The First Love Of Alipang Havens
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Copperfox
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Missing out on the depravity which Nash Dockerty had proposed in the church did not mean that Dockerty's underlings did not still have empty pleasures available to them. As soon as they were off duty, Ludovigo Vargas paired off with Faye Miller, and Sid Huddleston with Luminessa Tigobo. The Deputy Commander could easily enough have obtained social companionship for himself also, without even having to use force, either from among the small number of government employees in Sussex, or from the larger selection in Rapid City once his group flew back there.
But the Deputy Commander was preoccupied with trying to understand what had happened that morning in the sanctuary of Sussex Gospel Church. It nagged at his mind through lunch, through hearing Captain Butello's report on how things had gone in Casper while he flew home, through a half-hearted workout in the afternoon, through supper, and right up through bedtime.
When Dockerty had planned this day's intimidation visits to those two important churches, he had not definitely intended to kill any of the exiles, though he might have had some of them beaten or tasered or suchlike. But he had expected more of a satisfying fear-effect than he seemed to have accomplished. Particularly in the raid he led personally, he had expected to come away patting himself on the back for exposing weakness in Alipang Havens in the presence of the kickboxing dentist's family and friends. He had looked forward to discrediting someone with a dangerous degree of moral authority. But it hadn't worked out that way.
Alipang Havens had not flinched or grovelled; neither had he gone suicidally berserk like a fanatic. He had not _wanted_ to be killed or see others die, but neither had he been crawlingly anxious to appease the authority figure. It had been like the day Alipang had refused to become an ombudsman, only worse--for _this_ time, the undismayed Christian had turned the tables and exposed _Dockerty's_ weakness. If the Deputy Commander had believed in prophetic gifts, he would have concluded that the Filipino man had such a gift.
For Alipang had been right. It _was_ true that Nash Dockerty, in silent private moments, _did_ often wonder what it was like to die, and if anything happened after that. And it _was_ true that his carnal pleasures were in part a means of distracting himself from these uneasy thoughts. Not only the pleasures of crudely physical stimulation, but also the pleasures of pride and cruelty. Keeping defenseless persons like Ma'at Wazir (for the short while she had been in his clutches) in a state of unrelieved fear. Sending Vargas and Huddleston out to commit their occasional murders with impunity.
And, of course....his part in plans that would change the political order in the Diversity States.
Dockerty was confident that the plans _would_ succeed, or else he would have tried his best _not_ to be drawn into participating. He was what had once been known as "a sure-thing gunslinger," intensely unwilling to risk danger to himself. Still....if the scheme _didn't_ succeed, it was possible that he would be denounced as a conspirator, and would find the completion of his life being celebrated.
And if that happened, what would follow? Neither total non-existence, nor having to face cosmic justice in some form, was an appealing prospect.
It was not until he lay down in bed, still reviewing his own state of mind concerning the recent events and their eternal implications, that the wholesome scent like meadow flowers came to him. He could really smell it, incongruous in autumn; yet he made no attempt to find out why he smelled a floral fragrance, for with the sensation of an aroma there also came an uncanny relaxation. The Deputy Commander of the Campaign Against Hate for the Western Enclave got the feeling that....that something was being _offered_ to him. The invisible flowers, and the inexplicable calmness, were seeming to tell him that there was hope, that there was a better way. That he could stop hiding from his fears under a covering of animal lusts. It just might be that one could both exist after death, AND be forgiven for evil deeds. It just might be that the exiles knew something the Campaign Against Hate didn't know.
Dockerty had no words for what he was feeling; it was as if he were being told that he could become young again, a little child, and start all over....
But years of self-esteem training came to his rescue. So what if he smelled something sweet? All these random ideas, absurdly suggestive of _religion,_ would require him to humble himself, to change directions, to admit that he had been _wrong_ about the universe! That was unacceptable. He was the mighty Deputy Commander of Overseers! No one was going to tell _him_ to start apologizing for things. He had his prestige to think of, his self-actualization.
At last Nash Dockerty went to sleep, congratulating himself on having maintained his practical good sense.
But the Deputy Commander was preoccupied with trying to understand what had happened that morning in the sanctuary of Sussex Gospel Church. It nagged at his mind through lunch, through hearing Captain Butello's report on how things had gone in Casper while he flew home, through a half-hearted workout in the afternoon, through supper, and right up through bedtime.
When Dockerty had planned this day's intimidation visits to those two important churches, he had not definitely intended to kill any of the exiles, though he might have had some of them beaten or tasered or suchlike. But he had expected more of a satisfying fear-effect than he seemed to have accomplished. Particularly in the raid he led personally, he had expected to come away patting himself on the back for exposing weakness in Alipang Havens in the presence of the kickboxing dentist's family and friends. He had looked forward to discrediting someone with a dangerous degree of moral authority. But it hadn't worked out that way.
Alipang Havens had not flinched or grovelled; neither had he gone suicidally berserk like a fanatic. He had not _wanted_ to be killed or see others die, but neither had he been crawlingly anxious to appease the authority figure. It had been like the day Alipang had refused to become an ombudsman, only worse--for _this_ time, the undismayed Christian had turned the tables and exposed _Dockerty's_ weakness. If the Deputy Commander had believed in prophetic gifts, he would have concluded that the Filipino man had such a gift.
For Alipang had been right. It _was_ true that Nash Dockerty, in silent private moments, _did_ often wonder what it was like to die, and if anything happened after that. And it _was_ true that his carnal pleasures were in part a means of distracting himself from these uneasy thoughts. Not only the pleasures of crudely physical stimulation, but also the pleasures of pride and cruelty. Keeping defenseless persons like Ma'at Wazir (for the short while she had been in his clutches) in a state of unrelieved fear. Sending Vargas and Huddleston out to commit their occasional murders with impunity.
And, of course....his part in plans that would change the political order in the Diversity States.
Dockerty was confident that the plans _would_ succeed, or else he would have tried his best _not_ to be drawn into participating. He was what had once been known as "a sure-thing gunslinger," intensely unwilling to risk danger to himself. Still....if the scheme _didn't_ succeed, it was possible that he would be denounced as a conspirator, and would find the completion of his life being celebrated.
And if that happened, what would follow? Neither total non-existence, nor having to face cosmic justice in some form, was an appealing prospect.
It was not until he lay down in bed, still reviewing his own state of mind concerning the recent events and their eternal implications, that the wholesome scent like meadow flowers came to him. He could really smell it, incongruous in autumn; yet he made no attempt to find out why he smelled a floral fragrance, for with the sensation of an aroma there also came an uncanny relaxation. The Deputy Commander of the Campaign Against Hate for the Western Enclave got the feeling that....that something was being _offered_ to him. The invisible flowers, and the inexplicable calmness, were seeming to tell him that there was hope, that there was a better way. That he could stop hiding from his fears under a covering of animal lusts. It just might be that one could both exist after death, AND be forgiven for evil deeds. It just might be that the exiles knew something the Campaign Against Hate didn't know.
Dockerty had no words for what he was feeling; it was as if he were being told that he could become young again, a little child, and start all over....
But years of self-esteem training came to his rescue. So what if he smelled something sweet? All these random ideas, absurdly suggestive of _religion,_ would require him to humble himself, to change directions, to admit that he had been _wrong_ about the universe! That was unacceptable. He was the mighty Deputy Commander of Overseers! No one was going to tell _him_ to start apologizing for things. He had his prestige to think of, his self-actualization.
At last Nash Dockerty went to sleep, congratulating himself on having maintained his practical good sense.
Copperfox
Well-known member
During the same afternoon hours in which the Deputy Commander was processing what had happened to him, the "kickboxing dentist," already knowing that God had been at work, was being deluged with hugs and expressions of relief that he had not had his breastbone shoved out through his backbone by a rail-rifle bullet. Kim's loving flood of relief was especially pronounced; she would have submitted to Dockerty's lusts if that had been the only way to save her family from death, but the experience would have haunted her afterwards.
As if to show any possible observer that he had not been so unnerved as to drop his plans, Alipang proceeded in the late afternoon to do what he had intended: escort Bill Shao to the train which would carry the Taiwanese back to his living quarters next to Power Station 27 (the living quarters which would become Lorraine's home also before another week had passed). Alipang had his Palomino with him; he would start out from the train station to the Grange Hall, to join other volunteers tomorrow on another bear patrol. Bill had already had his goodbye with Lorraine at the Havens house, as had Alipang with Kim; right now, Bill was anxious for some guy-talk.
The few other passengers waiting for the late train were in the small station building, staying out of the cold wind; so Alipang and Bill stood on the platform for privacy, greatly though the Filipino hated cold weather.
"Al, I feel sick. I feel like a Krin"--which was a current slang term, derived from the verb "cringe," meaning a coward or weakling. "I couldn't do _anything_ about those bullies barging in on us. I felt like I myself was the whole Republic of Taiwan, having to submit when the Beijing troops walked in. Lorraine was so kind to me, you heard her, not blaming me at all; but how can she feel respect for me after this?"
"Bill, you really mean the same thing that's been there in your mind ever since you began courting Lorraine: how can a war hero's widow respect you? Brother, all of us have limitations. If you seated me in an airplane cockpit--or at _your_ power-station control panel--I would be as useless as a blind surgeon. If it had been Lieutenant Wilson Kramer sitting there in church, unarmed himself while facing all those weapons, with vulnerable civilians all around, HE would no more have tried to fight the Overseers than you did. It isn't cowardice to hold still when attempted action would not gain anything."
Bill did not appear cheered up. "Okay. But that still leaves our whole earthly future, however much of it we'll have: still passive, still defenseless."
"Not altogether defenseless. Why do you suppose I like to talk so much to my children about the Book of Daniel? God is with us, my very good friend. You witnessed how He was with me this morning! And I didn't enjoy that little victory because I'm a martial artist, or because I'm a hunter, or even because I'm a healthcare professional; I enjoyed it because I was acting within God's will, and it pleased Him to vindicate me."
