Our First Winter

Cold weather soon was upon us and the first snows began to fall.Getting around would be problematic if the snow became too deep. It was important to keep it away from the doorways as we needed to get in and out of our homes.This required another jaunt to our next door neighbors. This time we looked for snow shoes and cross country skis.They would not be on any of the shelves, because they had not been stocked yet when the invasion took place.That much we knew from our encounter at the tire store in September.We would have to become the stock boys and girls and go hunting for them in that section of the store that no one but employees ever saw.

The skis were unassembled, meaning the bindings were not yet screwed on.We chose the correct size according to each person’s height and picked up bindings, shoes and poles.We included wax as well for those whose skis didn’t have scales on the bottom.The scales and the wax basically go in the same place on the skis, near the middle on the bottom.When you need some traction, you step down hard and push off.

Snowshoes would be okay for close to home, but very long trips, at least in my opinion, would require using the skis as long as it was over basically flat terrain. While these were picked up primarily for transportation purposes, they became treasured possessions of the kids who made paths through the woods.It was obvious that both Bruce and Lise had had some input into the layout of the paths, for they were not made for the novice cross-country skier.Uphill, downhill, around sharp corners, on and on they went.I hadn’t done any cross-country skiing in years, but soon became accustomed to the trails, though I often had to step aside so that a spryer person could pass. When we returned from these exercises everyone’s cheeks broadcasted that they had been in the frigid air.

When the snow was “packee,” as the kids called it, snowmen would appear in the front yard.It was humorous to see snowmen and women dressed in human clothing, but there was no one around to complain about ruining their clothes.We knew we could pick up more things to wear any time we wanted.

One snowfall was so deep, that we decided to build a gigantic igloo.It had to be roomy enough for all six of us to fit inside.Between snowball fights, the group rolled massive balls of snow into a circle and then rolling smaller ones, added these to the sides, tilting them gently inward, until the domed White House was complete. Bruce and I slept inside that night on a sheet of plastic and snuggled up in the warmest sleeping bags we were able to pick up at the store.The next day, the weather began to warm up and the whole ceiling collapsed.That didn’t stop the snow ball fights though. And the igloo made a perfect fort from which to launch an attack.

The real thrill came when we hopped in the vans with our magic carpets, and toboggans and visited the old ski slope next door.Without power, it was an awful chore climbing to the top, but the ride down was a real rush.This brought back some memories of years before when my young wife and I decided to take our brand new sled for its maiden flight down an old golf course hill. The whole city had used the hill in the winter for this purpose.It was always full, each Sunday.For some reason though, this Sunday, we were the only ones on the slope.We climbed to the top, hopped on and shoved off. Everything was going as expected. We whooshed down the slope, headed in the direction of our parked car, but as we began to slow down on the flat area near the bottom, something unexpected began to take place.The snow seemed to turn to slush and cold wet ice and water splashed upon us, soaking us to the skin.That was our first and only trip on the hill that day.

There was no such mess waiting to greet us at the bottom of this hill, unless of course, we continued onto the lake.Even that wouldn't be a problem since the ice was about eight inches thick, I believe, strong enough to hold our vehicles.

At the end of the day, we all retreated to the warmth of our rooms, to finish the evening with a hot drink or two.

And so we spent most of that first winter.The exercise kept us both healthy and entertained. No boredom would spoil our northern winter days. More importantly, it was hard to feel sorry for ourselves, at least during the daytime, when we were having so much fun. As a bonus, no one was getting sick.No colds. No flu.

There were still the forages for food supplies into the nearby community.Winter did not stop that and with several stores in such close proximity there was no shortage of food stuffs in cans and dried.It was all there for the picking.During the first winter we gave little thought to where a continuing food supply would come from.We gathered what we could and left the worrying for another day.

***

It was during the long evenings of the cold winter when our thoughts turned inward. For those of us who lived alone, it was particularly depressing. But even the three who lived together spent hours talking about the past, about those they had loved and lost. It is bad enough to have someone taken after a long illness.To some extent a person can get used to the idea of being separated from the loved one, but those who leave us through accidents are different.Their leaving is so immediate that there is no time to say goodbye.An enemy had taken what was ours. There were no kisses or farewells.It was as if they were moving to a far country from which they would never return and to which we would never travel and we had arrived only after their plane was out of sight.It was hard to be so alone.A verse from the gospels came to mind that said something like “there will be two in the field.One will be taken and the other left.”Sometimes I wondered if in our case, it wouldn’t have been better to be the “taken,” rather than the “left.”Upon whom rested the curse?

