2nd Earth: Shortfall (10 page)

When the others get back from town we have most of the four walls set up and are thinking about the best way to put the roof on. It’s not easy setting a ladder against a glass wall while you stand on it to put roof panels on. While I am studying the problem Charity comes out and asks Tim why we don’t use the scaffolding that they used to take the roof off the greenhouse. As I turn to face him he is backing up laughing and saying he was going to suggest that himself. I chase him down and give him a nuggy on his head when I wrestle him to the ground. In case you are not familiar with that term, it means I rub my knuckles across his head. It doesn’t really hurt, much. It is just kind of a fun way to harass each other. We wrestle a little more in the grass laughing like kids until we get tired, then we go get the scaffolding and set it up so we can tackle the roof, tomorrow.

We decide to help unload the new refrigerators and stoves off the truck along with what seems like thousands of gallons of paint, which makes all the wives and women happy. We men just think of all that paint as more work. We have all but forgotten the freezer in the barn so we go there to check it out. It is nice and cold in it and the thermostat is within a degree or two of the thermometer so we feel that our repair is a complete success. After the new refrigerators are hooked up in the homes that need them most we gather for a family meal and discuss some of the new projects that have been identified. We figure we will finish assembling the greenhouse tomorrow, and then we have to bring the benches or tables from town to set the plants on to grow. We are also planning to put in some raised beds to plant in for vegetables all year round.

Dan and Don want to know if they can go hunting since the freezer is working properly. We tell them that it will be okay, but that they should go a little ways off to kill the deer because in winter we may need the game closer to the houses. They have been exploring the woods in their free time and say they know the perfect place to go. A couple of the younger boys want to go with them so we tell them it will be okay if they go. Dayna, along with the other wives, and women, is busy picking out what color paint they want the rooms in the house and the outside to be painted. I have to promise her that painting the house will be the very next large project that we tackle. I am happy to make her happy. I can’t believe how much we love each other even though we haven’t known each other very long. It already feels like I am only half a person when she isn’t around and she says she feels the same way.

When just about everyone has gone back to their homes Tom tells Tim, Billy, Rod, and I that they went a few miles the other side of town today just to see what is beyond in that direction. We agree that it is good to know what is there as well as in the other direction that we haven’t gone yet. He says they found a gas station about two miles outside of town and there is a gas tank truck still in the station, and according to the gages on the side of the truck it is almost totally full of gas yet. He thinks we should work at getting it back here so that we have a ready supply of gas in case someone claims the town or something. We agree fully, that way we could fill the storage tanks here on the farm and keep the tanker until it is empty. He also says that they were exploring around town a little more and found a propane truck parked on one of the side streets. The gages show that it is almost full as well. We could use that propane as much as the gas, maybe more.

I look at Dayna and she tells me she can wait another day to get the house painted, but that is all. If I try to put it off any longer than that she will kick my sorry butt into next week. Her dad laughs and says all of his daughters are just like their mom was, beautiful and feisty. I assure them all that I wouldn’t want her to be any other way. She smiles and says she has me trained just the way she wants me. Her two unmarried sisters ask if she would consider sharing me, they assure her it would only have to be for a few hours at a time. They say they could even make do with less time if that is a problem. They are all laughing and I am turning red which makes them laugh even more. We decide all the projects are important to get done as soon as possible so we are going to have some of the other men help Tim and Billy with the roof on the greenhouse while I go into town with dad and a couple others to get the trucks.

10

In the morning we throw a set of jumper cables and a small gas powered air compressor that we found in the barn into the pickup truck to take into town with us. We head to the gas truck first and are pleasantly surprised to find out the tires hold air when we fill them using the compressor. It even starts when we use the jumper cables and the pickups battery, to jump-start it. Dad is driving the truck back to the propane truck and we have as good of luck with that one. We are wondering what is going to go wrong since everything is going so well for us today. When we get back to the farm we find out. When Dan and Don went hunting this morning, they were cutting across one of the pastures to get to the spot they wanted to hunt, when they spotted a very large, very unpleasant bull watching them.

They say they could tell he was not happy with them in what he apparently considers his field because of the way he was snorting and twitching his tail. They started angling toward the woods when he came charging right at them. Dan and Don were able to outrun the bull to the woods, but one of the younger boys twisted his ankle in a chuck hole and was limping badly. Seeing that the young man wouldn’t make it to safety Dan ran back to help him and was struck by the bull knocking him off his feet. The others started throwing rocks at the bull and finally it ambled off leaving them alone. Luckily Dan just got bruised up pretty badly and the other young man named Todd has a sprained ankle. I checked it out as soon as we got home.

