So, You Want to Live Past Next Tuesday

by Billy Bob Richardson

  “All the ones you mentioned or see on the readout are girls that approached me. Susie is one that I think would fit in quite well. She is smart and a hard worker. She is well-mannered, knows her place in the family, and is comfortable with it. If we found her acceptable and brought her into the family before you leave I could teach her while you are gone. By the time you are back she would be perfectly merged into the family.”

  If Itsy was this insistent, he wasn’t going to ignore her insights. “Very true. As I said before she would be a fine choice and someone I like; is there some reason you are extolling her virtues?”

  “There is. I think she is a rare find. I can’t explain it but I think she could become anything the family needed her to become. One other thing. All of the girls who approached me did so correctly and showed good manners. Susie did the same but started earlier, and she worked harder to be considered than anyone I have ever seen. I am beginning to see her being in the same groups wasn’t spur of the moment for her. She purposely joined those groups I told you about so that she could show her abilities.”

  “All those things recommend her, I agree. Even though she is an excellent candidate, it just isn’t in the cards right now. It is a better strategy to wait until I am on the council and don’t have to worry as much about offending Jack. It’s only another eleven months. When I am back we can make a decision on her. By that point we will hopefully be close to controlling the council, and alienating Jack won’t be an issue.”

  “What about Jack having someone picked out for her? She will have to deal with the pressure from him until you get back. She won’t give in, but as we all know Jack can be a real pain when he doesn’t get his way. As I recall, her father and Jack have been on the outs for years so he might just agree to spite his father if you were to ask him now.”

  “Itsy, I’ll think about it but at this time it seems like a bad idea.”

  “Back to the screen I guess. What about the Hotchins girls?” Itsy was pointing to the file on their education.

  “What about them, sweetness?”

  “They are old enough, and according to the data base they are genetically a good match. Education-wise they are more than qualified. Either of the twins should be acceptable.”

  “I am not very familiar with them. Print out the pertinent facts about them and I’ll give them some thought. Maybe drop in and speak with their father before we get too centered on them. For now we need to wrap this up. We can talk about it later. I need to speak to you about us and it is getting close to the time I need to go up for the meeting.”

  “I have spoken with your father and he has given his blessing. I ask you formally to join my household permanently. What is your answer?” asked Madd. At this point the tears started again.

  “Yes, yes, OH YES, I am so happy I thought this might never happen.”

  “Why are you crying, sweetness?” By this time she was bawling and hiccupping uncontrollably. “Lighten up, and give me a hug.”

  Because of the height difference she had to crawl into his arms and wrap her legs around his waist.

  “Itsy, stop crying and get a hold of yourself. We need to talk and I have to go.”

  Some things about women remain a mystery even to the best educated among men.

  “Just let me get a cloth.”

  Going to the linen closet she grabbed a cloth and ran water on it, using it to wipe the tears of joy and makeup off her face.

  “I know this is short notice but I would like to announce my decision at tomorrow’s social event. I believe that the cousins are going to announce as well. I don’t want others to steal your thunder. I know these things are important to a girl so if you would rather wait till I get back and be the only one getting attention I can wait.”

  Itsy almost panicked at the thought.

  “No, you aren’t getting off that easy. I don’t want to wait. I don’t mind sharing with the girls, we are all very close. It will be fun to do this with sisters.”

  “I knew you guys were friends, but the way you say that makes it sound like something more.”

  “Remember what I said about you being the leader?”

  “Yes, I remember.”

  “Well the circle of cousins that make up the Council/War Council along with you are going to be leading the family. Because of that, it made it imperative that we form a tight relationship with each other. We can see that you and the cousins are going to turn into a political force to be reckoned with. It was imperative that we close ranks and create a circle of friends to support you five!”

  “I hadn’t considered the fact we would be creating a political machine. I don’t see a way around it Itsy, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

  Itsy had given him some things to think about. Still, he needed to make sure that no one’s feeling would be hurt.

  “I know as soon as I get out the door you are going to want to tell your friends the news, but be careful and make sure that all the others have already been told they will be officially accepted tomorrow night. I don’t want to ruin anyone’s surprise.”

  “It will be hard but I will behave. Can I stay the night in your house now?”

  “No, you need to go home as you do every night. I am not going to jump the gun after we waited so long to get here.”

  Itsy was disappointed, but knew he was right. Years of being correct could be ruined in one night.

  Uncle Roy’s house

  Sitting in the kitchen they could hear the sound of voices from another part of the house. Miss Charlotte came to get Madd at 7:16.

  “Madd, sit down. As you know we are going to take a vote on whether to add you to the council or wait until your contract is up. Gentlemen, it is time. A blind vote has been called for so each of you drop a white stone for accepting Madd into the council or a black one to defer his membership to a later date. Again, I want to urge you to accept him. None of us is getting any younger and having someone on the council who can step in right away if something happens to one of us would be invaluable. Especially as we are one short already and that position needs to be filled.”