The Lookout

Bruce suggested that we needed a lookout, to watch for enemy ships.We hadn’t seen much activity other than when we were in Border City, but Bruce had a point. If someone were keeping an eye on the sky and had some way to warn the group so they could seek shelter that would be worth the effort.The decision was to either build a blind in a tree, or have someone positioned at the top of the escarpment.In the end, we voted for a blind to be built at the top of the rock face.Anyone sitting in the chosen location could see for miles to the south to the west and to the north.The east would be obscured by a forest and there was little we could or wanted to do about that.

Because the weather was turning colder, we needed to make sure the person would be warm as they sat watching the sky.Digging into the rock was out of the question, and there were no large rock slabs such as were common at the bottom, so we cut down some trees, debarked and notched them and made a small log cabin.The walls were such that one could easily see over them from a sitting position and corner posts supported the roof that was set about three feet above the top of the walls.The entire upper portion of the building, from the walls up, was covered in Plexiglas. This gave the observer an unobscured view of the skies while at the same time protecting him or her from the wind.We felt that the heft of the building alone would probably keep it in place, but just to be sure, managed to drive a couple of bolts into cracks in the rock to anchor it more securely.

We had the power and the wire, but we needed a reliable system to convey the signal to the others below.This we found in an old school house.We hung what had been either a fire alarm or recess bell outside, about eight feet off the ground, on the rock face.Just in case someone at ground level saw something first, we put another switch within easy reach below.

Getting to the site was another issue.It had been discussed that we should build a ladder to extend to the top.Knowing that I would not climb such a ladder resulted in laughter and the decision not to build one.It would have been a gargantuan project anyway.To solve the problem, we decided that whoever worked on the top would just drive around.Up until this time, we had driven up and then walked the distance, about three quarters of a mile, out to the ledge.We would now clear a road and pick up a four wheel drive vehicle from town. This would provide a safe method of getting to work.

In case of an emergency, we placed a strong rope at the top tied off securely so that the person or person in the hut could shimmy down the rope to the bottom in a hurry if necessary.

The problem of keeping warm in the observation hut was soon solved by Bruce, who allowed Tammy to accompany him when he was on the job.He was also willing to take this job on almost permanently.  Knowing the importance of being vigilant, I was sure that Bruce didn't lose sight of his responsibility.While two can create more body heat than one, something important in that little building, Bruce was not about to be killed while sleeping or rather being otherwise occupied on the job.  He had one goal that he never lost sight of, revenge for his family’s murder and he would not allow anyone, even someone willing to provide for his personal pleasure to keep him from his task. It is amazing how a person’s hatred can bring so much restraint and focus to one’s actions.

***

Democracy Returns

We were nearing the end October when the group decided to officially create a democratic community. Why, I was not sure, but I had always taught my students that every person’s point of view was important, but with so few of us, I thought that pretending we were something we were not was a bit much considering we didn’t even know how many others there were alive in the world. Sometime soon, we might meet up with several other survivors. It was pointed out that we had been to town on shopping trips on several occasions and had not seen any others, so why should we assume they existed. I still felt that they did, however, I went along with the plan. We would elect a president and everyone else would be a member of the governing council. The president was to listen to all points of view and then make a decision based upon what he or she considered to be the consensus. I made just one amendment to this suggestion and that was that there had to be some minority rights. This was agreed upon and then the debate as to what minority rights needed to be included ensued. In the end, a blend of the northern and southern countries’ bill of rights and charter was adopted as our law to protect the minorities. By a nearly unanimous vote, I was elected President. There was only one vote against. Judging by the expression on Bruce’s face, I presumed that he had hoped for this position while voting for himself. Between Dr. Manning and me, I had already been operating as a quasi president. I had no political aspirations and Bruce probably would have done a decent job at it with a little encouragement and advice, but for now, this was the way things were to be.

***

Small Comforts

Our society had long been spoiled with all the gadgets that we took for granted and used every day.  Heaters, televisions, lights, toasters, microwave ovens, stoves, tools, computers, VCRs, if it could run on electricity, we used it.  Many of these items were readily available for the cost of just a little trip and our time.  All we had to do was go pick them up.  Videos and DVDs would get us through the long winter nights.  We could still use computers, but there was no longer an internet.  There were no operating phone lines to carry the signals and in this isolated location there were no telephones anyway.  These things required small amounts of energy, but a stove, heater, toaster or microwave required much more.  What we needed was a reliable and adequate source of power.

