It was late August when Jack pulled the truck over to the side of the road. He noticed that Abby's car was parked across the street. He glanced over at Melissa and said, "Abby's here already."
"Why did she want to meet us here?" Melissa asked. There were a dozen empty stores along the main street. It looked like a ghost town. The only businesses that remained were two bars, a check cashing place, and a pawn shop. Even the second hand store had closed down.
"I don't know," Jack answered. He glanced over at the pawn shop thinking that he still had stuff sitting on the shelves there. Of all of his electronics, the only thing that was worth getting back was his stereo.
"What did she say when she called?" Melissa asked.
"She just told me to bring you by this bar on the way home from work," Jack answered. His eyes searched the area to make sure that there weren't any problems. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "I'm not even sure if I'm invited."
"I suppose we ought to go in and find out what she wants," Melissa said. She was looking forward to getting home. There was just enough time for her and Jack to spend a little time alone together in the bedroom before going over to the community house for dinner.
"I don't think we'll be here all that long," Jack said.
Jack and Melissa Dunne entered the dark bar. Jack held an arm around Melissa in a protective manner. After being out in the bright light, the sudden immersion in darkness robbed them of their sight. Holding her back a little, Jack said, "Last time I was here, I hit my knee on a chair because I couldn't see where I was going."
"It will just take a minute for our eyes to adjust," Melissa said trying to look around the room.
"I wonder why bars are always so dark," Jack said.
"There's Abby and Mary over there," Melissa said seeing the pair of women waving at them.
"I see them," Jack said looking around the bar. It had been almost a year since the water pump on his truck had failed and he had wandered into this place in search of a telephone. The bar looked like it hadn't weathered the time well.
When the young couple reached the table, Abby said, "We ordered a bottle of wine."
"That's good," Jack said noticing the bottle of wine on the table now that his attention had been called to it. He would have preferred a beer, but he would settle for a glass of wine. He picked up the bottle and filled the glasses around the table. He poured a half of a glass for himself thinking that he should probably keep alert.
Curious why Abby had insisted that they meet at the bar, Melissa asked, "So what's the occasion?"
"We got the contract from the publisher. They are going to publish our book," Abby said with a large grin. The three women had spent the past six months working on a book about starting a modern commune. Melissa had written the historical background going back to the medieval communes as a means of self-preservation for the poor in dealing with the rich and powerful. Abby had written the sections outlining the process they had followed in setting up the commune and specific cost saving measures that could be taken in the current economic situation. Mary had performed most of the basic research and identified references while getting copyright permissions for quotes and illustrations used in the book.
Melissa leaned back in her chair and laughed in relief. Months of hard work had paid off. Despite the fact that she had no idea how many copies of the book they would sell, she believed that there was a lot of interest in the subject. Their book would be the first of its kind on the market. That had to count for something. Pleased by the good news, she said, "I can't believe it."
"That's great," Jack said thinking that as an academician that this had to be a major accomplishment that would serve her well in her career. She was in her early twenties and already had a book to her credit. Leaning over to kiss Melissa, he said, "I'm proud of you."
Mary said, "It will be a while before we see any money out of it, but we'll have something coming in for a long time to come."
"What kind of sales do you think you'll get out of it?" Jack asked. He just beat Melissa to the question.
"I think they are going to be great. A lot of libraries have started buying self-help and do-it- yourself books. I figure this will be a must have book for most of the libraries. That will mean a couple thousand sales right from the beginning," Mary said. There were over sixteen thousand libraries around the country.
"That's outstanding," Jack said feeling proud of the three women. They had worked hard to put together the manuscript.
"I want to hear the details," Melissa said. Mary had done all of the research on the publication options. She had chosen to go with a publisher that provided electronic and hardcopy versions of the book. The return on each sale wasn't as high as a hardcopy publisher paid, but the sales of electronic versions countered that limitation.
"The publisher will pay to have an editor go through the manuscript and to have the illustrations professionally done. They said that would take about two months. The electronic versions would go on sale in three months. The hardcopy versions would take another two months," Mary said.