When we hear the story I look at Tim and ask him if he is hungry for a good steak. He smiles and says he thought I would never ask. We take the backhoe with the bucket in the front, to the field where the young men tell us they had the run in with the bull. Sure enough he is still here and is just as angry with us being here as he was this morning. Don asks if he can have the honor of killing that bull and we tell him he can do it as long as he makes a head shot. We don’t want to ruin any of the meat. Don says if he had known we wouldn’t get upset about killing the bull he would have shot it with the bow and arrow this morning. We assure him and the others that when it comes to defending themselves we expect them to do whatever they have to for survival. He makes a very nice shot dropping that bull with a single bullet. He never knew what hit him.

Loading him into that backhoe bucket isn’t easy, it takes all of us to roll his carcass into it even after we field dress him. We get him back to the barn and hook him up to the chain hoist to lift him up while we skin him and quarter him to hang in the freezer. I keep calling it a freezer, but it is really a meat locker which is used to hang meat and keep it fresh while it is aging properly and keeping it fresh until it can be used. When the quarters are hung we go back to the house for supper, we are making plans for what we are going to do tomorrow when Dayna reminds us that it is Sunday. We have been so busy we have forgotten what day it is and that we promised we would rest on the Sabbath. Naturally the cows will need milking and the chickens will need fed, but we agree not to do any more than we have to.

As usual on our Sunday we take turns reading the scriptures and then discuss what we need to accomplish the upcoming week. We also ask anyone if they have any concerns or if there are any problems between each other, we cannot be a cohesive unit if we have hard feelings toward each other. In any group as large as ours and living as closely as we do there are bound to be differences of opinion, but it is important to be able to talk it out if it is bothering someone. This week a very interesting point is raised. Robin is the one who is bringing it up, she starts out by saying she realizes that what she is proposing would be inappropriate in just about any situation except the one we are in. That gets all of our attention. She looks at Dayna as if for moral support then continues.

“As you all know we have more women of marriageable age and actually of all ages than men. We women have been discussing this problem and believe we have a possible solution if we can all agree on it. What we are proposing is that the marriageable men be able to have more than one wife. Naturally his first wife will have to agree and there would be an understanding that if the second wife finds a husband later on she can marry that one with no ties to the first one. That is of course unless there are children involved, but we can work that out when and if the time ever comes. What does everyone think of the idea? We don’t have to have an answer right now, but we really want everyone to think about it. It wouldn’t involve all the men right now, some of us would like Jon, Tim and Rod to think about it. We asked Ramona about Billy and she said there is no way she would agree to that, at least not right now.”

They are smiling so it must have been quite a conversation. Being the problem solver I am, I tell them they really don’t need husbands, they have a place to live and food on the table. My voice trails off when I see the way they are all looking at me.

“Jon, is that all you do for Dayna, put food on the table and give her a roof over her head?”

“I have to admit that we may do one or two other things that a gentleman doesn’t talk about in mixed company.”

Everybody laughs and says maybe one or two things an hour. Dayna is laughing and says she wishes we got to see each other that much. Robin and some of the other women who don’t have husbands say that there are a lot of things that a woman needs a man for. Definitely shelter and food are important, so is sex, and just having someone love you that you can share your dreams with and to hold you when you are afraid.  I ask what I am sure the others are thinking as well.

“What if we agree to this and it doesn’t work as well as we think it will? I’m willing to give it a try if that’s what we need to do for our family here, but what if problems arise from the arrangement?”

“Then we can discuss what is not working and adjust the program or just say that it isn’t going to work and go on from there. The worse that can happen is we get to know each other a little better. Okay maybe a lot better, but if we are adult about it we don’t see how it can fail. I have to admit that I don’t want to share Jon with anyone, but I also know how frustrating and depressing it can be to see someone else sharing their lives with someone and knowing the odds of you ever having that happiness are next to nothing. Just so everyone knows what gave us this idea, Robin was reading in a history book to Teddy, Kathy, and Karen when she came across some information about the Mormons when they were first organized. Many of the men had more than one wife and some had several. Karen asked Robin why we don’t do that so that everyone could have a real family and they could have a daddy. In the city some families allowed it and it worked okay so why not try it.”

We all agree to discuss the matter in depth with each other, mainly the people who would be involved. We do notice though that Dayna’s two younger sisters are spending a lot of time with Dan and Don. Carrie is making a fuss over Dan’s injuries and Don and Cassie are deep in conversation not far away. I ask Dayna if we could go out on the porch to talk for a few minutes. We discuss what exactly this would mean to our relationship and how she really feels about it. She tells me pretty much what she said in the house, she adds that she and Robin have become very close since they have been living in the same house and she really thinks she can live with sharing me. She tells me she is mainly worried about me, she is getting up when she looks back and tells me she isn’t sure I am strong enough for all of them. When she says that, she turns and runs into the house laughing. We decide we will talk it over with Robin and the children tonight. I ask about Melissa the other young lady who lives with us. Dayna tells me now I am being selfish, she laughs again and says Melissa isn’t sure what she wants to do yet.

