although it was proving to be a colder summer than usual, this day had been forecasted to be hot. Several times they had to stop singing, as people would stop and encourage them. There was little anyone could do, so they would greet those inside and then take off. “Joy, is that you in there?” Joy heard a woman say in a thick Spanish accent. “Monica! Hi, yes! It’s us!” Joy said. Monica was Dave’s coworker at the apartment complex. She was from Ecuador, and Joy had enjoyed being able to talk in Spanish to her on more than one occasion. “Oh, you got stuck! I was hoping that no one was in here. I saw George and Dave coming over here with the generator. Poor guys, they had to carry that heavy thing all the way over here. The electric cart isn’t working, so they were not able to use that. Is it hot in there?” Monica asked. “Yes!” They all yelled at once and then laughed. Monica laughed too. “Well, I’m going to see if anyone in the other building is stuck, ok?” “Ok, good to talk to you, Monica!” Joy yelled. Just then the lights came back on, and the door opened. The foursome felt immediate relief from the heat, as Allen hurriedly stood in front of the door so that it wouldn’t close again. They all filed out to enjoy the light and not being cooped up. It was a lot cooler in the hallways, even though the central air hadn’t been working because of the lack of power. Juan, Leslie, Ann and Roger showed up and took out all the boxes that were in the elevator. Joy went and stood under the vent, enjoying the crisp, cold air now that it was on again. Dave came in from the front door and smiled at her. “You are all wet!” he said, brushing a lock of hair out her face. Joy smiled back as she fanned herself with her hand. “I know! It was so hot in there! How long were we in there?” she said as she looked at her watch. “Well, I set my timer when the lights went out, knowing that you were in there. And now it’s 10:20am. That’s at least 20 minutes! I’m glad you are ok,” he said leaning in for a kiss. Joy kissed his lips, glad that she was ok, too. “Where is Victoria?” She asked. “She’s still upstairs with your mom. Most everything is down here, as everyone kept working, even in the dark. George and I brought the generator over, but I’m glad we didn’t have to use it. But now it’s here, in case it happens again.” Dave said wiping off sweat from his own forehead. “Ok. Well, I better go up there too. Most of my clothes are packed, aren’t they?” Joy asked. She really wanted a shower now, but wondered if it would be unfair to the rest of the ones that had been caught in the elevator too. Dave nodded his head. “Yeah. And I wouldn’t trust the elevator. If the lights go out again, we might be in trouble.” Joy nodded and lifted her head to kiss him again. “I’ll take the stairs, then. Do you have an extra flashlight I can use?” Dave shook his head. “No, but I’ll go up with you. I want to see what all we are leaving behind. I’m hoping that we can return and get the rest some other time. If not, well,” he shook his head again, not wanting to think about not returning. They made their way up the two flights of stairs and to their apartment. There were still some family members coming and going with things. When they got to the apartment they were surprised to see all the boxes gone. Joy went to the kitchen and found that most everything was gone, except for her small appliances. Even their tea and other beverages were gone. She looked up above her cabinets to find all of her Mexican decorations gone, and the fake ivies. They packed those too? She wondered. Joy and Dave made their way into the living room to find most, but not all of the books gone. Dave had a large section of computer books that were staying. But all the other office stuff, such as pens and paper were all gone. Pictures, clocks, even CDs. They seemed to have all been packed away. As Joy went into Victoria’s room, She found Liz and Victoria putting her toys in bags. It looked to Joy like some toys were gone, and all of her clothing. “Hi honey!” Joy said as Victoria came and gave her a hug. “What are you doing?” “We are packing, Mama! And Grandma said that we are going to go on a trip. I like trips!” Victoria responded, her voice full of excitement. Joy smiled at Victoria, then at her Mom. “Yup, we sure are, honey, we sure are. You keep packing ok?” “Ok, Mommy!” Joy went into her bedroom and found Marie packing the rest of the towels and sheets. “Hi. Man. It’s hard to know what to pack, isn’t it?” Joy shook her head, looking around her room. “Mmm…no, not really. I just think, could I use this in Africa? No. Ok, then it stays. This? Yes. Ok, then it goes. Although we did pack all your CDs. We figured with as many batteries as you guys have, we might as well have music. We are taking two of your boom boxes, and leaving the big one. We didn’t bother with the movies. Figured we were pushing it with the CDs.” Marie said as Joy helped her finish putting stuff away. Joy nodded her head. “I’m glad you are here,” she said, tears threatening to spill over. “I am too. Oh, come on now. Don’t start that. You are going to get me started!” Marie said, looking away. Joy knew she was feeling the stress of it all, too. She looked around her room and realized that they may never be able to come back. But then, maybe they would. That’s what she hoped, anyway. That this would all be for nothing, and that they would be complaining about all the work they had put into the moving. Joy went to the bathroom and looked through all the drawers. Most everything was gone, even her make-up. She didn’t use much, but she knew Ann would be happy to have some. Everything electric was left behind, including Dave’s razor. Joy smiled, wondering how he was going to manage without it. Once she was satisfied that everything in the apartment that she wanted was packed, she went back into Victoria’s room. “You know Mom, we still have stuff in storage. A lot of it is stuff like Christmas decorations, but there are some baby clothes and a few maternity clothes. You think there will be space in the trucks?” Joy asked, helping put some toys in boxes. “It’s all taken care of, honey. Juan got the keys from Dave earlier, and they took down everything they thought was important to take. It’s nice to see how much we can all get done if we work together.” Liz said with pride in her voice. Joy knew that although this was a hard time for all of them, it was also a special time. It had been many years since the whole family had been together. Especially with all the brothers-in-law. Joy nodded. “Yeah, we’d get more done if we would stop getting stuck in the elevator!” she said and they both laughed. “You got stuck in the elevator Mommy? That’s not nice.” Victoria said matter-of-factly, as only a four-year-old can. Joy smiled and leaned over to give her a kiss. “No, honey. It wasn’t.” “I’ll be right back,” Joy said, getting up. She went into the bathroom and splashed water on her face and ran her wet fingers through her long, wavy hair. She pulled it up into a bun, thankful to have it off her neck. “Joy?” Dave called from the living room. “Yeah?” Joy answered, walking towards him. “I’m thinking about taking the car. Maybe your Dad or someone can ride with me, and we can fit more stuff in there. What do you think?” he asked, pulling his glasses off and cleaning them with his shirt. “Oh, that’s a good idea! Is there enough gas in it?” Joy wondered. Dave nodded and put his glasses back on. “Yup. I filled it up last time I went out, and haven’t used it since.” “Ok. I’ll talk to my Dad.” Joy said, leaning into Dave for a hug. “I did not like being stuck in the elevator. It was kind of scary, especially not knowing how or when we were going to get out.” Dave wrapped his arms around Joy and kissed her on the head. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. We are getting smarter, though! Now we are sending the loads down by themselves and then someone is getting them once they get downstairs. That way if the lights go out, it’s just stuff that gets stuck.” Joy looked up and gave Dave a kiss on the lips. “That’s good. I better get going to find Dad. He was concerned that we might not be able to travel soon.” “Ok, I’m going to look around and make sure we have everything we can take. I think there is still room for Victoria’s toys, and Marie even packed a bunch of your decorations. Since there was a bunch of room still in the truck, we let it go.” Dave said, walking Joy to the door. “Make sure you have a flashlight with you, ok?” “Ok,” Joy said, grabbing one by the door. “See you soon hon,” she waived as she made her way down the hallway. She went down the steps, glad that they had figured out a way that no one was going to get caught in the elevator anymore. When she got to the elevator area on the main floor, she realized that they were almost done. She went outside to look at the trucks, and saw that there was a couple other people doing the same thing that they were doing, but they weren’t using the elevator. The two U-hauls that they were using were getting pretty full, but Bethany’s still had some space. “Hey, Dad?” Joy called out when she saw Ed. “Yeah?” Ed said, turning to see her. “Dave was wondering if you would ride with him in the car. He thought that it might be good to have an extra vehicle, and we can fit some more things in there, too, if we need.” She said, putting her arm around his waist. Ed nodded. “Yeah, I can go with him if he wants. I’m not sure that we are going to need the space though. I think your Mom just has a few toys left and then she’s done, right?” Joy thought for a second and then nodded. “Dad, do you think we should take any electronics at all?” “I don’t know, honey. Maybe. Maybe we can take a few in the car, like I don’t know, say some of your kitchen stuff.” Ed said, rubbing his chin. He hadn’t shaved since they had left Mexico, and Joy was sure that it was probably getting itchy. “Ok, I’ll get on that. Should I bring the car around?” Joy asked. Ed nodded again. “Sure, but make sure you don’t take the elevator!” Joy laughed as she started to make her way to the underground garage. “Oh, don’t worry! I won’t!” Joy walked around the building to where the underground garage entrance was. She went through the open garage door, and made her way to their old car, glad to have the flashlight in case the power went out again. She got the car and drove it to the front of the building, and parked it as close as possible. She saw that the last of Victoria’s toys were being loaded into the truck, and that Dave had come down as well. He was carrying three large black bags. “What are those?” Joy asked, once she had reached them. “They are from Dorothy, from 107. She said that she has been meaning to give them to you, and that if we had space, she wanted you to take them.” Dave responded, throwing the bags into the U-haul. “What are they?” Joy asked, pulling one back to see what was inside. “I think just yarn and stuff like that. I’m not sure. We can look at it when we get there.” He said as he took it away from Joy and put it back. He stuck out his tongue to Joy in response to her sticking out hers at him. “Hey Dave?” Ed called Dave from the entrance. “Yeah,” Dave said as both he and Joy made their way to the entrance. “I think we need to get going. I’m not sure what they do when the threat level goes up to red, but I would really rather not find out. If you guys want to go upstairs and take one more look around, the rest of us can start getting settled into our vehicles. As far as I know, we all have our stuff packed in the vans and ready to go.” Ed said, pointing at the vans. Joy could see that Juan and Marco were loading up the last of their suitcases. “Ok, we can send Liz down, and then we can take off. You’ll ride with me?” Dave asked, looking at Ed. “Ok, then, let’s get going,” he continued after Ed nodded. Dave and Joy made their way upstairs and to their apartment. They told Liz that they were all ready to go, and that she could go downstairs. After she left, Dave, Joy and Victoria went room by room in their apartment, making sure nothing was left that they wanted with them. Most of the walls had been stripped bare, Victoria’s bed was gone, all their pillows and curtains, together with the curtain rods, were also gone. Liz had been able to put away all of Victoria’s toys and blankets. It was strange for Joy to see her home like this. It was theirs, but somehow it didn’t seem like it anymore. A tear rolled down Joy’s cheek, and just as she was about to say something, the phone rang, making Joy almost jump out of her skin. Dave shook his head, and went to answer the phone. “Hello?” By what Dave said, she figured that he had been called on to work, again. He hung up the phone and picked up Victoria. “That was George. He wondered if I could help take the generator back to the other building.” Dave said, then kissed Victoria and had her stand up on their bed. “So you are going to help him?” Joy asked, already knowing the answer. Dave nodded, and brought Joy in for a family hug. This was a special tradition that they had with Victoria every night. She would stand on the bed so that she was almost as tall as they were, and they would all hug each other. Joy held on to her family tight as Dave prayed for them. He prayed for their safety in this situation, and that above all, for God to be glorified and for His will to be done in their lives, whatever that may be. Once done, Dave leaned down and kissed each of his girls. They left their apartment and started to head down the hall, knowing that it could be for the last time. Halfway down the hall, the lights went out again. Joy rolled her eyes, annoyed that it had happened again, but glad that this time she wasn’t in the elevator, especially with Victoria. Dave handed the flashlight that he had to Joy, and picked Victoria up to carry her through the darkest part. Once they were at the stairwell and had light from the windows he put her down. They went down to the front of the building, where they found everyone waiting. Dave told Ed about having to take the generator over, and Ed offered to help. The rest would wait where they were, and then the caravan would start, with Ed and Dave leading the way. Dave turned to Joy and kissed her softly on the lips. “I’ll be right back,” he said, and then bent over to kiss Victoria. “Ok, hon. Love you,” Joy said. “I love you, Daddy!” Victoria said as she took the opportunity to hug Dave. Joy smiled. Victoria was a very loving child, one that would take a hug at any opportunity. “I love you, too.” Dave said, hugging Victoria tight and looking at Joy. “I love you, too!” Liz said, jokingly. Dave blushed and smiled at Liz. “Um, thank you?” Liz laughed as Dave and Ed took off to take the generator over, and everyone else settled into their vehicles. Joy was glad she had worn shorts and a tank top. It sure was warm. She put Victoria into her car seat, and was glad to see that Roger was going to drive Juan and Ann’s van, and Juan was going to help Bethany with the U-haul. Joy left the van’s sliding door open for Victoria and turned to talk to Liz. Before she was able to say anything, a loud explosion erupted, causing some of the windows in the vans to crack. Joy turned and laid on Victoria trying to protect her from whatever was happening. Victoria was crying loudly, holding her ears. Once Joy knew there was no immediate danger to her daughter, she pulled back, hoping she had allowed enough space for her to breath. “Victoria, are you ok? Victoria?” Joy said holding Victoria’s face in her two hands. Victoria shook her head and continued to cry. Joy leaned in to hug her, and gave her a kiss on her cheek. Joy knew she probably was ok, just scared and shook up, just like she was. Liz came to where Joy was and after making sure that they were ok, went to see if the rest of the family was ok. Joy got Victoria out of her car seat, and joined Liz. “What happened?” Joy asked as she approached the rest of the family. Everyone shook their head or shrugged their shoulders. Victoria clung to Joy, afraid that another blast might come. And it did. It started slowly at first, and then the rumbling got louder. It didn’t take long, but the noise was almost unbearable. Joy held Victoria close, trying to protect her head and ears. All of the sudden, Joy felt someone grabbing and shaking her arm. It was Allen. He was yelling something and pointing to the other apartment building over the hill, where Dave and Ed had taken the generator. She couldn’t hear him, but as he continued pointing and speaking in Spanish, her heart froze and her stomach felt like it fell to her feet. The sound was closer that she had thought. It was coming from where her dad and husband were. She took Victoria to Liz, and had her carry her, still trying to protect her ears. Then Joy ran as fast as she ever had in her life towards the building. Allen ran with her, but soon was way ahead of her. Most of the apartment building was gone. It was a long building in a “U” shape, so the ends were still standing, but the center and everything around had collapsed. Joy stood there in disbelief, not knowing what to do. “Dave!” She yelled as she ran to the building. Allen came to her and stopped her, putting his young, but strong arms around her. “Let me go! Dave! Dave!” Joy struggled with all her might, unable to break Allen’s grasp. As she stood there, trying to fight Allen, she heard a voice calling out to her. It was Ed. “Joy! Joy!” he said, running towards her and replacing Allen in holding her. “Dad! Oh, Dad!” Joy exclaimed, almost falling to the ground. Ed and Allen caught her and held her up. “Dad, where is Dave? Please tell me he is with you. Please, Dad. Please.” Ed’s face was also covered in tears as he shook his head. “I’m so sorry,” he chocked out, his lips trembling. “No. No!” Joy yelled as she struggled to go towards the mountain of rubble in front of her. “No! Please. Dave! Dave!” Joy collapsed to the ground overcome by her grief. Then, as if from nowhere, police cars showed up, as well as a couple of fire trucks. Several people that had survived the collapse where coming out of the edges of the building. For the next few minutes everything was a blur to Joy. Her heart seemed to have been lost somewhere in the rubble. What had happened? Was Dave really in there? Maybe he wasn’t. “Dad,” Joy said looking at Ed, her face covered in tears. “Are you sure Dave was in there? Maybe he wasn’t. Do you know for sure he was in there?” Ed held her close. “I’m sure, honey. I saw him go in.” Joy sobbed on her father’s chest for a while, until a policeman approached them. Joy missed most of the conversation between him and Ed, and was unaware that the rest of the family had joined them. “Joy? Honey. Joy?” Ed said, trying to get her attention. The officer wants to talk to you. Joy?” Joy looked up from her father’s embrace, tears still streaming from her eyes. She couldn’t see the policeman very well, but she tried to focus on what he was saying. “We found someone, Ma’am. One of the residents says that he is an employee here, and also said that you might know who he is.” The police officer said as softly as he could, but yet loud enough for her to hear. “Is he alive? Is Dave alive?” Joy said, her heart skipping a beat with the hope that her husband might still be alive. “Well, yes. He is still alive, but he is in pretty bad shape. He may never be able to walk again.” The officer responded. Joy shook her head. She didn’t care if he never walked again. He was alive! “Where is he? Can I see him?” She asked, scanning the crowd of rescue workers. “Yes, Ma’am. Follow me,” The officer said as he led the way to an ambulance. Joy, Ed and Liz followed. Liz had given Victoria over to Marie and Ann so that she could be available to help Joy. They made their way through the crowd of people gathered around them. It was a total chaos. Residents from Joy’s building and from the town homes around them had come out, and the media had been informed somehow as well. There were many rescue workers going back and forth, trying to save as many people as they possibly could. It took a few minutes for them to get to where the ambulance was. “Joy? Joy!” a woman in the crowd yelled. It was Monica. “Joy, are you ok?” Monica squeezed her way past the people between them. Joy shook her head. She didn’t trust her voice, and she really just wanted to get to Dave. Monica came over and gave her a hug. “Excuse me, but Joy really needs to get to the ambulance.” Joy heard Ed say. She turned to look at him gratefully, and let go of Monica. “I need to see Dave,” Joy said quietly. A look of realization crossed Monica’s face as she took a step back and allowed Joy to get to the ambulance. Joy walked to the back of the ambulance with her parents right behind her, Ed’s hand on her shoulder, supporting her. The officer that had come to talk to her climbed into the ambulance, and then helped her up. At first all Joy could see was a man on a stretcher, with an enormous amount of blood coming from where his right leg should be. It looked as if it had been severed from the knee down. Her heart ached for her husband as she got closer to the head of the stretcher. Joy looked at the man lying in front of her, her heart churning inside of her. “This isn’t Dave. This isn’t my husband!” She cried. -------------------- happygirl Re: Joy's Legacy, compiled CHAPTER 14 Jack turned off the radio, shaking his head. He was half way to Grand Rapids, but decided to pull over. He saw all the traffic going away from the city, and decided that it may not be the best idea to actually go there. He had just lost his wife. He did not want something to happen to him or Luke, and leave the twins without any parents or family at all. He got back onto the highway and headed towards the nearest exit to be able to turn around. He knew it would be coming up soon, but was shocked when he saw what was ahead of him. The overpass was gone! In its place were just rumbles, with squad cars everywhere, plus a couple of fire engines. Jack recognized Ben’s truck. He approached the area slowly, and pulled over to the side. Jack got out of his truck, careful not to wake up Luke. “Hey, Ben, what happened? He asked, shaking Ben’s hand. Ben shook his head. “Can you believe this? Who would want to do this? There are at least two cars trapped underneath, probably people wanting to get to the city. And there were kids in there too…man! I just want to beat the crap out of someone!” He said angrily. Jack shook his head and looked down. He looked back up, watching the fire department volunteers try to clean up the mess. “Do you need some help? I’ve got Luke with me, but,” “No, no!” Ben interrupted. “You get out of here. What are you doing out this way, anyway? Were you headed for Grand Rapids?” Jack nodded as Ben continued, “Well, I’d really suggest not going. I mean, especially with Luke. I’m sure it’s not as bad there as it is in the bigger cities, but I just wouldn’t chance it. People’s tempers are running high, and even in this smaller city they are having problems. The few gangs that they have are trying to take advantage of what is happening. The police have their hands full, and they are starting to ask people to just defend themselves. You have a good place where you are, but I hope you have some way of defending yourself there, too. I think things are going to get pretty bad.” Ben shook his head. “You know, the terrorists may be doing quite a bit of damage, but I think we are actually destroying ourselves. Gangs are intimidating people into staying in their homes, or giving them up all together. This area is generally not a bad place to live, but you should see how hard it is to get people to cooperate.” “Has everything really gotten this bad so fast?” Jack asked, disbelief in his voice. Ben nodded. “Oh, yeah. And it’s not just at the city level, either. At the national level, things are getting pretty heated up, too. The President has had to declare martial law in some of the big cities, like New York and Dallas, TX. People here are worried that it will happen soon all across the country. I wouldn’t want to be in that situation, for sure. I have no idea how bad the Twin Cities is, but I hope Rebecca’s family is ok. I know she was pretty worried about them last night, and now there have been more and more reports about even apartment buildings being attacked. It’s just crazy.” Jack shook his head again. What was happening to his country? It seemed like it was falling apart at the seams. Ben told him that even in the Senate and the House of Representatives that the politicians were loosing their tempers. The Republicans and Democrats were blaming each other, and not getting anything done in the