The Gatherings by D.A.Sanford - HTML preview

It was going to happen

At the spring gathering, there were a few younger people that came with their parents. Ours were hanging around with them and talking. Yes ours stayed mostly with our spot but we did cut them loose to roam and talk. All they had was us old farts to talk with all winter.

It was not a surprise that those parents came to us a few days after the gathering. They brought their teens with them. One family had a girl and the other a boy that are the same age as our two. Evidently ours talked with theirs and set this all up. They actually went to the same school before this world broke. They knew each other.

Once we established the conspiracy of both theirs and ours, we invited them in. To say both of those families were impressed is an understatement. We have the second floor platforms done and they are almost as big as the caverns they are in.

Yes, we found that there is another smaller cavern behind the other crack. That is the next project. We told them that it was going to be made into two houses for our two.

After the tour, we all sat in the first room and those parents laid out the fact that their young adults want to become married to our two. Both Korry and Chelsea agree on that idea.

Chelsea, always the wise guy, “We don’t need the time you both took to make up our minds uncle Hector and aunt Sharon. There are not too many eligibles out there. We know each other and we were friends before. This is more of an elusive opportunity in these times. We are friends right now and isn’t that a better start?”

Korry added that it was the exact reason that I wanted to date first to see if Sharon and I were compatible.

Both sets of parents tell us they are perfectly fine with the marriages. They really want to make changes in their own lives. One set of parents say that they want to go somewhere warmer. They do not know how long it will take them and they would be comforted knowing their son would be here.

The other parents said basically the same. They would feel better if their daughter was here.

Not being the parents of our two. We really think of ourselves as aunt and uncle. We let the talking be between Jonus and Calest. They asked when the parents planned to leave if this was agreed upon. They were told that it would be around the beginning of the summer.

The other parents said they were staying but, if this is agreeable, they were going to have some of the ones that are not better off move in and live as a group of mature adults.

I caught a different inflection on that statement. Our two caught it and I think their daughter did. The boy only has eyes for Chelsea. When that happens, we men have a tendency to blank out all other outside interference as just static.

What Jonus says makes sense. “Here is what we would like to see what will happen. Starting today, they will stay with us for two weeks. Daughters sleep together and sons sleep together. No cohabitation allowed during the night. The couples will participate in our daily routines. That means chores, firearm practice, hunting and yes chipping away at that opening. We need to see what is in there. Can we build those two houses in there.

At the end of those two weeks, you will come here and we will ask the same question to each. Do you want to be married to each other?

The daily routines we go through are not delicate chores. Gutting an animal is messy. Building those houses is not easy. The thought of having to defend the home is terrifying. You see that all of us have side arms on at all times. Your children will have them also.”

He looks at the both, “your potential spouse has hunted, has killed. Do not pull that weapon unless it is to kill. There are human animals out there. I’m sure you have heard about what happened at the gathering last fall and what happened to those who stole Sharon’s home and threw her out to die.”

“We are dead serious on protecting our family.” I tell the two. “If you join this family, you must be fair, charitable, friendly, but we do not threaten, we promise, we kill when necessary but only when we have the proof.”

I pat Sharon’s leg.

An understanding is reached. The two are now in our custody, in our protection. Our two are tasked on showing the two fire arm safety and operation. That is for the rest of the afternoon. We have made this a get acquainted day. The boy is Rodger and the girl is Tracy .

After an afternoon of target practice. We called them in for supper. When we finished a fine meal, we all sat and it was Calest that laid out the ground rules.

“We are not going to police you. You, like those on the gathering field, need to display your worth. Not packaged but open. Right now you are just friends. When you go out to hunt, you will go out in prospective pairs. Ours will come back and report your progress when it is their turn to hunt. We will expect a honest report. You will be alone, in the woods on warm days. We do not want to see anyone disheveled coming back, period. For this period, you are just friends, not friends with benefits. You two men get the picture?”

The look she was giving them was enough to scare me and I pride myself for my being able to stand up to anyone.

Jonus tells them that they will sleep in the loft. “Women on one side, men on the other. Our two know that I need to get up during the night to answer the call. I walk quietly. I am well versed in night music. Do not let me hear any. At the end of the two weeks is when you will answer our final questions.”

They understand everything. The two couples go off to talk. We know that ours will reiterate the same thing we tell everyone the first time they meet us. “We do not threaten, we promise.”

In those two weeks, the two new ones were not given a picture that our life on the top was easy. We do not and will not have servants. We do everything ourselves. You hunt and get a kill, you gut and clean that animal. They were told that if they did not, They would not eat until it was done by them.

There were no incidents of, shall we say, getting leaves caught in their hair.

After the two weeks Rodger and Tracy were becoming good shots. Neither shunned what was needed to do. I will say that after their first kills, each of the new ones wanted to take a shower but were given a basin of cold water and a cloth.

This is our life here. It is a good life but at times a dirty one. Talk to the one that has the duty to empty the composting toilet. We have, however plans to put in a full shower and toilets in the new cavern.