With that topic of conversation behind us most everybody wants to know what we are having for supper and when can we eat some of that beef we hung up yesterday. We all agree that it might get better if we let it hang for a while, but since most of the people in our family have never had fresh beef we figure tomorrow will be long enough. Tim and I start talking about how great a hamburger with all the trimmings would taste. We are looking at the calendar and realize that we are getting close to Thanksgiving. We explain that holiday to everyone and we all agree to celebrate it since we have so much to be thankful for.

In the morning we have several jobs that need finished like the greenhouse. We concentrate our efforts and get the roof secured then turn it over to the family members who are going to get it ready for planting. Billy, Tim, Rod, and I decide to cut up a couple quarters of the beef and distribute it to all the houses so that everyone can enjoy some. We even figure out how to use the grinder to make hamburger. When I explain to Dayna what I want she promises to try to make some buns to eat hamburgers on. Between her, Robin, and Melissa they make some hamburger buns out of wheat that will rival any that I have ever eaten. We found some jars of mustard, relish and ketchup that are still good and with some onions out of the garden I think I may have found out what heaven is like. The weather turns rainy and cold and we are very happy that we had as much time as we did to get things done. Every house has a good supply of firewood as well as a full tank of propane so we are ready for winter.

We make a couple more trips into town to get food from the store and other items from the farm store and we feel like we can last the whole winter fairly easily. There are vegetables planted in the greenhouse and when the weather allows us too, we are planning to plow up some of the fields to plant crops that we will need to keep us going. On Wednesday afternoon it quits raining for a while so Jessica and Jenny are out trying to lure more chickens into the coop. They have already grown the flock to over fifty birds, but the woods are full of them so they keep trying to entice them in. Usually either Dan or Don goes with them, but today they hurry out to put some feed down before it starts raining again. They come running back to the barn yelling and screaming that they are being chased by a wild animal.

Tim, Rod, Billy, and I are cutting up more of the beef using the chart to make sure we don’t butcher the job. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Anyway, they run into the barn and just about jump into my arms when I ask them what they are talking about. They point to the woods behind the barn and sure enough there is a very large pig rumbling toward the barn. I am getting my rifle when Tim comes over and seeing the pig says it looks like a big boar to him. I tell him if he wants to stand here and talk to it to find out if it’s a bore then go ahead, but I am seeing bacon, ham and barbequed spareribs on the hoof. When we step outside the pig comes straight at us, now this is not a small 250 lb barnyard pig. This is a wild, razorback hog that has grown up in the wild fighting every kind of four legged predator and now weighs close to a thousand pounds and is as mean as any wild animal you can name. I have seen smaller compact cars than that pig.

At first I tell Tim to run across the yard drawing the pig after him so I can get a head shot. He almost does it, and then decides that on that slippery grass he may not be able to outrun it. I was only kidding anyway. I take my time and shoot aiming right between its eyes. The first shot ricochets off that thick skull so I take a quick three steps to my right and shoot again. It takes two shots to stop that darn thing and it just does fall when it is only about six feet away. The tusks on that bad boy are at least six inches long. Tim asks me if there was any good reason for waiting so long to shoot. Now that the pig is dead I can breathe again and answer him. I tell him I waited so that we wouldn’t have to carry him so far to butcher it. Even Jessica and Jenny don’t believe that one. I can’t say as I blame them either.

We take care of field dressing it in the bucket of the backhoe. We have plenty of company because everyone came to see what all the commotion was about. I was happy to see that the men all showed up carrying guns and came from different directions in case it was real trouble. While we work we are talking about how good the bacon and the hams are going to be when we can figure out how to build a smokehouse. Rod asks me what a smokehouse looks like. I can’t go into great detail because I have only seen a couple and that was many years ago. When I get through he asks me if it would look something like that, he is pointing to a small building set a little ways away from the barn. With closer inspection it is obviously a smoke house. We have to take some old meat out of it and check the pipe that takes the smoke from the small fire into the small building. I tell them it is not exactly what I had in mind, but it will do in a pinch.

Naturally I take a lot of kidding about that, Rod and Billy tell Tim they hope I wasn’t on watch too often. I seem to miss the obvious fairly regularly. I remind them that I didn’t miss the pig. They tell me that as big as he was, and as close as he was, little Adam could have hit him. That’s going too far, Adam is only a couple weeks old, and he can’t hold the gun yet. When I remind them of that everyone laughs including me, I can take a joke. It feels good to have friends that feel close enough to each other to joke around like that. Pigs are a lot of work, we have to scald it to get the hair off, then quarter it and get it hung so that we can butcher it probably tomorrow.

When we are done for the evening and are in for the night I get out a couple of the books we brought on butchering and preparing meat. They have detailed instructions on how to smoke the meat for good flavor and to last a good long while. I brought up the instructions that we found in the meat room and they are very similar so I am confident that we know enough to make our bacon and hams with very little difficulty. When Robin and Dayna hear we need hickory wood to smoke it they get a book on trees and find out what hickory trees look like. They say they know exactly where trees like that are not far from the house and barn. They found a bunch of nuts under one of the trees and forgot to look them up so now they know they are probably hickory nuts.