  A simple black box with a hole in the top big enough to drop one of the stones into was passed from member to member. When it had made the circle, Roy poured the contents into a black porcelain bowl. Slowly with one finger and a thumb he pulled the stones out and placed them on the table. When the last stone was taken out, you could see shock on the faces of several council members.

  “Thank you my friends, for voting Madd onto the council. Admittedly it was only by one vote, but still, it is enough. It feels good to have a full council. Madd, bring a chair over and take your place at the table.”

  “I want to thank you all for voting me in. I am deeply honored,” Madd told them.

  “Any additional business anyone wishes to bring up at this time?” said uncle Roy. “How about you, Madd?”

  “I wouldn’t want to presume.” Relief could be seen on a number of faces.

  “You have a thought, Madd?” Uncle Roy was encouraging him to speak.

  “Well, there is one thing. Something you said, Uncle Roy. About having a younger member on the council.”

  “Yes, what about it?”

  “I’m still active duty, and there is always a chance that something could happen to me.”

  “Don’t think that way Madd, it would break our hearts if something happened to you.”

  “Thank you Uncle Roy, but things do happen.”

  “You have a solution?”

  “Well, more of a suggestion. I think that the council should consider adding a seat and voting Ivan onto the council. That way if something were to happen to me, he would not only be available, but an official council member already, who wouldn’t need to be brought up to speed at a moment’s notice.”

  Jack got a crafty look in his eyes. He could see a chance to neutralize Madd by adding a seat for Ivan. He and Ivan thought alike.

  “I can see the wisdom of that. Makes good se
nse. I make the motion we vote on Ivan,” Jack told them.

  “I second that.” Roy looked around the table and got nods of confirmation on Madd’s second.

  “Fine, we will need to send someone for him.”

  “Actually Uncle Roy, I think he is in the kitchen. We were going to the barn to work on some saddle repair after this meeting.”

  “Fine, I will send Miss Charlotte to get him.”

  The voting proceeded just as it had with Madd, except that Ivan got more yes votes than Madd did.

  Uncle Nathan cleared his throat.

  “My friends, I was going to wait a few more months to announce this, but since we have more than enough members to get business done, I am tendering my resignation.”

  “What? Why?” Came from around the table.

  “Since we are all family here, I guess there is no reason not to talk about it. Doctor Shultz has been worried about my health for quite some time. I am 86 and haven’t been feeling all that spirited lately. Doctor Shultz wants me to get as much stress out of my life as possible. It has been my great honor to serve the family all these years, but I believe it is time for me to step down.”

  “We certainly don’t want you to overextend yourself, Nathan. I see no alternative except to thank you for your years of service and accept your resignation,” said Roy.

  Everyone gathered around Nathan to wish him well and pass a few words about things they had experienced over the years.

  Madd slipped to the door, and signaled for Miss Charlotte.

  “Yes, sir?”

  For just a split second Madd was taken aback by Miss Charlotte calling him sir, but shifted gears quickly.

  “Miss Charlotte, would you send one of the kids to find Tinker, and bring him here right away?”

  “Certainly, right away, sir.”

  Sir? When did he suddenly go from being the boy Miss Charlotte called honey or sweetie to her calling him sir?

  Back in the council room, Madd signaled Ivan. In a low voice he told him, “Join the conversation and keep them all here, don’t let them officially end this session.”

  “I’m on it, Madd.”

  Joining the conversation as well, Madd kept them reminiscing over old times. Finally Miss Charlotte came to the door and motioned for Madd.

  “Sir, he is in the kitchen, is that all right?”

  “Yes Miss Charlotte, you did well.”

  She gave a curtsy and backed away, before turning and heading back to the other end of the hall. Careful not to be obvious, Madd got close to Uncle Billy.

  “I want to keep the meeting going, I have Tinker in the other room. I want to get him on the council tonight. With your help we will have plenty of votes with Nathan gone to get him in.” Billy just nodded and moved away.

  “Gentlemen, if I may have your attention?” They all turned to Madd.

  “I too am sorry to see Uncle Nathan go, but he has resigned and his resignation has been accepted, is that correct? We are officially still in session and Nathan is no longer a council member, correct? We find ourselves one seat short again, now that Nathan has retired.”

  “Yes, technically we are in session,” said Billy.

  Uncle Roy also agreed that they were still in session.

  “Then I want to ask all the members to have a seat and take up a subject that is now pertinent. We have a vacancy that the bylaws say needs to be filled.”

  Through habit everyone sat down except Nathan, who made his excuses and left.

  “What is it you are proposing, Madd?” asked Roy.

  “I make a motion that we offer Uncle Nathan’s chair to Tinker, Uncle Roy.”

  “I second the motion,” said Ivan.

  You could see the wheels turning in the member’s heads, especially Jack.

  Jack was worried. With Nathan gone he had lost one of his best allies. He knew something was going on but it wouldn’t quite gel for him. Out of reflex Jack decided to try and delay this; he should never have allowed additional seats to be added to the council.

  “I don’t think that is really necessary,” Jack informed them.

  “No, Madd is right, the bylaws say that a seat left vacant by a resigning member must be filled at the earliest possible time. Since we are still in session and don’t know when we will have a quorum again, this would be that time,” said Roy.

