One Second After

“Why?” Carl asked. “I think we should of talked about this before our deal was made.”

“What are you suggesting, Carl?” Charlie snapped. “They’ve been here eight to ten days now. Many have integrated in, found a friend or a job to do. What are we going to do, march around town and round them up at gunpoint? It would be one helluva sight and, frankly, tear us apart.”

“We were once all Americans,” Kate said quietly.

“Precisely,” John now interjected. “Those that are here stay. We’ve already made that agreement.”

He looked around to the others. In spite of his speech in the park, he wondered now if views were changing because a food shortage was now clearly evident.

“No different than keeping out those on the other side,” Carl replied. “Maybe not, God save us,” John replied. “I don’t have an answer for that. But those that are in stay.” He looked to Charlie for support.

“We change that view now and I am off this council. It contradicts what I said at the park and neither you nor anyone else objected then.”

“What about what we did get off the road?” Kate said. “We’re forgetting about that. We got six trucks loaded with foodstuffs, enough rations to feed all of them for a couple of weeks. Consider that as their payment.”

John nodded to her, an adroit move on her part.

“They stay,” Charlie finally said, and Carl nodded his head.

“One other thing,” John interjected. “Those passing through. Anyone special, we should allow them to stay if they wish.”

“Like who?” Kellor asked.

“Anyone that can help us survive now, or rebuild.”

“Such as?”

“Military men, police officers for example.”

He knew he’d get immediate nods from Tom and Carl on that. The “fraternal order” definitely looked out for its own, and John realized he was doing the same when it came to the military.

“But others. Farmers, they have skills we need, can help with the cattle, hogs, and what crops are planted. All that fancy machinery is dead and a lot of farming is reverted to backbreaking labor. I think we should grab any electrician we can find, power company guys, people like that, doctors, nurses as well. If they want to stay, we interview them; if they check out OK, they can join us.”

There was a moment of silence again.

“Agreed,” Charlie replied.

“That means their families as well,” Kate said. “I wouldn’t give two cents for a man or woman who would grab the chance to stay and walk away from their family.”

“No argument there,” Charlie finally replied.

“John, could you draw up a list of recommended skills you think we should have?” John nodded.

“Frankly, I’d kill for someone who could build a steam engine.” There was a round of chuckles at that.

“No, people, I’m dead serious. A steam engine would be worth its weight in gold. Do any of you know how to make one, let alone repair an old one rotting behind a barn and then keep it running?”

Everyone was silent.

The thought started him rolling.

“Get a steam engine and you have power where you want it. To pump, dig, cut, hell, even mount it on the rail tracks and move things.

“I’d like to find some old guy who repaired phone lines forty years ago and could retrofit us. Prowl through the antique stores on Cherry Street and you’ll find old crank phones that still might work if we could find someone who understood how to hook them up. It’d link the two ends of our community.”

Several were now nodding.

“The guys I know in my Civil War Roundtable, Revolutionary War reenactors, many of them know skills that are lost to the rest of us. I want people like that. I’d trade a hundred computer-tech heads right now for one guy who understood steam engines. I’d trade a hundred lawyers for someone who could show us how to make gunpowder from what we can find here in this valley, or which roots we can dig right now and safely eat.

“An old chemist who could make ether or chloroform. Doc, we’re going to need a lot of that in the months to come and I’m willing to bet we’re short already.

“An old dentist who could get an old-fashioned foot-powered drill running. You folks think about that yet, next time you get a toothache? Care to have the tooth yanked instead and no painkiller while we’re at it? Remember the old movies, the ones about a gang of kids and one of them usually had a bandage wrapped around his head to keep his jaw shut because he had an abscessed tooth. If we saw that two weeks ago the parents would have been arrested for child abuse. But I tell you, we’ll be seeing that again, and real soon.”

He suddenly realized he was rambling, the room silent, suddenly far too hot.

“Sorry… .”

No one spoke and he wasn’t sure if it was because they were embarrassed by his rambling monologue or because he had indeed hit home with what they faced.

“I think we have it all for now,” Charlie said. “Let’s get to work. Meeting same time tomorrow.”

The group stood up and John felt a stab of pain. Kellor was bent over the table, holding John’s right hand down and taking off the bandage. The group looked over at them and he could see concern in Kate’s eyes.