Now Bill did smile faintly. "Thanks, Al. You just made me remember a Scripture I haven't thought about recently, though it's a natural for an electrical-station technician. You know, from Zechariah: 'Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord.' "
"That's the way to talk! Now, I think I hear your train coming. Try not to let this incident get you down. Dockerty and his mob _haven't_ proven themselves to be superior to anyone; all they proved is that they had guns and we didn't. If the positions had been reversed, _they_ would have been blubbering and begging for mercy. So take heart! In a few days, when you see me playing the fatherly role, bringing your bride to you, you _won't_ see any lack of respect on Lorraine's face, because she _knows_ your true merit. As do I."
Once the two men had parted company, Alipang set out on his stallion for the Grange Hall near Crazy Woman Creek. Refusing to let the morning's unpleasantness get HIM down either, he looked forward to John Wisebadger joining this latest predator-hunt after a long absence from those expeditions. Tomorrow, John and Alipang would be shepherding several novice Grange volunteers, persons who did have outdoor knowledge but had not yet operated in these particular conditions. The Arapahoe and the Filipino would both be trusting God to take care of them, in this as in other situations.
And if they killed a grizzly or other dangerous beast, Alipang trusted God to pardon him if he fleetingly imagined the loathsome face of Nash Dockerty on that beast.
As if to show any possible observer that he had not been so unnerved as to drop his plans, Alipang proceeded in the late afternoon to do what he had intended: escort Bill Shao to the train which would carry the Taiwanese back to his living quarters next to Power Station 27 (the living quarters which would become Lorraine's home also before another week had passed). Alipang had his Palomino with him; he would start out from the train station to the Grange Hall, to join other volunteers tomorrow on another bear patrol. Bill had already had his goodbye with Lorraine at the Havens house, as had Alipang with Kim; right now, Bill was anxious for some guy-talk.
The few other passengers waiting for the late train were in the small station building, staying out of the cold wind; so Alipang and Bill stood on the platform for privacy, greatly though the Filipino hated cold weather.
"Al, I feel sick. I feel like a Krin"--which was a current slang term, derived from the verb "cringe," meaning a coward or weakling. "I couldn't do _anything_ about those bullies barging in on us. I felt like I myself was the whole Republic of Taiwan, having to submit when the Beijing troops walked in. Lorraine was so kind to me, you heard her, not blaming me at all; but how can she feel respect for me after this?"
"Bill, you really mean the same thing that's been there in your mind ever since you began courting Lorraine: how can a war hero's widow respect you? Brother, all of us have limitations. If you seated me in an airplane cockpit--or at _your_ power-station control panel--I would be as useless as a blind surgeon. If it had been Lieutenant Wilson Kramer sitting there in church, unarmed himself while facing all those weapons, with vulnerable civilians all around, HE would no more have tried to fight the Overseers than you did. It isn't cowardice to hold still when attempted action would not gain anything."
Bill did not appear cheered up. "Okay. But that still leaves our whole earthly future, however much of it we'll have: still passive, still defenseless."
"Not altogether defenseless. Why do you suppose I like to talk so much to my children about the Book of Daniel? God is with us, my very good friend. You witnessed how He was with me this morning! And I didn't enjoy that little victory because I'm a martial artist, or because I'm a hunter, or even because I'm a healthcare professional; I enjoyed it because I was acting within God's will, and it pleased Him to vindicate me."
Now Bill did smile faintly. "Thanks, Al. You just made me remember a Scripture I haven't thought about recently, though it's a natural for an electrical-station technician. You know, from Zechariah: 'Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord.' "
"That's the way to talk! Now, I think I hear your train coming. Try not to let this incident get you down. Dockerty and his mob _haven't_ proven themselves to be superior to anyone; all they proved is that they had guns and we didn't. If the positions had been reversed, _they_ would have been blubbering and begging for mercy. So take heart! In a few days, when you see me playing the fatherly role, bringing your bride to you, you _won't_ see any lack of respect on Lorraine's face, because she _knows_ your true merit. As do I."
Once the two men had parted company, Alipang set out on his stallion for the Grange Hall near Crazy Woman Creek. Refusing to let the morning's unpleasantness get HIM down either, he looked forward to John Wisebadger joining this latest predator-hunt after a long absence from those expeditions. Tomorrow, John and Alipang would be shepherding several novice Grange volunteers, persons who did have outdoor knowledge but had not yet operated in these particular conditions. The Arapahoe and the Filipino would both be trusting God to take care of them, in this as in other situations.
And if they killed a grizzly or other dangerous beast, Alipang trusted God to pardon him if he fleetingly imagined the loathsome face of Nash Dockerty on that beast.
Last edited:
Zella
New member
Copperfox
Well-known member
Zella, have you ever read Mr. Lewis' book That Hideous Strength? Dockerty is supposed to be like the villains in that story. He illustrates my conviction that ALL souls are given SOME kind of chance to respond to God, but many refuse.
Now, merely talking in a hypothetical what-if kind of way...
If I should just happen to be planning an action climax to this novel, in which circumstances would permit Alipang to cut loose with his fighting skills at last, and singlehandedly open a can of kick-butt on four or five stubbornly unrepentant evildoers all at one time... can you perhaps think of a character who would particularly deserve to be on the receiving end of the wipeout?
Now, merely talking in a hypothetical what-if kind of way...
If I should just happen to be planning an action climax to this novel, in which circumstances would permit Alipang to cut loose with his fighting skills at last, and singlehandedly open a can of kick-butt on four or five stubbornly unrepentant evildoers all at one time... can you perhaps think of a character who would particularly deserve to be on the receiving end of the wipeout?
Zella
New member
Zella, have you ever read Mr. Lewis' book That Hideous Strength? Dockerty is supposed to be like the villains in that story. He illustrates my conviction that ALL souls are given SOME kind of chance to respond to God, but many refuse.
Now, merely talking in a hypothetical what-if kind of way...
If I should just happen to be planning an action climax to this novel, in which circumstances would permit Alipang to cut loose with his fighting skills at last, and singlehandedly open a can of kick-butt on four or five stubbornly unrepentant evildoers all at one time... can you perhaps think of a character who would particularly deserve to be on the receiving end of the wipeout?
No, I haven't read it. I read the first two in that serious, but our library doesn't have the third one and I've never gotten around to finding it.
Unless he changes (which would surprise me), Dockerty would be a good candidate.
Or maybe Vargas and Huddleston.
Copperfox
Well-known member
If you ever get to read "Hideous Strength," don't let the opening confuse you. The story takes place back on Earth, and Ransom does not appear at all in the early chapters. You first meet characters whose lives will _eventually_ be affected by Ransom, who has returned to Earth from Venus and gathered some followers for the fight against evil.
By the way, back in the first Alipang Havens novel, when I narrated the birth of Lorraine's second son, I gave him the first name of Ransom in conscious tribute to the Lewis character of Elwin Ransom.
And about that hypothetical action climax for the current Alipang Havens novel: think in terms of _several_ villains getting what they have coming.
By the way, back in the first Alipang Havens novel, when I narrated the birth of Lorraine's second son, I gave him the first name of Ransom in conscious tribute to the Lewis character of Elwin Ransom.
And about that hypothetical action climax for the current Alipang Havens novel: think in terms of _several_ villains getting what they have coming.
Copperfox
Well-known member
To Whoever Is Reading This,
Besides My Close Friends:
Besides My Close Friends:
I know, by checking the Views column, that there ARE more than two or three people reading this thread; but only a handful of persons make comments. I would very much like to know who ELSE is reading, and whether some of them are particularly new readers who are only just now reading the FIRST Alipang Havens story.
I have told many new Facebook friends about Alipang, both for the simple purpose of having my tales read, and as a way to lure new members to join TDL. But so far, I have terribly little feedback from anyone I approached in this way. Call it fishing for compliments, but I wish to know who's visiting my characters. Anonymous readers, please make yourselves known!
Copperfox
Well-known member
Continuing "The Possible Future of Alipang Havens"
Chapter 47: Weddings, Present and Potential
On Monday evening, a small cavalcade entered Sussex by way of the neglected but still-usable roads, then crossed the bridge over the Powder River to seek out the Alipang Havens residence. Leading the way was Ransom Kramer on his rugged mountain bicycle, and in the attached cart he often used with it rode a two-year-old Amish boy: Felix Reinhart, youngest child of Hezekiah and Lois Reinhart. Felix's parents were immediately behind in a two-horse wagon, with the rest of their brood, including Lydia whom Ransom was courting in all but official status. Bringing up the rear in a similar wagon were Hezekiah's brother Ulrich and his wife Greta, with their own children. Local friends of this Amish clan were pleased to see Ulrich appearing completely recovered from his bear-mauling of last April.
Some were already aware that there was another purpose behind the Amish visit besides purchases of necessities like sewing supplies which could be had in Sussex. Sylvia Lathrop, and a couple about her age named Cung--a Vietnamese-born husband called Poc Tsan with a white American wife named Elsa--appeared and greeted the Reinharts, who would be lodging that night in their houses: Hezekiah's family with Sylvia and Ulrich's with Poc Tsan and Elsa. After a little discussion of the evening's logistics, the Amish contingent followed Ransom the rest of the way to the Havens household.
"You missed Alipang," Kim told them as she welcomed them; "he's out patrolling for the Grange again." This did not prevent the visitors, after their horses were attended to and housed in the Havens' crude stable, from joining in a lengthy conversation about yesterday's church raids. Yesterday had been an "off Sunday" for the nearby Amish, so it remained uncertain whether they might also have been raided if they had been holding worship yesterday. Lorraine was not quick to put her oar in; but eventually she remarked, "I doubt very much that any other churches, at least in the Wyoming Sector, are marked for bullying. They went after the churches of the two Havens households, older and younger generations, because the extended Havens family has been an anchor for people here in Wyoming. Just by _being_ the men they are, Eric and Alipang are men whom the Overseers particularly want to keep under control."
