The G. M. Os. - 8. Chapter 8 - The Machos, Part 1

Chapter 8
Ship Clock 262079
April 45-555f
The Machos, Part 1

 

“April? I just received a message from the bots,” Megan said when she walked into her partner’s office. They lived on the twentieth floor of a thirty story building. It was a nice apartment and had a nice view of the park, but it was getting too small for them or that was what April kept saying. Megan figured it was because April was getting so rich. April said they needed a townhouse out in one of those walled communities past the city limits.

“What do they want this time?” April asked. She was scrolling through the lottery numbers on her module trying to pick another winner. She’d won a hundred-fifty thousand credits yesterday, but minus taxes she’d only received seventy-five; that’s what happened when you won too much, the tax rate kept going up. She was lucky, that’s all. Well, there was that forty-five million in the banks right now that was won over the past ten years. She certainly didn’t know how to pick the numbers; she just picked the right ones nearly all the time.

“It said they had received a message from an informant who said there seems to be a plot growing among a group of machos to attack us, probably with murderous intent,” Megan said. She unconsciously rubbed a finger over the pink heart on the right side of her forehead put there yesterday by a bot security officer because another group of machos decided that since April and her were living together they must be lesbians and, well, they didn’t refuse. Now, it was plainly obvious they wanted to kill them.

“Murderous intent? Surely that wasn’t the words used by the bots,” April said. “So, what do we do this time?”

“They’re suggesting we get out of the city,” Megan said. “They said they’re trying to arrange a place for us at a commune on Ring 5.”

“Ring 5? Sure, that’s just one ring over, but there are communes right here on Ring 6,” April said. What would they do on a commune, raise carrots? How long were they going to have to stay there? She hoped she’d have access to a module, speaking of which, what was going to happen to her millions. Certainly they could find someplace on another ring, someplace in a city.

“They said the commune they’re trying to arrange a place for us at would, probably, be more to our liking since they have a number of women already there who already have pink hearts,” Megan said.

“They didn’t say pink hearts, they never say pink hearts, they have a word for us that doesn’t include pink or hearts,” April said. She knew she was going to get mad and Megan was going to feel it was her fault, but why now, why couldn’t the bots just eliminate the group?

“April, please, they want us off the ring because they don’t know how widespread the conspiracy extends, it might just be ring-wide,” Megan said. “They don’t know if it’s because you’ve won so many lotteries or that we’re lesbians. They’re just advising us to leave and they’re trying to arrange a place for us on that commune, where we can hide without too much involvement from them.”

“They don’t call us lesbians, Megan; they call us homosexuals; they call gay men homosexuals; and they don’t really care that much about us, anyway,” April said. It was because she kept winning all those lottery games, they just wanted her out of the way so they could strip her bank accounts of all her money. “Too much involvement from them? They don’t care if we kill each other. Look what happened to those two machos who knifed Aprillus because they thought he was gay. He didn’t like playing sports. He was an artist. No, if you don’t play futbol, every macho thinks you’re gay. What are they going to do, kill all of the artists? Why can’t the bots move us to another city here on Ring 6? This is my home. I was raised in Third City. I’m a city girl, through and through, and don’t say you’re not. We’ve known each other since school. No, I’m not going; they’re just going to have to give us protection. They give it to the politicians; they can give it to us.”

“Please, April, you know they won’t do that, they’re sending us to the commune because it’s on a different ring and, while there may be some machos at that place, they’re certain they are not in communication with the machos here,” Megan said.

“And, how do they think they’re certain that those machos are safe?” April asked. “Machos are never safe. They never stop harassing people like us or people they deem defective. Certainly you heard about that boy on Ring 1 who had Asperger’s Syndrome. There wasn’t anything wrong with him other than he was a little different and they knifed him at school. He was only a hundred twenty-eight years old. Ten! He was only ten and two boys his own age knifed him. They were in his class and they killed him. Megan, machos anywhere on this ship are dangerous to those who are different from them and sometimes they just do it because a kid is a mutant. No, Megan, I don’t want to go.”

“You know they track messages on modules, that’s how they discovered this plot,” Megan said. “Now, April, we have to pack today. They’re coming to pick us up tonight. Just light stuff, they said. After all, it’s a group of farms. They said, if they get permission for us to live there, they’ll put in a residence where we can live.”