We had considered putting woodstoves inside each cave and finding some method to vent the smoke outside and bring fresh aid inside to feed the fire.  But burning wood, made smoke; smoke meant visibility.  When one is hiding from one’s enemies, sending smoke signals is not an option.  We might as well have put up a sign saying, “Here we are!”  

Our solution to this problem was quite simple, in theory.  In practice, it took some engineering skill that we developed as we went along.  We would produce our own electricity for all our needs, heating and the rest.  At first, we thought we could use generators.  Generators were quite common and available in most hardware stores so getting them in large numbers was not a problem.  Each small gas generator was large enough to operate a single 1500 watt heater, and used a lot of gasoline. Each cave required at least two in order to meet our combined winter needs of both heat and entertainment.  But as we soon learned, although, mostly smoke free, they were noisy, especially the commercial ones.  Noise, was next to smoke in terms of attracting attention.  Little did we know at the time, but we had shopped for generators at the wrong store.  There were other, more powerful ones, that could have easily met most of our needs that ran much more efficiently and quieter.  But, live and learn. 

Wind turbines were smokeless, and as far as we knew, were also silent but for the noise of the wind passing through the blade as it spun around.  There were enough stores around that sold them and occasionally as we passed a farmhouse on a country road, we noticed them there, too.  Since these were already set up and running, they were the first ones that we acquired.  But the power produced by a small wind turbine was even less than a gas generator.  We would need a lot more of them to produce the same amount of power.  

There was one aspect of all of this living like cave dwellers that took me awhile to get over and it is important that the reader understand.  The kids never really complained.  I was sure that they had buried their feelings over the loss of family and friends, but it seemed as if they were putting the past behind them and seeing this country living as an adventure.  It was as if they were on an extended camping trip or they were pioneers discovering a new land.  Every difficulty they encountered they accepted as a challenge and lent all their efforts to overcome it.  Remarkably, they got along most of the time, too.  This had not always been the case in the classroom where a disagreement could easily arise over some silly comment and tempers flare.  I supposed that it had something to do with the concept of “we are all we have,” so we need to make the best of it.  It was this attitude that drove them on, for example, to complete projects like this one.

There was little to no wind to speak of in the valley, beneath the escarpment, so we placed the turbines at the top of the escarpment and ran the power cables down over the cliff, directly to our site.  Being acrophobic, I was not able to help out much.  I couldn’t bring myself to stand or even crawl close to the edge of the escarpment.  Neither could I help by placing attachments for the cables down the rock face.  This was left for the brave, adventurous, younger folk.  I just stood at the bottom and sweated for them all, my heart stopped in mid beat until each one was safely on the ground.  And it seemed like I had good reason to fear, as I watched Lise, who being a little shorter than the rest, was not able to grab onto the same handholds as the taller Bruce.  At one point, it seemed as if she was going to be stuck on the cliff, not able to go up, or climb down.  Three, four, maybe five times, I stood in horror as she swung her body from side to side while she attempted to reach the hand hold that the others had clutched with little problem.  At her height, she was sure to be badly hurt, if not killed if she fell.  I held my breath as she again swung back hard, then seemed to push herself even harder in the opposite direction.  I let out the breath I had been holding as she finally managed to find and grip the ledge.  Tammy, who was not into death defying feats, had remained on the ground near me.

In spite of the thickness of the wire we used to transmit the power, it didn't provide what we had hoped until we incorporated transformers.  Why we didn’t kill ourselves in the process is still a wonder, but we eventually overcame the challenges and were able to operate most appliances safely.  Initially, we ran separate wires to each room from a single wind turbine, but later combined the four into one circuit that snaked its way to its own room crowded with batteries from which all of our rooms were serviced.  Although I didn't understand exactly how direct current could be transformed into alternating current, I was aware of, and actually had purchased such a device several years before to use in my vehicle to allow me to use my computer or charge batteries for my camera from the cigarette lighter.  I supposed that this system was similar to, though of a higher capacity and strength.  