It was saddening when the two weeks were up. We waited. By the end of the third week, we knew that the two sets of parents had already made their decision. I asked the two if they wanted to go and check up on their parents. They declined. We all knew now that those parents just wanted to go south and the other parents were being free to socialize.

Once again, we sit and talk.

I open, “Regardless of your parents not showing, this is a new world. I now declare that you two are emancipated. You will now answer the questions that Jonus and Calest will be asking you. Know this, even if you are accepted, you will not be married couples until we get those two one room homes made. Sleeping arrangements will remain the same until you are married.”

Jonus and Calest, like myself knew that they were going to be approved but Rodger and Tracy were very nervous. They did not need to be because for Rodger, all he was asked is if he would love and protect Chelsea. Chelsea was asked the same.

Both Korry and Tracy were asked the same. All were given our blessing and they were told that now they were engaged.

For some strange reason, they ran to the new cavern and you could hear the noise of wood being sawed and nailed into place. Jonus and I went in to make sure that it was being done properly.

Korry was working and then Rodger would follow what he saw. Both Tracy and Chelsea were running for the wood and assisting. It took a while for them to finish because the general chores needed to be attended to.

As was said, spring, summer and fall are preparation for winter.

A very good thing, when we dismantled those houses was one had a diesel pickup. The house had oil heat that will be used as fuel for the truck so we are now able to dismantle more and not worry about running the quad for that.

There were stove pipes and some wood stoves that were salvaged. Now our caverns have wood stoves rather than fire pits or makeshift fire places.

With the new cavern, we found that its wall abutted the side of the mountain. That is why we made the new bathrooms and showers there. We poked a hole to the outside and made a rudimentary cesspool on the outside portion of the opening. No longer needing the composting toilet. No longer needing the loft. No longer needing the extra room in the first cavern. It now is like how I originally made it.

The side room where Jonus and Calest first released their tension is now a pantry for immediate needs.

We are in very good shape. Their rooms are now done. With the diesel Korry and Rodger went on a trip before their rooms were done. Those four had discussed that they needed to raid a drug store. The couples wanted to wait and enjoy life before the prospect of children.

We four adults heard and do agree that it is the best thing to do. Both of our wives found out that they had brought some pills for them also. We have been lucky so far. Neither of ours are pregnant.

Calest did not want any more so she had her operation after their last child was born. Sharon said that she has never been pregnant. She looks like she thinks she may not be able to.

Summer is now in its late portion. Soon there will be the fall gathering. That now is a time to trade but also a time to catch up. I have warned Rodger and Tracy that they need to be composed if they run into their parents.

“That is in the past. It is up to each couple as to whether you greet them or ignore them but no open hostility. Accept apologies if you want or reject them but remember you are in a new life, new couples. They can be in the past if you want. Visitors in the future but remember this. We are the ones they come to. They need to approach.

We are not cold, we are not aloof, we are no better but we do not abase ourselves. Hold your heads up and look each straight in their eyes. That goes for anyone including your parents.”

They have been with us since those two weeks in the spring. They have gotten that feeling but this may be the time that they may have the chance meeting with those who really did not care enough to show after the two weeks.

The plane has been dismantled and only some remnants that may be useful are left in a pile with a sign that says free on it.

Korry’s checker games are a hit. He did make more of his own tables. Those traded for more because they had a drawer for storage of the pieces rather than the bag that was attached to the TV trays. Both of the versions traded out. It went very well. All sellers and buyers were behaving well.

Gossip, stories of what they did over the summer, but the biggest was that our two were now our four. You could see that there were other young couples walking around. Some were school friends of our two couples. Each of those, we gave them, as wedding gifts, fur gloves from our kills. Cured by stretching and scraping, then left to dry. Sharon sewed them. Also a goodly piece of meat.

The gathering was a hit and yes, Tracy’s parents were there. Ours were cordial but each could tell that there was now a great distance between their parents. Her parents also seemed distant.

Jonus and Calest wanted to say something but knew that it was not their place. It was not their hurt. It was not their parents that just dumped them on someone’s doorstep. They remained silent. We four could see the hurt that Tracy and Rodger felt but they both stood tall.

We have a decent flock of chickens now but not enough to trade. By spring we should be able to trade some. Right now, we are selfish. With eggs, we now have treats. Cakes, pancakes and such. Unfortunately, no one is raising dairy cattle so no butter.

We are deep into fall and we are in the homestretch of having enough firewood but in winter you cannot have enough extra when that winter goes well past the spring date it is supposed to be exiting.

Just a little more meat is always what our two men say. They now have a luxury that we did not have last winter. Last year, we did tan with the solution we read the Indians would do. They used the natural brain-tanning process. With the stretching and scraping method we now have durable fur lined coats.

They had to be hand sown but Sharon was up to the challenge. Before she sewed them, we had the miserable task of loosening the hides. A two person operation of flexing the hide until it will be supple. That was a nightly task.