"But judging by what happened at your church here," said Lois Reinhart, "our Heavenly Father showed the Overseers that it's HE Who's in control." Hezekiah followed up on this by saying, "So let's show our trust in Him, by proceeding on to happier matters."
Everyone glanced at the sixteen-year-old Lydia, whose blush was the more pronounced by contrast with the white Amish cap atop her head.
"With Lorraine soon leaving us," observed Kim, "Lydia's help will be _very_ timely."
"It's your wedding that's timely," said Lois directly to Lorraine. "Farm work is winding down for the winter now, so we can spare our daughter better now than if you and Mr. Shao were getting hitched in, say, March."
Kim nodded. "I understand that you Amish favor November weddings precisely _because_ they're less disruptive of routine than weddings at the height of planting or harvest."
"Right," replied Ulrich, inserting a word since he was the elder of the Reinhart brothers. The one word being enough to satisfy him, his wife Greta took the opportunity to add: "And now Lydia will have gainful employment over the winter."
"While she seeks God's will, helped by seeing better what life here is like," resumed Lois, looking at Ransom with an intent but friendly gaze. "While all of us know that young Mr. Kramer has no wrongful designs upon our daughter's purity, her living with Mrs. Lathrop will ensure an independent witness to the decency of the arrangement. And of course, she'll do some domestic work for her hostess as well as here."
"We've spoken to our preacher about all of this," Hezekiah told Kim. "He has talked with Ransom a time or two, and accepts our word that he is an honorable young Christian man. The preacher feels that these winter months ought to be enough time for Lydia and Ransom to make some progress at knowing their own hearts and seeking God's heart. Next spring, if the two of them have grown closer together, our congregation will be willing to acknowledge them as _officially_ courting. But this will not yet be the point of no return where our church is concerned. Lydia's baptism into full Amish membership need not come for some time yet--so that, even if her courting with Ransom does look like leading to marriage, they'll still have time to decide which direction they'll go spiritually."
"If Ransom feels called to become Amish," said Lois, "we'll welcome him into the Plain community with all our hearts. And if Lydia feels called to forego the Amish vow and marry as an Englischer Christian, it will not be counted to her as sin, since she will not have taken the vow that she should be guilty of breaking it."
Hezekiah took up from there: "Lydia's mother and I have agreed, along with my brother and his wife, and our preacher and his wife, that since it is not an offense against the Ordnung for Lydia to wed outside our church provided she didn't bind herself to it, she would not in that case be in any way cut off from our love and our society."
During this, Wilson Havens had been keeping his own siblings, and the younger Amish children, occupied elsewhere, since the current conversation might venture onto a bit of adult ground. And so it now did, by way of Lorraine:
"I don't know if you Amish can see the irony of our having this discussion in Ransom and Lydia's presence. In the world outside the fence, people would see nothing amiss with Ransom taking Lydia's virginity right now, as casually as riding his bicycle; but they would think it was _weird_ for us to talk about a possible future _marriage_ for them!"
Lydia blushed even more furiously. But she reflected on the fact that Lorraine Kramer was known to be a righteous, God-honoring woman; and on the fact that Englischer Christians were capable of offhandedly _mentioning_ the possibility of immoral actions without it meaning they were _condoning_ such actions.
Next Lorraine looked her own son in the eye. "Ransom? Since the Reinharts have honored us by being so open about their position, I want to say this in _their_ hearing. I honestly believe that your father is able to watch us from Heaven; and I am sure down to my bones that he _won't_ feel disrespected by you if you do decide to become Amish."
Ransom drew near to his mother and kissed her. "Thanks, Mom." Then he looked straight up at the ceiling. "And thanks, Dad."
Chapter 47: Weddings, Present and Potential
On Monday evening, a small cavalcade entered Sussex by way of the neglected but still-usable roads, then crossed the bridge over the Powder River to seek out the Alipang Havens residence. Leading the way was Ransom Kramer on his rugged mountain bicycle, and in the attached cart he often used with it rode a two-year-old Amish boy: Felix Reinhart, youngest child of Hezekiah and Lois Reinhart. Felix's parents were immediately behind in a two-horse wagon, with the rest of their brood, including Lydia whom Ransom was courting in all but official status. Bringing up the rear in a similar wagon were Hezekiah's brother Ulrich and his wife Greta, with their own children. Local friends of this Amish clan were pleased to see Ulrich appearing completely recovered from his bear-mauling of last April.
Some were already aware that there was another purpose behind the Amish visit besides purchases of necessities like sewing supplies which could be had in Sussex. Sylvia Lathrop, and a couple about her age named Cung--a Vietnamese-born husband called Poc Tsan with a white American wife named Elsa--appeared and greeted the Reinharts, who would be lodging that night in their houses: Hezekiah's family with Sylvia and Ulrich's with Poc Tsan and Elsa. After a little discussion of the evening's logistics, the Amish contingent followed Ransom the rest of the way to the Havens household.
"You missed Alipang," Kim told them as she welcomed them; "he's out patrolling for the Grange again." This did not prevent the visitors, after their horses were attended to and housed in the Havens' crude stable, from joining in a lengthy conversation about yesterday's church raids. Yesterday had been an "off Sunday" for the nearby Amish, so it remained uncertain whether they might also have been raided if they had been holding worship yesterday. Lorraine was not quick to put her oar in; but eventually she remarked, "I doubt very much that any other churches, at least in the Wyoming Sector, are marked for bullying. They went after the churches of the two Havens households, older and younger generations, because the extended Havens family has been an anchor for people here in Wyoming. Just by _being_ the men they are, Eric and Alipang are men whom the Overseers particularly want to keep under control."
"But judging by what happened at your church here," said Lois Reinhart, "our Heavenly Father showed the Overseers that it's HE Who's in control." Hezekiah followed up on this by saying, "So let's show our trust in Him, by proceeding on to happier matters."
Everyone glanced at the sixteen-year-old Lydia, whose blush was the more pronounced by contrast with the white Amish cap atop her head.
"With Lorraine soon leaving us," observed Kim, "Lydia's help will be _very_ timely."
"It's your wedding that's timely," said Lois directly to Lorraine. "Farm work is winding down for the winter now, so we can spare our daughter better now than if you and Mr. Shao were getting hitched in, say, March."
Kim nodded. "I understand that you Amish favor November weddings precisely _because_ they're less disruptive of routine than weddings at the height of planting or harvest."
"Right," replied Ulrich, inserting a word since he was the elder of the Reinhart brothers. The one word being enough to satisfy him, his wife Greta took the opportunity to add: "And now Lydia will have gainful employment over the winter."
"While she seeks God's will, helped by seeing better what life here is like," resumed Lois, looking at Ransom with an intent but friendly gaze. "While all of us know that young Mr. Kramer has no wrongful designs upon our daughter's purity, her living with Mrs. Lathrop will ensure an independent witness to the decency of the arrangement. And of course, she'll do some domestic work for her hostess as well as here."
"We've spoken to our preacher about all of this," Hezekiah told Kim. "He has talked with Ransom a time or two, and accepts our word that he is an honorable young Christian man. The preacher feels that these winter months ought to be enough time for Lydia and Ransom to make some progress at knowing their own hearts and seeking God's heart. Next spring, if the two of them have grown closer together, our congregation will be willing to acknowledge them as _officially_ courting. But this will not yet be the point of no return where our church is concerned. Lydia's baptism into full Amish membership need not come for some time yet--so that, even if her courting with Ransom does look like leading to marriage, they'll still have time to decide which direction they'll go spiritually."
"If Ransom feels called to become Amish," said Lois, "we'll welcome him into the Plain community with all our hearts. And if Lydia feels called to forego the Amish vow and marry as an Englischer Christian, it will not be counted to her as sin, since she will not have taken the vow that she should be guilty of breaking it."
Hezekiah took up from there: "Lydia's mother and I have agreed, along with my brother and his wife, and our preacher and his wife, that since it is not an offense against the Ordnung for Lydia to wed outside our church provided she didn't bind herself to it, she would not in that case be in any way cut off from our love and our society."
During this, Wilson Havens had been keeping his own siblings, and the younger Amish children, occupied elsewhere, since the current conversation might venture onto a bit of adult ground. And so it now did, by way of Lorraine:
"I don't know if you Amish can see the irony of our having this discussion in Ransom and Lydia's presence. In the world outside the fence, people would see nothing amiss with Ransom taking Lydia's virginity right now, as casually as riding his bicycle; but they would think it was _weird_ for us to talk about a possible future _marriage_ for them!"
Lydia blushed even more furiously. But she reflected on the fact that Lorraine Kramer was known to be a righteous, God-honoring woman; and on the fact that Englischer Christians were capable of offhandedly _mentioning_ the possibility of immoral actions without it meaning they were _condoning_ such actions.
Next Lorraine looked her own son in the eye. "Ransom? Since the Reinharts have honored us by being so open about their position, I want to say this in _their_ hearing. I honestly believe that your father is able to watch us from Heaven; and I am sure down to my bones that he _won't_ feel disrespected by you if you do decide to become Amish."
Ransom drew near to his mother and kissed her. "Thanks, Mom." Then he looked straight up at the ceiling. "And thanks, Dad."
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Copperfox
Well-known member
Far away in Australia, it was much earlier IN the day; but thanks to the International Date Line, it was the NEXT day. In a solar-powered outback bungalow owned by Bert Randall, the Australian adventurer and his new American bride were enjoying an actual honeymoon--Meretseger and Montu being still with Bert's parents, who were glad to have them.