“Damn, will this ever end? Is there anything, else?” April asked.

“Yes, you can’t play the lottery and I can’t contact my agent or publisher,” Megan said. “Also, we cannot have any other contact with the outside. Though, they did say that they will be monitoring the situation there. They just want us safe.”

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” April exclaimed. She looked at the screen and, with a flourish of anger, shut off the module. “Fine, I’ll pack light! I haven’t grown carrots in years!”

********

“Where are we, Megan?” April asked. The bot cruiser had stopped outside a chain-link fence topped with razor wire. “This looks like a prison, Megan. I’m not liking this. Bot? Where are we?”

The bot spun its head around and stared at April. Its eyes slowly blinked and then it said, “You are at a safe place where you will stay until we complete the arrangements at the commune. This is not a prison; though, there are some here who have committed crimes. You will not see them. They will not have contact with you. You will be provided for and kept safe. No complaints. We could just as well left you to the machos. They are being identified and eliminated. We thank you for being here and enabling us to rid this ring of machos. Take your luggage and leave the vessel. You will be escorted inside.”

“Come on, Megan, it’s time for our commitment,” April said. This was going worse than she imagined. Of course, Megan was probably taking notes in her head for her next novel. This certainly was an adventure, if only she could appreciate the meager kindness the bots were offering.

“I am your escort,” a bot said at the gate. “Please do not talk until you get to your room. We do not want to alert the other residents of your presence. Some may be part of the conspiracy. We have not determined that. If you hear screams, be thankful that you are not having your heart cut out by a macho.”

Oh great, thought April, a torture chamber. Really, what kind of place was this? It looked like a prison; they’d probably have to sleep on metal beds with only one blanket and the HVAC blowing down on their faces. First, they have to leave their apartment. Now, they have to sleep in a prison. And who knows when they were going to have to live at a commune growing carrots. Except, she couldn’t complain, the bot had actually said thank you. You never, ever, heard a bot say thank you to a human; that just wasn’t done, totally out of character.

Once in the building, two more bots joined them, trundling along behind. Then they heard someone screaming, this actually was a place of torture. April wondered how the bots tortured someone. Did they just do it for the pain or were they looking for information; maybe they just wanted a confession, so the human could be killed, probably slowly. That was the bot way, as she’d heard. Bots were not nice little tin men; they were filled with hate for their humans. She wished whoever was screaming would get over it or just stop and die. The noise was getting on her nerves.

The bot in front stopped at a door and said, “This is your quarters. You will stay here. Facilities are available for bodily care. Food will be brought at appropriate times. Are you hungry, a snack could be provided?”

April looked at Megan, who only shrugged. “Sure, a sandwich would be nice and maybe some wine.”

“We do not have wine,” the bot said. “Water will be provided.”

“Thanks,” April said as the door slid open without any of the bots touching it, meaning they could control their entry anytime they wanted. She and Megan were going to have to be very careful here so as not to anger the bots.

Inside there were two single beds on either side of the room; they looked as if they had mattresses and were made up as if people were actually brought here for a purpose. In the middle, there was a metal table with two unpadded metal chairs on either side. On the opposite wall there was a flat metal door. After setting down her luggage, April walked over to the door and pushed a button beside it. The door slid open and a light came on. Inside there a metal sink, a metal toilet, and a metal shower stall with a chain mail screen, were all very botish.

“Well, Megan, we’re here, happy?” April asked. She was pissed; this was certainly not going as she might have imagined.

“April, please try to be nice, this is not my fault,” Megan said. “It’s obvious the bots are trying very hard to be nice. Like that one said, they could have just left us to the machos, but I think it’s obvious the machos on this ring are becoming a problem and the bots want to get rid of as many as they can. I wouldn’t doubt it if that screaming we heard was a macho being tortured to give up his, or her, compatriots.”

“Megan, there are two beds here, how are we going to get a good night’s sleep?” April asked. They’d been sleeping together for the past eight hundred and twenty-four years and now, obviously in protective custody, they had to sleep apart. This wasn’t going well at all.

A bell sound came from the door and a bot trundled in carrying a tray with two plates on which were a sandwich and two pickle slices; also, there were two metal mugs, probably containing only water.

“Your food and water, humans,” the bot said as it laid the tray on the table. It turned around and left.

