A Day of Reckoning, page 14
part #14 of Final Dawn Series
A few heads shook. A few people answered ‘no’ or ‘no thanks.’ A few others ignored him.
John said, “Frank, remember you’re one of us now. You no longer have to do everything yourself. We’ve all agreed to go back to doing our fair share of the workload around here.”
“I know that, John, and I appreciate it.
“But it drives me crazy to just sit around all day with nothing to do. I’m the kind of guy who has to stay busy or I go nuts.”
Jason replied, “You’ll get used to it after while. Sitting around bored with nothing to do, that is.”
Frank said nothing, but Josie knew what he was up to.
Part of it was boredom, yes. But Frank was also trying to do as much as he was physically capable considering his healing wounds.
It was important to him that he do far more than his fair share of work.
For he was still trying to win hearts and minds.
-42-
The following day Frank went to John, the undisputed leader of the group, and pitched an idea to him.
“Everybody pretty much hangs around the burn barrels most of the time, right?”
“Well, yeah. I mean, that’s the only warm spot in the whole building. The farther you get away from them the colder it is. What’s your point?”
“What would you say if I told you I could double the heat in the common area?”
“First, I guess, I’d suspect you’d either gone crazy or you broke into the locked room where Food World stored all their liquor.
“Then I’d ask how.”
Frank smiled.
The first step in fixing a problem is getting the decision-maker to listen to the possible fix.
“Josie and I were bored yesterday so we took a couple of lanterns and walked around the place.
“Actually we were taking inventory of things I’d need to build a wall around the common area.”
“A wall? What kind of wall? And do you understand how much wall you’re talking about?”
“Yes, a wall.
“As to what kind of wall, it would be one sided. Wood frame on the outside, sheetrock on the inside. It wouldn’t be insulated because we’ll have to leave the top mostly open for ventilation, to prevent carbon monoxide buildup.
“But if I build the wall and paint it white, it’ll prevent much of the heat from the burn barrels from escaping the area and going into the warehouse area where it’s not needed. Instead it would reach the walls and bounce back.
“And the white paint would help reflect the light as well. Instead of most of the light escaping into the darkness of the warehouse, it would be reflected off the white walls and help brighten the room.
“As far as how much wall I’d need, yes. I do know. I’ve already paced it off. It’s a rough measurement, but the east and west walls will be about fifty feet long.
“The north and south walls will be about sixty feet long. That’ll encompass all three burn barrels, all the couches and recliners and all the tents.
“That’s roughly two hundred and twenty feet of wall, with a framed door on each side and a partial ceiling to go around the outside of the wall to help stabilize it.
“And yes, before you ask, we do have all the materials to do it.”
“We have sheetrock? Where? Food World didn’t sell sheetrock.”
“You’re right. They didn’t. But at the time of the freeze they were renovating and expanding the receiving and shipping offices in the back of the building.
“From the looks of it they were getting ready to tear out the old offices and build bigger and better ones.
“There are three pallets of sheetrock back there they were going to use for the project.
“There are three empty pallets which used to contain two by four studs, I think. I assume they were burned in the barrels long ago. But I can get by without them.”
“How are you going to build a wall without studs?”
“I’ll use pallets. They’re uniform in size, made of wood and you have a boatload of them.”
“You mean we. You’re one of us now, remember?”
“Okay. We have a boatload of pallets.”
“So what do you want from me, Frank?”
“All I want from you is permission to start the project. I know you’re in charge here and I didn’t want to step on your toes by doing something without your permission.”
John liked that Frank recognized he was in charge.
And he liked that Frank was hesitant to proceed in a large project which would affect all of them without asking John’s permission.
Most of all he liked that Frank was willing to take on such a project, while all the other members of his family groaned and grumbled every time they were asked to take their turn emptying the garbage or cleaning the port-a-potties.
In Frank’s quest to win the hearts and minds of the Dykes family, he was making good progress with the guy in charge.