meantime. Washington was beginning to be a place of chaos, as well as other big cities like it. Grocery stores were being looted, and several people had died in stampedes. It didn’t help that the electricity kept going off, even though crews were working around the clock to keep it on. On top of all that, the tension at the border with Mexico was about to explode. The riots were escalating to the point that they did not only have to call the National Guard in, but also the Army. Mexico’s president was claming that the US was trying to invade Mexico, and that is why he had the North Korean Army there as well as the Chinese Army. The US denied these claims, saying that there was no reason for the hostility, and that it was just defending itself. The gap between the Democrats and Republicans was more than just the surface, though. The Democrats were introducing bills to pass laws that would restrict the use of guns, claiming that half of what was happening was because of private ownership of guns. A lot was being done by the terrorists, like destroying hospitals and overpasses; but most of the real, lasting damage was being done by the people themselves. Republicans argued that if you took away the right to defend oneself, it would create a bigger mess still. Jack shook his head again, and rubbed his whiskers. He could see how taking the guns away might seem like a good idea, but how would the average person defend himself if they didn’t have any? Should they all depend on the government to protect them? Jack didn’t think so. “Any idea who is doing all this, Ben?” Jack asked, all of the sudden very tired. Ben shook his head and frowned. “That’s the thing. They can’t pinpoint the enemy. No foreign government is taking responsibility, but all the attacks have been done by it seems each country in the world. I mean come on! Even Canada and Mexico have attacked us. And Britain! So much for being our allies! The President doesn’t know whom to blame! We can’t go around bombing all the frikin’ countries in the world, but it seems to me that all the countries in the world have united against us!” Jack could tell his friend was very upset. And, well, he should be! Jack knew that he himself would be more upset, but right now, he felt that he really just had to keep his mind on providing for his family. With Carol no longer here, he had his hands full, and loosing his home didn’t help matters at all. He wondered if he should still go to Grand Rapids. “So you don’t think I should go into the city, huh?” Jack asked his friend. Ben shook his head. “No, not unless you really have to. What were you going to get anyway? Could you get it at one of the smaller towns?” “Hmmm, maybe,” Jack responded. “Do you think Cohasset’s furniture store would be open? What about the Co-op there? You think it’d be open on a Sunday?” Ben nodded his head. “Yup, everything is open. Everyone is trying to sell as much as they can, but they are only taking cash. You have any?” Jack shrugged as he looked around to who was there. He really didn’t want to worry about people knowing that he had money. “Some.” Ben nodded. “Well, I better get back to work, or they’ll think I’m slacking,” he said as he shook Jack’s hand and patted him on his back. Jack patted Ben back, grateful for his friendship. He knew he had leaned heavy on him the night before, and he was grateful for all the support that Ben had given him. “You know that you are always welcome to come and camp out at my place, right? Especially with the way things are going.” Jack said, looking at Ben’s eyes. Ben nodded thoughtfully, his blond, curly hair blowing in the wind. “I may just take you up on that, buddy. I’ve got a bunch of camping gear, and we may just be able to work things out. It really is crazy in town. The Mayor is loosing her patience, and they said that she may declare Martial law here herself!” “Ok, then. I’m staying at Seth and Rebecca’s place for now, until I can get a place of my own. I’ll tell you more about that later. You better be getting back to work, slacker!” Jack laughed, surprised at the fact that he could. Ben smiled at is friend. “Ok, ok, if you insist. Don’t be surprised if I show up then, ok?” “Alright.” Jack said as he waved and turned to leave. He climbed back into his truck and made an illegal turn, knowing that under these circumstances no one was going to care. Now he realized why it seemed as if everyone was heading away from town. He headed back down the road, looking at Luke lying next to him. He was still fast asleep. He took the exit to the small town of Cohasset, glad that he had taken Ben’s advice. Even here things seemed a little on the eerie side. There seemed to have been no damage to any of the buildings, but the people were walking around town with their guns and other weapons, not even bothering to conceal them. They didn’t want anyone to mess with them, and Jack certainly had no intentions of starting anything himself. He made his way to the only small furniture store in town, glad to see that Ben had been right and it was open. The store belonged to Mr. Johnston, an old friend of Jack’s dad. Jack woke Luke up, and they walked into the store, hand in hand. To Jack’s surprise, there was no one in there but the owner. “Hi, Mr. Johnston. How are you today?” Jack said shaking the old man’s hand. Mr. Johnston and Jack’s father had been friends growing up. “Well, not the best, Jonathan. No business. Seems like no one is really interested in buying furniture when the end of the world is approaching.” Mr. Johnston sighed, shaking his head. “It’s really getting bad, isn’t it, Jonathan?” Jack smiled at the use of his name. Only his parent’s closest friends called him that. “Yeah, it really is. But on a good note, I’m here to give you business!” “Well, that’s just great, Jonathan! What can I do for you?” Mr. Johnston said happily, raising his arm and gesturing at the small store. He normally only sold what he had, but he also would have catalogs and put orders in for people. Jack looked around, as Mr. Johnston talked to Luke. Luke was still not talking, Jack noticed. He left the pair, and went around, sitting on some of the couches. They only had two or three of them, and Jack couldn’t afford any of them. He shook his head. Well, that was quick! Now, about beds, he thought to himself. He went and looked at the beds. Not much for options here, either, but Mr. Johnston did happen to have a crib and a bunk bed with mattresses. This was a good find! He also found a Queen size bed that he decided to get. He would have to figure out what to do about another crib later. Jack also found some small living room tables, and decided to buy those instead of a dinning room table that would have taken more money than he had on him. He figured they could all eat on the floor, and that the kids would love it. He approached Mr. Johnston and Luke, and made his purchases. “I’m so sorry about your loss, Jonathan.” Mr. Johnston said quietly, glancing at Luke. Jack nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Johnston.” He didn’t want to talk about it anymore, especially with Luke there. “I saw you trying out the couches. Where you looking for one of those too?” Mr. Johnston asked. Jack nodded. “Yes, but it’s going to have to wait. I’m more interested in having a place to sleep on.” “Well, son, why don’t you take that blue one there? The one that looks like it was made with jean material?” Mr. Johnston pointed at the one Jack had liked the best. He must have seen me linger on it, Jack thought. “Nah, that’s ok, Mr. Johnston. The beds and tables will be just fine.” Jack declined the offer. “Look, Jonathan. Let me do this for you. I need to ask you a big favor, but I need you to say yes to the couch first.” Mr. Johnston insisted. “Uh, ok. What do you need, Mr. Johnston? Is there anything I can help you with?” Jack asked, concerned. “Well, Jonathan, as you know, I’m old. Ever since I lost my wife and Eric, I have had to care for Bob and Andrea by myself. I have a feeling that I’m not going to last too long through all this, and I wonder if it came down to it, would you be willing to take care of them? I know I’m asking a lot, especially after what you have just been through, but I don’t know who else to turn to!” Jack held his hand up and shook his head. “No need to say more, Mr. Johnston. How many times did you save my Dad’s butt at war? You were like a brother to him, so then you are like an uncle to me. You are going to be just fine; you’re not that old! But if something were to happen to you, you can rest assured that I will take care of your family the best I can,” Jack said, putting his hand on Luke’s shoulder. Mr. and Mrs. Johnston had been blessed with two boys. The older one, Eric, had died in a tragic accident with his wife, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Johnston to care for their only daughter, Andrea. Bob was Mr. and Mrs. Johnston’s youngest son. He was about Jack’s age, maybe a little younger. But his mind was much, much younger, about ten years old or so they said. He was a nice guy and Jack enjoyed his company. Andrea was also nice, especially if you compared her to the regular teenagers of this day. At 14, she was cute, but not too concerned about how she looked. She was a regular tomboy, and loved to play with Luke. These people were like family to Jack. And with all the help he was receiving, he wasn’t about to turn someone down. “Thank you, Jonathan, you have no idea what this means to me,” Mr. Johnston said, his eyes filling with tears. “Well, let’s just hope that this doesn’t get any worse,” Jack said, shifting his weight. “I hope that whoever is in charge of what is happening just stops or can be stopped. It’s all kind of like a nightmare, isn’t it?” Mr. Johnston nodded, putting his old hands on the counter. “Yup, and I have a feeling, if my gut still steers me right, that we are headed towards a lot more trouble than we’re in now.” They made the final transaction, which came out to just over $2000, including taxes. Jack knew he was getting a pretty good deal, but decided not to argue about it anymore. He paid for it in cash and Mr. Johnston got Bob to come out to the store to help Jack load everything up. Bob was a strong man, but Jack had to show him what he wanted him to do every step of the way. They got everything strapped on the trailer, and just when they were about to leave, Mr. Johnston came out with a couple of simple dinning room chairs. “Here, Jonathan. I want you to have these, too. They are for your babies. Now don’t go making fun of my gift, you know I’m not good at this stuff. And don’t even think about turning them down. They don’t cost that much, and you will offend me if you do.” He said, in a voice as mean as he could muster up. Jack suppressed a laugh. “Ok, Mr. Johnston. But no more gifts, ok? You have done more than enough for us.” The older man came and patted Jack on the back. “Ok. Now you take care of these little young ones, you hear?” Jack nodded. “Good to see you again, Mr. Johnston. Maybe you could bring Bob and Andrea out to see the twins some time soon.” Mr. Johnston nodded. “I’d like that, Jonathan.” Jack and Luke took off, after Mr. Johnston gave Luke a warm hug. Jack thought he had seen a slight smile on Luke’s face, but he wasn’t sure. They made there way to the Co-op next. So this is where everyone is, Jack thought to himself. Jack slowed down in front of the store long enough to know that this was not the place to go into, at least not with Luke anyway. As they passed the front door, Jack heard what he thought were two gunshots coming from inside the store, and he stepped on the gas peddle. Unfortunately, there were cars in front of him so he couldn’t go any faster then they were going, and the car in back of him wasn’t going anywhere either. “Luke, son, can you look under the seat for a coin I dropped?” Jack said, trying to sound as casual as he could. Luke looked at his father confused. He was never allowed to take his seat belt off! “It’s ok, Luke. Just this time.” Jack nodded. Luke carefully took his seat belt off and got down on his hands and knees as he looked for a coin that was probably not there. Jack looked at the cars around him, frustrated. How had he gotten into this mess? He should have probably never have come out at all, he thought. Just then the driver of the car in front of Jack got out of his vehicle. Jack looked at him confused. What was he doing? He was going to create a bigger traffic jam by stopping! The young man, dressed in black, approached Jack, making Jack’s hairs on the back of his neck stand up. “Hey, man,” the young man said, taping on Jack’s window. Jack slowly rolled down his window, feeling about as stupid as he ever had. He couldn’t believe he had put himself and his son in danger. There was no hiding Luke now. Jack saw the young man’s eyes look at Luke and caught the smirk on his face. “What’s up?” Jack asked, hoping he sounded tougher than he felt. This kid was no match for Jack. If there was to be a fight and it was fair, that was. But Jack knew that this type of situations were never fair. Why hadn’t he at least brought his Colt Combat Commander? He should have been carrying it on his lap, ready for anything to go wrong. Jack mentally kicked himself as he glanced in the passenger side mirror and to his horror, saw the driver of the vehicle behind him get out of his car and approach Jack’s truck from the other side. “Well, we heard that you had to get rid of some cash,” The first guy said, his grin revealing a gold front tooth. Jack noticed out of the corner of his eye that the other guy was standing outside of Luke’s door. “Cash? What cash? I don’t know what you are talking about.” Jack said innocently. He didn’t want to push these guys, especially not in front of Luke. But he didn’t want to give up his money that easily either. The young man with the gold tooth laughed a loud, fake laugh, and looked across at his buddy. “Can you believe this guy?” he asked, his face suddenly turning serious as he opened his jacket to reveal a chrome plated snub nosed revolver. Jack looked at Luke, who was sitting on the floor of the truck, silently taking it all in. He wished his son didn’t have to see this. Jack went through his options in his mind as quickly as he could. He could try and fight the guys, and possibly hurt himself or even Luke. He couldn’t afford to do either. He could try to escape, but they had cornered him in pretty good, even though they were in a very public area. No one seemed to be paying attention to what was happening to them. Or, he could just give up the money he had left over. He really didn’t want to do that, but seemed that next to putting himself and Luke in more danger, it was the safest option. “What is it that you think I have?” Jack answered trying to buy time, his face flushed with anger. “Mula, Man! And quite a bit, from what I heard. You’ve been working hard and earning lots of money at the logging place. Now hand it over!” The second guy responded. For a second Jack was confused. Then, just as quickly, he figured it out. These guys weren’t after him! They must of thought he looked like somebody else, and were taking the opportunity to rob him. Jack put his hands on the wheel, wanting to keep them visible, not wanting to provoke the robbers. Then, Jack saw his opportunity. The oncoming traffic had stopped, and if he was quick, he could get out of this situation without him or Luke getting hurt. He took his foot off of the brake and stepped on the accelerator, making Luke bump his head on the seat. As he turned the wheel a sharp left, heading in the wrong direction, he could hear the guy with the gold tooth yelling. “Ow! You son of a b***ch!” he swore, holding his right foot up, hoping hopelessly on the left one before falling over. The second man backed away from the trailer just before he suffered the same fate, and then ran over to see his buddy. Just as quick as he had made the left turn, Jack had to make the right turn. He saw Luke being thrown around a little, but was hoping it wasn’t too bad. He made it back into his lane, the trailer barely missing an oncoming car, his horn blazing. Jack looked into the side mirrors, hoping that the guys weren’t following him. They weren’t. The first guy was still on the ground, holding his foot, and the other guy was trying to help him. Jack looked at Luke, who looked scared, but ok. “You okay, Luke?” Jack asked. Luke nodded quietly, his eyes as big as saucers. “Ok, how ‘bout you sit back up here and put your seatbelt back on?” Jack said, patting the seat next to him. Luke quickly got up and strapped himself into the seat. “I’m sorry Luke. It was probably a mistake to come. Should we go back to Mrs. Rebecca’s place now?” Jack asked Luke, rubbing his small head. Luke nodded, and put his little hand on Jack’s. Poor kid, Jack thought, what was I thinking? He’s probably still scared just from last night, and now I had to go and put him in this situation. They made their way back in silence, each deep in their own thoughts. Jack thought about what was to come, and if he really was prepared for it. There really was no way of knowing, as he didn’t know if this was the worse or if there was yet more to come. He sighed, and looked at his meters. I should get some gas, he thought, thinking that the small Mom ‘n’ Pop gas station closest to where he lived should be ok to stop at. It was. He hadn’t gone past much traffic, and it all seemed to be heading towards the city, not away from it. It seemed like everyone wanted to get stocked up for what was to come. He’d have to thank Mr. Bodaway for giving him a heads up, and being able to go to Duluth before everything started to get this bad. Jack shook his head. It couldn’t get possibly worse than two dumbos trying to rob him in plain daylight! He got his gas, and even some extra in the containers he carried with him, the whole time Luke standing with him. The boy seemed scared still, and Jack wanted to make sure he could keep an eye on him in case something did happen again. They went in to pay for the gas, and Jack almost wished he hadn’t gotten any. The small gas station didn’t always advertise how much gas was going for, hoping that people would be desperate enough to pay whatever they were charging, within reason, of course. But at $3.50 a gallon, Jack felt they were gouging him. He had known the previous owner quite well, but then they had sold the place a year ago to a man named Sam, and his wife. She was known to flirt a little with Jack, and he avoided coming here as much as he could. “What? Come on! Look, just last week you sold me gas for $2.20 per gallon. You’re charging me more than a dollar more than what it says at the pump now! Why the hike in price?” Jack asked the owner of the store, upset. “Well, Jack, you know as well as I do that things seem to be going to hell in a hand basket. Have you watched the news lately? What they are saying may not mean anything to you, but it does to me. Have you heard that other countries are refusing to trade with the US? That includes oil. And oil makes gas, and a heck of a lot of other things. So I’m charging a little more. If I were you, I’d buy more containers and get more gas. This is only going to get worse and who knows how long it’s going to take to get better. Besides, if you treat the gas, you can keep it for quite a while, and then use it up if nothing does happen, and things get back to normal.” Sam replied. “And I suppose you would be happy to sell that to me, too.” Jack said, resignation in his voice. “Well, I just happen to have some! Now look, I’ll make you a deal. If you buy 10 containers for gas, the gas and the stuff to treat it with, I’ll give you a 6.5% discount.” The man said smugly, leading the way to get the supplies. “6.5%?” Jack asked. “That’s just enough to pay for the taxes on…oh.” Jack saw what the man was trying to do. Somehow he had figured out a way to still get full price and not have to pay the taxes on the income. Jack wondered how he was able to do that, and how long he had been doing it for. “No, thank you, Sam. I will buy the supplies, but I will not be part of anything illegal.” “Suit yourself, Jack.” Sam said, handing the containers to Jack. “But pretty soon it’s not going to matter anyway. The States will cease to exist as we know it, and it will be every man for himself. You better own a gun and know how to shoot, or you’ll be toast. I’m going to head over to Grand Rapids soon and buy more for myself, once Stephanie gets here. And maybe we’ll even close up shop and go to Duluth to do some shopping. We are going to need more guns and ammo than what we have, that’s for sure. Things are going to get real ugly, man, and quick. Murders, raping, robbing-” Jack looked down at Luke. “Luke, why don’t you go pick some candy over by the register?” he interrupted Sam. “Maybe even some ice cream? Get one for me too, ok?” He asked as Luke nodded and then headed to the front of the store. “Sam, I’d appreciate you not talking about such things in front of my son.” Jack said angrily. “He’s been through a lot in the last few hours, and he doesn’t need to hear about all this.” “Well, maybe he needs a reality check, Jack,” Sam retorted. “His mama isn’t going to always be there to protect him, and he’s going to have to learn to protect himself.” Jack felt as if he had been kicked in the stomach at the statement that Carol wasn’t going to be able to protect Luke. He felt like punching Sam in the nose for the pain he had just caused, but knew that there really was no way of him knowing that he had just lost his wife. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. The last thing he needed was to get into a fistfight with the owner of a gas station. “I’ll take it from here, Sam, thank you.” Jack said coldly. Jack got the rest of the containers and brought them to the front. He paid for everything, including the treatment of the gas, the gas itself and the ice cream that Luke had picked out for them. Jack didn’t say much to Sam as they left, and he didn’t make Luke say anything to him either. It took a couple of trips to get all the stuff back to the truck, and after eating the ice cream, Jack filled up the rest of the containers with the pre paid gas. He was loading up the last ones, when he heard someone coming up behind him. He turned around quickly, not wanting to be taken by surprise. It was Stephanie, Sam’s wife. “Well, hi there, Vet! How are you doing today?” She asked, tossing her hair back and batting her eyelashes. Jack was amused that she didn’t even try to hide the flirting, even though they were both committed to other people. Well, Jack had been, anyway. “Hi Stephanie,” Jack said, barely glancing at her. She was wearing tight shorts and a tank top that allowed her pierced belly button to show. Her dark skin contrasted under her blond hair, showing her love for the sun. Too much love, Jack thought. “So, what have you boys been up too?” She asked, grabbing hold of Luke’s cheek between her thumb and her fingers. Luke pulled away and went to stand behind his father. “Oh, are you shy?” Stephanie asked, her voice dripping with syrup. “Well, we were just leaving, weren’t we Luke?” Jack asked, lifting him up into the truck. Luke scooted over to the passenger’s side of the truck, quickly buckling himself in. “Oh, that’s too bad. Care to come in for a glass of cold tea?” Stephanie asked Jack, her eyes asking much more than that. “No, no. Thank you. We better take off,” Jack said, getting into the truck himself and quickly closing the door before Stephanie got a chance to come and stand by him, blocking the door. It had happened to him once before, and he wasn’t about to let it happen again. “Ok, if you are sure,” Stephanie said, disappointment in her voice. “Yup, gotta keep going. See ya later!” Jack said, rudely starting the car and taking off without giving her a chance to respond. When they were almost at Seth’s place, Luke broke his silence. “Papa?” Jack almost jumped in his seat, surprised that Luke wanted to talk. “Yes, Luke?” he asked quietly. “Will I get a different Mother?” Luke asked innocently. “Uh, I don’t know Luke. Why do you ask?” Jack asked shocked that his son would ask such a question. “Well, Miss Stephanie told me once that she wanted to be my mother.” He said, a little panic in his voice. “Miss Stephanie said that to you?” Jack asked looking at Luke. As Luke nodded, Jack continued. “Well, son, if you ever do get a different mother, and I’m not saying you will, it won’t be her. I’ll guarantee that. Ok?” Luke nodded and looked relieved. “I miss Mother.” He stated simply. “I know, Luke, I know.” Jack responded, and they made the rest of the trip in silence. --------------------

