The day had not gone well for Trupti. She had a major final that afternoon and it had been a bear. She detested essay tests since they played to all of her weaknesses. Her education in India had not prepared her for constructing a reasoned argument that reflected her views on a subject. She was used to knowing what the instructor wanted and writing to his or her views. American instructors asked broad questions that she found nearly impossible to answer.
The upshot of the change in education styles had been a major downturn in her grades. In India, they used a scale of one to ten and her grades had been predominately nines and tens. She had graduated well at the top of her class. In the states, they used an alphabet scale with grade points. She was suddenly a B student which, to the best of her ability to understand, corresponded to grades of seven and eight.
The low grades were not the only things driving her towards depression. Her family was having trouble coming up with the money to continue her education. During the previous decade, a growing middle class had emerged in India. Her parents had gotten considerably richer as a result of business with the United States. The failure of the American economy had directly affected her family. Her father had told her that unless she could find some way to cut back expenses that he wouldn't be able to fund her continued education.
Her immediate reaction had been to head over to financial aid. She was told to add her resume to the stack of resumes already on the desk and that if there was a position on campus that she would be informed. She had stared at the stack of resumes trying to estimate how many of them there were. When she had asked, she was told that they already had eight hundred resumes for fifty unfilled jobs. Even worse, she had been told that most of those jobs would go to Federal Work Study students. As a foreign national, she didn't qualify for the program. Disheartened, she added her resume onto the stack and left the office.
Her day had only gotten worse when a student had made some nasty comments to the effect that she should go home to India and never come back. Tensions on campus had been rising over the past few months. She didn't like that ugly looks that were sent her way when walking around the campus. She knew that a lot of the students were on edge because of finals, but she didn't think things would improve.
Trupti followed Melissa into the strange little house in an older neighborhood. She felt like there was a spotlight on her when every face turned to look at her. Standing just two inches over five feet tall; she felt very small. Americans were so big and intimidating. She looked around and smiled weakly.
In a loud voice that carried across the room, Jack said, "Everyone, this is Trupti. She is Melissa's roommate at the university."
A chorus of voices rang out greeting Trupti. She found it a confusing cacophony of noise. In a soft voice that was buried under the general loud noise of the room, she replied, "Hello."
Melissa said, "She's shy."
Hoping to put the petite woman at ease, Bev said, "She's a cute little thing."
"Like a doll," Wanda said nodding her head in agreement.
"Where's the red dot? I thought all Indian women had a red dot on their forehead," Gail said openly staring at Trupti's forehead.
Trupti felt a little uncomfortable about being discussed as if she wasn't there. Jack leaned over and whispered in her ear, "They are just interested in knowing you a little better. It just hasn't dawned on them that they can ask you directly."
"Okay," Trupti said feeling like a strange insect under a magnifying glass. She wondered how the old women at home would have reacted to an American woman showing up there. She realized the discussion would probably be much the same. They would be asking why the American woman wasn't thin as a rail like the women in the fashion magazines. They would comment on how tall the woman was. In a way, those thoughts reassured her.
Wondering if this had been such a good idea, Melissa said, "They don't all have red dots."
Looking surprised at that little piece of information, Gail said, "I didn't know that."
Rising from her chair, Claire said, "Come in, Trupti. Have a seat and make yourself comfortable. We don't bite."
Trupti went over to the nearest chair and sat down like a good guest. She looked around nervously and then said, "Thank you."
"You're a polite little thing," Gail said smiling at the young woman.
Trupti didn't know how to respond. The woman next to her said, "I'm Liz. I don't know if Jack told you, but he suggested that it might be mutually beneficial for us if you rent a room from me."
"He mentioned something about that," Trupti said although she didn't understand everything that Jack had said. She didn't know what a commune was or how joining into it would save her money.
"We'll be eating soon. Do you eat meat?" Liz asked.
"I eat chicken and fish," Trupti answered.
"We're having spaghetti tonight," Liz said. Turning to Bev, she asked, "What kind of sauce are we having?"
"Vodka sauce," Bev answered. She had chosen that because it didn't have any meat in it. She added, "That doesn't have any meat in it."
"That would be fine," Trupti said familiar with the dish. She had been forced to get used to American food at the university since she was on the meal plan there.
Liz said, "If you decide to move in, you'll have to cook on occasion. I hope that isn't a problem."
"I don't know how to cook American food," Trupti said apologetically. She was a good cook, but she only knew how to cook the dishes that her mother had taught her to prepare.
"Do you know how to cook?" Bev asked looking at the petite woman.
"Yes, but only my kind of food," Trupti said.
"I like Indian food. Do you know how to make that spinach dish with the chunks of white stuff in it?" Bev asked.
"Yes, I know how to make Saag Paneer," Trupti answered.
"I like that and the flat bread. How about the red chicken?" Liz asked.