“Well, Frank, I guess the only question I have left is who’s going to do all the labor? You’re still recovering from Eddie’s sword wound, remember?”
“Josie checked me yesterday. She said the scar tissue is sturdy enough now and that it shouldn’t tear open as long as I’m careful and don’t overdo it.
“It’s not a project that will be done overnight so I can take my time with it. I expect I can get it done in six to eight weeks or so if I devote six to eight hours a day to it.”
“Six to eight hours a day? That’s a lot of time.”
“Yeah, maybe. But then, what else do I have to do with my time? I can do this, or I can sit around in the semi-darkness playing gin rummy or solitaire or dominoes or reading a book I’ve read a dozen times already.”
“Good point. Go ahead with your plan, Frank. I’ll tell the others you’re doing it, and I’ll tell them it sounds like a good idea so they don’t give you too much grief about it.”
“Thanks. Think you can keep Aunt Stacy from going on and on about how it’s a waste of time and materials and that I’m stupid for doing it?”
“Man, you know Aunt Stacy scares me. I’m not going to argue anything she has to say. I’ll just do what everybody else does when she gets abusive and try my best to ignore her.”
“And when you can’t ignore her?”
“Then I’ll just nod my head occasionally so she’ll think I’m listening to her until she blows off steam and finishes whatever rant she’s on.
“So no. You’re on your own with Aunt Stacy. But I’ll let everybody else know what you’re doing and tell them not to give you any grief about it.”
“Peachy. Thanks.”
“You know that Stacy just pretends to hate you because she’s jealous Josie landed you and she didn’t. You know that, right?”
“Josie told me the same thing. I guess I should feel lucky for being so darned desirable.”
-43-
Frank walked over to Josie, who was sitting in a recliner next to an oil lamp reading a book.
“Hiya, sexy. How’s the prettiest girl in Texas?”
She smiled and placed the book face down on her leg.
Frank picked it up and examined it.
“Hmmm. The Yellowstone Event. What’s that about?”
“It’s about a super volcano beneath Yellowstone National Park. And what might happen when it erupts.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. Apparently there really is a super volcano beneath the park. And it could explode any time. And when it does it’s gonna destroy most of the United States.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously. It was written by the same guy who wrote Alone. Some guy from Texas I think.”
“Well, if he’s from Texas he must be a pretty smart guy. But Yellowstone better not erupt in my lifetime. Two catastrophic natural disasters in one lifetime is my limit.”
“Amen to that. So what did John say?”
“He said to go ahead with my project. Wanna help?”
“Yes. Under two conditions.”
“Dang. That’s a pretty high price to pay. How about just one condition?”
“Not negotiable, Frank. Two conditions or no deal.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Okay, two conditions it is. Hit me with them.”
“First, you kiss me like you should have done when you walked over here. We’re supposed to be a new couple in love. We’re supposed to be all romantic and lovey dovey and all that kind of foolishness. How’s a girl supposed to feel loved if her man walks over and engages her in conversation and doesn’t even kiss her first?”
He kissed her and said, “I hope the second condition is this easy.”
“That depends, sir, on your level of hardheadedness.”
“Huh?”
“I suspect that if I tell you not to work too hard I’ll be wasting my breath.”
“Then don’t tell me. There, I saved you some breath. You’re welcome.”
“Frank, I’m serious. I refuse to let you do this if you’re going to tear open that wound again.”
“I thought you said the wound was healing nicely.”
“I did. And it is. But the scar tissue is still too dark.”
“Excuse me? What’s that got to do with it?”
“It’s still growing. It’s still not finished. When it’s grown as thick as it’s going to grow it’ll be a light pink.”
“I’ll tell you what. I’ll take off my shirt each night in the tent and you can examine my wound. If you think I’m starting to open it back up I’ll stop the project for awhile.”
“Also if you notice any dampness or seepage.”
“I promise.”
“Wow, that was easy.”
“See, honey. I can be reasonable.”