Ok, here is 9 - 10 *WARNING- this chapter contains some violence!* CHAPTER 9 Joy and Victoria hit a few more stores before meeting up with Dave again. They were able to get some more stuff that they wanted, like a couple sets of FRS/GMRS radios that were supposed to be compatible with other radios like them and had at least a 14-mile range. They also found an ‘Old Fashioned’ hardware store, where they were able to buy supplies that they hadn’t even thought of. Dave was able to buy some glasses at a 2-for-1 sale, and then they headed home. They agreed that Dave would stay home and pack as much stuff into the U-haul as possible, and Joy would take Victoria to the airport to pick up Roger and Marie. This way Dave could be home in case her parents and the rest of the family arrived. Dave and Joy transferred what was in the minivan to the U-haul to make space for the luggage that Roger and Marie were going to bring. They said their good byes and Joy and Victoria took off. Half way to the airport, Joy’s cell phone rang. “Your phone is ringing, Mommy!” Victoria said. She had been very quiet all day. Joy wondered if she could sense how tense they were. “I know, Sweetie, thank you!” Joy turned off the radio and answered her phone. It was Dave. “Hi hon. I know you’re driving, so I’ll keep this short. Roger and Marie have arrived, and will wait for you at the pick up and drop off location. Just look for them in the American Airlines section. Ok?” “Ok, hon. Thanks for letting me know!” Joy answered. “I love you! Bye.” “Love you too, bye.” Joy knew that Dave never hung up the phone until the other person did. Joy finally told Victoria about whom they were going to see. Victoria got really excited often, and sometimes would ask Joy over and over again the same question. Joy wanted to make sure she could pay attention to her driving, as she knew that people were starting to get a little tense. She wasn’t sure if it was the time of day or if it was because of what was going on everywhere. They pulled up to the meeting place and saw Marie right away. Joy was so excited to see her sister again, that she was having a tough time containing her excitement. She parked and got out of the car, taking her keys with her. “Marie!” Joy said as she gave her a hug, “It’s so good to see you!” “Oh, man, it’s so good to see you!” Marie said. “You have no idea how happy we are to be here!” She reached out her hand to a tall, thin black man, wearing a thin pair of glasses. Joy recognized him right away from the pictures Marie had sent. “Joy, this is Roger. Roger, my sister, Joy”. Marie said, with obvious pride. Roger struck out his hand to shake Joy’s, but Joy gave him a hug instead. “C’mon! We’re family now,” she said. “I am so happy to finally meet you.” Roger smiled. “And it is very good to meet you,” he said in a thick African accent. Joy knew not to be fooled by his accent. This man was a genius! Aside from being a doctor and he spoke more than a half a dozen languages. “Where is my little-red-head?” Marie asked as she went to the other side of the van. As Marie hugged Victoria in her car seat, Roger and Joy put the luggage in the back. Well, mostly Roger as it was all very heavy. Joy saw two big bags made out of African material that she had seen before. “Are these what I think they are?” Joy asked Roger. He smiled at her. “Yes,” he whispered, “but you are not supposed to know. They are a surprise.” Joy nodded her head and laughed softly. Her sister had brought a real African drum for their nephew, Allen last year. Joy had loved playing it, and hopefully one of these was for her. When Marie finally decided where she wanted to sit, they took off for home. Roger in front with Joy, and Marie in back, enjoying her niece. Roger and Joy talked small talk, knowing that the real heavy stuff would have to wait until little ears were out of hearing distance. Joy’s cell phone rang, and she handed it to Roger. She knew by the ring tone that it was Dave, and wanted to surprise him. “Hello?” Roger said, and then paused. “Ah, yes! Hello, David. How are you? Good, good…yes, our trip was, well, let us just say that we are glad to be here. Uh-huh. Okay, I will tell her that. That is good news. We are happy that they are here. Okay. We will see you soon, David. Good bye.” He hung up the phone and returned it to Joy. He turned to look at Marie, and then Joy. “Your parents are here! David said that they had just arrived.” “Who’s here, Mommy?” Victoria asked from the back seat. “Gramps and Nana honey! Isn’t that exciting? They came all the way from Mexico!” Joy said, trying to focus on the road. “Gramps and Nana? YEAH!” Squealed Victoria. “And you know who else?” her Auntie asked. Victoria shook her head no. “Who?” she asked excitedly. “Auntie Ann, Tío Juan, Leslie and Allen!” Marie told her. None of them could wait to get home. They talked excitedly about the reunion that was unprecedented, but there was a caution in the adults’ voices. They all knew that things weren’t going well, and that life might not be too exciting in the days, months, or maybe even years to come. They finally got to Joy’s home and pulled into the front parking lot where Joy had seen the big U-haul truck. She parked and everyone got out excitedly. Liz and Ed, Ann and her family were all there. Tired, but there. They all hugged each other tightly, glad to see everyone. Then Joy saw a man that seemed to be part of the group, but that Joy didn’t know. Leslie saw that she had noticed him and motioned for him to go over to her. They walked towards Joy hand in hand. “Joy, this is my boyfriend, Marco.” Leslie said shyly. Marco stretched out his hand to Joy. Ah, so this is Marco, Joy thought. This relationship had been controversial in the family, as Marco at 30 years old was older than Joy, and Leslie was barely 18. “Nice to finally meet you, Joy! I’ve heard a lot about you!” He said with a smile. Joy shook his hand and was surprised when he came towards her and kissed her cheek. She’d been gone from Mexico too long! She remembered that most of the time people kissed each other when they greeted. Well, girls with girls and guys with girls, that is. In some social circles it was common to see guys kissing each other, too. Not the circles that Joy hung out with though. Dave got everyone’s attention. “Why don’t we all go inside, and we’ll show you where you will be staying.” They all followed Dave as the chatter continued. Joy found Liz and pulled her aside. “Mom! How come you didn’t tell me about Marco coming? It would have been nice to know!” Joy said. “You didn’t know? Oh, I’m so sorry, honey, I thought I had told you. He’s been with us all along!” She laughed. “And he really is no problem. He is such a getleman, and has helped us tremendously.” “So how did they let him across the border?” Joy asked. “Marco? Oh, he’s an American citizen, didn’t you know?” Liz looked surprised. They talked a bit more as they made their way to the apartments. Dave had put all the airbeds in there that they had bought, but hadn’t blown them up. Everyone put their stuff down and took turns using the bathrooms. Dave approached Joy and told her he was going to go downstairs to get the pizzas that he had ordered for everyone. Joy nodded and gave him a quick hug. After supper, they all filed in to Joy’s apartment. Joy served icecream for everyone, and then after some good laughter and catching up, Dave and Joy put Victoria to sleep. It was way past her bed time, but it was a special occasion. Victoria went around and gave kisses to evryone, and then made one more round to give hugs. Once Dave and Joy had prayed for her, she fell asleep. Dave and Joy went back to their living-room and sat to talk with everyone else. The mood had sombered quite a bit, and you could feel the tension in the air. Joy knew at once that they had been talking about what might come. Ed spoke up when they walked in. “Can we watch some news?” He wondered. Dave nodded. “Sure,” He turned the TV on, as it was already close to the news time. But not close enough, as there was a sitcome playing. Dave muted it so they could talk while they waited for the news. Joy turned to Marie and Roger. “So how was your trip?” Roger and Marie looked at eachother. “Well,” Marie said, “not the best trip I’ve ever had! The flight itself was fine, but man, the airports were horrible! Have they said anything in the news about them not letting people from other countries come to the States?” She continued as everyone nodded. “Well, they almost didn’t let Roger come. We had problems in Senegal and in Portugal. One lady in Portugal insisted that he didn’t have the right papers and that he needed to go back home. Well we knew that his papers were in order, and that he should be able to come fine. We finally talked to the lady’s boss and he let him come. He said something like ‘Hey, if that’s what you want, then fine!’ Remember I called you from Portugal and told you that the airport seemed ok?” she asked, looking at Joy. Joy nodded. “Well, everything was ok where we were. After talking to a few people, we found out that a lot of the them were American, and were being kicked out of the country. Either of Portugal or whatever country they were coming from. Then as we headed towards our gate to leave and we could hear a lot of people yelling and screeming. It was down right out scary. I didn’t understand everything, but then they started to chant ‘Let us go, let us go!’ in Portuguese.” Marie shook her head. “It really was scary!” “Did you have any problems getting into the States, Roger?” Juan asked. Roger shook his head. “No, man. I had no problems at all. Just trying to get here was the problem.” Juan nodded his head. “It was the same for me. I also have all my papers in order, but the Mexican officials almost didn’t let me leave the country. The only reason they did was because my wife and kids are American,” he said as he nodded towards Ann and their kids. “And of course Marco here has dual citizenship!” He said as he pocked him jockingly. They disscoused the riots that they had heard at the border and how they had gotten worse over the next few days. “Well, the riots were probably happening because so many people living at the border have jobs in the States,” Juan continued. “I know that a lot of them cross the border everyday, and then go back home to Mexico. I’m not saying it’s right, I’m just saying that that’s the way it is. And those soldiers from N. Korea and China were sure kind of scary, weren’t they?” All the ones that had come from Mexico nodded. Nobody knew what was going to happen next, but they sure wanted to be ready for it. They weren’t even sure if they would be able to go back to the countries that they had come from. “Well, it’s 10:00 pm. Should we watch the news?” Joy asked. Everyone nodded. Dave pushed the mute button to get the sound back on. “and I’m Don Shelby. Thanks for inviting us into your home tonight.” The main anchor said. The screen changed and showed the face of the other anchor, Sandra Kilman. “The White House was scrambling today to find out why thousands and thousands of Americans are being forced to leave other countries and being sent back to the States. At the same time, these countries are asking for extensive military help. They are having massive rioting in the large cities mostly near the international airports. The spokesman of the White House is now admitting that those riots are probably being caused by the fact that these said countries are not allowing their people to come to the States. Later on tonight we will take you live to a news conference at the White House.” The face of the White House spokesman appeared on TV. It looked like it had been recorded earlier. He said just what the anchor had just reported, then it looked like it was cut short. “We will be taking you back to this story in a few minutes, but first, we have a breaking story coming in. Jason Peterson takes us live to downtown St. Paul, where a protest is starting to take place. Jason?” Don said. The screen showed Jason, one of the reporters, holding his hand to his hear, and shouting into the microphone. “Don, about a half hour ago a group of angry immigrants started meeting here in front of the capitol building holding up signs and banners. Most of the banners say “LET THEM IN!” as you can see behind me. It started very peacefully as people from many different countries started assembling. We were not aware that this was going to happen, and apperantly neither were the police. As you can see over there,” Joshua paused for the camara to show what he was talking about, “they are just now arriving.” The crowd behind Jason was starting to get louder, and it seemed like, angrier. “LET THEM IN! LET THEM IN!” they chanted. The screen split in two, showing Don and Jason at the same time. “What are they trying to do, Jason? Are they not aware that it is their countries that are not allowing their friends and family members in?” Don asked. There was a long pause as Jason liestened to the question. “No, Don, apperantly not. I talked with a woman from Vietnam earlier and she said that the US wasn’t allowing her mother to come for the delivery of her first baby. She was pretty upset, as was her husband. I asked them what her mother had told them was the reason for not being able to come. She said that even though they had gotten all of her papers in order, the US was refusing to let her to come.” The screen showed Don Shelby again, as he shook his head. “Alright, Jason. We’ll come back to you later, and see how things are going. But now,” he said as he talked to the camara again, “we will be taking you live to the White House where a late night conference is taking place.” “Good evening,” said the White House representative, standing in front of an American flag, “and thank you for being here tonight. As many of you know; a lot, if not most, of the countries in the world are for some reason not letting their people into the US. At this time there are protests in the larger cities around the States rising up, claiming that it is the US that is not allowing the immigrants or visitors in. Let me clarify this. Our foreign policies have not changed. Anyone that has the proper papers is welcome to come to the US. On the contrary, it is these same countries that are asking Americans to leave and come back to American soil.” He paused for a second as he looked at the reporters before him and then continued. “Also, the President has personally asked me to request that all Americans prepare for the worst. We don’t know what the intentions are of these countries by boycotting the Unied States, but be assured that your government and local officials are doing their best to keep us all safe. After 9/11 we have not been able to locate some missles and warheads that were intended for American soil. Make sure that you have at least a week’s supply of food, water and medicine, and that your family has a plan to meet up again in case you get separated. This is all for tonight. Thank you.” The room errupted into chaos as reporters shouted out questions that would go unanswered. Don Shelby came back on to the screen. “Well, that was certainly enlightning! We will now take you back to down town St. Paul, where Jason has new developments on this new story. Jason?” Jason had moved form the last place he had been at. It seemed to Joy that it was safer where he was at now. Things had escalated quickly. Some fires had been started and a car had been turned over, as the police looked like they were having a tough time keeping everything in order. Jason still had a hand over his ear, and had to shout into the microphone while he spoke. Joy lost track of what Jason was saying. She was to busy watching what was going on behind him. She wondered if anyone else was catching this, as she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. There, behind Jason on his right side, was a mob that was not chanting, not even marching, but fighting. Joy strained to see what was happening. She looked at her family around her and hoped that she was wrong. Then, as she looked back at the screen she realized that she wasn’t making this up. A Middle-Eastern looking man approached Jason from behind and slit his throat. Jason collapsed, and the camara soon followed. Not even a second later, Don Shelby’s face was filling the screen again. He looked horrified and confused, but tried to to put on his best profesional look. “Uh, we’ll be right back.” And then, commercials. Dave muted the TV, and there was silence in the room. Nobody could believe what had just happened. Finally, Joy spoke up. “Can you rewind it, Dave?” she asked. One of the perks of working for the apartment complex was free Cable. The Cable company provided the workers of the apartment complex with free cable in exchange for names and addreses of the people moving in. It was a win-win situation. Dave and Joy had lucked out by getting a full package, including a DVR. Dave nodded his head and rewound it until Jason came back on the screen. Everyone watched intensly as fighting occoured behind Jason’t back. You could bearly hear what Jason was saying, as the noise behind him grew. Then, the man came behind him and slit his throat. Don came on again, and then commercials. Dave muted it again. “Well, I don’t need to see that again,” Liz said. “I’m sorry Mom,” Joy said. “I just couldn’t believe that it was happening!” “I know honey. What I meant is that I don’t want to see that happening ever again in my life.” Liz responded. Everyone remained quiet for a little while as they processed what had just happened. Joy wondered what they would say next on the news. She didn’t have to wonder for long as Sandra, the other anchor, appeared on the screen. “Thank you for staying with us. Paul Benson has now joined us to give us a weather update. Humid night out there isn’t it, Paul?” Everyone in the living room groaned. “Aren’t they going to say anything about what just happened?” Allen asked, looking around at everyone. Paul Benson showed up on the screen. “Yes, it is, Sandra, and it will continue this way all through tomorrow morning. After an early shower it should-”. He never got to finish the sentence as Dave muted him. “I don’t know about you guys, but I think we need to do some serious talking here.” Dave said. Ed nodded. “Yes, I agree. Things are starting to look as bad here as they were at the border. We didn’t see anyone get their throat slit at the border. Not that it didn’t happen, it’s just that we didn’t see it. I’m not normally a pessimist, but I sure hope you all brought enough clothes to stay for a while. If they aren’t letting Americans go back to the countries that they were living in, then we are going to have to do some serious talking and praying.” “You mean we might not be able to go back?” Leslie asked incredulous. “Oh, I’m sure maybe some day, but who knows how soon, honey.” Liz answered. “We need to think about what we want to do as a family. Should it be each individual family on their own? Or should we stick together as a group? I’d prefer that, but I’m not sure what we can do. We can’t stay here forever. For one thing, Dave doesn’t even work here anymore. For another, I’m not sure I want to be this close to the ‘action’.” She said with concern in her voice. “I think we can take a vote,” Roger said, “but I agree with you, Liz. We should all stick together.” Several of the family members nodded their heads. “Well, I don’t know about you all, but I can go back,” Juan said smuggly. “What, are you planning on leaving us here?” Ann asked him, a little shocked. “Well, no, not necessarily. I just thought I’d point that out.” He answered, trying to back paddle on what he had just said. “Well, so can I,” Roger said. “But like you did with Ann, I promised Marie that I’d be with her in good times and in bad times and I don’t intend to go back on that promise.” Joy saw the angered look cross between Juan and Roger. It was no secret that Juan and Ann hadn’t always gotten along that well. They had been close to divorce several times, mostly due to Juan treating Ann as his personal boxing bag. They separated maybe two or three times each year, and Joy had wondered about her oldest sister’s mental capabilities. Why did she stay with him? Joy had asked her once, and Ann had looked at her sadly. “Because unfortunatly, I love him. I made a choice to marry him, and now, I want to do all I can to make our relationship work. And I will stay with him because I am being as faithful as I can be. Now please know that I will not ever tolorate him ever hitting me again. And he knows that.” Joy hoped Ann would always remember that. Joy cleared her throat to ease the tension. “Well, how many of us say we should stick together?” She said as she raised her hand. Everyone followed. Juan was the last one, reluctantly raising his hand. “Ok, now how ‘bout-” Joy never got to finish her question as the phone rang. Dave rolled his eyes and went to answer it. He looked at the caller ID and then at Joy. “It’s my sister.” He said flatly. He hesitated before answering, as talking to her usually meant that she wanted something from him. “I’ll take it in the room,” he said, and dissapeared down the hallway. “Can you turn the volume back on?” Marie asked. “The news is back.” Joy reached to get the remote and turned the volume back up. Don Shelby’s face was on the screen, white as death. “Thank you for tuning back in. For all of the callers and viewers that are concerned for Jason, our camara man has reported that he’s ok,” he lied. “Thank you for your concern. Now to end tonight’s news, we want to take you live to Washigton DC, where our affiliate there is catching another impromptu gathering.” The screen filled up with thousands of people gathering in one of the major streets of DC. Most of the people sounded angry, and it looked like this time there was a mix of Americans and other nationalities. The camara spun, showing the police dressed in black with helmets on and carring huge shield’s, trying to hold the crowd back. Suddenly, someone from the crowd threw something in the air and it landed among the policemen. A couple seconds later there was a loud explosion and several policemen were thrown into the air. You could here a loud gasp coming from Sandra Kilman. The screen changed once more to show both Sandra and Don as their faces betrayed the confidence they were trying to show. “Thank you for joining us tonight,” Don said, his hands shaking. “The Late Show is next”. -------------------- CHAPTER 10 Jack stood there dumbfounded. He didn’t realize that he was yelling Carol’s name. One of the firemen came to him and tried to get his attention. “Jack. Jack!” Ben Tiller yelled, pulling on Jack’s arm. Ben and Jack had been friends since childhood. They didn’t see each other much, but they thought highly of one another. Jack realized what was happening. He looked at Ben desperately. “Ben, where is Carol? Where is Carol?” “She’s been taken to the hospital, Jack. Now Jack listen to me. Where is Luke? We haven’t been able to find Luke!” Ben responded. “Luke? He’s, he’s in the truck. He was with me. We were in Duluth.” Jack’s voice trailed off. “Is she ok? Where is she at? I need to get there now!”