The Big Ten: The First Ten Books of the Beginnings Series

by Jacqueline Druga

  ^^^^

  Beginnings, Montana

  Robbie opened Joe’s office door, slid to his stop, cringed, then grunted in disgust when he saw Henry behind Joe’s desk. “Dad.” He looked to his father who sat in the chair. “Come on, you’re still leader.”

  “Henry needs to get the feel,” Joe explained. “Humor me.”

  “No.” Robbie shut the door. He held on to a large stack of papers. “Where’s Dean?”

  Henry decided to answer. “He had to go to Glass and do something. He’s been there for a little bit.”

  Robbie sat down in his seat and no sooner was his rear end in the chair that Dean walked in.

  “Sorry I’m late.” Dean closed the door. “Joe, I have Johnny’s glasses. He needs them. Have you seen him?”

  Before Joe could say anything, Robbie did, very calmly too as he bit his nails. “Last I heard he was at the cryo -lab getting a blow job from Bev.”

  There were three things that happened after Robbie’s remark, Henry’s loud sound of disgust, the banging as Dean fumbled and nearly missed his chair as he went to sit, and Joe’s grunt.

  Joe winced. “Did we need to hear that?”

  “Um . . . .yeah,” Robbie said. “We asked him to get close to her. He did. Well she got close to him or would that mean they were both close.” Robbie shrugged, ignoring the looks he got. “Anyhow, that’s what Johnny told me. Took him by surprise too.” Robbie snickered. “But uh . . . not as much as surprise as when Andrea walked into the cryo -lab in the middle of it.”

  “My wife walked in on him?” Joe asked.

  Dean was just as shocked. “What was Andrea doing in the cryo -lab? Did Johnny say whether he kept her out or not?”

  Again Robbie shrugged. “I’ll guess he kept her out because, well, they never saw Bev.”

  Joe was just so confused. “Why in God’s name would Johnny volunteer the details to you?”

  Henry knew the answer to that one. “It’s a guy thing, Joe. Really and Johnny still a kid so he brags.”

  “No,” Robbie snapped. “God. We asked him to get close to her. He was letting us know how the plan was going. Of course he says now he has to get total control and in order to do that with her, he has to be a . . .” a snicker came from Robbie. “A dick. He’s gonna blow her off.” He saw the silent glares he got from all three. “What?” Still he got stares and then it hit him. “Oh.” And Robbie laughed.

  Joe turned away from Robbie and to Henry. “Wanna get this thing moving along?”

  “Joe, why don’t . . .”

  “Henry.”

  “OK.” Henry moved his chair closer to the desk. “I don’t know why Joe called us here. It has something to do with Robbie. So Robbie, do you want to do the honors.”

  “Yeah.” Robbie’s hand tapped on the stack of papers he had. He looked so pleased. “Since I have been chosen to become the new Ministry assistant, I attended Bible class with Rev. Bob.” He stopped while everyone got their snicker out of their system. “Anyhow, we talked about some good stuff and I drove him a little crazy about Cain and Abel and the great flood.”

  “Robbie,” Henry interjected. “Could you get to the point.”

  Without saying what was on his mind to Henry, Robbie continued, “Well, I was smoking a cigarette and when I left, I left them in there. Now I had to go back, right. I could have stolen them from distribution but my dad would have been . . .”

  “Robbie.” Again, Henry interrupted. “Please. We all have things to do.”

  “Henry,” Robbie growled his name. “Quit being such a prick and get off your high horse, all right? Fuck. I swear the moment you become leader, I’m moving for your impeachment and having people vote me in.”

  ‘You couldn’t do that,” Henry argued.

  “Could too.”

  “You could not,” Henry said. “They wouldn’t do it.”

  “Ha!” Robbie scoffed. “Bet me. Henry, they voted on you being leader a while ago. If given a choice they’d pick me.”

  “No, they wouldn’t. Joe?”

  Joe hesitated. “Well, Henry, everyone likes Robbie. They just might.”

  “Oh that’s not very nice.” Henry shook his head. “Dean, do you agree?”