“I wonder what the bots have come up with,” April said. “Probably, some kind of meat, some kind of cheese, and stale bread; I could use a belt of rye.”

“April, please, this is trying enough without all your complaints,” Megan said.

They sat down and Megan pulled the top piece of bread off the sandwich. “It’s some kind of fish,” she said. “How do they get fish?”

“Megan, this isn’t water, it’s some kind of liquor,” April said. “You know, I think they are really trying very hard to be nice. I’m getting tired. Let’s finish this. I want to take a shower before I go to bed.”

April woke up with a start, something was wrong, different, but she badly needed a pee and went into the shower room. After a while, she walked out and saw Megan sitting on the edge of her bed.

“They’ve taken two of our bags,” Megan said. “Are you done? I need to use it.”

“What do you mean they took our bags?” April asked. “What’s going on, Megan?”

“April, please, I’ve got to pee, it’s like I haven’t gone in a week,” Megan said.

April went over to the bags and opened one of them; it was full of shoes and boots. She opened the other one and it was full of coveralls and plain, casual clothes. What was going on? “Megan! Get your ass out here,” she yelled.

When Megan came out, April glared at her. This was all Megan’s fault. She’s the one who had been communicating with the bots. They wouldn’t have tried to get rid of her, if Megan had just let things be. They’d still be back at their apartment; speaking of which, what was going to happen to their apartment? Were the bots going to take that away, too?

“They’ve taken all our clothes and shoes and left us with coveralls and work boots,” April said. “What do they think we are, farmers?”

“Maybe, they just figured since we’re going to a commune, we’ll be able to help out,” Megan said.

“Help out with what? I’m from the city, I don’t know shit about farming and I don’t plan on learning. What do they think we’re going to do, stay there?” April said.

“April we’re lesbians, we got tagged, and now we’re out of their way,” Megan said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t any machos plotting to kill us. This could very well be the bots way of eliminating us in a nice way.”

“They’ve taken my money, haven’t they?” April asked. “They’ve gone too far this time, Megan. I’m not going to put up with it; I’m going to complain to the highest bot authority I can get a hold of. I want to go home.”

“April, please, settle down, we’re not going back, we’re going to the commune and, more than likely, stay there until we’ve turned to dust,” Megan said.

“Megan, I want to talk to a bot; you get a hold of them and tell them I want to talk to them; right now, Megan, right now,” April said.

“And exactly how do I do that, April?” Megan asked. “We’re in a jail cell, a very comfortable jail cell, but it’s still just a jail cell. The only way to talk to a bot is when they come in here.”

April sat on her bed, seething. She couldn’t remember ever being this mad and it was all Megan’s fault. Lovers weren’t supposed to do that to each other. They’d been together too long for them to break up now, but April only thought of how life would be without Megan. She glared at her lover, the brightness in her heart, and felt herself slowly calm. Megan, her love, life would be impossible without her.

“Okay, Megan, we’ll wait,” April said, her temper sated. “Are we going to get breakfast, or not?”

“April, please, I don’t know,” Megan said. She went over and sat next to April. She stared at the bed across the room and wondered what the sleeping arrangements were going to be at the commune. Could April live with them sleeping apart for the rest of their lives?

********

“Welcome to Eden Commune, ladies,” Frederica said when April and Megan walked into her office. As usual, she offered the two chairs in front of her.

“Eden Commune?” Megan asked.

“We’d been calling it just the commune, but some of the farmers felt it was time we had a real name; we had a vote and Eden Commune received the most votes,” Frederica said. “Oh by the way, I’m Frederica, or Freddy, if you prefer. I’m the manager of the commune. I handle all the admissions, ejections, and negotiate with the bots on a price for the extra products from our farms. They handle the distribution in the cities. Do either of you have any farming experience?”

“We’re from the city; we had a couple house plants and that was as close we came to dirt, other than what was in the park,” Megan said. She decided to try to do most of the talking in order to keep April’s mouth shut. So far, it seemed to be working.

“I see, well, the bots put your new residence out on an orchard, next to a residence of two other lesbians, we felt that would be better than putting you up in one of the dormitories,” Frederica said. She looked at Megan. “You’re April?”

“No, I am,” April said. “You said we will have a residence. Does that mean we’re expected to stay here?”