. Jack said, heading back to his truck. “Now just wait a minute, Jack. You are in no condition to drive,”Ben countered. “Look at you! You are about to loose your mind!” “Well, wouldn’t you?” Jack retorted angrily. “Where is she? I need to get to her!” he shouted. “I’m sorry, Jack. Come with me. I’ll take you there myself.” Ben started to head to his truck and Jack began to follow. “Papa? What’s happening, Papa?” Luke called out to Jack. “Luke!” Jack spun quickly to look at his son, feeling guilty for almost forgetting him and leaving him there. “Come here son,” Jack picked him up in his strong arms and carried him to Ben’s truck. There was no need to carry Luke, but Jack needed as much comfort as he could get. They rode in silence to the only hospital in Grand Rapids. Ben turned on his siren to make sure that they would be able to get there as soon as possible. Once there, Ben went into the hospital with them and led the way to where Carol was at. It seemed to Jack that these hallways were longer than ever, and that everyone seemed to be staring at them. His mind was racing, not knowing what to think. Was Carol ok? Would the twins make it? Just before reaching the ER, Ben grabbed Jack by the elbow. “Hey Jack,” he said as casually as he could, “can I show Luke a really cool fire-engine truck that they are selling in the gift shop?” Jack looked confused, then relieved. “Wow, that would be fun!” he said with as much excitement as he could muster up. “Would you like that, Luke?” Luke searched his father’s eyes and then finally nodded. “Yes, Papa.” He answered so quietly that the older men almost missed it. Ben took Luke by the hand and led him away. Jack watched them dissapear around the corner, hearing Ben tell Luke how this truck was as close as they could get to the real thing. Jack took a deep breath and approached a nurse. “Excuse me, Ma’am, I’m looking for Carol Daniels?” “Carol Daniels?” The nurse repeated as she looked in her clipboard. “Ah, here she is.” She said, and then her face dropped. “She’s, um, she’s in the second door to your left,” she continued, pointing towards the right direction. Jack managed to mumble a thank you and then approached the room cautiously. There were several doctor’s and nurses in the room, not allowing Jack to even get a glimps of Carol. He stood at the entrance of the door until a nurse noticed him standing there. “I’m sorry, sir. I’m going to have to close this door.” She said, closing the door behind her. Jack sank into a chair next to the door and ran his fingers through his hair. What was happening in there? Why was this happening? Was Carol ok? He couldn’t stand it any longer, and just as he stood up to open the door again, the nurse opened the door and turned to face him. “Sir, are you related to Carol Daniels?” She asked quickly. Jack could only nod his head. “Dr. Bellmont, we have a relative of the patient here” she called back into the room. Dr. Bellmont came out of the room as Jack tried in vain to see his wife. The doctor led him away from the room a few paces and asked Jack to sit down again. “So you are a relative of Ms. Daniels?” he asked after he took a seat next to Jack. Jack nodded. “I’m her husband,” he was able to manage after he found his voice. “Good, that’s good.” The doctor said with a somber face. “Mr. Daniels, I’m afraid I have some very bad news. I’m not sure yet what happened, but your wife is dying quickly of Carbon Monoxide poisining.” “Carbon Monoxide?” Jack repeated, even though he knew what the doctor meant. The doctor nodded. “Too much smoke inhalation. She must of passed out because of lack of oxygen. When we took the ultrasound it showed that her lungs were already taxed with the twins she is carrying, and the smoke must have knocked her out. Now I want you to listen to me very carefully. We probably won’t be able to save her, Mr. Daniels,” he paused as Jack groaned in pain, his heart breaking to a million pieces inside of him. The doctor raised his voice to make himself heard. “But Mr. Daniels, we might be able to save the twins. Do you want us to save the twins?” he asked as clearly as he could, forcing Jack to look at him. “I’m afraid we have very little time, sir, and I need an answer now.” It took all the strength that Jack had just to nod his head. “Yes,” he whispered as loudly as he could. “Ok, that’s all I needed to know.” The doctor stood up quickly and left Jack to return to the room where Carol was. Jack could hear him shouting orders as he went in. “Ok, people, let’s move. We’ve got some babies to save!” Jack put his face into his hands and sobbed. His body felt more pain than he had ever felt in his entire life as he felt it shaking out of control. The room seemed to be spinning a hundred miles around him as he tried to grasp what was happening. He tried to get up, but his legs refused to obey his mind’s command. He had to see Carol! “Jack? Jack!” Jack looked up to see Seth and Rebecca rushing towards him. Jack managed to get up, but just as he did, his legs gave out from under him. Seth caught him on one side, and Rebecca soon got to the other side of him. “Easy does it, now partner,” Seth said, as they slowly eased him down back into the chair. Jack complied and sat back down in the chair. He put his elbows on his legs and looked down as Rebecca and Seth took a seat, one on each side of him. Tears started to roll down his face again, dissapearing into his short beard. “Are you ok, Jack? Mr. Bodaway called us and told us what happened. I’m so sorry Jack!” Rebecca put her hand on Jack’s arm. Jack shook his head. “They don’t think they can save her. They don’t think they can save Carol!” Sobbs started to take his body again as he buried his face in his hands. Seth and Rebecca looked puzzeled at eachother. “Carol?” Seth asked. “Carol was in the house?” Jack slowly nodded his head. Later on he would find out that Rebecca had seen Carol last at the Larson’s farm saying goodbye. The Larson’s had left later that day, and Rebecca had assumed that Carol had gone to do the garage saleing that she had said she was going to do. Apperantly Carol hadn’t felt up for it and gone home instead. She had put water on to boil to make tea for herself, and sat down on the recliner. Soon she had fallen asleep and the unattended stove had caught on fire. The firemen were able to get to Carol before the flames did, as Mr. Bodaway saw the smoke from across the lake where they were starting to build the cabins. But it was too late. Carol had already inhaled too much smoke, and she was too far gone before she even got to the hospital. They were able to keep her alive long enough for Jack to arrive and make the decision to save the twins. Jack couldn’t seem to stop from crying. Finally the tears ended as deep grief came over him. He couldn’t think. He sat there for a long time, his head pounding, his heart feeling like it couldn’t go on. Seth and Rebecca just sat there with him quietly. Jack looked up suddenly as he heard the door to Carol’s room open. Two nurses went in with two small beds on wheels. After they went in, another nurse came out, looking up and down the hallway. “Jack Daniels?” She called out. Seth stood up and answered “He’s over here,” and then sat back down. The nurse came and bent her knees to look at Jack. His eyes were blood shot, and he could bearly make out the features on her face, but the words she spoke next he knew he would never forget. “I’m sorry, Mr. Daniels. We were not able to save your wife’s life. It was too late by the time they got her here, and there was not much that we could do for her.” She paused to let what she had said sink in. “Fortunatelly, we were able to save the twins,” she said as Jack’s head shot straight up. “It was a boy and a girl, and they are fine,” she said with a smile. “You will be able to see them in a few minutes. They are both healthy, and surprisingly they didn’t suffer any harm. We will want to keep them here at least over night, just to make sure though. And Mr. Daniels,” she said, her voice filled with emotion, “your wife didn’t suffer either. She passed out long before from the smoke and just never woke up.” The nurse squeezed Jack’s hands. “I’m so sorry for your loss. If there is anything that we can do for you, please let us know.” She got up slowly and turned to leave. “Nurse?” Jack said hoarsly. The nurse turned to look at him. “Thank you.” The nurse smiled and then walked away. Jack leaned back in his chair as he tried to sort things out in his head. Nothing made any sense. How could Carol be gone? They were supposed to grow old together. What was he going to do now? Jack shook his head and put his head into his hands as the tears started to come again. “Oh, God!” He moaned, no other words coming to his prayer. How could anyone survive so much pain? Dr. Bellmont came out of the room and aproached Jack. “I’m so sorry Mr. Daniels,” he said in a quiet voice. “We did everything we could.” Jack looked up and nodded his head. “Thank you, Dr. Bellmont.” “Would you like to see her? I mean, would you like to see Carol?” the doctor asked gently. “Could I?” Jack asked. The doctor nodded his head. “Just make sure you keep the sheet over her body, ok?” Jack nodded and stood up. Surprisingly, the room had stopped circling around him. “Do you…do you want us to go with you?” Rebecca asked. “No,” Jack answered softly but firmly, “but thank you.” He started walking to the room and then paused. He wasn’t very sure he was ready to say good bye to Carol yet. The doctor came and stood next to him “This way,” he said as he pointed to the door. Jack followed the doctor into the room. The curtain that had once surrounded the bed Carol was in, was now parted back and he could see her face. The nurses had removed everything that they had put into her, and she looked as peaceful as she had ever been. Jack walked over and sat in a chair that the doctor provided. “Excuse me,” the doctor said. “I’ll be right outside if you need me.” Jack nodded his head and said “Thank you.” The doctor left and Jack looked back at Carol. He held her hand in his and put it up to his lips. “Oh, Carol, Carol,” he moaned again as he burried his face in her shoulder. He cried for a while, letting the tears flow freely. He knew that when he walked out of this room, he would have to be strong for his children. He talked to God in his heart, and questioned His ability to take life. He was angry at Him for allowing this to happen. As he wrestled with God, he finally lost the battle and gave it up. Immediate peace followed, as his tears subsided. Jack took a kleenex from a box nearby him and blew his nose. He dried his tears and took Carol’s hand in his again. “I love you, Carol.” He said quietly as he stroked her forhead with his free hand. “And I will always have you in my heart.” He stood and leaned over to kiss her softly on the lips for the last time. He took the sheet that was covering her body and pulled it to cover her face. Jack made his way to the hallway where his friends were waiting, not knowing how much time had gone by. Seth was gone, but Rebecca and Ben were there, with Luke sleeping on Rebecca’s lap. Ben stood up and hugged his friend. “I’m sorry, Jack,” he said quietly. Jack nodded. “Thank you both for being here. Ben,” he said as he sat down, all of the sudden very tired, “what’s the word on my house?” Ben looked down and shook his head. “I’m sorry Jack. You may be able to retrieve some stuff, but it’s not livable. As the Fire-Marshall I’ll give you permission to go in it, but only if you promise to make it quick, and then tear the place down.” Jack nodded. “There is only a few things I want from there.” Rebecca cleared her throat. “Jack, you are welcome to come and stay with us until you get your feet back on the ground.” “Thank you Rebecca, but I know that you already have a full house with your family coming to live with you.” Jack shook his head. “Luke and I will be fine. We’ll just make it a camping trip,” he continued as he reached over to stroke his son’s head. Rebecca nodded. “I’m sure you and Luke will do just fine, Jack, but you can’t take newborns camping!” She exclaimed. Jack looked at her in shock. “The twins!” Jack stood up and started heading to the nurses station. “I’ll be right back,” he called back as he walked away as fast as he could. “Excuse me, sir?” Jack said to the man in uniform behind the counter. “Can I help you?” The nurse replied. “Yes, please. I’d like to see my babies?” Jack said, excitement at the edge of his voice. “Ok, what are their names?” the nurse asked changing the screen on the computer in front of him. Jack’s mind went blank. “Their names? I…I haven’t named them yet. I haven’t even seen them!” “Oh. Ok, would they be under your name or their mother’s name?” he said, changing the screen once again. “I don’t know. Try Daniels. Jonathan or,” Jack hesitated, “or Carol.” “Okay…” the nurse said as he typed the names in. “Here they are. Boy Daniels and Girl Daniels. They are on second floor, in the nursery.” “Thank you,” Jack said and headed back to his friends. “I’m going to see the twins. Would you mind staying with Luke?” He said as he looked fondly at his now oldest son. Ben and Rebecca nodded. “Sure, no problem,” Rebecca said. Jack made his way to the elevator and up to second floor. He saw the sign for ‘Nursery’ and made his way to the door. How could he get to his kids? He wondered. Where was everyone, anyway? He looked up and down the hallway, trying to find someone to ask about his newborn twins. Jack made his way to a lobby area where it seemed to him, all the nurses had congregated. They were all watching TV. He cleared his throat to get someone’s attention, but only got shushed. All of the sudden Jack was irritated. Very irritated. His wife had just died, he lost his house, and now he couldn’t see his babies? HAH! I don’t think so, Jack thought. He walked over to the TV and turned it off. The nurses started to shout for him to turn it back on, but he yelled louder. “Now, people, all I want is to see my babies. If one of you can show me where my babies are, I’ll gladly leave you alone, and you can get back to your soap opera.” Jack said angrily. The head nurse of that floor rolled her eyes and walked over to the door. “Follow me, sir,” she said in a curt voice. Jack tuned the TV back on and followed the nurse to the nursery. She opened the door slowly and quietly as Jack followed. There were several beds in the nursery, but they weren’t all filled. After the nurse got his name, her attitude towards him changed. Jack figured that she must have known that his wife had just died. “Here they are,” she said in a quiet voice. Jack approached the tiny beds cautiously and peered into them. His heart skipped a beat as he saw them for the first time. The love he felt for them instantly swelled in his heart. He had had this feeling with Luke, but this time it was mixed with grief. He should be sharing this moment with Carol! A single tear rolled down his cheek, and he quickly brushed it away. He knelt down and reached to touch each of their little hands. The only reason that he knew which one was which, is because the nurses had kindly put a blue blanket on the boy, and a pink one on the girl. A girl, Jack thought, I have a baby girl! Jack turned to look at the nurse. “Can I hold them?” The nurse smiled. “Of course! They are your babies! I would suggest one at a time, though. Enjoy each of them alone, as you will have to enjoy each of them together for the rest of your life!” Jack smiled as he bent over to pick up his daughter. He gently sat down in a rocker and held her close. He couldn’t believe the miracle of her little life. How much she had been through, and she was not more than a couple hours old. He stroked her face softly. “Do you know what you are going to name them yet?” The nurse asked quietly. Jack nodded his head. “She will be Grace, as God’s grace is the only thing that I have that will help me through this time,” he smiled sadly. “And my son,” he continued looking towards his bed, “well, I will name him Victor, as the fact that either of them are alive and well is a victory.” Jack put Grace back down, and gently picked up Victor. He sat back down on the rocking chair and gazed at him. After a few minutes, Jack looked up at the nurse. “I’m sorry about my outburst in the lobby area.” He said apologetically. The nurse waived her hand and shook her head. “No, I’m the one that should be sorry. And we weren’t watching a soap opera,” she pocked fun at him. Then her eyes clouded and her face grew somber. “Look,” she said as she approached him and sat in the chair next to him, “you look like a nice guy. I know you just lost your wife, and the last thing you need is more bad news, but I feel like I should tell you this.” She paused as she tried to figure out what to say. “We weren’t watching a soap opera or even a movie. We were watching the news. I don’t know what all is happening, but I do know this. Something is wrong, very wrong. There are riots being reported in major cities across the US, including St. Paul, and possibly Minneapolis. And they are bad. The rioters aren’t respecting anyone, not even the media. The worse ones are in places like Dallas and New York, but I’m sure the ones in the Twin Cities are getting just as bad. No one knows what they want, and the destruction of property is so great, that no one even has a handle on how to cope with it.” Just then the door to the nursery opened, as a young nurse peered into the room. “Mrs. Williamson? May I go home?” She whispered. The head nurse stood up, and quietly walked to the door. “What’s wrong Samantha? Are you ill?” she asked with concern in her voice. Jack followed them with his gaze, and was only able to catch part of the conversation. Not enough to make anything of it, though. After a few minutes, the head nurse walked back in. “Mr. Daniels?” she said as she sat next to him again. “I have a strong sudgestion to you, but you are free to do as you please.” She looked at Jack as he nodded, and noticed that he was holding both of his babies at once. “A lot of the nurses have taken off. There have been reports of several hospitals being blown up, but they haven’t been confirmed. I would sudgest you taking off. Take your babies, they’ll be fine. I’m not sure how they made it, quite frankly, under the circumstances. But they are here, and now I think they may be safer at your house than they are here.” The older nurse shook her head as she mumbled something about at least Samantha asking permission to leave. Jack figured that most nurses probably just left. “Is there cause to believe that it may happen here in Grand Rapids?” Jack asked. The nurse shook her head. “Who knows? The police are starting to arrive and are trying to put some order to things. If you want to leave, I will give you the proper papers to name your children, and I will personally sign the release of patients.” She paused, and then looked at him with compassion. “Have you been able to say goodbye to your wife?” Jack nodded. “Then I would leave, Mr. Daniels. If you can come back later, we will hold the body here until you can bury her.” Jack nodded his head again, understanding the urgency in her voice. “Thank you, Mrs. Williamson.” He stood carefully, hoping the twins wouldn’t wake up. He followed the head nurse to her station, and signed the papers that she handed to him, one at a time. He filled in the name for the kids, Grace Carol Daniels and Victor Benjamin Daniels. Benjamin was his father’s name, and also his good friend, the fireman. He knew they would both be honored. “Wait here,” the nurse said as she left him filling out the paper work. Several minutes later she came back with a large box of diapers, and a couple of bags that looked like they were filled with baby clothes and blankets. Behind her Samantha came in with another box, this one filled with formula and bottles. Jack looked at them in disbelief. “What’s all this?” He asked. Samantha smiled coyly. “It’s for you,” she said, flirting a little. The older nurse rolled her eyes. “That will be all, now, Samantha. Thank you. You can go home now.” Samantha sighed a sigh of relief, and took off. “These,” Mrs. Williamson said, pointing at the supplies, “are for the babies. They should keep you going for at least a few months. After they are four months old, you can supplement their milk with solid foods. I’m not sure you will have enough milk, but it’s all we have. Try not to give them real milk until they are one year old. There is a booklet in there that will give you more information.” Jack couldn’t believe it. He looked at the nurse. “Thank you,” he said, tears threatning to spill again. Fortunatly there was a knock on the door that saved him. The nurse turned to see who it was. It was Rebecca and Ben, holding Luke, still sleeping. Rebecca smiled at him. “I see you got a boy and a girl! Congratulations!” she said, her own tears spilling over. Ben nodded and smiled. “Congratulations, Buddy!” he said quietly. His smile soon turned into a frown. “I’m afraid we should get out of here.” Jack nodded and turned to look at the nurse. “Is this all I have to fill out?” he asked as Rebecca helped him with the babies. The nurse nodded. “I’ll help you get all of this to your car.” They got to the fire truck after adding a blanket to each of the twins. Rebecca had moved her car to be close to the truck, and it was a good thing, as the front and main parking lot was pretty chaotic. They put the supplies into Rebecca’s car and decided that Jack and his kids would stay at the Larson’s farm until he could decide what he was going to do. Jack thanked the nurse and gave her a quick hug. “Will you be heading home too?” he asked her. Mrs. Williamson shook her head. “No, Mr. Daniels. This is my job. My responsibility. If things keep going the way they are going, I may be more needed than ever.” Jack nodded. “I understand. And you can call me Jack. It’s been an pleasure to meet you. Thank you again so much.” The nurse smiled. “You’re more than welcome. You take good care of these babies, ok?” Jack nodded and the nurse took off. Since they didn’t have any carseats for the twins, they decided to go in Rebecca’s car. Ben said that he would catch up with Jack later, and took off, after giving Jack another hug. Jack and Rebbeca left as well, with Rebecca driving, Jack holding the two babies in his arms and Luke sleeping in the back seat.. As they were leaving town, they both heard a loud explosion. Apperantly so did Luke and the twins, as they all woke up and started crying. Jack did his best to quiet them, but wasn’t very successful. Rebbeca tuned the radio to their local station, and pulled over to listen. All they could hear above the crying was the newscaster saying “…I repeat. The Grand Rapids hospital building has been attacked!" ----------------------------------