“When are you going to start your project?”
“As soon as you finish lecturing me.”
“Frank, damn it, I’m not lecturing you. I’m watching out for you because you’re too pig-headed to watch out for yourself.”
“How do you know? You haven’t given me a chance yet.”
“I know because you’re a man. And every man I’ve ever known didn’t know how much was too much.”
“I’ll be careful, I promise.”
“Can I come and help?”
“Help or supervise?”
“How can I supervise a project when I don’t know what your plans are?”
“Good point. In that case I would love to have somebody at my side to help and keep me company.
“And to hold the lantern.”
“Lead the way, old wise one.”
“You coulda left out the ‘old.’”
“Nope. That was my reminder your muscles and joints aren’t as flexible as they once were.”
-44-
In the mine’s one-room grade school Markie was doodling while his Aunt Karen went on and on about… something he couldn’t have cared less about.
She said, “Markie?”
He looked up. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Can you repeat what I just said?”
The only other children young enough to be in grade school were his cousins David, Rachel and Melissa. All three giggled.
“Um… no.”
“Maybe if you paid attention you could?”
“Sorry.”
There was a knock on the door.
A quiet, almost polite knock, as though someone didn’t want to disturb the students while they were working.
Of course any knock, no matter how quiet, always grabs the students’ attention.
Karen opened the door and stepped outside, giving Markie a chance to scold his cousins for their giggling.
“You guys hush! It’s not like you never goofed off in class!”
“Yeah,” Melissa countered. “But you do it all the time.”
The other two giggled again.
Markie just fumed.
The door opened and Aunt Karen said, “Maybe Markie had a point. My math lesson is kind of boring today. How would you guys like to take a field trip?”
That’s all she had to say.
She’d taken them on field trips before… to the power plant, where Uncle Bryan explained how the generators worked.
And to the water plant, where Mark explained how he reclaimed and recycled water.
Even to the vehicle storage bay, where Brad demonstrated changing a tire on one of the forklifts.
Today, though, they were in for a special treat.
Rachel asked, “Where are we going, Aunt Karen?”
“Have you guys ever seen an animal give birth?”
“You showed us that video once of a dog having her puppies.”
“I mean in real life.”
All four shook their heads.
They’d all led rather sheltered lives to that point.
Quite literally.
For all four of them had been born in the mine and hadn’t seen the sky or felt grass beneath their feet until well after they’d learned to walk.
“Well,” Karen continued, “Mona the cow is getting ready to give birth to a new calf. How would you like to watch?”
All four were excited, although Markie was even more excited about ridding himself of a math lesson.
But he was more than game, and hoped the birth killed the rest of the school day.
Karen led the way, walking down the main corridor of the mine with her four young charges in a line behind her. They were not unlike a mother duck leading her ducklings to water.
They stayed to one side, as was the general rule in the event there was any vehicle traffic.
There wasn’t on this particular day. It was a rather slow day, really. There weren’t a lot of projects going on. Those scheduled for duty in various locations were at their stations, doing their thing, and the mine was exceedingly quiet.
They walked through the two smell barriers, which were really just long plastic tarps that hung from ceiling to floor with twelve feet between them.
They did an exceedingly good job in keeping the smells from the industrial area from the living area.
For as soon as they walked through the barriers all four children turned up their noses.
Rachel went so far as to cough a couple of times and voice her opinion: “Ewww.”
To be sure, the air they breathed was now rich with a combination of smells… the fecal smell from several species of animals… the compost pile Karen carefully brewed from a combination of leftover food scraps, soil she’d brought in before the freeze and cow manure.
Even the diesel fuel stored in mass quantities in the far bays of the mine added their aroma to the mix.
It smelled roughly like it would if an oil refinery was built next door to a stockyard.
Karen smiled and said to Rachel, “Suck it up, buttercup. You’ll get used to it.”
It was a reference which flew right over the top of Rachel’s tiny head.