“That was what the bots said; we have learned not to argue with them as they don’t play fair,” Frederica said. “Out where you live there is a fruit orchard and a beefalo ranch. I suspect you will learn how to help out in the orchard.”

“And, if we do not want to?” April asked.

“April, please, this is trying enough,” Megan said.

“If you do not wish to follow the offer made by the bots, I see no alternative than to notify them that this is an incorrect placement and request they move you to a living situation more suitable to your wants and needs,” Frederica said. “I have no idea what they might do, but I can imagine no solution that either of you would appreciate. That’s all I can offer.”

“I see,” April said. “Well, I guess we’ll have to stay. I see you have a pink heart, too.”

“Yes, my wife and I received ours quite a while ago; think it’s been nearly a hundred years now, no, maybe closer to seventy-five, around the time Abe came to us,” Frederica said. “Though, one thing about it, the tag certainly keeps out most of the machos. In fact, we’ve had a number of our farmers leave the commune when they found out we’d been tagged. I’ve learned over the years you can’t argue with a macho. That is not to say we don’t have any because we do. They keep to themselves and do not cause any problems; if they do, well, I reserve the right to eject them from the commune. Most clean up their act and stay because they have no life to go back to.”

“I see,” April said.

“Can we go see our new home,” Megan said.

“Yes, I’ll take you out in the cruiser,” Frederica said. “I do hope you like it.”

“Do we have a choice?” April asked.

“April, please, try to be nice,” Megan said as they followed Frederica out the door.

“I don’t think I’ve said anything that hasn’t been nice,” April said.

They walked out of the building and got into the cruiser. It was an older model, only room for six and not enough room for their two clothing bags. It slowly rose into the air and turned ringward over a citrus orchard. After a while they came to some kind of grain field. April looked disinterested in the tour, but they flew on over another orchard growing something neither April or Megan recognized. Finally, the cruiser slowed and they landed on a small parking area between three residences.

Although neither April or Megan knew it, the residence was standard bot construction for a farmhouse. It had a flat roof and a blue, imitation wood exterior. There was a large window on the right and two smaller windows on the left with an even smaller window between them. It offered no hint of its contents. There were two artificial stone steps that led up to a broad porch, also of artificial stone, as was the narrow walk across the front. The curtains in the windows were closed.

“If you will follow me, I’ll show you the residence,” Frederica said. “Roger will arrange to bring your bags over here as soon as I get back to the office. I’m expecting a message from the bot orange distributor. We’ve had a rather large harvest this season and have more oranges than we can handle.”

Frederica led them up the steps and into the residence. Immediately on the right a large room was obviously the living room. It was smaller than the women had in their apartment, but the sofas looked very comfortable. There was also room for five side chairs and a low table in the middle; the kind of living room where you held parties. They went through it to a dining room with a table that would seat ten and looked like it could be expanded for more seating; why so many was not explained, though considering the number of seating available in the living room, ten or twelve eating supper wasn’t inconceivable.

Turning left they went into a galley kitchen with a large sink and the standard appliances. Out of the kitchen, they turned right for a few feet and then came to a hall.

“To the right there is the mudroom with laundry facilities and an extra room that can be used as a bedroom or workroom,” Frederica said. “On the left there is the master bedroom, a smaller room that is sometimes used as an office, the only bathroom in the residence, and across the hall there is a bedroom for families with children. Come on, I’ll show you the master bedroom. Since it doesn’t have its own bath, as is standard with this size of residence, there is a door into the bathroom. The bots installed it; they decided what you would require.”

“That was nice of them,” April said. “It’s surprising how nice they can be when they try. For the past week, we’ve experienced them at their best.”

Megan wanted to say something, but April didn’t go on. They followed Frederica into the master bedroom and were immediately surprised there was only one bed that was larger than they expected, but smaller than the one in their apartment, another bot choice.

“Linens and towels are in that cupboard,” Frederica said pointing toward a large wooden structure on their right. “The drawers next to it usually are used for clothing, though there are extra shelves in the cupboard. The wardrobe is for hang ups, like coveralls. I suppose you don’t have those.”

“Actually yes we do, the bots were kind enough to remove all of our city clothes and shoes and replaced them with farm clothes and boots,” April said. “Conveniently, they drugged us so we slept through the whole operation. As I said, when a bot tries it can be very helpful.”