The nights that had passed since their wedding at the Pacific Federation consulate in St. Louis had satisfied Bert that he had not done himself any harm by marrying Ma'at, short notice though it was. On the actual wedding night, he had taken pains to impress on her that she was not a slave, that she didn't have to pleasure him if she didn't want to....but she HAD wanted to. Precisely because what she could give was now HERS to give or withhold by her own will, she had become absolutely insatiable for lovemaking with her knight in shining armor. At once aggressive and yielding, soft and strong, passionate and playful, Ma'at had easily banished all past girlfriends from Bert's nostalgia forever. He had never known anything to compare with what this eternally-grateful Egyptian woman could and did lavish upon him from a seemingly inexhaustible well of love and tenderness.
Amid this, he also found time to appreciate her mind. No, really. Although she did not have such vast theatrical talent as to make it a disaster for the world that she had quit being a street entertainer, Ma'at did have good general intelligence, and was quick to learn things.
Nor was the satisfaction one-sided. After years of being trapped in fear and humiliation, Ma'at was in a state of daily disbelief at the kindness and casual generosity of this man who had not needed her for anything, yet who had somehow chosen to love her. From time to time, some accidental trigger in his talk or his movements made her fear for an instant that now the mask would come off, now Bert would reveal himself as ALSO a cruel man like the men in the Cantonment. But no, every time it had been a false alarm; every time, Bert had gone on to do or say something gentle and pleasing, without even realizing that his bride had briefly been afraid.
He even cooked many of the meals himself, and thanked her heartily when it was she who cooked.
Today they had had fun making breakfast together.... after which they had returned to the bedroom for still more fun. At last, while not pulling out of their mutual physical tangle, they settled into talking. Their talk rambled through many subjects. At one point it came to the boy Daffodil Ford.
"If you had never met me," Ma'at murmured, "and if Ambassador Samantha Ford had come on to you as urgently as I did....would you have liked Daffodil Ford as a stepson as much as you like Montu?"
Bert kissed her lazily before answering: "No comparison. Montu pulls out far ahead of Daffy, though it's even MORE of a massacre comparing YOU to Ms. Ford. I would rather marry a carpentry sander than marry Samantha Ford. Anyway, Daffy isn't a BAD boy, by any means; it isn't his fault that he's had such a twisted upbringing; but Montu ALSO had a bad upbringing, yet he's a great kid."
"Will I seem to brag if I say that my son did have the advantage of a mother who loved him?"
"Only the truth, darling. Yes, poor Daffy hasn't had love or guidance from EITHER parent. I do hope someday to be able to show more friendship to him, help him onward into manhood and wisdom. I would love to see him get married someday--to Meretseger, for instance, if he ever becomes a good enough man to be worthy of her! But speaking purely selfishly, in terms of myself enjoying a stepson, Montu is the one for me."
Still more lovemaking followed that. Within her own mind, Ma'at ordered herself NOT to be jealous, on her own son's behalf, of Bert's compassion for that other boy.
The nights that had passed since their wedding at the Pacific Federation consulate in St. Louis had satisfied Bert that he had not done himself any harm by marrying Ma'at, short notice though it was. On the actual wedding night, he had taken pains to impress on her that she was not a slave, that she didn't have to pleasure him if she didn't want to....but she HAD wanted to. Precisely because what she could give was now HERS to give or withhold by her own will, she had become absolutely insatiable for lovemaking with her knight in shining armor. At once aggressive and yielding, soft and strong, passionate and playful, Ma'at had easily banished all past girlfriends from Bert's nostalgia forever. He had never known anything to compare with what this eternally-grateful Egyptian woman could and did lavish upon him from a seemingly inexhaustible well of love and tenderness.
Amid this, he also found time to appreciate her mind. No, really. Although she did not have such vast theatrical talent as to make it a disaster for the world that she had quit being a street entertainer, Ma'at did have good general intelligence, and was quick to learn things.
Nor was the satisfaction one-sided. After years of being trapped in fear and humiliation, Ma'at was in a state of daily disbelief at the kindness and casual generosity of this man who had not needed her for anything, yet who had somehow chosen to love her. From time to time, some accidental trigger in his talk or his movements made her fear for an instant that now the mask would come off, now Bert would reveal himself as ALSO a cruel man like the men in the Cantonment. But no, every time it had been a false alarm; every time, Bert had gone on to do or say something gentle and pleasing, without even realizing that his bride had briefly been afraid.
He even cooked many of the meals himself, and thanked her heartily when it was she who cooked.
Today they had had fun making breakfast together.... after which they had returned to the bedroom for still more fun. At last, while not pulling out of their mutual physical tangle, they settled into talking. Their talk rambled through many subjects. At one point it came to the boy Daffodil Ford.
"If you had never met me," Ma'at murmured, "and if Ambassador Samantha Ford had come on to you as urgently as I did....would you have liked Daffodil Ford as a stepson as much as you like Montu?"
Bert kissed her lazily before answering: "No comparison. Montu pulls out far ahead of Daffy, though it's even MORE of a massacre comparing YOU to Ms. Ford. I would rather marry a carpentry sander than marry Samantha Ford. Anyway, Daffy isn't a BAD boy, by any means; it isn't his fault that he's had such a twisted upbringing; but Montu ALSO had a bad upbringing, yet he's a great kid."
"Will I seem to brag if I say that my son did have the advantage of a mother who loved him?"
"Only the truth, darling. Yes, poor Daffy hasn't had love or guidance from EITHER parent. I do hope someday to be able to show more friendship to him, help him onward into manhood and wisdom. I would love to see him get married someday--to Meretseger, for instance, if he ever becomes a good enough man to be worthy of her! But speaking purely selfishly, in terms of myself enjoying a stepson, Montu is the one for me."
Still more lovemaking followed that. Within her own mind, Ma'at ordered herself NOT to be jealous, on her own son's behalf, of Bert's compassion for that other boy.
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Copperfox
Well-known member
It was not unheard of for Overseers inside the Enclave to ride on horses--as recreation. A few facilities maintained by the Department of Eco-Sensitive Agriculture kept riding horses for government employees on off-duty time.
It so happened that one of the male Overseers who had assisted Captain Butello with the church raid in Casper, a fellow named Kurt Langford, normally stationed at an outpost in the foothills country south of Frontier Plaza, was an equestrian. He was also an entertaining boaster, claiming to be descended from Nathaniel Pitt Langford, a nineteenth-century explorer of Wyoming. Energy Ombudsman Odette Galloway, who had never heard of the historical Mr. Langford before, had no idea whether Kurt was telling the truth or not; but what counted to her was that he was slick and studly.
Hearing of the availability of horses in the Enclave had been an incentive for Kurt to request an Enclave assignment months ago. It furthermore happened that Odette, after having crossed paths with Henry Spafford many times and still having gotten nowhere with him, had enjoyed a chance conversation with Overseer Langford shortly before Langford's temporary assignment in Casper. Odette had in fact been granted one furlough outside the fence by now, but this didn't mean that she _wouldn't_ avail herself of pleasure that might offer itself inside the fence. So, the handsome lawman being back in the foothills by Tuesday, Odette accepted his invitation to ride horses with him.
There was a recreational trail with fine views toward the Rocky Mountains, which only government employees were allowed to use. It enjoyed a safety feature which the triumvirate had not bothered to provide for the exile population: ultrasonic emitters positioned to make wild animals avoid the trail (with a few overpasses which the animals could go under). Odette and her new boyfriend-of-the-moment rode happily along, both profoundly informing each other that monogamy was SO primitive and illogical. Overseer Langford knew of a well-stocked line cabin, less than a kilometer ahead now, in which they could put their philosophical position into practice overnight.
The Overseer, while scorning faith in God, had a childlike faith in the reliability of the ultrasonic barrier on either side of them. He therefore was weaponless as well as being out of uniform. But a severe disillusionment awaited him. A power failure struck the emitters.... at the very time when a cranky grizzly was approaching the trail from the trees on the downslope side.
This grizzly had at some time in his life acquired a taste for horseflesh; and with winds tending to blow downward from the mountains toward nightfall, he smelled the horses before they smelled him. Thus it was that, while they might have taken flight _with_ their riders still mounted if they had had more warning, both horses _threw_ their riders when the grizzly's charge took them utterly by surprise.
Because the huge bear tried first to catch one of the fleeing horses, Odette and Langford both had a moment to pick themselves up. The targetted horse, however, gained speed from necessity, and evaded its pursuer. The grizzly, accordingly, resigned itself to the second menu choice.
Langford's shriek of terror was almost as high-pitched as Odette's. Both humans ran, as if this could save them. But Langford had an inspiration to save _himself_ at least. Not wanting to gamble on playing dead, which sometimes did cause a bear to lose interest, he went for a sure thing: shouting to Odette to climb a tree. At their first meeting, trying to sound to him like an outdoorsy girl, she had told him that she could climb trees. Langford relied on her now to follow his shouted urging without considering how much faster bears could climb.
The tactic worked, from the Overseer's viewpoint. Odette made it a few meters up a suitable tree, while her boyfriend kept fleeing. The grizzly went after the closer quarry. Langford heard the woman's agonized cry when up-reaching claws caught her by the right leg; but there was nothing he could do for her. Hadn't they been agreeing, mere minutes ago, that self-love was the foundation of life and everyone had to look out for Number One?
Falling past the great carnivore, landing on her stomach, Odette curled up in a despairing ball. An instant later, something tore at her scalp, feeling as if it were taking off the whole top of her skull. Amid pain and fear, some incoherent thought flickered in her, to the effect that she had not expected to die young.
But it was not quite her time to die after all--for an instant later, the grizzly voiced a _different_ roar, maybe as if suddenly feeling pain. It had just ripped her back, but now it withdrew from her and lumbered in a new direction.
She must be hallucinating in traumatic shock; she could have sworn that she was hearing a familiar voice shouting. The voice of that confounded Biblical Apache.