I'll have to add them a few at a time. Joy's Legacy, Chapter 5 - 7 CHAPTER 5 Jack Daniels patted his cow, Betsy, as he milked her for the last time that day. At almost forty years old, Jack was a well-built, mostly white haired man. He was a handsome guy, but in a rugged kind of way. He had a constant five o’clock shadow, even though he shaved every day. He was tall and muscular, and able to do what any twenty-year-old man could do. His father, a preacher, had named him Jonathan, but the people in his small town had nicknamed him Jack. They seemed to think it was funny that a preacher had a son called Jack Daniels, so the nickname stuck. He was an only child. He had married in his late twenties and he and his wife were somewhat hermits. They kept mostly to themselves on their farm, but enjoyed what little relationships they had with their neighbors. Jack loved living off of the land. He believed in God with all his heart, and took the Bible as literally as he could. He had lived in this area of the country all his life, and aside from going to Iraq during the first year of the war, he had never been outside of the country. He had been honorably discharged due to a war injury. He had several medals of valor for saving his comrades and although he appreciated the honor very much, he thought that what he had done for his friends, they would have also done for him. Jack and his wife, Carol, had a six-year-old son, Luke. He was a bright young lad that adored his father. He fallowed Jack wherever he went, and was learning as much as his little mind could take in. Carol was now also pregnant with twins. They would be born soon, and now thanks to one of their neighbors who was a midwife, she’d be able to have the babies at home. Jack had arranged to exchange a cow for the work of the midwife, Rebecca. She was a mother of four herself, and Carol was confident that she would do a good job. To the south of them and across the lake lived an elderly couple, the Larsons, on a 100-acre farm. To the West and North, surrounding Jack’s farm, was a Native American Reservation. To the East lived the midwife with her family. Jack and Carol generally traded for most of what they needed, mostly with their neighbors. Carol was somewhat of a Tomboy, and that suited him just fine. A lot of times he wondered how he would have managed if he had married a girly-girl. She was one tough woman. At thirty-eight she was pretty tall and portly. She was a great farmer, and a fast learner when it came to things she didn’t know, as long as it wasn’t in the house. She was most comfortable outside of the house, and didn’t have much patience for frilly things. She often said that maybe the good Lord had made a mistake and made her a woman instead of a man. Jack always reminded her that the good Lord didn’t make mistakes. She could shoot with the best of them, and often competed against their friends and neighbors, just to show off. Jack could shoot anything he looked at, no matter how far it was. Well, within reason, of course. He was handy with a number of guns, and always seemed to know which one was best to use in any given situation. This quality had proven to be a lifesaver in Iraq. Not only to him, but also to the ones he led as well. He could move as quietly as a cat, and had a way with animals, especially horses, that all of his neighbors had grown to appreciate. Jack gave one last pat to Betsy’s hind leg. He carefully got up and made sure he didn’t spill any of the milk on the ground. He really didn’t want to get yelled at by Carol tonight. He looked over at Luke who had been standing by, quietly watching. “Go get me that cup, son,” Jack said with a thick Minnesotan accent. “Yes, Papa,” Luke replied and hurried to do as he was told. He brought the cup to his father and Jack dipped it into the pail of milk. He softly put it down near the door, where he knew the cats would find it. “Gotta keep them happy so they keep us happy, ya know?” Jack said as he winked at Luke. Luke grinned and held up his little hand. Jack took it into his large one and they walked back to the house hand in hand. Jack smiled. This was when he felt most like a man. While holding his son’s hand. A lot of people considered Jack to be a man’s man, simply because he could shoot well and had a way with animals. But Jack had always felt that life was more than that. That life was about what God had given you, and what you were going to do to give it back. And he felt like his life was blessed indeed. He had little Luke and he was a wonderful son. And now after several miscarriages, it seemed that they were finally going to be able to add to their family again. And twins, no less! His life was blessed indeed! As Jack and Luke approached their small home, Carol came out to greet them. She wore an oversized pair of overalls, with one of Jacks long sleeved shirts underneath. She was as big as she had ever been, being eight months pregnant. “Hurry up you two! Come on in and eat supper before it gets cold. Then after that, you’re going to have to go see the Larsons. He stopped by again today and said that he really needed to talk to you. I don’t think Mrs. Larson is doing to well. They are still talking about moving to Florida.” She rolled her eyes. Carol didn’t think much of Florida. She had never actually been there, but she never missed an opportunity to talk bad about it in front of their neighbors. Jack knew better. He knew that it wasn’t that Carol disliked Florida so much, but that she didn’t want them to leave. They had formed a good friendship with them, one of deep understanding and convenience. Jack and Carol would supply them with milk, eggs, chicken meat and deer meat once in a while in exchange for Mrs. Larson’s fresh vegetables and canned goods. They’d even get bread from them on occasion. If they moved, they were afraid that somebody from the city would buy the farm. Or worse, someone from the Twin Cities. Then how would they trade with them? They probably would let the garden go and buy all their food from the grocery store. Jack, Carol and Luke ate their supper in silence after Jack gave thanks. Carol was not one for chitchat, and didn’t tolerate much of it from Luke, either. Once done, Jack took the dishes to the counter and got the sink ready to wash the dishes. Carol added some handmade soap that they had bartered for with Rebecca and started washing the dishes. Jack looked over at Luke. “Why don’t you go play outside for a little while, Luke? I’ll help your Mother clean up here”. Luke’s eyes lit up. “Ok, Papa!” He said as he ran out the door. Carol looked at Jack. “I sure wish we could buy that farm from the Larsons,” she said quietly. Jack let out a deep breath. “I know. So do I. But they are asking way to much for what we can afford.” “But what are we going to do? We have come to depend on them always being there. What are we going to do for vegetables and fruit? And when winter comes? What are we going to do for canned goods?” She said, worry edging her voice. This was odd for Jack. Carol was such a strong woman, and worry wasn’t usually in her vocabulary. Jack put the pan he was drying down. “Now Carol, you know that we don’t depend on the Larsons, or any of our friends and neighbors, for that matter. We depend on God. He is the ultimate provider, not only of our physical bodies, but of our spirits as well. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He has promised that the righteous will never go hungry and that their children will never starve.” He put his hand on her stomach, just as one of the twins started kicking. Carol nodded. “I know you’re right. Thanks for the reminder.” She turned back to the task at hand. “Now you better get going. I want you two back before sunset. Ok?” “Yes, Ma’am” Jack nodded and moved away just before his bottom got slapped with the towel. Jack went outside and called Luke. As he waited for him, he got the canoe ready to go across the lake to his neighbor’s farm. Luke came and helped his father. They got the canoe ready and jumped in. Jack paddled quietly and let Luke talk. This was a time when the boy could do as much chitchatting as he wanted without getting reprimanded by his mother. Jack didn’t mind listening to him talk. In fact, he thought that for a six-year-old he had a pretty mature conversation. They talked about the fish, the cows, and the horses. Oh how Luke loved the horses. Jack smiled. A chip off of the old block he was. They pulled up at the beach of their neighbor’s side of the lake. Mr. Larson came out of the barn and waved his thin hand. “Well hello there, Jack. Luke. How are you young man?” He said, shaking Luke’s little hand in his. “Good, thank you, Mr. Larson.” Luke responded. He liked Mr. Larson. He always made Luke feel important. Jack shook Mr. Larson’s hand. “Nice day, eh, Mr. Larson?” he smiled. “Yeh. Nice day. Come on over into the house and have some lemonade. The Wife would like to take a look at ya. She says that she ain’t ever seen a fellow as good lookin’ as you.” He laughed as he saw Jack’s deep blush. “Come on, man, I’ll make sure she stays off of ya!” He laughed again. Jack liked Mrs. Larson, but he sure wished she would stop talking about his looks. He was what he was and there was nothing he could do about it. He didn’t ask for it, and didn’t necessarily care, either. He had come to accept himself as the way God had made him, and worked on the things that he could actually change for the better. They got to the old farmhouse and went in. Mrs. Larson was sitting there, knitting. “Well, hello Jack and Luke!” She said with a big smile. “Come on in and have some lemonade. Did Mr. Larson show you my trees, Jack? They really do bare avocadoes and the other ones give limes and olives. I bought them over the Internet a few years ago, and they have finally matured enough to give their fruit. Have you ever had an avocado, Luke?” Mrs. Larson asked as she walked into her big kitchen. “No, Mrs. Larson.” Luke answered timidly. She came back out of the kitchen with some of her homemade bread and some avocado slices. She put the avocado slices on the bread and gave a piece of bread each to the men and split one with Luke. They ate it in silence as they tried to decide if they liked it or not. “Well, I can’t say I care for it much,” Mr. Larson said, giving half of the small sandwich back. Mrs. Larson gave him a scowl look and turned to Jack and Luke. “How do you boys like it?” Jack smiled. “This is actually pretty good,” he said in between bites. “But how are you able to grow the trees in Minnesota?” Mrs. Larson smiled. “Well, they are miniature trees, Jack. They are able to grow in pots, so I’m able to have them outside in the summer time and inside during the winter, as long as they have enough light and warmth. Of course, that is taken care of by Mr. Larson here. He keeps the basement nice and warm in the wintertime, and I have that big window that I’m able to put them by. This is the first year we have been able to have them. Good aren’t they? Do you want just a slice by itself, Luke?” Luke nodded his head eagerly “Yes, please, Ma’am”. Jack was surprised. He didn’t think that Luke would have liked it, but was glad he did. It was good for him to try new things. “The problem is,” Mr. Larson said, “she didn’t believe them that they would give as much fruit as they said they would. And now I think we are getting more than we need, so I guess we are going to have something new to barter with. Man, this woman even has banana trees! They are much smaller than the ones they have down south, but they sure do give good bananas. I peel one up every morning and have it with my cereal. And we’ll see if her orange trees are going to give fruit. They say that they are about a quarter of size of the regular ones, but it will sure be nice if they taste as good as the bananas. Even if they are small.” Mr. Larson licked his lips. They chatted a little while about the weather and the babies that were due to come any day now. “Oh! By the way, Jack. Rebecca came by over earlier today and asked me to give you this,” Mrs. Larson said as she reached into her pocket. She pulled out a small cell phone. “What’s this?” Jack asked, taking it from her. “It’s a phone, Jack. She has prepaid the minutes on it, so all you have to do is call her number. She even put that into the phone somehow, too. All you have to do is push and hold this number two. See? Then it will ring at her house, and you can tell her that it’s time for Carol to have the babies. That way you can stay with Carol and help her until Rebecca arrives. Do you understand how to use it?” She asked handing the phone back to Jack after showing how to use it. “Yeah, I think so. You just push this number two here,” he said as he pushed it “and it will call her. Oh, no! It’s ringing!” He looked surprised as if he thought it wasn’t going to actually work. He was actually very smart in this area as well, but just chose not to be a part of that kind of world. “Hello?” A voice said on the other side. Mrs. Larson grinned as she took the phone back from Jack. “Hello? Is this Seth? Hi Seth, this is Mrs. Larson. Yeah, I was just telling Jack about the phone and making sure it works,” she winked at Jack. “Ok, then, Seth. Uh-huh. You too, then now. Bye!” She hung up and gave the phone back to Jack. “Well, now we know that it works!” Jack put it into his shirt pocket and smiled. “Thank you, Mrs. Larson. Luke, why don’t you go outside and play with the dogs?” “Ok, Papa! Excuse me Mr. and Mrs. Larson!” He said as he ran out the door. Mr. Larson chuckled. “Fine young lad you got there, Jack. Fine young lad.” He poured himself another glassful of lemonade and offered Jack and Mrs. Larson some more. They talked about the Larson’s plan for moving to Florida. Their only daughter lived there with their grandchildren, and was not coming up to see them as often. Besides, the cold was just too long in Minnesota for Mrs. Larson, they said. Her hands were really acting up, and it was difficult for her to even do the garden now. The Larsons had a large garden. They planted enough to feed themselves and Jack’s family, and for trade. Then whatever was left Mrs. Larson canned for the wintertime. She also canned more than they needed to be able to trade. “So now we are ready to live in the city, at least for a while,” Mr. Larson said sadly. “We have worked hard all of our lives, and are ready to retire and go shopping to buy our food for a change. Oh, we know that the eggs and meat won’t be as fresh as what you give us, Jack, but on the other hand, we’ll also get to have a bunch of these real trees that Mrs. Larson is so fond of. Besides, now you won’t have to shovel for us anymore, Jack!” He finished the last sentence patting Jack hard on the back. Jack smiled. “You know I’m always happy to help you, Mr. Larson. Besides, Mrs. Larson’s fresh cookies and hot chocolate at the end sure make it well worth it!” Mrs. Larson smiled. “Well thank you, Jack! And we want you to know, that if we could, we would just give you the farm, Jack. You have been like a son to us, and Luke like a beloved grandchild. We sure are going to miss you when we leave. But we really need the money if we are going to be able to make it in the city.” Jack nodded his head. “I know, Mrs. Larson, and sure do appreciate you taking over as my parents when mine passed away. I have sure come to love the two of you as well.” Jack shifted his legs. He was not the lovey-dovey type of guy, and this conversation was starting to get a little mushy for him. He couldn’t help it, though. He really cared about these people. Mr. Larson cleared his throat. “Well, Jack, you guys had better be heading home if you are to get there before dark. Do you mind helping me move an old wood stove I just got? It’s in the truck. I’m going to fix this one up as well, and then put it in the garage.” Mrs. Larson rolled her eyes as she cleaned up the glasses. “Boys and their toys,” she muttered under her breath. Mr. Larson liked wood stoves. He had bought and salvaged a half a dozen or more of them and made them work. She didn’t mind as much, the hobby kept him busy. She didn’t know what he was going to do with yet another wood stove, as they weren’t planning on taking any of them to Florida. They were actually hoping to just leave most of everything and starting brand new, once the got there. She was tired of making butter, bread and other things from scratch. She was looking forward to having the money to just go to the store and buy what they wanted or needed. She wasn’t even planning on taking any of the stores of food that they had. Hopefully the new owner would agree to pay a bit more for everything in the house and the other buildings, or else they would just give them to Jack. Jack said goodbye to Mrs. Larson and went and helped Mr. Larson with the stove. “Well, this one’s a beauty!” He exclaimed when he saw it. “You like it?” Mr. Larson smiled. “It even has a place to bake. This is the best and biggest one I’ve gotten yet. And it’s in pretty good shape. It’s heavy to move, but once it’s installed, it should do really well.” Jack and Mr. Larson lowered the stove into the barn while Luke held the doors open for them. The radio in the garage was on, playing Mr. Larson’s favorite kind of music, Country. When the song was done, the news reporter for the station came on to give the news. Jack, Mr. Larson and Luke all stood quietly, wanting to hear what was going on today. “This is KLBJ, 99.8FM. Thank you for tuning in. Today the White House has declared that it is doing all that it can to help American citizens come back to America. There are several thousands that are being made to come back, and their visas are not being renewed. One missionary family in the Philippines refused to leave until the father of the family was murdered in front of his kids. The rest of the family is now in US custody, and they are not being allowed to stay. Their names have not yet been released. The White House has also stated that this is the work of terrorists and will not be tolerated. ‘We will hunt down who ever did this, and make them pay to the full extent of the law,’ the White House spokesman said. In other parts of the world riots seem to be growing. Major cities from China to Mexico are having a difficult time containing the riots. But all of these countries refuse to let Americans stay, or their people come to the States. An unnamed source from the Pentagon is saying that there is a coup being planned in Mexico to take over president Fox’s position. President Fox is the first president of the PAN party, the conservative party in Mexico, to be elected in several decades. The PRI party had held power for about 7 decades until Fox easily won the election in the year 2000 in what has been called the ‘fairest’ election in Mexico’s history. The threat advisory in the US has been elevated to orange in the whole country, based on chatter from the internet of an attack planned against America on it’s 48 continuants states. This is KLBJ, 99.8FM.” -------------------- CHAPTER 6 Jack and Luke made their way home barely in time before the sun went down. Jack and Carol put Luke to bed, and Jack stayed behind to pray for him. This was something that he had adopted from his father. He used to pray a blessing over Jack every night before he fell asleep. The next day Jack went to work at the Reservation. He got along well with the leaders there, and was impressed at how well they had done to preserve their culture. Some of the younger folk were really trying to break ties, but the older and wiser ones were doing their best to keep everyone united. Most of them wore regular western clothes, but a few of them, specially the elders, tried to wear clothing that was common of the days gone by. Jack was always impressed with the skills they had. Most were excellent hunters and fishermen, and the women were very good at crafts as well. They made moccasins, baskets, dishware made out of pottery, jewelry and rugs. They had a very large community garden in which they grew enough food for the whole reservation, plus whatever they needed for the winter. If they couldn’t grow it, hunt it, or fish it, they didn’t eat it. Jack helped a few families by supplying them with milk, eggs and fresh chicken meat in exchange for beef and pork. They had their own butchers, and did things as close as they could to the way their ancestors did. It hadn’t always been like this. There was a time that the reservation was near extinction. They had a lot of people working for the casino’s and they where moving to bigger and better homes off the reservation. The youth culture was starting to be embarrassed of who they were and their legacy, and their actions showed it. Jack remembered his shock the first time he saw a Native American dressed in Ghetto clothing. He looked so out of place, and yet, it was such a declaration of who he wanted to be, or didn’t want to be. During this time the leader that was encouraging people to leave the community died in a car accident. The person voted in next had a total different way of leading the community. He was one that wanted to go back to their roots, to do things the way that their fathers had done many, many years before them. And so the task started. They would allow some things differently, but mostly they would try to live off the land and get back to their roots. As much as they could, they did trading amongst themselves or their neighbors. They had to buy things from other places, but would try to barter for those needs as well. They sold extra produce and meat to stores in the city in exchange for things like tires and glass jars for canning. Not many “other” people were allowed on the reservation. Jack was a welcomed stranger, though. They had allowed him to open up an office on their land and serve their people. It was a win-win situation. Jack was an excellent veterinarian, and was able to take care of most animals, especially farm animals. In turn, he was paid fair wages and got to work close to home. Also, the bartering he was able to do with them saved him a lot of money. One thing that Jack was really appreciative for was that they had allowed him to keep his land. It was only 75 acres compared to the hundreds of acres of land that they had, but under the new laws he had to sell it to them if they wanted to buy it. After all, he did have a large side of the lake on his property. His neighbor, Rebecca and her husband Seth also owned land on the lake as did the Larsons. The leaders of the reservation had stated that as long as every neighbor kept to their own land and didn’t sell any fish they caught, they would not buy their land from under them. For some reason they weren’t interested in buying the Larson’s farm. The Reservation, the Larson’s, and Seth and Rebecca’s place all bordered on another lake. These two lakes were protected by the government and considered private property. No one but the owners of the properties, their guests and the people from the Reservation could fish on these lakes. The lake between Jack and the Larsons wasn’t as big as the other lake, but if nobody got greedy there was enough fish in there for a long, long time. Jack enjoyed learning the way the Native Americans caught their fish. It was quick, efficient and didn’t require a lot of ‘stuff’. The leaders were happy to teach him, as long as he also taught them some basic information on how to care for their animals. Carol was a pretty good fisher. She would often help with the cleaning of them herself, and then cook it to the best of her ability. She was not the best cook Jack had ever known, but he had grown used to her cooking. Jack’s day went quickly. There were a few cows having calves, and a skunk had sprayed one of the dogs. He was able to shower at his office in a small bathroom that he had been able to build a couple of years earlier, when he had redone the place. He had added an extra room for storage, that way he was able to keep whatever he needed in stock, instead of going to the store every other week. As he got dressed again in clean clothes, his phone rang. “Dr. Jack” he answered. “Hello, Dr. Jack! This is Bodaway. How are you, my friend?” Mr. Bodaway was the father of the chief. His father had also been a chief, and this was the reason why his son was now wanting to bring the tribe back to it’s original roots. “Mr. Bodaway! Hello! Good to hear from you. I’m doing well. And you?” Jack was pleased that he had called. He had learned a great many things from this man, and truly enjoyed their friendship. “Oh, as well as I can be, I suppose. Tell, me. When are you going home today?” he asked. Any time he called, it usually meant that he wanted to see Jack. “Would you like to get together? I have some time now.” Jack was hoping to get home early, so this was a good chance to talk to him if he was able to. “Yes, I would like that very much. Would you be able to come here to my home?” he asked. Now this is odd, Jack thought. Usually they met at Jack’s office or went for walks. “Sure, Mr. Bodaway. I’ll come right over.” “Ok, then, Jack, see you soon” They hung up the phone and Jack closed up shop. He made his way across town in his old, but