When they reached the livestock bay they found Debbie and Sarah comforting Mona, who was lying on her rather expansive side and obviously in a lot of pain.
The children winced as Debbie shoved her arm up inside the cow and felt her way around a bit.
She brought it back out, soaked in amniotic fluid, causing Rachel to repeat her earlier comment: “Ewwww.”
This time she dragged it out a bit longer for extra effect.
Karen asked, “Is she doing okay?”
As much as she wanted her students to witness the miracle of birth she didn’t think they were ready for the possibility of seeing a stillborn calf.
“She’s doing very well,” Debbie answered.
“The calf is alive and is getting closer. It won’t be much longer.”
The difference in the birth of a human baby and the birth of a bovine is that a human mother knows what’s going on.
She can be comforted. She can be encouraged. She can be instructed by a doctor or a midwife when to push, when to relax, when and how to breathe heavily.
She knows what to expect.
In a cow’s case, she has no clue what to do to make it easier on her or her calf.
She has no way of knowing how this happened or why.
If she has given birth before she’ll remember. She might think to herself, “Oh, crap. Here we go again.”
(But in cow, not in English)
But she won’t know when it’s going to end or how to stop the pain.
Sarah tried her best to comfort her, to let her know she wasn’t alone, by stroking her long head and speaking to her in soothing tones.
But really, how can one convince a cow things are going okay when that cow is in a world of pain?
-45-
Fortunately for all concerned, and especially mother and calf, the baby wasn’t breech.
His snout came into view and stayed there for half a minute.
And then, as the children oohed and awed about the sight of the baby cow’s nose, Mona the cow lurched and the calf came hurling out.
Rachel turned away and said, “Ewww.”
The other children watched, mesmerized, as Debbie wiped away the mucus from the calf’s eyes and helped him stand.
Mona lay for a couple of minutes, perhaps catching her breath and basking in her relief it was all over.
Finally she got back on her feet and nuzzled her new calf.
The kids continued to watch while the baby stumbled about, then found a teat and began to feed.
By then the novelty of the whole thing had worn off and they were ready to go back to the classroom.
Sarah stopped them.
“Before you go, does anybody want to name him?”
They pondered the thought. Markie said, “How about Max?”
“No, that’s stupid,” Melissa argued. “We already have a baby pig named Max.”
“How about Yucky?” Rachel snapped.
Sarah laughed, then asked the group, “Well, it’s definitely unique. And considering his appearance, it fits him. Any objections to Yucky?”
There were none, and Yucky it was.
Karen said, “Okay. That’s a good way to end a school day. You’re all a bit smarter and wiser to the ways of the world than you were yesterday.”
The children all smiled until she added, “But…”
John said, “Frank, remember you’re one of us now. You no longer have to do everything yourself. We’ve all agreed to go back to doing our fair share of the workload around here.”
“I know that, John, and I appreciate it.
“But it drives me crazy to just sit around all day with nothing to do. I’m the kind of guy who has to stay busy or I go nuts.”
Jason replied, “You’ll get used to it after while. Sitting around bored with nothing to do, that is.”
Frank said nothing, but Josie knew what he was up to.
Part of it was boredom, yes. But Frank was also trying to do as much as he was physically capable considering his healing wounds.
It was important to him that he do far more than his fair share of work.
For he was still trying to win hearts and minds.
-42-
The following day Frank went to John, the undisputed leader of the group, and pitched an idea to him.
“Everybody pretty much hangs around the burn barrels most of the time, right?”
“Well, yeah. I mean, that’s the only warm spot in the whole building. The farther you get away from them the colder it is. What’s your point?”
“What would you say if I told you I could double the heat in the common area?”
“First, I guess, I’d suspect you’d either gone crazy or you broke into the locked room where Food World stored all their liquor.
“Then I’d ask how.”
Frank smiled.
The first step in fixing a problem is getting the decision-maker to listen to the possible fix.