It so happened that one of the male Overseers who had assisted Captain Butello with the church raid in Casper, a fellow named Kurt Langford, normally stationed at an outpost in the foothills country south of Frontier Plaza, was an equestrian. He was also an entertaining boaster, claiming to be descended from Nathaniel Pitt Langford, a nineteenth-century explorer of Wyoming. Energy Ombudsman Odette Galloway, who had never heard of the historical Mr. Langford before, had no idea whether Kurt was telling the truth or not; but what counted to her was that he was slick and studly.
Hearing of the availability of horses in the Enclave had been an incentive for Kurt to request an Enclave assignment months ago. It furthermore happened that Odette, after having crossed paths with Henry Spafford many times and still having gotten nowhere with him, had enjoyed a chance conversation with Overseer Langford shortly before Langford's temporary assignment in Casper. Odette had in fact been granted one furlough outside the fence by now, but this didn't mean that she _wouldn't_ avail herself of pleasure that might offer itself inside the fence. So, the handsome lawman being back in the foothills by Tuesday, Odette accepted his invitation to ride horses with him.
There was a recreational trail with fine views toward the Rocky Mountains, which only government employees were allowed to use. It enjoyed a safety feature which the triumvirate had not bothered to provide for the exile population: ultrasonic emitters positioned to make wild animals avoid the trail (with a few overpasses which the animals could go under). Odette and her new boyfriend-of-the-moment rode happily along, both profoundly informing each other that monogamy was SO primitive and illogical. Overseer Langford knew of a well-stocked line cabin, less than a kilometer ahead now, in which they could put their philosophical position into practice overnight.
The Overseer, while scorning faith in God, had a childlike faith in the reliability of the ultrasonic barrier on either side of them. He therefore was weaponless as well as being out of uniform. But a severe disillusionment awaited him. A power failure struck the emitters.... at the very time when a cranky grizzly was approaching the trail from the trees on the downslope side.
This grizzly had at some time in his life acquired a taste for horseflesh; and with winds tending to blow downward from the mountains toward nightfall, he smelled the horses before they smelled him. Thus it was that, while they might have taken flight _with_ their riders still mounted if they had had more warning, both horses _threw_ their riders when the grizzly's charge took them utterly by surprise.
Because the huge bear tried first to catch one of the fleeing horses, Odette and Langford both had a moment to pick themselves up. The targetted horse, however, gained speed from necessity, and evaded its pursuer. The grizzly, accordingly, resigned itself to the second menu choice.
Langford's shriek of terror was almost as high-pitched as Odette's. Both humans ran, as if this could save them. But Langford had an inspiration to save _himself_ at least. Not wanting to gamble on playing dead, which sometimes did cause a bear to lose interest, he went for a sure thing: shouting to Odette to climb a tree. At their first meeting, trying to sound to him like an outdoorsy girl, she had told him that she could climb trees. Langford relied on her now to follow his shouted urging without considering how much faster bears could climb.
The tactic worked, from the Overseer's viewpoint. Odette made it a few meters up a suitable tree, while her boyfriend kept fleeing. The grizzly went after the closer quarry. Langford heard the woman's agonized cry when up-reaching claws caught her by the right leg; but there was nothing he could do for her. Hadn't they been agreeing, mere minutes ago, that self-love was the foundation of life and everyone had to look out for Number One?
Falling past the great carnivore, landing on her stomach, Odette curled up in a despairing ball. An instant later, something tore at her scalp, feeling as if it were taking off the whole top of her skull. Amid pain and fear, some incoherent thought flickered in her, to the effect that she had not expected to die young.
But it was not quite her time to die after all--for an instant later, the grizzly voiced a _different_ roar, maybe as if suddenly feeling pain. It had just ripped her back, but now it withdrew from her and lumbered in a new direction.
She must be hallucinating in traumatic shock; she could have sworn that she was hearing a familiar voice shouting. The voice of that confounded Biblical Apache.
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Copperfox
Well-known member
After finishing his latest Grange patrol with Sumerico Bivar, Henry Spafford -- being less tied down by work or family than many of the volunteers--had taken on more letter-carrying. This had brought him farther west than was usual for him, and had even led to his having the chance to carry two letters for his friend Gabe Ellison. Gabe had written about various Grange Association concerns to two Agriculture Department employees with whom he was acquainted, and one of these recipients was stationed at the same rural office from which Overseer Langford borrowed the riding horses.
Thus it was that, enroute to the Eco-Sensitive Agriculture facility, Henry heard the sounds of a grizzly roaring, and people and horses crying out in terror. So he spurred his horse in the direction of the emergency.
Henry was currently riding his own personal horse from home, a black gelding named Cochise, who was a good animal, but not conditioned against fear the way the Canadian horses kept by the Grange Halls were. As they came close to where the grizzly was -- about the same time as a man unfamiliar to Henry went running past in obvious panic -- Cochise began frantically backpedalling. So, hearing a woman screaming not far ahead, Henry made the snap decision that he would have more chance of rescuing that woman on foot, than while trying to control a spooked horse. He accordingly sprang out of the saddle.
When travelling on the gelding, precisely because a predicament like this could occur, Henry always kept his weapons directly on his person -- including his compound bow, for which he had made a carrying case in imitation of pictures he had seen of bowcases used by ancient Asian and Middle Eastern warriors. Now he hit the ground running. Apache braves had always prided themselves on being swift of foot, and Henry had labored to maintain that element of his heritage.
His instincts had already projected his target in his mind before he saw it. When the grizzly came in view, mauling the woman who had screamed, he was already carrying in his brain the equivalent of a rotating three-dimensional ursine-anatomy display. Less than one second passed between sighting the beast and loosing his first arrow. The first good target available was the neck; Henry went for the major blood vessels, which when a bear was on all fours would be about as high above the ground as the bear's eyes.
The perfect hit quickly made the grizzly forget its victim. When it reared up to face the direction from which it had been shot, Henry had his next target: the heart, some twenty centimeters lower (on an upright grizzly) than where the forelimbs were attached to the body. At the instant the second arrow sank into the heart, Henry was already scrambling away between closely-spaced trees, for he knew how slow grizzlies were to die.
The gravely-injured predator shattered several medium-sized trees into kindling in his effort to get at Henry, and would certainly have caught the hunter if not for the momentary impediment of those trunks. As it was, Henry got off a third shot, into the bear's open mouth; it was at the wrong angle to penetrate the brain, but did make the grizzly lose more blood. He was trying for yet a fourth shot, when a small tree knocked over by his pursuer fell toward him, dashing the bow out of his hands.
Not losing a second, Henry took his heavy hatchet and threw it, wounding the grizzly's face and blinding its left eye. Dodging to the bear's blinded side, he grabbed up a fist-sized rock and hurled it with all his might against the wound his axe had just made. The bear again followed its instinct to lunge toward the source of pain; but it was already slowed enough by its injuries that Henry could evade it a moment longer, continuing his counterclockwise arc around his foe.
Then, running out of tree-obstacles to dodge around, Henry had a go-for-broke opening to attack with his Bowie knife while the bear was on all fours trying to turn fast and close in on him. Against an intact mountain grizzly, such a move would only work in fantasy stories; but this grizzly was weakened enough that, God willing...
Pouncing onto the animal's back, Henry caught hold of shaggy fur with his left hand, anchoring himself to lend power to his knife attack. Stabbing into the grizzly's neck, near where his first arrow had hit, with all the strength he could apply, he then ripped hard, his left arm pushing against the bear's body to add force to the ripping. Blood geysered out, and with it the last of the monster's strength departed.
Knowing his bow to have been broken, and not pausing even to retrieve his hatchet, Henry left the dying grizzly behind without a backward glance, and poured his Apache stamina into a headlong run to reach the maimed woman and try to stop her from dying.
Thus it was that, enroute to the Eco-Sensitive Agriculture facility, Henry heard the sounds of a grizzly roaring, and people and horses crying out in terror. So he spurred his horse in the direction of the emergency.
Henry was currently riding his own personal horse from home, a black gelding named Cochise, who was a good animal, but not conditioned against fear the way the Canadian horses kept by the Grange Halls were. As they came close to where the grizzly was -- about the same time as a man unfamiliar to Henry went running past in obvious panic -- Cochise began frantically backpedalling. So, hearing a woman screaming not far ahead, Henry made the snap decision that he would have more chance of rescuing that woman on foot, than while trying to control a spooked horse. He accordingly sprang out of the saddle.
When travelling on the gelding, precisely because a predicament like this could occur, Henry always kept his weapons directly on his person -- including his compound bow, for which he had made a carrying case in imitation of pictures he had seen of bowcases used by ancient Asian and Middle Eastern warriors. Now he hit the ground running. Apache braves had always prided themselves on being swift of foot, and Henry had labored to maintain that element of his heritage.
His instincts had already projected his target in his mind before he saw it. When the grizzly came in view, mauling the woman who had screamed, he was already carrying in his brain the equivalent of a rotating three-dimensional ursine-anatomy display. Less than one second passed between sighting the beast and loosing his first arrow. The first good target available was the neck; Henry went for the major blood vessels, which when a bear was on all fours would be about as high above the ground as the bear's eyes.
The perfect hit quickly made the grizzly forget its victim. When it reared up to face the direction from which it had been shot, Henry had his next target: the heart, some twenty centimeters lower (on an upright grizzly) than where the forelimbs were attached to the body. At the instant the second arrow sank into the heart, Henry was already scrambling away between closely-spaced trees, for he knew how slow grizzlies were to die.
The gravely-injured predator shattered several medium-sized trees into kindling in his effort to get at Henry, and would certainly have caught the hunter if not for the momentary impediment of those trunks. As it was, Henry got off a third shot, into the bear's open mouth; it was at the wrong angle to penetrate the brain, but did make the grizzly lose more blood. He was trying for yet a fourth shot, when a small tree knocked over by his pursuer fell toward him, dashing the bow out of his hands.