sturdy Ford truck. It almost looked like one in an old movie, and for the way that Jack dressed, he fit the part well. He looked around the streets and took the time to enjoy the scenery. He wasn’t much for towns, but he sure did like this one. A lot of people got around in horses, sometimes even in carts and buggies. It was like a mix between an Amish town and a Native American Reservation. In fact, the leaders of the Reservation had gone to great lengths to learn from the Amish. They still used electricity and teachers were hired from the outside world, but they were trying to slowly back away from being too dependant on anyone else, specially in the winter time. Last year they had experimented not using any heat, just their fireplaces and wood stoves. They had turned off all their water lines, and got water only from their wells and streams that were not frozen. Although it was much easier to just turn up the heat, they had survived. Jack and Carol had taken the opportunity to try this as well, and had not been able to make it through the winter. In the coldest days in January when the thermometer went down to 30° below zero, they had given in and turned it up. They were concerned for Luke, as he had developed a nasty cough, and wanted to make sure that he was ok. Jack had taken the time this summer to re-insulate their home. They would try going without heat again this winter and see if they could make it. Jack had been traiding eggs with a woman on the reservation for some heavy quilts. They would all sleep in the living room-dining room area, where Jack could keep the fire place going. It was well ventilated, so there was no chance of them getting sick or dying from carbon monoxide. Since there would be no running water, they had arranged a few free classes of basic first aid for animals in exchange for a wind-powered generator for their well. Carol was going to have to learn to cook in the fireplace. They had bought some iron cookwear and she would use that. Jack reached Mr. Bodaway’s home and pulled in next to the entrance. There were several other cars there, and he wondered if they were all at his home. This was answered as soon as he knocked on the door. Mrs. Bodaway slowly opened the door. “Hello, Jack, nice to see you!” She said, her face breaking into a smile. She opened the door wider and let him in. “Hello, Mrs. Bodaway. How are you doing?” Jack said as he took his hat off. He wiped his feet on their homemade rug, and looked into the living room surprised. Rebecca and Seth, and the Larson’s were there as well as other members of the tribe. They all exchanged greetings and then settled down back into their seats. Mr. Bodaway cleared his throat. “Well, now that we are all here I want to thank you all for coming. I’ll try not to take too much of your time. Have any of you heard of the news that is happening lately?” Jack and Mr. Larson looked at each other. They had heard some things on the news last night that didn’t sound good at all. But why was this time any different? They had been on threat level orange before. And there always seemed to be someone saying ‘Death to America’. Most of them nodded and Seth spoke up. “Yeah, Rebecca and I have been monitoring some things on the internet. Have you heard anymore than what they are telling us?” Jack looked at Mr. Bodaway. How could he hear any more than the rest of them? Maybe his son, but him? Mr. Bodaway paused for a second before he responded. “What I have to say needs to stay in this room, is that clear? You may share whatever information you may want with your family, and maybe some close friends, but don’t go broadcasting it, ok? I will loose my source of information if you do that, and then we’ll all be in deep trouble.” He looked around the room as everyone nodded and took a deep breath. “As some of you know, I have close ties with someone close to the President. I will not name him. If you figure out who it is, please don’t name the person. I would like to keep my relationship with him as it is. Now, I cannot emphasize this enough. This is top-secrete stuff. Please, keep it to yourselves as much as you can. I talked to my, um, friend, yesterday. He called me from a secure phone line. Things in America will be changing very, very, fast. Too fast, in fact. You have probably heard that countries all over the world are kicking Americans out of their countries, and not allowing their people to come here.” He paused as everyone in the room nodded. “What you probably haven’t heard on the news is that they will also be stopping all trading. Anything from oil to T-shirts. Pretty much every country in the world is in on this, including our neighbors to the north and the south,” he said, referring to Canada and Mexico. “You may have heard that there is some form of a coup trying to take place in Mexico. This is also true. Not all Mexicans hate Americans, and there is a group of high ranking officials wanting to stand with the US during this time, even if it means going against their government and being called traitors. The CIA is working with them to make this work. If it does work, Mexico may be our only friend for a while. Now all of this has a lot of ramifications. Have you thought what it will be like to not have oil? How much oil controls? As it stands now, we have only about one week, at the most two of oil. And that’s only the long run. In the short run there are the terrorists attacks that are planned against the country and the panic that will ensue.” He paused to let everything sink in. Jack looked shocked. Mr. Bodaway looked straight at him “Hard to process, Jack?” Jack nodded. “Lack of oil? What would that be? More expensive prices on gas?” If that was it, he thought, he could always ride his horse to work and save money that way. Rebecca spoke up. “Well, yeah, there is that, but if that was the only thing that was affected, think of how many things gas can touch and affect. How do workers get to their jobs? How do major corporations send stuff from one place to another? How does the local grocery store or general stores get their supplies? Someone has to get them there. Usually in a truck. Now what about electricity? You need oil for that. And how many things are affected by electricity? Not to mention how many people are going to be out of jobs because of the lack of trading. Now personally, I think that they are shooting themselves in the foot. If they don’t trade with us, we won’t trade with them. They will be loosing as much as we are.” She shook her head. “Well, that’s not entirely true,” one of the elders of the tribe interjected. “A lot of the countries are trading with each other, now. If they play their cards right, they wouldn’t need the US.” Jack shook his head and spread out his hands. “But what does all this mean? What can we do about it? I mean, especially if we can’t tell anyone about it.” “Well,” Mr. Bodaway replied, “we really can’t do much to help the country. The government is trying to keep a lid on things, hoping to not create a mass panic. This is one of the reasons why I’m asking you not to spread the word.” He looked towards the Larsons and Jack. “But we can do something about ourselves. As you know, here at the reservation we have been working at getting back to our roots. This has a great advantage over the rest of the country, because we have done what we can to be as self-sufficient as we can. Now the reason we asked you to come here today is because we have appreciated our relationship with you over the years. We do more than just barter with you, we have become friends. We have come to depend on you, and we know that you have come to depend on us. We would like to keep it that way. Now,” he said looking at the Larsons, “are you still wanting to move to Florida?” Mr. and Mrs. Larson looked at each other and nodded. “Yes,” said Mrs. Larson. “If things are going to get as bad as you are saying, then yes, most definitely yes. Our daughter is going to need us more than ever. Unfortunately the farm hasn’t sold yet. We don’t have the money to just leave with out selling it. If we did, we would have already given it to Jack, here.” Jack looked at them and smiled. “Thank you Mrs. Larson, Carol and I appreciate the thought more than you know. And I hope you know that if we could, we would have already bought it.” “Well, that is another reason that we have brought you all together today.” Mr. Bodaway said. “As you all may be aware, Rebecca’s father passed away yesterday, is that right?” he asked looking at Rebecca, a softness in his eyes that Jack had learn to appreciate. As Rebecca nodded sadly, Mr. Bodaway continued. “Well, she is interested in buying the farm from the Larsons.” A gasp was heard from the Larsons. Jack smiled. This was a good turn of events, the Larsons would get what they needed to make the move they wanted, and he wouldn’t have to worry about new neighbors! “But, there is something else,” Mr. Bodaway said. “And we all get a say on this. Rebecca doesn’t want the land for herself. She wants it for her extended family. They are all coming to Duluth for the funeral in a few days, and she is afraid they won’t make it back to their homes. You see her family is made up of missionaries. She has one cousin living in the Twin Cities, then her aunt and uncle and another cousin live in Mexico and one last cousin somewhere in Africa. The land and everything on it would be for them.” -------------------- CHAPTER 7 Mr. Bodaway looked at Jack. “Jack, this would affect you the most. As far as Rebecca knows there are about 10 people coming. Maybe more, I’m not sure. The reason that we have agreed to this is because of the skills these people have. To start with, I know you are a religious man. As far as I know, they share the same beliefs as you and Carol do. Also, the cousin that lives in Africa is engaged. Her fiancé is coming with her. She is a nurse, well, a doctor’s assistant, and he is a doctor. Am I getting all this right?” Mr. Bodaway asked Rebecca. “Why don’t you tell them?” Rebecca nodded. “My cousin, Marie is a missionary in Africa. She is engaged to a doctor, Roger, who is from there and they work together in a clinic. Now I know that the illnesses that they have in Africa are different than what we have here, but you should know that Roger’s father used to be what they called a ‘witch doctor’ before he became a Christian. He is gone now, but Roger learned a lot of ways to help people to get better with just plants and such. Again, I know that things are different here from there, but we think that his knowledge would be very valuable.” She paused for a second before she continued. “My other cousin, Ann, the oldest of the three, is a professional seamstress. She can sew about anything you need, and if we could just find a treadle sewing machine for her, she would be able to fix, and/or make anything we needed. She also knits and crochets, and now that Mrs. Larson is leaving, well, that’s going to be a good trade to know. Also, her husband is a great worker and can fix any car you put in front of him. They have two teenagers that I’m sure could be trained in a number of things. My youngest cousin, Joy, and her husband Dave, are the ones that live in the Twin Cities. They have wanted to live in the country for a long time. They have the cutest little four year old that…. Well, never mind. But anyway, Dave is a great carpenter. He has taken several classes, and though I know that you are a great carpenter too, Jack, I’m sure it’d be nice to have some help. He’s a pretty smart guy and can fix any computer problem you send his way. Unfortunately, that’s not a skill that will probably be very valuable in the future. Joy has learned a lot of skills, even though they live in an apartment. She can preserve food in a number of ways, including drying and canning, makes her own soap, and can make a wonderful meal out of just basic ingredients. She knows a lot about essential oils and how to use them, and has a large number of them stocked. I know, because I sold them to her through my business. She also sews, knits and crochets, just not as fast as Ann.” Rebecca took a deep breath. Jack could tell that she was really trying to sell her family to him. All he needed to know is that they were family, and that was good enough for him. He knew that if he had any extended family to help, Seth and Rebecca would do what they could to help him. “Then my uncle and aunt,” she continued, “well, they are just great people. My aunt can also sew, and my uncle is a great Bible teacher. I know that you believe in the Bible, Jack, and I think you would like my uncle. He believes that the Bible means what it says. Oh! And I almost forgot. One other thing that you may be interested in. Joy also home-schools. I know that you wanted your kids home-schooled, Jack, and that Carol didn’t think she could handle it. She may be willing to home-school Luke for you, seeing as he and Victoria, Joy’s daughter, are so close in age.” Jack sat up straight when he heard about the home-schooling. Yes, he was very interested in that! He had strongly encouraged Carol to home-school Luke, and now the twins when they were old enough, but she had refused, saying that she just really wasn’t a ‘kid’ person, but would be glad to teach him how to shoot, or clean a chicken. “That sounds great! I’d love for her to home-school Luke. Especially if there will be no schools after the stuff hits the fan, as you call it. Besides, they are your family, Rebecca. What am I going to say: ‘no?’” He asked smiling at her. There was a look of great relief in Rebecca’s face. “Thank you, Jack. You won’t be sorry.” Jack was about to answer when Mr. Bodaway said “It’s settled then. Seth and Rebecca will buy the Larson’s farm with everything on it with cash, is that right?” Seth nodded. “We even brought the check-book along!” he smiled. A few people chuckled, including Jack. “But, can you afford it, Rebecca?” Mrs. Larson asked with concern in her eyes. Rebecca nodded her head sadly. “Yes, Mrs. Larson. When my dad died yesterday, his lawyer took some time talking to my mom. Apparently my Grandpa, my dad’s dad, had left quite a bit of money to my dad and aunt, but my dad never told my aunt for some reason. Now that he is gone, my mom wants to make sure that she and her family get their fair share. They don’t know I’m buying the farm. We will tell them that the farm is their inheritance, plus some extra money. What I’m hoping will happen is that they at least let Joy and her family come and live here, and then the rest of them can split the rest of the money if they don’t end up staying here.” Jack wondered if Rebecca was giving away too much information, but realized that they were really all among friends. “Ok, then.” Said Mr. Bodaway. “Rebecca, the same rules that have been in our agreement still apply to them, is that clear? They are welcome to hunt on their property, and fish on the lakes, but they cannot bring people from the outside to hunt or fish with them, and they cannot hunt on the Reservation. It will be up to you and Jack if you want to let them hunt on your land. Now, if I were you, I would strongly encourage them to use the rest of the money that they have to buy the supplies that they are going to need, including means to protect themselves.” Seth and Rebecca nodded. “Yes, Mr. Bodaway.” “Now, as good neighbors, the Reservation is prepared to make a very generous offer to your family, in exchange for your uncle’s services. Now, as far as I understand he is a minister, is that correct?” Mr. Bodaway asked. After Rebecca nodded he continued. “Well, we have no church, or ministers here on the Reservation. We have been hesitant to invite someone to come from the outside, but this is a perfect arrangement. If he would be willing to be a pastor of sorts, being able to marry people, do the funerals and have a service at least once or twice a month, then we would be able to compensate him with a one time offer. We would not be able to pay him, but he could keep any money that the people that go to church would like to give. It may be a lot, it may not be anything at all. Or he may get beef, or rugs. In turn, we will build three small basic cabins and outfit them for their use with a fireplace and a wood stove for cooking. No running water or bathrooms, but we will insulate them as best as we can. We will help them furnish them, but we can’t promise to do it completely. Also, they will have no electricity, so they will have to figure that out as well. We will, however, make two to three insulated outhouses. Unfortunately, you are going to have to answer for your uncle now. We will want to build those cabins starting tomorrow, and need to” he wasn’t able to even finis his sentence as he could see that both Seth and Rebecca were already nodding their heads vigorously. “Yes, Mr. Bodaway, yes! That would be incredible! We have been wondering how we were going to house them all! We won’t have room at our place as we will be having my brother’s in law and my mother in law coming to live with us, too. This is perfect don’t you think, Rebecca?” Seth looked at Rebecca with a big smile on his face. Jack could tell that this was a great relief for him. They must have talked quite a bit about all of this for him to be so excited about it. Rebecca nodded her head and smiled brightly. Then her smile faded. “But, what if nothing actually happens and they are able to go home. Or they choose not to stay here because of the cold winters and try to make it back to Mexico?” She wondered, her face showing a little fear that the deal might be off. “Then I guess your cousin will have lots of storage space. If she and her husband choose to stay, that is. If they don’t, then we will buy the property back from you, for the same price that you paid the Larson’s. Does that seem fair?” He asked the couple. “Yup, that sure does! Thank you!” Rebecca and Seth were both quiet people, and this was the most that Jack had either of them say. He liked them a lot, and quite frankly, was looking forward to meeting their family. Chatter started to arise among everyone as they discussed the possible future events. Mr. Bodaway held up his hand. “One more thing, people, if I could have your attention for a little while more.” Everyone got quiet as he continued. “We need to discuss out safety.” A murmur went up in the group and finally one of the elders spoke up. “What do you mean, Mr. Bodaway? You don’t think we are safe here?” “Oh, I think we are quite safe, actually. In my opinion, riots will break out in the large cities first. Rebecca, you’ll want to have your family here as soon as possible. When do they arrive in the Cities?” Mr. Bodaway asked, looking at Rebecca. “Tomorrow, or Sunday. My mom talked to my aunt and they left the border sooner than they expected and are driving straight through. They said that there were riots breaking out at the border and they didn’t want to stick around for that. But they’re not due here until Tuesday or Wednesday.” Rebecca answered. “Well, you might want to see if they can come sooner than that. Have your cousin in the cities just pack up and move up here. She might as well leave all of her electronics; she won’t be needing them here except for doorstops. Now,” Mr. Bodaway continued, “about our safety. As I was saying, I think that the riots will break out first in large cities, say like LA, New York, and places like that. Then, places like Duluth. Then Grand Rapids.” The older man paused for effect and looked around the room. There were confused looks, incredible looks, and fearful ones as well. Jack let out a deep breath. “What do you think that will mean for us, Mr. Bodaway? We are quite a few miles away from Grand Rapids, and Duluth is even farther yet. Do you think the riots would spread this far?” Mr. Bodaway shook his head. “The riots? No, not the riots. But after a while, people are going to start leaving the cities and they are going to need somewhere to go. Some will just be trying to get somewhere, and others will be really looking to cause some harm. Now I know that we here at the Reservation are pretty well armed as are the rest of you. But I’m afraid that will not be enough. I would encourage all of you to spend whatever money you plan on spending wisely. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket, if you know what I mean. Make sure you have enough food to make it at least through the winter until you can plant again. Get clothing and extra first aid things. But don’t neglect getting ammo and the guns that you know you can use. Seth, you’ll want to make sure that your family has guns. Being missionaries I’m sure they aren’t too familiar with them, so we will do what we can to help you out. Jack, would you and Carol be willing to teach them how to shoot?” He asked looking at Jack. “Yeah, sure, Mr. Bodaway. But do you really think this will all be necessary?” Jack asked. He wasn’t one to be pessimistic, and Carol often told him that he trusted people too much. “Yes,” Mr. Bodaway answered carefully, “unfortunately I do. And more than that, I think that we need to protect ourselves before they can even come close to us.” “Would something like a fence work?” One of the elders asked. “No, I don’t think so,” Andrew Atsidi, the chief of police from the Reservation answered. He and Jack had served together in Iraq. He was a very smart and well-trained man, and although they had never fought together side by side, Jack had heard great stories about his valor and leadership. “Maybe if we set some form of traps, and train our men we can keep most people away. The traps would only hurt those who would be coming at us with malicious intent. We could post signs up that said ‘Stay away or else’ kind of thing. Besides,” he continued, “ I think most people will be wanting to head down south for the winter. Most people know all to well how cold it gets in this part of the state. It’s beautiful, but cold. So we can set traps up, and then later work on training.” Mr. Bodaway nodded his head. “Yes, that might work. But we also all need to train now. Specially the ones that can fight and defend us. The rest of us that are too old, or say like Carol, that is pregnant, well, we will just support you the best way we can. Now Jack, your property is pretty much surrounded by ours. We can do the best that we can to prevent anyone from getting to your property, as well as you, Seth and Rebecca. Atsidi, could you pull out the map?” Andrew pulled out a large piece of paper that he had with him and unrolled it. He stood next to Mr. Bodaway as he continued. “Here is our Reservation,” he said as he pointed at a large ‘C’ formed piece of land. These are the lakes,” he said, pointing at the lakes that were inside of the ‘C’. “Now. Jack, your property is surrounded by ours from the north and west. To the south of you is Lake Emily and to the south of that is the Larson’s farm that as of today will be sold to Rebecca’s family. To the east of Jack’s and Lake Emily and the Larson’s is Seth and Rebecca’s place. What we are proposing to you is that we are willing to help you protect your lands, with the condition that you will help train our people. We have many good hunters, but few are sharp shooters like you all are.” Jack and Seth looked at each other. They had hunted and shot together many times before. They knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses pretty well, so they made a good team. Jack nodded as Seth answered “That sounds like a good deal to us! We will train your people and this way we can all help protect each other!” “That’s the idea!” Andrew said. They talked a while more about the details. Jack looked at his watch. It was getting late and he still wanted to get home. He stood up and excused himself, saying that he didn’t want to be late for supper. Everyone nodded, and they decided to get back together later to plan how things would happen. Jack said his goodbyes and headed for his truck. Mr. Larson caught up to him. “Hey Jack! Wait up!” He said as he walked faster to reach him. Jack stopped and waited for the older man to catch up. “You know that wood stove you helped me with?” He asked, a twinkle in his eye. He waited until Jack nodded before he went on. “Well, I want you and the Missus to have it.” When Jack started to shake his head, knowing that this was a great gift especially given the circumstances, Mr. Larson lifted up his hand. “Now, Jack, don’t argue with me. I’m too old for that. Besides, I can’t take it with me. Mr. Bodaway is buying the rest of them to put into the cabins, but I wanted you to have the best one. He agreed. You have been like a son to us, Jack,” Mr. Larson looked away as his eyes got teary, “now git! You don’t want the Missus getting mad at ya on my account!” “Mr. Larson, I don’t know what to say,” Jack said, his voice full of emotion. He knew the gift was more than just a stove. It was a gift from his heart. “Well, don’t say anything or you gonna make me look like a cry baby. Now git going!” Mr. Larson said as he turned to go back in the house. “Thank you, Mr. Larson. Thank you,” Jack said, and got into his truck. -------------------- (Format won't include all the content. Had to make another post. Cat )