“If you’d like I can give you a short tour of the farms here, or I can get Abe to help you,” Frederica said.

“You’ve mentioned Abe before, who is he?” April asked.

“Oh, sorry, he’s a young age seventeen boy who’s been with us for, I guess, a little over seventy-five years; for many of us, his arrival was a significant point in time. He lives with the two gay men across the street.”

“You have men here?” April asked. “Is this Abe person gay, too?”

“No, Abe is not gay, or at least we don’t really know, he’s a very sweet boy who helps out with the orchard work and the beefalos. As I’m sure both of you know, a person being gay or lesbian is not really anyone else’s business. Abe came to us due to a drastic action by the bots on Ring 4 and he doesn’t seem to have any difficulty living with Peter and Ben.”

“I think I’d like to meet Abe,” Megan said. “April?”

“Yes, seventeen sounds like an innocent enough age. So, uh, Freddy, you said Abe came here over seventy-five years ago? So, he was, what, sixteen?”

“Yes, he had nowhere to go, so we had to accept him and Peter and Ben were his only living choice because all the other farms had children and I felt he was too young for the dormitories. The youngest men we have there are eighteen and, well, some of the older men there can be rather domineering. I suppose they’re just machos, but you never know about that either, since they don’t get tags; I kind of wish they did, especially the men.”

“You think you have macho women?” Megan asked. She’d never heard of a woman being macho, but supposed it might be possible.

“Oh, yes, on some of the farms we have husbands and wives or brothers and sisters who are very macho. They’re very homophobic to the point where a few of them have had to be ejected from the commune. There were some macho actions that have no place on a mutual farming situation. We’re very inclusive, but we do have rules.”

“I think I can see your point,” April said. Maybe this wasn’t going to be a total fuckup, she thought. “Since you have to get back to your office, I suppose we’d appreciate being shown around by this Abe boy.”

“Come on, I’ll see where he’s working.”

********

“Hi, I’m Abe, Freddy said you want a tour of our farms, we’re happy you’re here, we can use all the help we can get. Since you don’t have wellies, I’ll try to keep you out of the beefalo shit. Have you ever seen a beefalo?”

“Yes, at the butcher, the steaks and roasts are delicious,” Megan said.

“Oh, I see, actually they’re a beautiful animal, but a little ornery. Come on, I’ll take you to the barn.”

The women followed the slender, muscular boy, as each silently wondered if they met a boy like that when they were his age would they be living a different life. They looked at each other and shrugged. They’d been together long enough to almost know what each was thinking and now they knew they had been admiring Abe for the same reason.

“It doesn’t really matter whether he gay or not, he’s a beautiful boy,” April whispered in Megan’s ear.

“Yes he is,” Megan said.

“What?” Abe asked.

“Oh, nothing, we were just admiring the view,” April said which caused Megan to snicker.

They walked into a long narrow building that had fairly large cubicles on each side. In each one a beefalo stood with empty eyes staring in no particular direction. Abe stopped at one.

“This is Star Shine; she’s one of my cows. Ben and Charity said I could start my own herd if I wanted, but I still have to help with all of them. It’s a lot more interesting over here than working in the orchard, but Peter and Dorcas are making sure I help with the harvests in the orchard, unless I’m really needed here. I don’t mind, though. All the cows in here and the next barn over are going to give birth sometime in the next day or week, you just can’t tell.”

“Who are Charity and Dorcas?” April asked. “It was my understanding you lived with Peter and Ben.”

“Oh, I do, but Peter and Dorcas have the fruit orchard and Ben and Charity run the ranch,” Abe said. “They had it that way when they had smaller farms to disguise the fact they were gay and lesbian, but some machos found out and notified the bots. They all had to get tags before I got here. When they moved out here, they kept their former business arrangements so no one had to learn a new trade. It makes sense if you think about it.”

“You seem rather happy living here,” Megan said.

“You wouldn’t have wanted to live where I was before coming here. And, well, I prefer living with Peter and Ben. It took a little while before they told me they were gay, but they helped me understand about a lot of things about sex and things. They’re very nice to me. I think they see me as their son, which means I can get in trouble if I mess up.”

“Sounds like parents to me,” April said as she had a thought about Abe’s sexuality. Something told her that the boy just might be gay, whether he knew it or not, but maybe that was only speculation. He just seemed too sweet to be straight or macho.