Not losing a second, Henry took his heavy hatchet and threw it, wounding the grizzly's face and blinding its left eye. Dodging to the bear's blinded side, he grabbed up a fist-sized rock and hurled it with all his might against the wound his axe had just made. The bear again followed its instinct to lunge toward the source of pain; but it was already slowed enough by its injuries that Henry could evade it a moment longer, continuing his counterclockwise arc around his foe.
Then, running out of tree-obstacles to dodge around, Henry had a go-for-broke opening to attack with his Bowie knife while the bear was on all fours trying to turn fast and close in on him. Against an intact mountain grizzly, such a move would only work in fantasy stories; but this grizzly was weakened enough that, God willing...
Pouncing onto the animal's back, Henry caught hold of shaggy fur with his left hand, anchoring himself to lend power to his knife attack. Stabbing into the grizzly's neck, near where his first arrow had hit, with all the strength he could apply, he then ripped hard, his left arm pushing against the bear's body to add force to the ripping. Blood geysered out, and with it the last of the monster's strength departed.
Knowing his bow to have been broken, and not pausing even to retrieve his hatchet, Henry left the dying grizzly behind without a backward glance, and poured his Apache stamina into a headlong run to reach the maimed woman and try to stop her from dying.
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Copperfox
Well-known member
Sprinting back onto the riding trail, Henry wondered with one corner of his mind why the ultrasonic animal barrier had failed. But more significant right now, and unfortunate, was the absence of Cochise. Precisely because he carried his weapons on his person, other things had to be hung on the horse -- in this case, including his mail pouch and his paramedic's kit.
But there was no time to search for the gelding. Trauma victims could, in some cases, bleed to death in less than a minute, and it had been more than one minute since the unknown woman had been savaged by the now-deceased grizzly. As he came back to her, Henry was already stripping off his camouflage jacket, already tugging off his shirt, already ripping that shirt into strips with a little help from his Bowie knife.
Dropping to his knees beside the victim -- who lay face-down and did not react to his arrival, but who at least was breathing -- he removed her torn jacket, and assessed her injuries almost as rapidly as he had aimed his first two shots at the bear. Her neck didn't look as if it were broken, but he carefully held her head motionless relative to her torso as he turned her partway over to look for wounds on her front surfaces. All the lacerations appeared to have been inflicted from behind: muscle of right calf shredded, deep claw-gouges across the back, and scalp nearly torn away. No single one of the wounds was an instant kill, but of course all were serious.
Henry did have a canteen; and he gambled on his judgment that any germs of his in the water were less of an infection risk to the woman than the dirt now in the wounds. Beginning with the scalp wound, he washed out the dirt sticking to the underside of the gruesome living rug that had been lifted away from the skull. That skull, God be praised, had not been cracked; the grizzly must have merely made a casual claw-stroke there, testing the freshness of the meat as it were. When the exposed flesh was as clean as he could make it, he plastered the scalp-skin down where it belonged, then tied it in place with two of the strips of his shirt, forming a sort of scarf that passed beneath her jaw.
Next the back, from which part of her shirt needed to be cut loose. The deep scratches there covered a wider area, so more covering was needed than his outer shirt could provide, and still have something left for the leg wound. Resignedly, Henry also peeled off his T-shirt, letting it come inside out as it came off. Washing the back wounds (in this case, mainly to get shirt-threads out of them), he then laid his T-shirt over them...yanked the belt out of the victim's jeans, to pass around her body where it would hold the T-shirt bandage in place on its lower part....and tied two of his shirt-strips end to end, to pass around a higher part of the torso and complete the securing of the wide-area dressing.
Cutting away the lower half of the right trouser leg, he used what remained of his shirt to bandage this injury. The reason why he had left the leg for last was because the wounds there had come from directly behind, meaning that the femoral artery had not been touched. She must have been caught while trying to climb a tree to escape. Had either femoral been severed, this woman would not have outlived the bear. As it was, dressing the torn calf muscle was the simplest stage of the first aid.
Now he inspected her neck more closely. When he felt as sure as he could that no vertebrae were fractured, he risked moving her a little, in the course of trying to counteract traumatic shock. First thing was to reposition her on the shoulder of the trail, in such a way that her feet would be higher than her head on the slope of the ground. Next, he turned her face-up, to see if she could be given some water. She groaned, and seemed faintly aware of his presence now; so he temporarily raised her head high enough to enable her to drink, and slowly gave her the four swallows of water which was all that remained in his good-sized canteen after the wound-washing. His mind again thanked God: this time, that he had refilled the canteen not long before.
Settling her face-down again, to keep her weight off of her wounds, he spread his own jacket over her to combat the chill, then picked up her torn jacket to add to it. Even as he did so, he remembered that she must be a government employee, to have been able to use this recreational trail. So maybe she had a cellphone. Sure enough, she did. It would make a huge difference, being able to call for help; if he couldn't call help, and with no horse, his only other option would be carrying her to the nearest of the shelter cabins that were spaced along this route. Such a cabin might have a landline phone. With no trees directly over them here, satellites would be seeing them, but this didn't mean that the living personnel _watching_ the satellite visual feeds in some distant workcenter would necessarily be paying attention to this exact spot.
Trying to select the speed-dialling list she presumably would have, Henry got no results. But of course, all the cellphones used by government workers in the Enclave had to be touched by the DNA of an authorized user to work...
So he lay on his belly next to his patient, and moved her right hand to touch the cellphone he held. It was terribly awkward handling the little device this close to the ground, but at last he made it work. The first number he succeeded in calling was labelled "Watch Desk" -- probably at her workplace, and hopefully a station which was always manned.
A surly male voice answered: "Power Station 27, watch desk, Ralph Durgan speaking."
But there was no time to search for the gelding. Trauma victims could, in some cases, bleed to death in less than a minute, and it had been more than one minute since the unknown woman had been savaged by the now-deceased grizzly. As he came back to her, Henry was already stripping off his camouflage jacket, already tugging off his shirt, already ripping that shirt into strips with a little help from his Bowie knife.
Dropping to his knees beside the victim -- who lay face-down and did not react to his arrival, but who at least was breathing -- he removed her torn jacket, and assessed her injuries almost as rapidly as he had aimed his first two shots at the bear. Her neck didn't look as if it were broken, but he carefully held her head motionless relative to her torso as he turned her partway over to look for wounds on her front surfaces. All the lacerations appeared to have been inflicted from behind: muscle of right calf shredded, deep claw-gouges across the back, and scalp nearly torn away. No single one of the wounds was an instant kill, but of course all were serious.
Henry did have a canteen; and he gambled on his judgment that any germs of his in the water were less of an infection risk to the woman than the dirt now in the wounds. Beginning with the scalp wound, he washed out the dirt sticking to the underside of the gruesome living rug that had been lifted away from the skull. That skull, God be praised, had not been cracked; the grizzly must have merely made a casual claw-stroke there, testing the freshness of the meat as it were. When the exposed flesh was as clean as he could make it, he plastered the scalp-skin down where it belonged, then tied it in place with two of the strips of his shirt, forming a sort of scarf that passed beneath her jaw.
Next the back, from which part of her shirt needed to be cut loose. The deep scratches there covered a wider area, so more covering was needed than his outer shirt could provide, and still have something left for the leg wound. Resignedly, Henry also peeled off his T-shirt, letting it come inside out as it came off. Washing the back wounds (in this case, mainly to get shirt-threads out of them), he then laid his T-shirt over them...yanked the belt out of the victim's jeans, to pass around her body where it would hold the T-shirt bandage in place on its lower part....and tied two of his shirt-strips end to end, to pass around a higher part of the torso and complete the securing of the wide-area dressing.
Cutting away the lower half of the right trouser leg, he used what remained of his shirt to bandage this injury. The reason why he had left the leg for last was because the wounds there had come from directly behind, meaning that the femoral artery had not been touched. She must have been caught while trying to climb a tree to escape. Had either femoral been severed, this woman would not have outlived the bear. As it was, dressing the torn calf muscle was the simplest stage of the first aid.
Now he inspected her neck more closely. When he felt as sure as he could that no vertebrae were fractured, he risked moving her a little, in the course of trying to counteract traumatic shock. First thing was to reposition her on the shoulder of the trail, in such a way that her feet would be higher than her head on the slope of the ground. Next, he turned her face-up, to see if she could be given some water. She groaned, and seemed faintly aware of his presence now; so he temporarily raised her head high enough to enable her to drink, and slowly gave her the four swallows of water which was all that remained in his good-sized canteen after the wound-washing. His mind again thanked God: this time, that he had refilled the canteen not long before.
Settling her face-down again, to keep her weight off of her wounds, he spread his own jacket over her to combat the chill, then picked up her torn jacket to add to it. Even as he did so, he remembered that she must be a government employee, to have been able to use this recreational trail. So maybe she had a cellphone. Sure enough, she did. It would make a huge difference, being able to call for help; if he couldn't call help, and with no horse, his only other option would be carrying her to the nearest of the shelter cabins that were spaced along this route. Such a cabin might have a landline phone. With no trees directly over them here, satellites would be seeing them, but this didn't mean that the living personnel _watching_ the satellite visual feeds in some distant workcenter would necessarily be paying attention to this exact spot.
Trying to select the speed-dialling list she presumably would have, Henry got no results. But of course, all the cellphones used by government workers in the Enclave had to be touched by the DNA of an authorized user to work...
So he lay on his belly next to his patient, and moved her right hand to touch the cellphone he held. It was terribly awkward handling the little device this close to the ground, but at last he made it work. The first number he succeeded in calling was labelled "Watch Desk" -- probably at her workplace, and hopefully a station which was always manned.
A surly male voice answered: "Power Station 27, watch desk, Ralph Durgan speaking."
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Copperfox
Well-known member
On the morning of the day before Lorraine Kramer was to wed Bill Shao, Esperanza Havens answered a telephone call at the Alipang Havens residence, her mother being busy assisting her father at the dental office, and Aunt Lorraine having bridal matters to think about.