While the women discussed Indian cuisine, Jack and Melissa were over at the other side of the room having a subdued conversation while keeping an eye on the discussion between Liz and Trupti. As a host, Jack felt that it was his duty to make sure that his guest felt comfortable. Leaning over to Melissa, Jack said, "I'm afraid that I have some bad news."
"What?" Melissa asked with a sinking feeling in her stomach.
Jack said, "I found out that my job won't cover your tuition until I've worked at the university for a year."
"What does that mean?" Melissa asked pretty sure that she knew the answer to her question. She was positive that this was the death knell for her dreams of getting an advanced degree.
"It means that we'll have to pay your way through school for a year," Jack answered. It would be another bill, but he felt that they would be able to cover the cost.
"I guess I could put my education on hold for a year," she said disappointed. She knew that she would have to find some way to help out with the bills. She wasn't employed and it didn't look like there were any jobs available, but she would look for work.
"That's not an option," Jack said. He had found a little happiness and he wasn't going to let a small setback like this jeopardize it.
"I can take a year off," Melissa replied feeling a little depressed. She had a feeling that if she left the university that she would never return to it.
"I was thinking that you could still go. You could go part time until my benefits kicked in," Jack said. Although he didn't think she was marrying him just to stay in school, he was confident that she wouldn't be happy leaving school and that would be a disaster. He wasn't afraid that this would make her reconsider her decision to marry him.
"That's not a bad idea," Melissa said feeling slightly relieved. She wasn't concerned about having to go part-time. It was better than having to leave college completely. She could spend time working on her thesis without having to pay for it. She would have to talk to her advisor about the new timeline for her thesis, but she doubted that he could object too much.
"I really didn't realize that it wasn't an immediate job benefit," Jack said apologetically. He was still unsure of the thought processes that had brought the marriage proposal to his mouth, but he didn't regret it.
"That's okay. I'll be continuing my studies. Who cares if it takes an extra year? There for a while I was thinking it was completely over," Melissa said. She hugged him and added, "Besides, it will give us more time for our honeymoon activities."
"God, you are beautiful," Jack said.
Looking at his torn up face, Melissa smiled and said, "You'll be good looking when your face heals."
Knowing that he looked like a prize fighter who had gone twenty rounds with the champion and lost; Jack laughed and said, "I guess we can say that you didn't marry me for my looks."
"You can say that again," Melissa said with a grin. His face was still a little swollen, the raccoon eyes had turned to an ugly yellow color, and his face was still scabbed over where he had scraped the skin. It didn't matter to her; she loved the man and not his looks. She had watched him help the ladies of the commune deal with their families over Thanksgiving. She knew that he was as tenacious as a bulldog in continually fighting back against whatever life threw at him.
"I was thinking that when you moved in with me that you could use Abby's old room for an office. I'll build some bookcases for all of your books. I think that we can pick up a desk somewhere for you," Jack said. He had also discovered that when she stopped being a full-time graduate student that she would lose her office at the school.
"That would be lovely," Melissa said.
"We might not even have to look too hard for a good desk. With so many people moving out of their houses and trying to sell off the things they can't take with them there are a lot of good deals out there," Jack said.
Abby came in the house and took off her coat. She hung it on the coat rack while looking around the room. Spotting Melissa, she headed over to the young couple. While approaching, she said, "Hello, Melissa."
"Hello, Abby," Melissa said thinking that Abby looked pretty cheerful for a change. She added, "You look happy."
"I just finished packing up another house and got a contract to watch over it until it sells. She also asked me to handle the garage sale," Abby replied happy to have two hundred dollars in her pocket. The fact was that she was getting more work than she could handle alone. She now had two houses to manage, four more packing jobs, and a garage sale to arrange. Since she was getting a commission on the garage sale, she was going to go through the remaining items and put the better ones online for sale. She figured that she would get more money for them that way.
"That's good," Melissa said.
"I'm making way more money now than when I was at the Taco Emporium," Abby said with a satisfied smile. She had also discovered that she enjoyed living with Wanda a lot more than with Jack. The two of them would sit around and have tea every night before heading to bed. Living with Jack had been nice, but he wasn't good company. It seemed to her that there was always a little distance between them because of the gender differences.
"That's good," Jack said. He was happy that things were finally working out for Abby.
Turning to Melissa, Abby asked, "When are your classes over?"
"I'm basically done. I have to turn in a paper tomorrow. I finished it over the weekend," Melissa said. She planned on giving it a quick edit in the morning before handing it in. She wasn't worried about it.
"I've got more packing jobs than I can handle. I have work for you if you would like to earn a little extra money," Abby said. She knew that it wouldn't be difficult to hire someone to work but she preferred to have someone she could trust.
"That would be great," Melissa said. She was going to be busy over the next week if she helped Abby. She had to pack her dorm room to move her clothes over to the house. That was nothing compared to emptying her office. She had a ton of books, papers, and a computer.