“Come on over to the orchards, everyone is there helping with the Bartlett harvest,” Abe said. “You’ll be able to meet Peter, Ben, Dorcas, and Charity.”

“What do you think?” April whispered.

“I think he’s gay,” Megan whispered.

“I thought so, too,” April whispered.

“Huh? Do you want something?” Abe asked.

“Oh, we were admiring the beefalos over there in the pasture,” Megan said.

“They’re all the bulls, but the biggest one right by the fence is Thunder, he’s one of mine.”

“Makes lots of babies, does he?” April said.

“Calves, they’re called calves or a calf if you’re talking about just one,” Abe said with an authoritive voice.

“You seem to know what you’re talking about,” April said.

“I’ve been working with them for seventy-six years, so I should know by now,” Abe said. He walked off a few steps in front of the women.

“He’s gay,” April whispered.

“Yes,” Megan whispered.

“Okay, what’s going on?” Abe asked as he stopped. “I heard you’re from a city on Ring 6, but what’s with all the whispering. You sound like what Dorcas and Charity do sometimes.”

“It must be a woman thing,” Megan said.

“Oh, sure, that’s what they say,” Abe said. “I’m certainly glad I won’t have to put up with that when I get married. Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to say that, please don’t tell. Please, don’t. They won’t understand. I think they want me to marry a woman.”

“Our lips are sealed, your secret is safe with us,” April said. “But I think you’d be surprised what they know. Though, you will have to tell them when you’re ready. That’s a rule.”

“Oh,” Abe said, frowning. “Thank you, though, for understanding. I just don’t want get the machos talking. I’m having enough trouble as it is living with Peter and Ben.”

“How many machos are here?” Megan asked.

“Oh, not many, but I’m afraid what they’d do if I got a boyfriend or if I got tagged.”

“You think there might be another gay boy here?” April asked.

“I don’t really know, but I think there might be one in a dormitory. He’s eighteen and he’s talked to me a few times. He grew up in a city on Ring 1. He’s very nice to me.”

“Well, Abe, I hope it all works out for you,” Megan said.

“What she said,” April said.

“Thank you, but please don’t tell, not now, I can’t do anything until I’m an adult.”

“Don’t be so certain about that,” Megan said. “You’re seventeen; it’ll be legal if he’s only eighteen.”

“You sure?”

“She’s right about that,” April said. “We went through that, too.”

“You did?”

“Yes,” April said. “We’ve been officially together for a long, long time.”

“Wow! I’ll have to talk to Roger.”

“Isn’t he Freddy’s receptionist?” April asked. “Then you two have talked about this before?”

“Uh, yeah, but please don’t say anything.”

“Abe, like we said, your secret is safe with us,” April said. “We promise not to say anything, but you’ll have to tell them eventually. They have to know.”

“Can we just go now; I want you to meet them before they stop for the day. I need to get back to the barns to watch the cows.”

It took a few minutes to get where the two men and two women were picking pears with the help of three other women and two men who were working further down the row. April looked around and wondered if she was going to be able to do what they were doing. It appeared to be easy, but she knew that these people had been doing this for years and knew what they were doing.

“Peter, Ben, Dorcas, Charity, this is April and Megan,” Abe said. “I’ll be going back to the barns. I’ll blow the horn if one of the cows is going to have a difficult birth.”

“See you in a few hours, Abe,” Ben said. “I think we’ll have a barbecue to welcome the new residents to Eden Commune.”

“We’re very happy to meet you,” Dorcas said. “Abe’s a very nice boy; he’s been a wonder here at the farms. By the way, I’m Dorcas, Charity’s wife.”

“Yes, he is very nice, Dorcas,” Megan said. “He explained a lot about the beefalos and seems very proud about having a herd of his own.”

“We thought that would make him feel more a part of the ranch, since he’s too young to have his own orchard,” Charity said.

“Yes, Abe is a very nice boy,” April said.

“He told you, didn’t he?” Peter asked.

“All of you know?” April asked.

“Certainly, we’ve lived with him for seventy-six years,” Ben said. “Something like that becomes obvious after a while, but we know he’ll have to tell us, if only for his own peace of mind.”

“Did he tell you who his boyfriend is?” Charity asked.

“Yes,” Megan said.