"When will we see the money?" Melissa asked.
"The online sales of the electronic versions will be deposited directly in our account. The hardcopy sales will be accrued over a six month period and paid in one lump sum," Mary answered.
"That's great," Melissa said.
"How much money will you see?" Jack asked.
"We'll get a twenty percent royalty on the electronic versions and the expected sales price will be ten dollars. The book royalties are ten percent, but the sale price will be closer to thirty dollars. We would have to split it three ways," Abby answered.
"I think we'll stand a pretty good chance of selling ten to twenty thousand copies," Mary said.
Abby was convinced that the commune movement would spread across the country. It made sense in these economic times. She said, "Our chapter on introducing a commune in a high-rise apartment will sell that many copies."
"You might be right," Mary said knowing how Abby felt about the commune concept.
Melissa looked over at Abby knowing that she needed the money the most of the three of them. She said, "You must be happy."
"You can say that again," Abby said. She was currently taking care of eighty properties and was looking to add some more in the near future. She now had one rather large man working for her. He was more of a bodyguard than anything else. Out of the thirty dollars she was charging for each house, she was paying ten to the man working with her. Her expenses included her cell phone, car, automobile insurance, and her health insurance. After expenses and taxes, she was bringing in around a thousand a month. It wasn't making her a lot of money, but it was paying the bills.
"So what will be the next project?" Jack asked.
"Turning the neighborhood into a gated community," Abby answered. She had been working the numbers and had come up with plan to make it possible.
"Thank god," Melissa said with relief. There had been another break-in and murder in their neighborhood. It had happened only three houses away from Rich's house. Laura had seen the men break into the house and had called the police immediately. It was almost forty minutes before the police had showed up at the house. By then it was too late for the occupants. She had stayed in the house holding a shotgun terrified that the burglars would strike her house next.
Having run some of the numbers for Abby, Mary felt like the plan was a good one. She said, "There are over three hundred people in our neighborhood. If each of us chips in twenty dollars a month we can hire two men to watch the area."
"We can hire four men," Abby said with a grin.
"Four?" Jack asked. He couldn't imagine hiring four men for that little money. His question was echoed by Mary who had no idea what Abby was talking about.
Abby said, "I was talking to my banker this morning. He'll let us rent four houses for two hundred a month each. We'll throw that into the bargain along with establishing a second commune in the neighborhood."
"That's not a bad idea," Jack said rubbing his chin.
"It gets four families off the streets and into houses," Abby said. She figured that a family with young children would end up being very loyal to them over time.
"That's great," Mary said.
Melissa said, "If you need any help, I'm still available. I won't be returning to school full time until January."
"I've got a feeling that all of us are going to be very busy for the next year or two," Abby said with a smile. She had visions of giving talks about starting communes and doing some kind of book tour. They were about to become very visible leaders of a national movement.
Mary said, "When aren't you busy?"
"When I'm asleep," Abby answered. She still did a lot of work for the commune. She checked the houses every day, worked on the manuscript, and continually sought out new business opportunities. There was no way that she was going to end up selling her body. She had learned that if she didn't make her own opportunities then there were be no opportunities.
"I believe that," Melissa said.
Abby reached into her briefcase and said, "Let's sign the contract so that we can get it to the post office."
Curious, Melissa asked, "Why are we signing it here rather than at the community house?"
Abby was quiet for a moment and then answered, "Believe it or not, this is where the commune began. Jack and I met here a year ago. I feel like this is a fitting place for us to sign the contract."
"I agree," Jack said. He watched while the three women took turns signing the contract. His thoughts turned back to that day a year ago. He had nearly lost everything about that time. Abby's entrance into his life had been a significant event although it hadn't seemed that way at the time. A lot had changed since then.
A year ago he had felt helpless in the face of forces beyond his comprehension. He still didn't understand why things were going the way there were headed, but he was able to deflect the majority of the negative consequences. He now had a good paying job and was ahead of his bills. He didn't have much in savings, but he did have savings.