MRS. SURVIVAL WINTER NEWS January, February and March 2007 HAPPY NEW YEARS ********************************* XII. Within These Pages: http://www.mrssurvival.com/ubbthreads/post...&Board=UBB4 Are you a reader?? I think there are several ideas for books to read in this forum. Also, did you know there are places on line where you can swap books?? MommyofSeven posted about this in November, and you might like to take a look at it. http://www.mrssurvival.com/ubbthreads/sh...ge=0#Post111739 Anyone using paperbackswap.com? I am addicted! You sign up, post nine books, and get 3 credits to get books with. Each book (except audios) is 1 credit. You pay to mail to those that order your books (usually $1.59). With each book that is received, you get another credit for another book. I'm loving it! Mo7 ************************ XIII. WWW: http://www.mrssurvival.com/ubbthreads/post...amp;Board=UBB13 Here is where you ask for a Sig, or ask any questions you may have about computers or internet. Cat has posted the following: New 'puter??? DH never buys Christmas presents... well, VERY rarely. Yesterday he took a day off work, and I have these huge silver-wrapped boxes in my house. He talked about getting me a new 'puter... I think it's *here*!!! Well, in order to find out you need to read about it at: http://www.mrssurvival.com/ubbthreads/sh...;gonew=1#UNREAD ******************************** XIV. Mrs. Survival's Survival and Preparation Manual: http://www.mrssurvival.com/ubbthreads/post...mp;Board=Manual "With the wealth of information we've gleamed so far within this site alone, we will be putting together a manual to be shared with others that are just beginning, or unaware of how to prepare for themselves and loved ones for the rough times ahead. Roll up your sleeves and come inside and help us get this manual organized! Moderator: LivinSimple, Jo, Schoolmarm " This is what is under the headline. Now, here is just one of the posts in the forum. suzyq322 has posted about: Food calculator, this is a repost, but a good one. http://www.mrssurvival.com/ubbthreads/sh...age=0#Post99240 There are so many good posts in here I can't talk about all of them, but you can take a look and see them. Also, don't forget about "TEOTWAWKI". I want to wish you all a very . Stay warm and safe, or in SueC's case, cool and safe. Snowmom