  “With Madd and Ivan gone in the next few days we won’t have them here for votes for almost a year to vote on new members. With satellite phones and Skype we can schedule times to get family business voted on and having a full council would be best,” said Billy.

  “We will have an empty seat for way too long unless we prepare now. Madd will you call Miss Charlotte and have her fetch Tinker?”

  “Of course, Uncle Roy.”

  Madd stepped to the door and motioned Miss Charlotte toward him from the other end of the hall. Soon Tinker was in the council room.

  The vote on Tinker wasn’t even close. With Madd, Ivan and Billy’s vote he was easily confirmed. As it turned out there were only two no votes. The council was close to being firmly in Madd’s hands. With the three cousins, Uncle Billy being their secret supporter and Uncle Roy’s unwitting support, they now had five votes to two. Even if Uncle Roy wanted to vote against them, they would still have four votes to three.

  In theory, Uncle Roy had some veto power. He could be overruled with a vote of five to two. The council had originally consisted of six people. Roy, Jack, Nathan, Alex, Billy and an older gentleman that had passed away. With the addition of a seat for Ivan, that brought the total up to seven seats. With Nathan gone that left Jack, Alex and possibly Uncle Roy from the old school of thought. Now that Madd, Ivan and Tinker had been added, the power of Jack and his followers would be diluted. When the cousins returned from fulfilling their contracts, one of the first pieces of business would be finding a way to remove Jack and Alex from the council. The cousins would need one surer vote just in case Uncle Roy wanted to try a veto at some point.

  There was one thing that no one at the table except Madd and his friends had thought of, not even Uncle Roy. It was the thing that Jack wasn’t able to put his finger on.

  Jack thought the first vote would put Madd out of the picture for a long time. He was shocked and troubled that the vote went the way it did. Then he voted for Ivan to counteract Madd. Seeing how well that worked would take time. Madd ended up with enough votes to easily get Tinker on the council.

  It was beginning to dawn on Jack that he had been outmaneuvered, but how? It couldn’t have been Madd; he was just a kid. Jack was so upset he forgot what had been bothering him before. If someone had whispered, War Chief, he would have remembered a small fact. Not that it would have done him much good.

  Back at Madd’s, the cousins were in a deep discussion.

  “I can’t believe you guys pulled this off,” said Real.

  “I can’t either, really. The opportunity came along and I just went with the flow. You should have seen Ivan, he played his part excellently. Smiling and nodding at Jack, it made him think they were on the same side.”

  “Can’t say I am exactly proud of that one, Madd.”

  “I know Ivan, but we either gain control of the council, or go under when the SHTF. If we are very lucky and work like dogs we might make it. If we waited on the council the way it was made up, we would have had to take to the hills with our hunting rifles and tried to live off the land. This way the family has a fighting chance.”

  “Hey, you aren’t saying much.”

  “I am just listening, Madd. For what it’s worth, I don’t think we are doing anything wrong. I can picture trying to live in the high mountains with a rifle and a brush hideout. Doesn’t appeal to me much. Nothing we are doing is for personal gain or power. If Jack remained in the loop, even if we managed some financial success, he would have thrown it away. I know for sure Madd would rather settle down with Itsy and work the ranch. He would be happy to let someone else lead. Good for us, but bad for him is
the fact that he is exactly the kind of leader we need. Anyway, that’s my opinion.”

  “Exactly!” was heard from around the room.

  “Now that we have gotten that off our chests, how do you want to proceed?” asked Ivan.

  “Good question, Ivan. If we don’t do anything to pressure them too much the council may take a while to remember a couple of small sentences in the bylaws. I hope we never have to pull that rabbit out of the hat. If they decide to drag their feet it’s a little too raw for my taste to use against them. We shouldn’t use our ace in the hole to get Real or Hey on the council unless we are forced to it. It would be nice to have them on the council sooner rather than later, but it can wait until we get back. We don’t have long to do what needs to be done before we have to head back so let’s concentrate on what is possible at this time. In two days it is the regularly scheduled council meeting; we will have to see how things go then.”

  “What about the family funds?” asked Hey.

  “That is the main reason we had to get some people onto the council. Money is just not coming in for the family like it could. It doesn’t help that Jack kept doling out funds even as the family income dropped. He never even looked to see what they were doing with it. A good chunk of it was never used for school. He kept voting to send money to people on the west coast who never called or came home. Just because they were born family, he figured they deserved it.”

  “Madd, you have been talking about the money situation for a while. Not in a good way, I might add. If I understand what you have been saying, things are bleak. Are you suggesting that if we took all the monies the family has and are likely to get in the next year and divided it by the number of people we need to prepare for, we are in sorry shape?”

  “You got it, Ivan. That is exactly what I’m saying. We might raise a couple thousand for each of the family, but that’s about it. I am also saying we have to figure some other method of acquiring cash to add to what the Riders can produce. Something legal.”

  Tinker brought up an unpleasant subject. “We have talked about this before, but there are only a couple of choices for bringing in enough cash that isn’t stealing from businesses or people. Drug guys.”