  “What? What are we talking about?”

  “Weren’t you listening?” Henry asked.

  “No not really,” Dean answered. “I’m still shuddering in the fact that Johnny had oral sex in my lab.”

  Robbie held up his finger. “No, Dean. Technically he received . . .”

  “Robert,” Joe scolded.

  “But Dad, technically . . .”

  “Technically my ass,” Joe growled. “Now can you please just quit with the dramatics and tell these two what you found when you were being noisy in Rev. Bob’s office?”

  Robbie let out breath that showed his shock. “I can’t believe you ruined it for me. All right.” Robbie took the first copy of the yearbook from the stack. “This one is mine.” He handed one to Joe, then to Henry and Dean..

  Dean was stuck in bewilderment staring at the blank top sheet. “What is this? There’s nothing on the front.”

  Robbie grinned. “I did that on purpose so you wouldn’t know until I told you to . . .” Robbie flipped over the first page. “To turn to the next page.”

  “Oh!” Henry was so excited. “I love looking at other people’s year books. Is this Rev. Bob’s? Does it have autographs and messages from people. I love . . .”

  “Henry!” Joe yelled. “Pipe down. That’s not why were looking at this. This is a secret gentlemen. What we have in our hands cannot be told to anyone outside this room. Clear?” He waited for the agreement. “Yes, this is Rev. Bob’s Iowa State yearbook. Robert, do the honors again.”

  “It’s about time.” Robbie chuckled at his father’s displeasure grunt. “Now, this is really, really important that you listen to what I say. Everyone, turn to page twenty-seven. And!” Robbie instructed loudly, “Keep your eyes focused on the left hand corner. Henry don’t peek.”

  Henry whined.

  Dean’s head bobbed from side to side. “My eyes are peeled Robbie. What?

  “O.K.” Robbie gave a ‘shush’ look to his father.“Dean, what is Reverend Bob’s last name?”

  “Haddon,” Dean answered.

  “Correct.” Robbie nodded. “Now. Everybody scan down to the fourth row and let’s find Rev. Bob’s wonderful freshman picture.” Robbie didn’t have to look for Reverend Bob. He saw the picture the night before and quiet enjoyed seeing the man of the cloth, thin and with dark thick hair. But he didn’t enjoy that pictures as much as the moment when Dean and Henry saw him. Their ‘what’s?’, shocked expressions, and slow raising eyes to Robbie was worth the wait. “Yep.”

  Dean took a double take. “No. No way.” His eyes kept blinking over in over in disbelief.

  Henry’s mouth was open as well. “Oh my God. It’s George’s picture next to his. He went to the same college as George? Wow. But Iowa State is a big place. Do you think they knew each . . .”

  “Henry!” Joe yelled. “Is that the only thing you see?”

  Henry responded with a blank look.

  “I fuckin knew it,” Robbie grunted. “He had to ruin it didn’t he?”

  Joe held out his hand to Robbie to halt his complaining. Calmly, Joe looked at Henry. “Henry, look again.”

  Henry looked down to his paper yearbook. “O.K.”

  “Look closely, Henry,” Joe instructed.

  “Joe, I’m looking, I . . . “ Henry peered up to Joe. “Shit.”

  Robbie tossed his hands up. “Finally.”

  Joe nodded very slowly in assurance to Dean and Henry. “Looks like my immature and nosey son discovered a pretty big secret about Reverend Bob. Now, my question to all of you is . . . at this point in the game, how long should we wait before we approach our good Reverend Bob Haddon to tell him that we know he is actually the Good Reverend Bob . . . Hadley?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Washing
ton, D.C.

  If George could trophy his proudest accomplishment he would, the White House. So many times he wanted to waste the man power and fix up the white structure that for nearly two terms was his home. He wanted to fix up the entire D.C. area and the monumental structures, symbols of our forefathers who shaped the laws that shaped America into a great nation. Arlington cemetery laid totally overgrown. Thick and dense, in years to come it would end up being a forest instead of a tribute to those who had lost their lives in battle. George considered himself very patriotic. Just because he wanted to rule the world, along with the country, didn’t lessen his patriotism. He worked hard all his life in law school, the courts, small political positions, and all the way up to the Presidency. All he ever wanted to do was make the world a better place . . . plus, run it. But that would have been a given had his plan to cut down earth’s out of control population growth had not gone array.