"Esperanza? This is Jay Spafford, the father of _your_ father's Granger friend Henry. Has Henry arrived in Sussex yet?"
"Not as far as I know, sir. He was invited to Aunt Lorraine's wedding, but we know he's been doing a lot of bear-hunting and letter-carrying lately."
"That's just it. We know that he was carrying mail near the western boundary; but we should have seen him or heard from him no later than yesterday morning, and we haven't. Not that he isn't an adult by now, able to look after himself -- but it isn't like him to leave us uncertain, when he _said_ he would come by or get word to us before he caught a train to Sussex for the wedding."
"Do you want to talk to my Dad? He's pulling Sally Braden's wisdom teeth right now."
"No, don't interrupt his work. But do tell him why I called. Agriculture Department people might be able to help; as for that, are the Wisebadgers there in Sussex yet?"
"We expect them here this afternoon."
"Then when you see them, please tell John that Henry's missing. Your parents have the wedding to think about; I can't ask them to drop it, not when there are plenty of other persons who should be able to help. Especially western-area Grange volunteers, like Mr. Ellison."
"Okay, Mr. Spafford. And I'll pray that Henry's all right."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
John Wisebadger, upon hearing the disturbing news, did facilitate making sure that the Agriculture Department, which had oversight over the Grange Association, would be searching for the missing volunteer. Given the amount of high-tech surveillance the authorities dedicated to _interfering_ with people's lives, they by rights ought to be able to do something about _saving_ lives. Add all the ordinary people who had cause to wish Henry well, and he should be found soon. John and Alipang prayed for their Apache friend's safety, but judged that Lorraine Kramer deserved to have her wedding unmarred by worry; so they kept her from knowing about Henry, who had never been around her much anyway.
That night, after the wedding rehearsal at the church, Eric Havens -- the groom's best man -- was master of ceremonies at an innocent but lively bachelor party held for Bill Shao at the Tomisaburo house. Lucinda Tomisaburo put in an appearance to give Bill a lesson in ballroom dancing for the bridal dance.
At the actual wedding the next day, Cecilia Havens and her daughter Harmony sang a duet of one of the billion-zillion song adaptations of First Corinthians 13. Pastor Ionesco recited Proverbs 31, about the merits of a godly wife, then a compilation of St. Paul's advice to husbands. For the processional, Sylvia Lathrop furnished an audiotaped instrumental rendition of "Fairest Lord Jesus."
Lydia Reinhart, with her parents' approval and in view of the possibility that today's bride might become her mother-in-law, came up the aisle as the first bridesmaid. Ransom Kramer, who might reasonably have had the role of giving his mother away, was instead posted as a groomsman, thus paired with Lydia. Felicity Waddell, one of the first persons in Casper to have befriended Bill, was the next bridal attendant, with her own husband John as her groomsman counterpart. Then came Kim Havens, the matron of honor, to be met by her father-in-law the best man.
Only now did Lorraine Kramer spring her surprise for the new love of her life: she was clad in a long RED dress -- red being the color for festivity in Chinese tradition. Alipang, drab yet dignified beside her, escorted her to the front.
When Peter Ionesco asked "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?", Alipang replied, "I, her friend, give Lorraine to be married to William, in the name of all those who love her, _including_ those who are looking down from Heaven right now and _rejoicing_ for her that her loneliness is ended." These words, not used at the rehearsal, caused Lorraine to break out weeping -- but not in any way that signified second thoughts about this new marriage. Bill Shao was not made uncomfortable; HE had been told that Alipang would say this, and he considered it fitting and proper.
Besides, most other people in attendance were also shedding tears.
"Esperanza? This is Jay Spafford, the father of _your_ father's Granger friend Henry. Has Henry arrived in Sussex yet?"
"Not as far as I know, sir. He was invited to Aunt Lorraine's wedding, but we know he's been doing a lot of bear-hunting and letter-carrying lately."
"That's just it. We know that he was carrying mail near the western boundary; but we should have seen him or heard from him no later than yesterday morning, and we haven't. Not that he isn't an adult by now, able to look after himself -- but it isn't like him to leave us uncertain, when he _said_ he would come by or get word to us before he caught a train to Sussex for the wedding."
"Do you want to talk to my Dad? He's pulling Sally Braden's wisdom teeth right now."
"No, don't interrupt his work. But do tell him why I called. Agriculture Department people might be able to help; as for that, are the Wisebadgers there in Sussex yet?"
"We expect them here this afternoon."
"Then when you see them, please tell John that Henry's missing. Your parents have the wedding to think about; I can't ask them to drop it, not when there are plenty of other persons who should be able to help. Especially western-area Grange volunteers, like Mr. Ellison."
"Okay, Mr. Spafford. And I'll pray that Henry's all right."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
John Wisebadger, upon hearing the disturbing news, did facilitate making sure that the Agriculture Department, which had oversight over the Grange Association, would be searching for the missing volunteer. Given the amount of high-tech surveillance the authorities dedicated to _interfering_ with people's lives, they by rights ought to be able to do something about _saving_ lives. Add all the ordinary people who had cause to wish Henry well, and he should be found soon. John and Alipang prayed for their Apache friend's safety, but judged that Lorraine Kramer deserved to have her wedding unmarred by worry; so they kept her from knowing about Henry, who had never been around her much anyway.
That night, after the wedding rehearsal at the church, Eric Havens -- the groom's best man -- was master of ceremonies at an innocent but lively bachelor party held for Bill Shao at the Tomisaburo house. Lucinda Tomisaburo put in an appearance to give Bill a lesson in ballroom dancing for the bridal dance.
At the actual wedding the next day, Cecilia Havens and her daughter Harmony sang a duet of one of the billion-zillion song adaptations of First Corinthians 13. Pastor Ionesco recited Proverbs 31, about the merits of a godly wife, then a compilation of St. Paul's advice to husbands. For the processional, Sylvia Lathrop furnished an audiotaped instrumental rendition of "Fairest Lord Jesus."
Lydia Reinhart, with her parents' approval and in view of the possibility that today's bride might become her mother-in-law, came up the aisle as the first bridesmaid. Ransom Kramer, who might reasonably have had the role of giving his mother away, was instead posted as a groomsman, thus paired with Lydia. Felicity Waddell, one of the first persons in Casper to have befriended Bill, was the next bridal attendant, with her own husband John as her groomsman counterpart. Then came Kim Havens, the matron of honor, to be met by her father-in-law the best man.
Only now did Lorraine Kramer spring her surprise for the new love of her life: she was clad in a long RED dress -- red being the color for festivity in Chinese tradition. Alipang, drab yet dignified beside her, escorted her to the front.
When Peter Ionesco asked "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?", Alipang replied, "I, her friend, give Lorraine to be married to William, in the name of all those who love her, _including_ those who are looking down from Heaven right now and _rejoicing_ for her that her loneliness is ended." These words, not used at the rehearsal, caused Lorraine to break out weeping -- but not in any way that signified second thoughts about this new marriage. Bill Shao was not made uncomfortable; HE had been told that Alipang would say this, and he considered it fitting and proper.
Besides, most other people in attendance were also shedding tears.
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Copperfox
Well-known member
You're _supposed_ to wonder what happened to Henry (and Odette). That's called a cliffhanger. But I'll give you a little clue to ponder--two clues, really:
1) Although the Overseers are _expected_ to treat exiles with contempt, Overseer Langford knows perfectly well that he won't win much approval from his higher-ups for having intentionally given Odette to the grizzly to save himself. If he can by any means cover up what he did, he will.
2) Ralph Durgan (who answered the phone call to the power plant) was briefly a boyfriend to Odette, but that ended badly. With Odette having enjoyed more favor from the management besides, Ralph might not have been overly eager to help her in an emergency.
1) Although the Overseers are _expected_ to treat exiles with contempt, Overseer Langford knows perfectly well that he won't win much approval from his higher-ups for having intentionally given Odette to the grizzly to save himself. If he can by any means cover up what he did, he will.
2) Ralph Durgan (who answered the phone call to the power plant) was briefly a boyfriend to Odette, but that ended badly. With Odette having enjoyed more favor from the management besides, Ralph might not have been overly eager to help her in an emergency.
Copperfox
Well-known member
It feels a little premature to give another summary, but there's no other action here at the moment. I'm between chapters and still deciding where to pick up the next one; so I'll go ahead and review stuff that preceded Lorraine's wedding and Henry's heroics.
Texas Ranger Emilio Vasquez, Alipang's brother-in-law, joined the spy Gloria Cervantes on a mission into Aztlan, in which they met the pampered son of Tonio Formentera, the Aztlano dictator. Pretending to be traitors to Mexico (remember that Mexico's government is friendly to the Texans), Gloria and Emilio made a big deal of providing the younger Formentera with information about how the Texas Tu-95 air-defense airplanes worked--when actually, they were giving him hardly anything he would not have soon found out anyway. The real point of the scam was to preserve Gloria's pretense of being someone useful to the "Aztec Maoists." Emilio, more than anything else, was along for the ride because Gloria needed a new face accompanying her. He would rather stick with flying after this.
Daffodil Ford is approved to spend time in the Enclave! No less a personage than Diversity States Vice President Carlos Anselmo has for some reason taken an interest in greasing the machinery to grant the boy's wish. But the very time when Daffodil has a prospect of meeting the Havens family is the very time when the Havens family--both in Casper and in Sussex--is coming under more hostile scrutiny by the evil Deputy Commander Nash Dockerty. Dockerty caused the churches in both of those towns to receive intimidation visits by the Overseers: Dockerty himself leading the one at Alipang's church, while Maria Butello led the invasion of the church where Alipang's parents and siblings worship.
I have gotten around to telling my readers a bit about Peter Tomisaburo's American-born wife Lucinda; and I revealed that Peter possesses an ace in the hole. He has a Chinese micro-whip: the compact weapon which goes unnoticed in high-tech scans, because it contains no metal and emits no energy.