He had been isolated and alone. He was now surrounded by a community of people who watched out for him and helped him. His marriage to Melissa, a smart and attractive woman, was a source of continuous surprise and happiness. He couldn't imagine waking up in the morning without her beside him in bed. For the first time in years he dreamed of having children and being able to provide for them. It was a far cry from the man who had been eating canned food cooked over a backyard barbecue.
He was nudged out of his thoughts by an elbow from Melissa. She smiled at him and asked, "What are you thinking?"
"It has been one hell of a year," Jack said.
"You can say that again," Abby said raising her glass of wine. She took a sip of wine thinking that it had been a year since she had drank any wine.
Melissa nodded her head in agreement. Her life had changed a lot. A year ago she had just been a graduate student studying history. She had been married for eight months. Jack had kept his promise to her and had created an office for her in the house. The desk and bookcases had cost a fortune at one time, but he had gotten them at garage sale prices. After joining the commune, Daryl had set up a wireless network that covered the entire neighborhood. She had a computer at home that was loaded with the latest and greatest software. Her education had slowed, but she was working with Abby and the others to bring in a little extra money. The book had been an interesting project.
Life in the commune was far more emotionally rewarding than she had imagined possible. It was virtually impossible to remain depressed for any length of time. The elderly members of the commune brought a refreshing breath of experience to every situation that arose. The emotional support offset the depressing effects of the news. She wondered at times how others managed to survive without that kind of support in their lives.
All of those little changes had taken a backseat to her joy in being married to Jack. It seemed to her that each day was better than the day before. Making good money in his job, he had returned to fixing up the house. The main bathroom had been finished and looked like a million dollars. He had also bought furniture from garage and estate sales that gave the entire house a classy look. There had been a time when the décor would have been outside their reach.
After taking a sip of her wine, Melissa said, "It has been a hell of a year."
Mary's life had changed the least of the four people gathered around the table. She had joined the commune out of a desire to end a life of loneliness. She loved the social environment of the community house and spent the vast majority of her time there. Her hours at the library had been cut back as a cost cutting measure. She couldn't complain though; she had been lucky to keep her job.
A lot of her time was spent watching over Claire. The elderly woman's memory was going and she was becoming forgetful. The doctors said that she had suffered two minor strokes. They hadn't affected her speech, but her memory had some holes in it. Like everyone else in the commune, Mary had agreed that Claire was not going to go to a nursing home. As Claire's roommate, a lot of the burden of taking care of the elderly woman had fallen on her. She didn't mind since eighteen other people stepped in to take the burden off her shoulders.
Mary said, "It has been a hell of a year."
"The economy may get worse, but I think we're looking at a better year for us," Abby said with feeling. The unemployment figures and stock market indices had not changed at all over the past six months. Wages had gone down and homelessness was still on the rise. There were no signs that the economy was going to improve.
The members of the commune were not getting rich by any definition. They did have two months worth of food stockpiled, there was an emergency fund, and the members were not facing the future alone. Their hard work showed signs of having some return on their investment. No one was in actual debt beyond their mortgages. Compared to ninety percent of the people in the country, they were doing very well.
Looking around the table, Jack raised his glass and said, "Here's to hard work and the support of a community."
The three women raised their glasses and said, "Amen to that."
The bartender watched the group seated around the table from his position behind the bar. He didn't know what they were celebrating. Very few people came into the bar to celebrate. Most of the customers were there to drown their sorrows in drink. Life was tough and getting tougher. He was the last employee of the owner and only worked part-time. The tips were poor and getting worse over time. He wasn't covering his bills and it was only a matter of time before he joined the ranks of homeless.
He watched Jack with envy thinking that he must have had it pretty easy while everyone else was losing everything they had. The young man seemed so relaxed and happy. It had been ages since he had felt that happy. He figured that the guy must have inherited some money or won a lottery and was out celebrating. The women didn't look like hookers, but that didn't mean much anymore. Single women with children were easy pickings for a guy with a little money.
He grabbed a towel and wiped down the bar. All of his problems
revolved around money. He wondered what he could do to improve his
economic circumstances. Under his breath, he muttered, "What can I do?
I'm just one guy."