***

Settling In

Our next project required us to build doors of sorts to block the entrance to unwanted intruders.  Considering that we were now cavemen and women, we had no desire to share our sleeping quarters with a bear, or other wild animal.  Another danger also lurked in this area - rattlesnakes.  We had to be very cautious about snakes, because at present, at least, we had no anti venom if someone were bitten.   Making certain that the openings were tightly closed off, particularly near the floor, was essential.

Lise began to spend more time around me, asking if she could help or come along when going for a walk or some other activity.  I didn’t mind as she had always been welcome company.  As I was preparing my front door, Lise took the initiative to be my helping hand.  She soon learned to use a saw and a hammer and nails, as together; we created a door that would fit tightly into my cave entrance.  While I might have been happy with just a door that pulled into place at night, Lise on the other hand, felt that it should be on hinges.  She talked me into going back to town and getting whatever it would take to do a good job.

On the drive, Lise road shotgun, as only she had come along.  We soon located a lumber yard, where we picked up enough studs, cement, sand, hinges and all the other little things we would need.  We even picked up a wheelbarrow and shovel for mixing the cement.  I had owned another minivan at one time, a gift from a friend who couldn't keep it up.  It had two, three-seater benches that folded down, but unfortunately, took up a lot of room.  When I needed to load anything big in the van, or if I was going camping with it and intended to sleep inside, I had to remove the benches.  How I loved these newer vans where the seat just slid into the floor!

Lise talked a lot on the return drive - about her family, her friends, and even reminisced about some of the enjoyable school days we had spent together.   Whenever I could take my eyes off the road and glance her way, she seemed cheerful, in spite of herself, in spite of her losses.  She also seemed to be looking my way most of the time and averted my gaze each time, quickly turning away.  With the night goggles, she was aware that I could see her.  It was good to see her becoming happy once again. Yet, she didn’t sing anymore, one of her attributes that I really missed and was concerned about.  

The first job was to dig a rectangular hole at the entrance that spanned the opening.  Lise didn't know what she was in for when she decided that the job had to be done right.  That hole had to be at least eighteen inches deep so that the bottom was below the frost level.  Otherwise, the door was going to heave with the ground during the spring thaw and I would be either trapped inside or outside my home.  It also had to be wide enough to attach a two by four. 

Water!  We needed water to mix the cement.  Lise had dug the hole and we had measured and cut all lumber to make a frame large enough to cover the entire opening.  We had also made a small frame around the outside of Lise’s trench.  Our next step required us to pour the cement into the hole.  This was a tedious part of the project as we had to carry the water from a distance.  However, the cement was poured, the bolts put in place.  When the cement hardened, we fitted the large frame into the opening and drove extra large spikes into the two by fours to give the cement on the wall behind them something to hang onto.  We had to make some adjustments on the door to get it to fit into the frame, but when it was finished; it was a close fitting enclosure.  None of us were really ready for this kind of labor and blisters soon appeared on everyone’s hands who dared to pick up a shovel.

 The next problem to solve was another suggestion from Lise.  “So, Mr. W., when can we start doing the same thing for our room?”  I should have seen that coming.  All in all, it was a reasonable request, but I was sure Lise didn’t miss my sigh, in spite of how quiet it was.  It was probably written over my face, too.  I was tired, but she was right.  Winter would arrive soon enough and each house would need to be weather tight.  No one wants a snow drift in their bedroom.  

“Don’t worry, Lise.  We’ll take care of it.”  The familiar smile returned to her face.

She stuck by me as I worked on the other entrances, but more as a shop foreman this time around, telling each person what he or she needed to do or get.  It was a good thing we weren't building a subdivision for I wasn’t sure the others were taking too well to Lise’s bossing.  With a group of people working at assigned jobs, much like an assembly line, we were able to finish in two days.  When all was accomplished, we attached emergency blankets to the outside of the doors.  Eventually, we would match the paint to the emergency blanket color and just repaint the doors as the old paint wore off.

The finishing touch was to dig a long trench along the front of the escarpment, to allow water to flow away from our doors.  Otherwise, when the snow melted in the spring, we might find ourselves living in swimming pools rather than caves.  Fortunately, the land fell away from the escarpment.  The ground was not deep and we ran into rock sooner than expected, but at least we had the dry bed for spring runoff.  It measured about two feet wide by a feet deep.  We built small bridges to cross over to our doors. 