The Reinharts, the Amish extended family which has been in the story almost since the beginning, decided to allow teenage Lydia Reinhart, the sweetheart of Ransom Kramer, to stay with Sylvia Lathrop in Sussex over the winter, so she could work as a housekeeper both for Sylvia and for the family of Alipang and Kim Havens--the latter being about to lose the domestic contributions of Lorraine Kramer as she married Bill Shao. This also meant that Ransom and Lydia would be able to spend more time together, still under chaperoned conditions. Ransom is undecided about whether he should become Amish.
Texas Ranger Emilio Vasquez, Alipang's brother-in-law, joined the spy Gloria Cervantes on a mission into Aztlan, in which they met the pampered son of Tonio Formentera, the Aztlano dictator. Pretending to be traitors to Mexico (remember that Mexico's government is friendly to the Texans), Gloria and Emilio made a big deal of providing the younger Formentera with information about how the Texas Tu-95 air-defense airplanes worked--when actually, they were giving him hardly anything he would not have soon found out anyway. The real point of the scam was to preserve Gloria's pretense of being someone useful to the "Aztec Maoists." Emilio, more than anything else, was along for the ride because Gloria needed a new face accompanying her. He would rather stick with flying after this.
Daffodil Ford is approved to spend time in the Enclave! No less a personage than Diversity States Vice President Carlos Anselmo has for some reason taken an interest in greasing the machinery to grant the boy's wish. But the very time when Daffodil has a prospect of meeting the Havens family is the very time when the Havens family--both in Casper and in Sussex--is coming under more hostile scrutiny by the evil Deputy Commander Nash Dockerty. Dockerty caused the churches in both of those towns to receive intimidation visits by the Overseers: Dockerty himself leading the one at Alipang's church, while Maria Butello led the invasion of the church where Alipang's parents and siblings worship.
I have gotten around to telling my readers a bit about Peter Tomisaburo's American-born wife Lucinda; and I revealed that Peter possesses an ace in the hole. He has a Chinese micro-whip: the compact weapon which goes unnoticed in high-tech scans, because it contains no metal and emits no energy.
The Reinharts, the Amish extended family which has been in the story almost since the beginning, decided to allow teenage Lydia Reinhart, the sweetheart of Ransom Kramer, to stay with Sylvia Lathrop in Sussex over the winter, so she could work as a housekeeper both for Sylvia and for the family of Alipang and Kim Havens--the latter being about to lose the domestic contributions of Lorraine Kramer as she married Bill Shao. This also meant that Ransom and Lydia would be able to spend more time together, still under chaperoned conditions. Ransom is undecided about whether he should become Amish.
Zella
New member
That doesn't sound good.
Copperfox
Well-known member
Chapter 48: Running with the Ball
Having been required actually to do her job for five whole hours nonstop had been exhausting for Samantha Ford. The more so for having had to work together with a MAN: Vibol Ritisak, a Cambodian-American who, as Diversity States Ambassador to the Hemispheric Union, was the highest-ranking male in the State Department. Ambassador Ritisak had done all the preceding work of compiling factual proof that the Diversity States was not attempting biological warfare against Aztlan; but Samantha had had to spend almost two full hours of the past five making speeches in the Bi-Continental Assembly.
As soon as she could get away with it, she got away. She and her new aide Moonrose had a late luncheon at a posh Caracas restaurant, together with women from the Guatemalan, Brazilian, Ecuadorian and Peruvian delegations. The fact that all of these lunch companions were women mattered more to her than the fact that none of them was of ambassador's rank. Samantha had long maintained that she was MORE valuable making useful informal contacts for behind-the-scenes diplomacy, than in tedious formal debates; and she insisted that she did her best contact-making among people with whom she felt comfortable, meaning no one male. (She still considered herself a heroine for having met with Felipe Contreras, the Aztlano man who had brought the warning of an alleged conspiracy by Chief Justice Sherman Lake.)
True to Samantha's professional principles, no less than three minutes of the luncheon gathering was duly spent in conversation about updating trade agreements.
After eating, Samantha decided to further the education of Moonrose, who had never been in Venezuela before. So they went to tour the Simon Bolivar Birthplace Museum on Avenida Universidad. They were strolling around one of the enclosed gardens when an older woman whom they recognized as a secretary for Ambassador Ritisak entered the courtyard and hailed them.
"Ambassador Ford? I'm sorry to bother you outside the Assembly, but Ambassador Ritisak received a call from Vice-President Anselmo about you."
Running interference as she was hired to do, Moonrose asked her, "Why didn't the Vice-President simply call Ambassador Ford directly?"
The matronly secretary let just a little annoyance leak out, looking past Moonrose at Samantha even though it was Moonrose whose question she was answering: "The Vice-President HAS called and texted Ambassador Ford no fewer than seven times in two days, and Ambassador Ford has not picked up the phone."
"That's because none of the messages was tagged Urgent," argued Moonrose. "Ambassador Ford has been deeply engaged in some delicate and subtle off-the-record negotiations affecting hemisphere-wide commerce."
"But since you're here," said Samantha, "I imagine you know something of what Carlos wants?"
"So I do." The older woman's eyes wordlessly told Moonrose: That's enough stalling from you, flunky. "It's about your bioproduct, Ambassador. Vice-President Anselmo needs to know if you have any objections to Daffodil making a voluntary tour of the Western Enclave."
Samantha fell into the silence of someone who feels sure that she should remember something; then she remembered it. "Oh, yes, Daffodil WAS curious about the exiles! But what does he expect to DO among them?"
"Daffodil, from what I'm told, expresses nothing more specific than a desire to see what their life is like. But the Vice-President says that he thinks this is a stellar opportunity for your bioproduct: the exiles are alien enough to our way of life, that being among them will be like living in a foreign country. Early practice in the skills of an ambassador. In fact, the Vice-President intends to find occasions for Daffodil actually to take part somehow in proceedings of the Enclave's administration." Seeing that Samantha looked unsure about this, the older woman added, "The boy will be carefully guarded against any possible danger; and YOU won't have to change any plans of yours at all."
Samantha brightened up...exchanged a smile with Moonrose...and looked at the messenger again. "Yes, that sounds perfect! Get the boy out of the dumps, give him a feeling of achievement. Thank you, I'll get on the phone to the Vice-President within the next half-hour."
Having been required actually to do her job for five whole hours nonstop had been exhausting for Samantha Ford. The more so for having had to work together with a MAN: Vibol Ritisak, a Cambodian-American who, as Diversity States Ambassador to the Hemispheric Union, was the highest-ranking male in the State Department. Ambassador Ritisak had done all the preceding work of compiling factual proof that the Diversity States was not attempting biological warfare against Aztlan; but Samantha had had to spend almost two full hours of the past five making speeches in the Bi-Continental Assembly.
As soon as she could get away with it, she got away. She and her new aide Moonrose had a late luncheon at a posh Caracas restaurant, together with women from the Guatemalan, Brazilian, Ecuadorian and Peruvian delegations. The fact that all of these lunch companions were women mattered more to her than the fact that none of them was of ambassador's rank. Samantha had long maintained that she was MORE valuable making useful informal contacts for behind-the-scenes diplomacy, than in tedious formal debates; and she insisted that she did her best contact-making among people with whom she felt comfortable, meaning no one male. (She still considered herself a heroine for having met with Felipe Contreras, the Aztlano man who had brought the warning of an alleged conspiracy by Chief Justice Sherman Lake.)
True to Samantha's professional principles, no less than three minutes of the luncheon gathering was duly spent in conversation about updating trade agreements.
After eating, Samantha decided to further the education of Moonrose, who had never been in Venezuela before. So they went to tour the Simon Bolivar Birthplace Museum on Avenida Universidad. They were strolling around one of the enclosed gardens when an older woman whom they recognized as a secretary for Ambassador Ritisak entered the courtyard and hailed them.
"Ambassador Ford? I'm sorry to bother you outside the Assembly, but Ambassador Ritisak received a call from Vice-President Anselmo about you."
Running interference as she was hired to do, Moonrose asked her, "Why didn't the Vice-President simply call Ambassador Ford directly?"
The matronly secretary let just a little annoyance leak out, looking past Moonrose at Samantha even though it was Moonrose whose question she was answering: "The Vice-President HAS called and texted Ambassador Ford no fewer than seven times in two days, and Ambassador Ford has not picked up the phone."
"That's because none of the messages was tagged Urgent," argued Moonrose. "Ambassador Ford has been deeply engaged in some delicate and subtle off-the-record negotiations affecting hemisphere-wide commerce."
"But since you're here," said Samantha, "I imagine you know something of what Carlos wants?"
"So I do." The older woman's eyes wordlessly told Moonrose: That's enough stalling from you, flunky. "It's about your bioproduct, Ambassador. Vice-President Anselmo needs to know if you have any objections to Daffodil making a voluntary tour of the Western Enclave."
Samantha fell into the silence of someone who feels sure that she should remember something; then she remembered it. "Oh, yes, Daffodil WAS curious about the exiles! But what does he expect to DO among them?"
"Daffodil, from what I'm told, expresses nothing more specific than a desire to see what their life is like. But the Vice-President says that he thinks this is a stellar opportunity for your bioproduct: the exiles are alien enough to our way of life, that being among them will be like living in a foreign country. Early practice in the skills of an ambassador. In fact, the Vice-President intends to find occasions for Daffodil actually to take part somehow in proceedings of the Enclave's administration." Seeing that Samantha looked unsure about this, the older woman added, "The boy will be carefully guarded against any possible danger; and YOU won't have to change any plans of yours at all."
Samantha brightened up...exchanged a smile with Moonrose...and looked at the messenger again. "Yes, that sounds perfect! Get the boy out of the dumps, give him a feeling of achievement. Thank you, I'll get on the phone to the Vice-President within the next half-hour."