I just

I have some on the counter righ now, but, it was Old Pine who did it. I have never started it myself.

I made some last year to give as gifts.

We have been looking on petfinder.com for another dog, just haven't had the money yet and we also need to get our fence fixed, as Old Pine wants it expanded.

Sis, I'll be

Oh my, I was there just the other day and I just tried it and it is gone, gone, gone. and I worked for several days getting the recipes out of the 'Kitchen' forum and putting them into the book.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend.

Snow, I'm so sorry for all this. I can guarantee those kids are missing you right now. That's the great thing about grandparents....they're able to give so much love because they're not distracted by anything else. Parents often get wrapped up in the problems in their relationship, grandparents don't have that mess going on......they've either been there done that or figured out what's important a long time ago. Never believe for an instant your love isn't a permanent and lasting benefit to those kids. Even when they can't be with you, the love that you've shown them helps them get through the chaos of living in an alcoholic household.

Thanks again to everyone. You will never know how much your kind words have helped me. Each and every one of you has encouraged and supported me in unique and special ways, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. We did learn that my dad's church reinstated him before he died. We were told last Thursday that he wouldn't make it through the night, however, he waited until after his church Elders visited and told him about the reinstatement, before he he crossed over. He died on Sunday (leap day). On Tuesday I believe he visited me. He brought me a feeling of peace and joy and reassured me that he was ok. I also felt his humour, and a feeling that he was so joyous to know that God had never truly left him. I'm still "weepy" and I imagine I will be for a long time. My dad suffered so much in his life, as did we, due to his addiction. I think I'm only beginning to understand how much it cost him, how much it cost all of us. It does give me peace to know he is free.

Thanks everyone, for your wonderful support. My dad passed away yesterday. I am so appreciative that we had a little time with him before he passed. Other than that, I have to take comfort that he is out of pain. I have missed my dad my whole life, and it looks like I'll go right on missing him.

The situation with my dad continues. The Hospice Nurse told us Thursday that his systems were shutting down and they didn't expect him to live throught the night. On Friday he was better and by Saturday he was sitting up in bed and greeting his brother when he came to visit. I don't expect this to be a recovery, but I guess he still has some things to do and he's sticking around to do them. In the mean time, I really need to start taking better care of myself. I was limping along with my own self-care for a long time. Then when my dad got so sick and my life got even more chaotic than it usually is, the stress and chaos put me in complete eating binge mode. I also have gained about 20 pounds since my low weight last summer. I can't breathe due to the asthma (or thyroid related breathlessness - don't know which, I STILL think I don't have asthma--if I had asthma, then asthma medicine would help, right??), and my thyroid anti-bodies are up. So, I'm getting the sugar back out of my diet and I'm starting to walk a little every day. I'm trying to stay calm. Thanks for all your help and support. It means a lot to me.

Debbielee, I actually had a doctor prescribe birth control pills and antidepressants to "cure" excessive menstrual bleeding. He insisted that because my TSH was at 3.5 and "well withing the normal range" my thyroid couldn't possibly have anything to do with my menstrual problems. Instead of adding meds, I switched docs, switched to Armour thyroid and the next month had my first normal period in years. My hair quit falling out too... It's just crazy. When I was on name brand Armour it only cost $9 a month, even without my insurance. I recently switched to generic and it doesn't even add up to my insurance copay. My copay is $5 and it was only $1.30 for a month of generic Armour.

I do much better on natural thyroid than synthetic, but I would certainly take Synthroid if that was all I could get!! I'm so glad you have some medication and I hope you're feeling better soon. Not only do doctors want to prescribe only Synthroid for hypothyroidism (because it's easier to calculate the dosage & the drug companies push them to prescribe Syhthroid) but they frequently only prescribe enough to get your lab values near the normal range, without any consideration to the fact that you might still feel very unwell. They've also changed the recommended ranges recently as well. The old range for TSH used to be that .5 - 6.0 was considered normal. Well, when my TSH is at 3.0, I'm a mess and all my symptoms are raging. I feel much better with a TSH of around 1.0. Most people seem to feel better when their TSH is near the lower end of "normal" (so what does that mean about "normal"?) There are other thyroid lab tests that give you an even better grip on exactly what your particular issues are with your thyroid, but if your doc is prescribing Synthroid he or she is probably not willing to order those tests be done. The docs are taught that it's a very simple disease with only one treatment. They frequently believe that once your TSH is near normal any remaining symptoms are in your head. They will frequently push anti-depressants. It takes a special doc to work hard enough to really understand the disease. My doc has both diabetes and hypothyroidism himself, that's why he's so good.

Thanks so much for the hug! I really needed it!

Thank you all so much for all your prayers and encouragement. Dad's getting very weak and my stepmom is having a hard time getting him to eat anything. We're going to spend the weekend down there. It's difficult, because I don't know my dad very well. He can't talk much and we don't know what to talk about, but it's clear to us that he really appreciates us being there so that is where we're going to be. I'm doing ok, I guess. I can tell the stress is beating up my thyroid because the "brain fog" is getting bad and all I want to do is sleep......otherwise, my sisters and I are just doing what needs to be done. My dad was excommunicated from his church many, many years ago. We're trying to get him reinstated. So far they have been willing to have a talk with him, but they're not big into offering comfort. They're doing an "investigation". Hopefully, they will reach a positive decision and it will be in time for him to know about it. The funeral homes weren't much help. One even told my sister that he was not required to handle an "account" for free. We weren't asking for that anyway. Anyhow, we found that by going through a crematorium directly we can have cremation for under $600, and between the three of us we can handle that. My dad's brother also wants a visitation and he's willing to pay for that part of it as well. It looks like we're going to be able to take care of things with dignity, and that means a lot. My poor step mother didn't know what she was going to do. Just as an FYI, I have learned that honorably discharged veterans can be buried in VA cemeteries. The plot, the headstone, plus opening and closing the grave is at no charge. Had Dad not wanted his ashes scattered, this would have been one very good possibility. Thanks again for all your prayers. Patty

Folks.....to paraphrase Mark Twain, 'Reports of my fathers' death have been greatly exaggerated!" My dad is now home, with hospice care, his condition IS terminal, but I cannot tell you how much better he is now that he's home from the hospital. I was convinced he wouldn't survive the trip home, but he has survived and he's doing a lot better. (A WHOLE lot better than he was in the hospital!). I'm sorry my first post was misleading, but I just couldn't talk about it, and I really thought I was going to have to make funeral arrangements fairly immediately. Thanks so much for all your kindness and your prayers. We're going to see him this weekend and I'll have a better idea then of how things are going. Apparently, they do at least have heat (I was worried about this) because the hospice nurse wouldn't have set up his equipment and let him come home without adequate, safe heat. We will still, eventually, have to figure out what to do for final arrangements, but I'm truly grateful we don't have to do it today.

Thank you both for your suggestions. I will look into them. Yes, Cat, it's a really sad time. I knew this would come some day, and it would be really, really hard with all the unresolved issues......... I know it's never easy for anyone though.

How do you arrange for burial or cremation for someone who can't afford it?