“Roger would be a good match for Abe, but I’m not certain he’ll wait until Abe is eighteen,” Dorcas said.

“Oh, they don’t have to wait, the law says that as long as Abe is seventeen and Roger is only eighteen they can become a committed couple and marry when Abe is eighteen, if they want,” Megan said. “April and I went through that when we wanted to commit. Our parents said Megan was too young, but we checked with the bots and they said it was okay. They even contacted our parents. Then there wasn’t much they could do to stop us. I just wish we could’ve gotten married, but we didn’t get tagged until recently.”

“We do marriages,” Peter said. “We’re all married. Why don’t you two go down to your place and settle in. We won’t start the party until seven, if that’s okay with the two of you.”

“You’re the farmers, we can’t tell you to stop early,” April said. “We’ll see you at seven. And, please, don’t let on that we said anything.”

“No, we’d never do that,” Ben said. “He’ll have to tell us first.”

********

“You’re . . .,” Marcy said.

“Megan,” she said.

“Oh, then, that’s April,” Marcy said.

“Yes, that’s April. We’ve been together for quite a while now, but we’ve never moved from commitment to marriage. It wasn’t convenient. I understand you’re Freddy’s wife.”

“Yes, it’s only since just before Abe came here.”

“I’ve noticed everyone seems to base a lot of events on when Abe showed up.”

“Yes, he’s such a nice boy that we’ve all sort fallen in love with him.”

“Yes, Abe is nice. He impressed us today with his knowledge of the beefalos.”

“Yes he does know a lot about them.”

While on the other side of the patio April was talking to Peter and Ben. She said, “So, if Abe and Roger want to move into a committed relationship, won’t they have to be tagged?”

“That’s my understanding,” Peter said.

“If they do that, Roger won’t be able to work for Freddy anymore and he’ll probably have to move out of the dormitory,” Ben said. “I hope they tell us first so we can arrange a place for them to live.”

“There isn’t room in your residence?” April asked.

“No, but Abe should be able to cash in his savings and probably sell his herd,” Peter said. “For the past twenty years he’s been receiving one-eighth on Dorcas’ and my harvest income. He has quite a hefty sum saved up. I just hope he won’t have to resort to a loan from the bots to get a residence installed next to ours.”

“He’s got about a hundred thousand in his herd,” Ben said. “Plus, there is Roger. He’s been here for only a little more than Abe, so I’m sure his savings is right up there, too. There’s next to nothing to buy here at the commune.”

“You guys make a lot of money off these enterprises?” April asked. She thought of her lottery winnings and wondered if the bots had cleared her accounts. Maybe she could help the boys. “You know, I might be able to help Abe and Ben get a residence gratis, I am rather rich.”

“That certainly is a good idea, isn’t it Ben?” Peter said.

“Yeah, that way he wouldn’t have to sell off his herd,” Ben said. “April as far as your question, we’d probably make more if we weren’t moving a share over to the commune for maintenance and salaries for the non-operators living in the dormitories. All the farms contribute. Plus, there is the rent we have to pay to the bots for use of the land.”

“Also, there are the salaries for Freddy and Roger,” Peter said. “Of course, if Roger gets tagged he’ll have to stop working for Freddy. We’ll bring him out here and he’ll learn basic farming from Abe and the four of us.”

“Plus, there are the classes he can take on module,” Ben said. “We’ll welcome him into the family. They’re so nice; I hope it works out for them. April, would you like another glass of wine?”

“Yes, thank you.”

While in the opposite corner of the patio Freddy and Dorcas were talking.

“I don’t know why, but April seems to have an edge about her,” Dorcas said. “Do you think it’s from living in the city?”

“Well, there is that, but April does have a sharp edge,” Freddy said. “I was exposed to that earlier when they arrived. Though, she looks like they’ve settled in.”

“I guess Abe worked his magic, again. I hope all of this is going to work out.”

“Then you’re sure.”

“He keeps slipping up when he talks about getting married or going over to Commune Center for the monthly dances. He’s only been doing that for the past year or so, but it’s getting more obvious every time someone talks to him. This afternoon before bringing April and Megan out to the orchard he came out and told them; so, only a matter of time before he’s going to have to tell the rest of us.”

“Where’s Charity?”

“Oh, she’s up in the barns. Abe said one of his cows seemed to be moving like she was trying to shift her calf into a better position. They might have to go up and help her. Oh, here’s Charity.”