***

Shopping was easier these days, with no lineups at the checkout and with the new, super-low prices, everything was affordable.  We were living on canned meats and vegetables and dried products, as there were no fresh or frozen foods that remained fit for human consumption.  Although what we gathered was life sustaining, we really needed some fresh fruit and vegetables.  We made plans for a garden in the spring, but no one in our group had any experience growing their own food.  We would be on our own for this project.  We picked up what seeds we could find that had not been put away in the stores and waited for the next growing season which was several months away. 

It was doctor Manning who remembered a market gardening area located on a highway north of a large metropolis and probably no more than an hour and a half from our location.  We had no idea what they had planted there for sure, but we both remembered that the soil was black, probably from a reclaimed swamp or marsh.  Some things tend to keep well if left alone in a garden, so, taking a chance that we wouldn’t be seen, four of us headed out, taking back roads as much as possible.  What we found cheered us up.  There was a lot of spoilage, but as we hoped there were some root crops that were in great shape.  We picked up cabbage, turnips, onions, carrots, and a few stalks of celery.  The lettuce had long gone to seed.  There were no tomatoes or peppers anywhere and probably would have been killed by a frost by now anyway.  This would at least get us through the winter.  If we could just figure out where we could get potatoes we would have really been grateful.  As it was, we had to adopt rice as our main source of carbohydrates.  It was unfortunate that the gardening area was so exposed, because it would have made a great spot to live considering the proximity to a food source. 

When we returned, we located another cave that went deep under the escarpment, cleared it out of small rocks, built bins from the rock slabs and sealed this off from the outside.  The interior temperature so far inside stayed reasonably cool and with the occasional sprinkling with water or snow, would keep the supplies from drying out year round, like a good root cellar.  Finally, we had something other than salt beef to put in the stew.

***

It was Bruce and Tammy who found it.  It was our only hope for some fresh protein.  It was fed by a spring coming out of the escarpment.  The water was clear and cool.  And, it appeared to contain fish.  It had been obscured by the thick brush and reed and cattails surrounding it, but this marsh could provide us with more than just fish.  It also contained edible roots.  But that is another story.  This discovery necessitated another drive into the bordering town to pick up some fishing equipment, which Bruce volunteered to do.  Tammy went along.   It seemed like hours before the pair returned, creating some worry back at the camp as to their safety, but they finally arrived.  The equipment Bruce retrieved was high quality and would serve our purposes nicely.

It was hard to tell in the dim light of our flashlights, but Dr. Manning seemed to be taking a really good look at the two and poked me in the side.  When we were out of ear shot, she remarked to me, “This is a date that I'm going to put in my journal.” 

“I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.  What's so special about today?” I said, surprised by her suggestion. 

“Did you notice his collar?  His shirt was buttoned up wrong and Tammy’s face was rather pink, don’t you think?”

“Now that you mention it, I did notice her color.  I just chalked it up to the cool night air.”

“It’s not that cool.”

“Well, what’s the difference?  Someone has to start rebuilding the population.”  I thought about what I was saying and added, “But I guess we really should be careful about this.  Just because the world has changed radically, doesn’t mean that we should discard marriage, or some form of it.  We need to continue the idea of commitment to one another in a relationship.  Don’t you agree?”

“Exactly my thoughts.  So, are you going to talk to them, or should I?”

“I think that first of all, we need to have a general talk to all of them.  Carol, they've had to grow up really fast."

“Warren, we don’t need unwanted kids or pregnancies.  Right now, that would be a burden.  It could also end badly for the mother, considering that she’s so young.  And, if you remember your baby Moses story, you must realize that we don’t need an uncontrolled baby crying when or if visitors decide to come for a look see.”

“True enough!  But in spite of our observations, or rather your keen eyesight, we don’t know for sure what their relationship is all about, so let's begin by asking questions, rather than jumping to conclusions and accusing them.  Let’s find out where they’re plans are, like maybe tomorrow morning?”

“I was thinking, how about right now?  I don’t want Tammy slipping into Bruce’s quarters tonight and getting herself in a fix, if you know what I mean.”  I silently nodded and followed Dr. Manning as we hunted for the young pair.

Meanwhile, I was thinking, “Bruce and Tammy?  Tammy and Bruce?” Circumstances can really play havoc with one’s sense of direction.  I would've never suspected Bruce of having any interest in Tammy.  She wasn’t like him at all.  The only thing I wouldn’t put past her though would be falling in love with him.