"Can you start the day after tomorrow?" Abby asked. Even while she asked the question, she realized it felt funny acting like a boss.
"Yes," Melissa answered. She looked over at Trupti and wondered if she would be moving out of the dorm. The petite India woman was engaged in an animated discussion with Wanda and Gail. She couldn't hear what they were talking about, but it looked like a friendly discussion.
Abby noticed the direction in which Melissa was looking and said, "They're a pretty nice bunch of people. I wouldn't worry about her fitting in."
"She is usually pretty shy," Melissa said.
"That won't last long around this bunch," Abby said with a grin. She sighed and said, "You know. I wanted to start a commune when I move in with Jack. I'm not really sure what I had in mind, but I can tell you that it worked out better than I thought it would."
"What do you mean?" Melissa asked.
"I envisioned people sharing money to cover their bills and a little increase in social interaction. We're much more independent financially than I expected, but we're much more dependent emotionally. I didn't imagine the sense of community that actually emerged. I'm surrounded by people who care about me. I can't tell you how much that means," Abby said. She had been facing a dark future, but one conversation had turned that around. It was an amazing result.
"I guess I can understand that," Melissa said.
"Not yet, but you'll see what I mean after living here for a while. Your lows won't be as low and your triumphs will be celebrated by everyone. You'll become someone who matters to a large group of people. That's a feeling that very few people get in today's world," Abby said looking around the room. She had gone from being isolated and alone to be being surrounded by caring people.
"I guess I will," Melissa said with a smile. She had already experienced it to a degree. Coming here was like a breath of fresh air. She liked stepping through the door of this communal house and being greeted by a half dozen people.
Trupti was explaining Ganesh to Liz and Bev. She was finding it difficult to convey how she felt a personal relationship with the Elephant God. The two old women were smiling at her, but she could tell that they didn't understand. Finally, she said, "He's cute."
Liz burst out laughing at the idea of describing a God as cute. She said, "I'm sure he is."
"One of the conditions of joining in the commune is that you believe in a higher power. We don't care if it is a Christian god or an Elephant," Bev said seeing the hurt expression on Trupti's face that had appeared on Liz's laughter.
Recognizing that she might have hurt the young woman's feelings, Liz said, "I'm not laughing at you or Ganesh. I find your description of him humorous, that's all. I kind of like the idea of a cute God. It is good that you believe in Ganesh."
Feeling a little better, Trupti said, "Okay."
"Would you like to see my house?" Liz asked shifting the conversation back to the original purpose of having Trupti visit the commune. She had decided that she liked the young woman despite the cultural difference. She couldn't wait to get another person in the house. The recent rash of break-ins had her terrified of being at home alone.
"That would be nice," Trupti answered politely. She still wasn't sure that she understood this whole commune concept. She didn't see anything exceptional going on there despite the activity around her. People were coming and going from the house. People were seated in various seats while others were gathered in the kitchen area. It reminded her of her home in India where she was surrounded by family and neighbors. Getting privacy in India was difficult.
While Trupti visited with Liz, Jack and Melissa took the opportunity to go over to his house to have a chance to talk privately. Once there, Melissa said, "My mother isn't too pleased about my choice in a husband."
"I could tell," Jack said with a sigh. He could understand her mother's dismay at discovering that her intelligent and educated daughter was hooking up with a common laborer. His parents had been joking when they told her that she was too good for him. Her mother was not joking when she said the same thing.
"They'll get to like you once they know you," Melissa said with a sigh. Her mother wasn't a snob, but she was concerned about her daughter's future. She looked around Jack's house hoping that her mother would be impressed that someone his age still owned a house while so many others had lost theirs.
"I'm not worried," Jack said. Her parents would accept him or they wouldn't and he would just have to deal with it. There were times when he wondered if his personal motto had become, 'Deal with it.'
"She just needs to meet you," Melissa explained. She hoped that would help change her mother's mind on the matter.
"She is just worried for you," Jack said with a smile. He could understand why her mother would be concerned. In these harsh economic times, parents had a right to worry about the future faced by their children.
"You're too understanding," Melissa said. She would have been crushed if Jack's parents had reacted to the news like her parents had.
They walked into Abby's old room. Pointing to the space, he asked, "Will this be enough room for an office?"
"It would be wonderful," Melissa answered trying to imagine the room filled with Ikea furniture.
Jack said, "I figure that with so many elderly people moving out of their houses that there will be some very nice sets of office furniture getting sold off. We'll spend the money to get you the best that we can afford. I figure that it will last us the rest of our lives."
"There will be enough room in here for you to have a desk, too," Melissa said revising her vision for the room upwards. She knew that adding a second desk would make the room a little cramped.