  He ignored the mysterious notes and letters telling him the plan would not work, that the virus was not infallible. He chuckled at the notes that said they came from ‘the future’. The phone calls he refused to take. He dismissed them all as paranoid anonymous warnings from someone in the Society who gained a conscious and just wanted to stop it. And though he did safeguard--just in case--by cryogenically freezing not only more scientist, but others as well, George moved the Society ahead with the plan. It was too perfect not to. They had worked on it too much, too long, for it not to be.

  With a total loss of forty to fifty percent, how much easier on the food demand it would have been. And that percentage was based on averages. A twenty-five percent loss in the more industrialized nations, seventy-percent loss in the over populated and third world countries, and total annihilation in the parts of the world that just didn’t have the technology to help themselves. Pandemonium. Chaos. Breakdown of government branches all across the world. The Society would emerge from the ashes, a saving grace to a world gone bad, heroes. But the Society emerged to a dead world.

  But not completely.

  There still was a whole world out there, a world with people. Civilizations. Unfortunately for George, he only controlled about twenty percent. He was rebuilding. He had to. Even dead, overgrown, and filled with animals he wanted to change, he still loved his country. And with the other eighty percent out there rebuilding as well, George couldn’t take a chance on losing the land he had dedicated his whole life. Because if he was gaining enough technology to soon go over there and stop them, then the chances were, they were regaining the technology as well. As history proved, one man’s land is another man’s projected domain and George wanted to make the other man’s land his domain first. He would do everything in his power to get it.

  ^^^^

  Beginnings, Montana

  Maura Wilson. She was young and thin with fragile features that were complemented by her shoulder length blonde hair always was worn neatly pulled back. She had a face that looked even younger than her fourteen years. Seldom, if ever seen walking the streets of Beginnings, since she turned thirteen, she left her home with Gemma only for school, church and Bible instruction

  Gemma sheltered the beautiful young woman and with good cause. She didn’t shelter her from the children nor even Denny and Josh who recently were allowed to visit--chaperoned--for an hour in the evening. She sheltered Maura from the men.

  Joe knew this and Joe had Gemma’s trust, one of few men in the community who did. But even with Gemma’s full trust, it took a lot for Joe to convince Gemma to let him walk Maura to Bible instruction. Gemma finally gave in.

  Joe laid his hand on Maura’s shoulder as they stood outside the chapel. “I’m right out here. I’m waiting for you, but you do not tell Reverend Bob that. Correct??

  “Yes, Mr. Slagel.” Maura nodded.

  “You tell nobody what I asked you to do. This is very important.”

  “Yes. Did Reverend Bob do something wrong?”

  “No-no.” Joe shook his head and laughed. “It has to do with the Neville competition. He’s a big threat for taking it, being the religious hero and all and I just want to check on this one rule.” Joe winked. “You let me know what he says and that is that.”

  “All right,” she spoke angelically.

  “Now you go in there. Rev. Bob is out at the fields. You’re a little early so that gives you time.”

  “You’re waiting for me, right? Mother always waits for me.”

  “I’m waiting for you. But . . .”

  Maura giggled. “You’re playing the game so I can’t tell.”

  “Exactly.” Joe held the chapel door open for her. “Thank you.”

  ^^^^

  She felt bad walking into Rev. Bob’s office alone, but she was asked a favor. And since Maura encountered the cheating ways of Denny and Josh in a recent game of Candy Land, she wanted to help out Joe by making sure Rev. Bob played fair.

  So once in his office, she did as instructed. She grabbed the yearbook, opened it to page twenty-seven, then sat on the couch and waited.

  Reverend Bob walked in. “Maura, you’re early.”

  “Yes. I was bored. I was looking at your picture.”

  “You were?” Reverend Bob saw what she was looking at. “Maura let me . . .”