“Well, Bruce, would you like to tell us why you're so late?” I asked.  “We've been pretty worried, wondering where you were, what was taking you so long.”  Tammy, who was sitting on a large rock, just lowered her head and appeared to be staring at the ground. 

This didn't escape Doctor Manning’s notice.  “Tammy, perhaps you could tell us what took you so long.”  Tammy raised her head a little as if she were going to say something, but then lowered it again.  The Doctor got an idea in her head that perhaps Bruce had forced himself on her, not something that I would've suspected, but Tammy was behaving rather peculiarly.  “Tammy, did Bruce hurt you?” the doctor continued.

Tammy replied, but so softly that neither of us could hear her.  “Please speak up, Tammy,” the doctor prodded.

Tammy then indicated that Bruce had in fact hurt her.  I looked at Bruce, whose mouth was fully open, but he wasn't saying anything.  “Tammy, just how did Bruce hurt you?”  It seemed like a reasonable question for me to ask.

Suddenly, we heard from Bruce.  “Tammy, tell them the truth.  Tell them how I hurt you.”  Then suddenly, Bruce figured out what we were thinking and added, “Tell them how I slammed you around several times, how I pinned you down on the ground and had my way with you, and about all the wild sex we had afterwards in the van on the way back.” 

Now it was Tammy’s turn, but she was livid, not at all like Bruce had been.  “We never did anything of the sort.  What kind of girl do you think I am?”  She looked at us two adults, astonished that we could even think such thoughts.   “Bruce never laid a hand on me.  Well, that’s not true.”  Doctor Manning and I looked at Bruce who was now sporting a wide grin, then back at Tammy who wasn't finished with the story.  “When we were driving around looking for the fishing stuff…(Stuff, she used that word a lot)…We happened upon a martial arts studio.  I asked Bruce to teach me some Karate, which he did.  Before we knew it, it was starting to get dark, so we went to the store, picked up the fishing stuff and drove back. And that’s all there is to tell you.”

“Are you sure about that?” I asked.   

“Positive,” they both said.

“Then why is Bruce’s shirt not buttoned up properly.”

Tammy, who should have noticed something like that fixed her eyes on Bruce’s collar and burst out laughing.  I thought she was going to cry, she laughed so hard.  “He told me to grab him by the shirt just below the collar.  Then he showed me how to break the grab and toss the person off.  The person was me.  That’s when he hurt me…and that’s when I ripped his shirt, nearly off his back.  We picked up another one at the store.  I don’t suppose you noticed that it was new?”

Doctor Manning and I took a close look, and feel.  It was obviously new, it still had the creases that new shirts have right out of the wrapper, but Bruce, not having a mirror, and being in a hurry to get back hadn’t noticed that he had started at the wrong button.  Bruce, now aware of why Tammy was laughing, began to rebutton his new shirt.

Ignoring any possible objections that Doctor Manning might have I spoke to the two of them.  “My young friends…” I could no longer call them kids, for they were now taking on the responsibilities of adults, “our profoundest apologies for this interrogation and lack of trust.  Have a good night. And thank you for picking up the equipment.”  And as an afterthought, “Bruce, would you be able to teach some of what you know to the others?  This too, might come in handy.”  He didn’t speak, but simply nodded his head.

I walked off with the doctor.  “Do you believe them?” she asked me.

“Do I believe them?  Of course I do.  I'm a pretty good judge of body language, not as good as some people, but an even better judge of tall tales.  Don’t forget, I’ve been a vice principal for quite some time.  But I’m reasonably certain that the crazy story we just heard wasn’t made up.”

“At one point, I thought she’d been raped,” she said.

“Yeah, I was wondering what Bruce was going to say just them.  But that didn’t seem like Bruce.  Do you think we’ve suspected the wrong things about our adoptees?” 

“I'm still concerned about the relationships they develop.  Given time, especially time together and they have a lot of that here with nothing to do, Bruce is going to pair off with someone and that someone, as strange as that might seem to you, appears to be Tammy.”   

"He could do worse.  I have some mixed feelings.  I'm not going to encourage it, but pairing off may not be such a bad thing."

"Warren, I don't want to be delivering a baby for a teen."

"They won't be teens for much longer.  And who's to say when they're old enough?  I'd like to see them married first, though.  We need to have a frank talk with our young friends.  But tomorrow's soon enough.  I'm going t' bed."