“Hi, Charity,” Freddy said. “Is everything okay with the cow?”

“Yes, I think she’s okay. She’ll probably give birth in a couple hours.”

“Then I think we’d better get this party moved over to the food,” Dorcas said. “Peter, Ben! Charity said the cows are starting, you’d better get the grill going.”

Peter walked over the Abe’s bedroom window and rapped on the glass, and loudly said, “Hey, you two in there, stop with the lip locks and get out here and get working on the grill. Charity says the cows are starting.”

Roger walked out of the patio door and was obviously adjusting his clothes. Abe followed behind, doing the same.

“Oh, young love, brings back a lot of memories,” Megan said as she watched the boys.

“Yes, it’s certainly obvious they’ve been taking advantage of a little quiet time,” Marcy said. “But, I don’t think it was all that quiet.”

“No, I believe they were in a world unto themselves for the past hour.”

“Would you like another drink? Whiskey and soda, right?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Freddy prefers hers without ice.”

“I’ve heard of people who do that. April usually drinks wine, but if she’s in one of her moods, she’ll take a rye with a dash of water, no ice.”

Over by the grill, Ben asked the boys, “Would either of you like something to drink? The bar is open.”

“Merlot,” Abe said.

“Rye and rocks,” Roger said.

“Don’t get much alcohol at the dormitories, do you?” Ben asked.

“No, the others do, when they’re invited to parties at the farms they’re working on, but there’s nothing at the dormitories or dining halls,” Roger said as he followed Ben over to the bar. “Ben? I need to talk to you and Peter. It’s about Abe.”

“Peter! Come on over here,” Ben called out. “What’s up, Roger.”

“Can we go inside; I don’t want Abe to hear.”

“It’s that serious?” Peter asked after he walked up to Ben and Roger. “Abe, we’ll be right back, start the smoker.”

“I know how to grill steaks.”

Once inside the dining room, Roger said, “Abe is scared to death what the machos will do if he and I get together, more seriously.”

“It’s serious then,” Ben said.

“Yeah, you know Abe, and well, me too. I’m just concerned about Abe. He’s really making a big deal out of this. I don’t know if he’s afraid of what they might do to me if we commit, or maybe it’s more personal. I just don’t know.”

“Do you think you two are going to commit?” Peter asked.

“Yes, we’d do it tonight, but he’s afraid. I don’t know what love is supposed to feel like, but if it’s what Abe and I are feeling toward each other now, we’d better commit before it’s too late.”

“Okay, if you two want to commit, you can move out here right now, tonight,” Peter said. “We have the money to get the bots to install a new residence next to ours and that can be done within a week. Ben and I can put you up, but you’ll have to sleep in the other bedroom.”

“I could make a pallet on the floor in Abe’s room.”

“No sex,” Bend said.

“We’re not that far along, yet.”

“Good, Abe’s too young,” Peter said.

“I know, I think maybe that’s why he’s scared.”

“I need to get the steaks,” Abe said as he walked through the patio door. “What’s going on?”

“Roger was telling us you’re afraid of the machos, again,” Peter said. “You know what happened to those other two. They’re gone, ejected, never to come back.”

“But, they had friends,” Abe said as a tear trickled down his cheek. “They’ll kill Roger when he goes back to the dormitory tonight.”

“He’s staying here from now on,” Ben said. “We’ll arrange for his clothes to be picked up and moved out here.”

“We’re going to arrange to have a new residence installed for you two,” Peter said. “It’s okay, Abe, everything is going to be okay.”

“Are you sure?” Abe asked.

“We’re sure.”

“Okay, but do we have to tell everyone, tonight?”

“That’s how you announce a commitment,” Peter said.

“Come on, outside, both of you, we’ll do it now before you completely lose your nerve,” Ben said.

Outside on the patio Peter said, “Everyone, could we have your attention? The boys have something to say.”

Abe looked at Roger and said, “You do it.”

“Everyone, Abe and I are now in a committed relationship. I’m sorry Freddy, but it looks like you’ll have to find a new receptionist.”

“That’s okay Roger, congratulations, both of you. Come here, you two. Kisses all around girls.”

“We have to fix supper,” Abe said.

“We’ll fix supper, Abe,” Peter said. “You two socialize.”