  “Why is your name different here?” Maura pointed. “Should it be?”

  “Do you know that name?”

  Maura shook her head. She really didn’t recognize the name.

  “Well.” Rev. Bob grabbed the yearbook and closed it. “I changed my name some years ago. Many years ago.”

  “Is that allowed?”

  “Yes it is. But it takes a lot of money.”

  “Why did you change your name?”

  Rev. Bob looked at the yearbook and to an innocent Maura. “If I share with you this story, you cannot tell a soul.”

  “I won’t.”

  Rev. Bob sat on the couch next to her. “I’m going to tell you and I’m going to trust you. You remember, Maura, what the Book of Matthew says about trust, don’t you?”

  Maura nodded. “Those who can be trusted will be given more.”

  “Exactly. God expects us to be trustworthy. I expect the same from you. We wouldn’t want to disappoint God, now would we?”

  The expression on Maura’s face dropped. A nervous lump formed in her throat. She swallowed it and listened to Rev. Bob speak.

  ^^^^

  The ‘Joe’ park in the center of town was busy for midday. It seemed everyone in Beginnings was taking advantage of the extremely warm fall weather by taking a break from their work day and strolling on the winding path that wrapped around like a maze in the so small park. Even Henry took advantage of the break. He sat on the little wall, finally getting a spot after Jenny gave it up. He held Nick in his arms, staring down at his son, a son he didn’t know as much as he should.

  Henry knew his reason for getting Nick out of the nursery for a break, Ellen. How much he missed her. How much Nick was a part of her. He stared into the face that seemed like his own and then he stared into the eyes that were Ellen’s. A rarity. Blue eyes. In Henry’s mind, Nick was absolutely perfect.

  He remembered the high hopes he had for him and Ellen when the baby was born. And then Henry remembered all the problems that followed thereafter. Problems he started alone. And problems that eventually tore him and Ellen apart. He had his chance and he blew it. The passing of time was what Henry hoped would heal those wounds. But the wounds stayed open and though Henry didn’t want to, he knew it was time to help them along in the healing.

  “Henry. God.” Dean’s frantic voice neared.

  “Oh hey, Dean.”

  “I got scared.” Dean sat next to Henry and immediately took Nick. “Hey you.” Dean spoke to the baby and Nick smiled. “Henry, I went to the nursery and didn’t see Nick. I panicked.”

  “I wanted to spend time with him.”

  “Oh.” Dean handed the baby back to Henry. “Here. Sorry.”

  Henry took Nick. “That’s O.K., Why
did you think I took him?”

  “I don’t know. I thought something was wrong.” Dean looked at Henry. “Is something wrong?’

  “I miss Ellen.”

  “Yeah I do too.”

  “No Dean I miss her. I really miss her. I let some time go by. I tried to be her friend again. You know.” Henry swayed his head. “Like we were when we first started out. Even though that wasn’t what I wanted. But I tried. I stayed back when you and Frank shared her after Brian died. She lived with me and I stayed back. I stayed a friend.”

  “I know this.” Dean was somewhat confused by Henry’s rambling.

  “I don’t want to stay back anymore.”

  “Oh.”

  “I know you’re married to her and all. I’m happy for you. It was a long road coming. But . . . but Dean, I would really like for you and I to sit down and talk about the understand now.”

  “Henry?” Dean questioned. “Understanding?”

  “Yeah. An understanding.” Henry smiled. “You know the common thing that occur in Beginnings. I’m still dedicated to her Dean.”

  “Yes I know. But . . . but.”

  “But what?” Henry asked.

  “Henry.” Dean lowered his head. “I’m sorry. There’s not gonna be an understanding in this marriage. I’m not doing it. Plus, Ellen has expressed problems with you. She didn’t say what they were, but said she could never trust you fully.”

  “I think Ellen and I can get passed them if there is an understanding.”

  “Then you’re kidding yourself.” Dean said. “I know Ellen. Besides, no understandings. Not you. Not anyone. I’ve waited forever for this opportunity and I’m not sharing. Not at this time.” Dean started to get up.