It was well into April when the constant storm fronts stopped battering the California coast and dropping heavy rainfall into the interior with epic floods that even surpassed the hurricane of the summer before.

       I could begin to see more clearly the path forward, but it would take the talent of all of our village citizens to move any closer to what we had known before the pandemic struck the year before.

       Derek, Harlan and I were all learning how to fly helicopters from Glorious while Harlan was teaching Derek and me how to fly, not only small prop planes, but 737s, so we could carry people to and from other parts of the country or countries if we wished. It was a lot to learn while we were trying to do other work, but both of us were quick learners, excited with what we would be doing with those skills. Nonetheless, flying a helicopter and a light plane under visual rules required a whole different set of muscle reflex action that we had to remember, depending on the vehicle we were in. Every single one had different characteristics. It wasn't like going from driving a car to driving heavy equipment. Much harder, more detailed and dangerous.

       Among others, the residence that we had built for Melody and me for our growing family to use at the airport, was finally finished so that I could move out of staying temporarily with Daphne and Renée. Then, I got a phone call. It was from Melody.

       "I came by Marsha's to pick up Ron and Reg and take them to our new place. When I got there, Stephanie said that Daphne had picked them up. I called Daphne and she said that you are now staying with Renée and her so she is going to take care of all of your kids!"

       I could see how agitated she was. "I've got her on the line. Tell her she can't do that!"

       I entered the three-way call with trepidation. "Daphne? What are you doing with Melody's kids?"

       "She's off with Ray every night, from what I hear. They would be much better off here with the three of us."

       "Melody and I just finished our home at the airport. It's time I moved out from staying with you and reestablished my home there."

       "But we have a much better place for you. And the kids and you could stay here in the compound and not abandon us."

       Melody interrupted. "Those boys are mine. I gave them life, not you! Tell her, Drae, she has no right to my children!"

       "Melody's right, Daphne. Those may be my sons, or at least Ron, but you have no right to take them from Melody just because I've been there in the house comforting both of you. Melody's their mother! Don't you see?"

       "But I lost Darla. Renée and I need babies. And we want you to be the father, Drae. Please!" She began pleading.

       "I'm okay with that, Daph, I will support any children of mine. But you must be reasonable about how my children are raised. You'll have to let me decide who stays where. now, those two boys need to be with Melody and me—tonight."

       Renée stepped in and put her arms around Daphne as she started crying uncontrollably.

       I drove back to the compound, picked up Melody at Marsha's, and we walked to the estate to pick up our boys. I wondered if I needed one of the Sheriff's deputies with us. Frankly, I wasn't ready for any confrontation.

       Once again, there was no one at the front door. But we could hear wailing coming from upstairs. And it was coming from the boys and Daphne… With her the loudest. We found Daphne in the bed with her arms around Ronald and Reginald in a grip that was making them upset.

       Melody and I approached her from both sides while Renée stood off to the side with a frightened look on her face, saying nothing.

       Daphne stopped crying and her face turned mean. "Don't you dare, they're mine." She gripped Ron a little tighter. I could see that he felt it and the way she was snarling.

       I approached her as carefully as I could, crawling on the bed on my hands and knees and reaching out with my softest voice. " Com’n Daph, let him go. You're hurting him!"

       Melody approached from the other side. Daphne was jerking her head back-and-forth and glaring at both of us. Saying only, "No, no you don't… Don't!"

       My hands reached Ron and I started stroking gently the sparse hair on his head with my left hand while taking a hold of his left leg with my right. I certainly didn't want to get in a tugging match with Daphne over him. At this point, I could go no further without hurting him.

       Melody reached the same impasse on the other side of the bed when Renée finally said something.

       "Daphne, don't do this. Drae and Mel have a right to their children. We'll get pregnant and have our own! Don't hurt the boys. Let them go."

       After what seemed like a few more moments, Daphne gave in and let us take the boys. Renée rushed to her side and they both cried out loud as we left the room.

       A couple of days later, I heard that they had invited both Ray and Drake to come to the estate. Ray declined, but Drake felt obligated. Wondah, wise to the whole situation, came to stay with us in our new digs. While she was there, she made it completely operated by our voices. It was nice, after a long day, to just relax and not have to run around opening and closing windows, turning lights on and off, or even running our entertainment. She was a wizard with that kind of stuff and a real jewel of a friend.

       Gramps kept calling and wondering when we would be able to come back. I told him that based on the landslides we had seen we would have to use some heavy equipment coming with us to get back to the Valley and the flooding there would have to subside again before we could make it the whole way. I avoided telling him about coming by helicopter. Something that we planned to do as soon as I felt comfortable flying that far with passengers.

       Work began in earnest creating rooftop greenhouses for growing food on hangar buildings at the airport. Many people came from the port hotel to help us with that task. The landslides we cleared provided lots of fresh topsoil and seaweed, shellfish and composted waste provided fertilizer so that we could get crops and food very soon after planting.

       It was all a matter of prioritizing. During that very hectic time before we had all of the gardens in, learning to fly was postponed for a while. Many moves continued to take place, particularly from the port, moving away from the shore and flooding a few blocks, or moving to the airport where we were developing a suburb of the village that would be our primary way in and out of the area, eventually.

       We found those with experience among the village to come and help us get the airport tower and communications running again so that we would have safer takeoffs and landings. Fortunately, we could grab manuals from the Internet and use them to learn how to run most of the equipment that hadn't run for a year and needed a new way of being powered and used. I didn't see commercial airlines starting up again anytime soon. But those hydrogen powered jet passenger planes would be flying again, soon, I hoped.

       Captain Jensen of the Rambler was glad that people were able to leave the cabins and move into homes. Living on the ship without it going to new ports resulted in a kind of cabin fever for both the crew and temporary occupants from the pandemic.

       He had serious plans to begin cruises to Catalina Island where he was in touch with survivors there, and then, venture south to San Diego and, if possible, to Mexico before the midsummer hurricanes would make that trip more dangerous. Trips north to Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and San Francisco could be possible, too, as long as their tanks of methane had survived all the floods.

       While the ship's infirmary remained staffed, Jensen had to train a whole new crew to safely run the ship at sea. He could run with fewer crew than when fully loaded, but he would have to more than double the crew that he had. So, he put them all doing training of recruits that wanted to help run the ship for its initial voyages.

       Rambler's store of food had been depleted during the long wet winter. There was a need to restock in almost every category, especially wine and booze. While the warehouses that hadn't flooded still had more than enough staples, meat, and seafood, fresh vegetables and fruit was all depleted and would need to be restocked before they could go on any lengthy cruise where they might find hungry people to feed.

       A suitable auditorium for holding village meetings was found at the medical complex and fitted with large interactive screens so that most of the residents could come to the meeting via the local area network that Wondah had created from the beginning, joining the compound with the port and the ship. All of the residents, still growing, could not be present in person, but they could participate and vote online.

       I observed all the new life in our very busy nurseries, and realized that I had to get our schools refurbished for the next generation to go through an education far different from the one I had, but probably far more personal. I just hoped we were up to the task. I wanted to train a whole new generation of reclaimers and rebuilders.

Copyright 2024 © Ronald W. Hull

2/20/24