"I don't need a desk," Jack said. He smiled and said, "I realized that you could go after a doctorate in history once my job benefits fully kick in. I rather like the idea of being married to Dr. Dunne."
"That would be nice," Melissa said liking the idea of pursuing a doctorate. She had always thought that she would end up teaching history in a high school somewhere. Of course, one of the ways that a lot of communities were controlling expenses was by cutting back on the money for education. It meant larger classes and lower pay.
"Then it is settled. You'll become Dr. Dunne," Jack said.
Despite his support for her educational goals, the uncertainty of the future was almost overwhelming. She said, "I don't know what I would do for a living after graduating though."
"We were watching the history channel the other night and Claire mentioned that someone had to do all of the research for each program. We wondered what kinds of jobs there were in that area," Jack said.
"I don't know," Melissa said. Although it was shows on television that had sparked her interest in history, she had never really given a thought to working in the entertainment industry.
"We can ask Mary to investigate it," Jack said.
"It will be a while before I have the credentials to do something like that," Melissa said. It dawned on her that she could end up being very busy over the next few years.
"It doesn't hurt to know what is involved in getting that kind of position," Jack said. He went over to the window and asked, "Do you think Trupti will move in with Liz?"
"I don't know. She's suggested that her father's business is in financial trouble. The economic disaster is world-wide," Melissa answered. It was actually a pretty unique time in history. The world had become a much smaller place in the past fifty years. Problems in one part of the world affected everywhere else.
Frowning, Jack asked, "What is going to happen?"
"If history teaches us anything it is that people will survive. Governments and nations may fall, but people will survive. It will be hard on individuals, but people will adapt and survive," Melissa answered. She had a feeling that a lot of governments were not going to survive the economic crisis intact.
"I guess," Jack said.
Melissa looked over at him and said, "I think this won't be the only commune in existence by the time the economy recovers. Ella was telling me that Abby was thinking about writing a book on how to start a modern commune. I wouldn't mind helping her with it."
"That would be an interesting project," Jack said. He wondered about the long term consequences of a wide spread adoption of communes as a new economic model. He could envision a future in which the country was going to become a collection of communes in which members turned to each other for their safety rather than city, state, or federal governments. He didn't think that all of the communes would have positive values and that would lead to civil conflicts with time.
Thinking about how many books they would sell, Melissa smiled. She said, "It would also be a profitable one. Remember, we are talking about a possible world market for the idea."
"I didn't think about that," Jack said thinking that the entire would become filled with communes.
"I'll talk to Abby about the idea. I'm going to have some free time to work on it," Melissa said. With the semester coming to an end, she had nothing demanding her attention for nearly a month. Once school started, she was going to have a lot more free time than usual now that she wasn't a full-time student.
"You might want to talk to Mary. She's a librarian and can search for related information for you," Jack suggested.
"That's a good idea," Melissa said getting more excited by the idea. They could come up with a pretty good book with Mary doing the background research, Abby providing practical advice, and her writing skills.
Jack led Melissa back to the living room. Since Abby had moved out, he had moved his furniture that had been stored in the garage back into the house. It was strange, but he had actually missed his old battered furniture. The young couple took a seat on his sofa since it was one of the few chairs where they could sit side by side like that. Holding her close to him with an arm around her shoulders, he said, "It is nice to sit with you like this."
"It is nice," Melissa said leaning into him. She settled into his side enjoying the warmth of his body against hers.
Jack said, "As much as I enjoy being around the people in the commune, it is nice to spend a little private time with you."
"Yes, it is," Melissa said glancing in the direction of the bedroom thinking that a little time spent there might be better than time on the sofa. Jack might not have much, but he had demonstrated that he was willing to use what little he had to make her happy.
Jack kissed her and said, "I'm looking forward to spending a lifetime with you."
"Same here," Melissa said. Her first reaction was to look around to see if Abby was there. With Abby gone, it was now possible to express her physical desires in rooms other than the bedroom. Moving her hand to the bulge in his pants, she said, "I have to admit that it is a lot nicer visiting now that Abby has moved out."
"I agree," Jack said when Melissa moved her hand to stroke him through his pants.
"I wish I could stay here tonight," Melissa said.
"You can," Jack said.
Shaking her head, Melissa said, "I should probably spend the night at the dorm with Trupti. She's going to want to talk about her evening here."
"You're right," Jack said.
"I think that having Trupti move in with Liz will be good for both of them," Melissa said wondering how things were going with the pair.
Jack shrugged his shoulders and said, "I agree. I just hope that the whole experience with meeting everyone isn't too much for Trupti."
"She'll be fine," Melissa said.
Jack hoped that it would work out with Trupti moving in. The economic situation for everyone in the commune was slowly improving. He said, "I'll trust your judgment on this. I know that Liz can use the extra money that having Trupti living with her will provide. If Trupti moves in, everyone in the commune will have someone living with them."