“Josie and I were bored yesterday so we took a couple of lanterns and walked around the place.
“Actually we were taking inventory of things I’d need to build a wall around the common area.”
“A wall? What kind of wall? And do you understand how much wall you’re talking about?”
“Yes, a wall.
“As to what kind of wall, it would be one sided. Wood frame on the outside, sheetrock on the inside. It wouldn’t be insulated because we’ll have to leave the top mostly open for ventilation, to prevent carbon monoxide buildup.
“But if I build the wall and paint it white, it’ll prevent much of the heat from the burn barrels from escaping the area and going into the warehouse area where it’s not needed. Instead it would reach the walls and bounce back.
“And the white paint would help reflect the light as well. Instead of most of the light escaping into the darkness of the warehouse, it would be reflected off the white walls and help brighten the room.
“As far as how much wall I’d need, yes. I do know. I’ve already paced it off. It’s a rough measurement, but the east and west walls will be about fifty feet long.
“The north and south walls will be about sixty feet long. That’ll encompass all three burn barrels, all the couches and recliners and all the tents.
“That’s roughly two hundred and twenty feet of wall, with a framed door on each side and a partial ceiling to go around the outside of the wall to help stabilize it.
“And yes, before you ask, we do have all the materials to do it.”
“We have sheetrock? Where? Food World didn’t sell sheetrock.”
“You’re right. They didn’t. But at the time of the freeze they were renovating and expanding the receiving and shipping offices in the back of the building.
“From the looks of it they were getting ready to tear out the old offices and build bigger and better ones.
“There are three pallets of sheetrock back there they were going to use for the project.
“There are three empty pallets which used to contain two by four studs, I think. I assume they were burned in the barrels long ago. But I can get by without them.”
“How are you going to build a wall without studs?”
“I’ll use pallets. They’re uniform in size, made of wood and you have a boatload of them.”
“You mean we. You’re one of us now, remember?”
“Okay. We have a boatload of pallets.”
“So what do you want from me, Frank?”
“All I want from you is permission to start the project. I know you’re in charge here and I didn’t want to step on your toes by doing something without your permission.”
John liked that Frank recognized he was in charge.
And he liked that Frank was hesitant to proceed in a large project which would affect all of them without asking John’s permission.
Most of all he liked that Frank was willing to take on such a project, while all the other members of his family groaned and grumbled every time they were asked to take their turn emptying the garbage or cleaning the port-a-potties.
In Frank’s quest to win the hearts and minds of the Dykes family, he was making good progress with the guy in charge.
“Well, Frank, I guess the only question I have left is who’s going to do all the labor? You’re still recovering from Eddie’s sword wound, remember?”
“Josie checked me yesterday. She said the scar tissue is sturdy enough now and that it shouldn’t tear open as long as I’m careful and don’t overdo it.
“It’s not a project that will be done overnight so I can take my time with it. I expect I can get it done in six to eight weeks or so if I devote six to eight hours a day to it.”
“Six to eight hours a day? That’s a lot of time.”
“Yeah, maybe. But then, what else do I have to do with my time? I can do this, or I can sit around in the semi-darkness playing gin rummy or solitaire or dominoes or reading a book I’ve read a dozen times already.”
“Good point. Go ahead with your plan, Frank. I’ll tell the others you’re doing it, and I’ll tell them it sounds like a good idea so they don’t give you too much grief about it.”
“Thanks. Think you can keep Aunt Stacy from going on and on about how it’s a waste of time and materials and that I’m stupid for doing it?”
“Man, you know Aunt Stacy scares me. I’m not going to argue anything she has to say. I’ll just do what everybody else does when she gets abusive and try my best to ignore her.”
“And when you can’t ignore her?”
“Then I’ll just nod my head occasionally so she’ll think I’m listening to her until she blows off steam and finishes whatever rant she’s on.
“So no. You’re on your own with Aunt Stacy. But I’ll let everybody else know what you’re doing and tell them not to give you any grief about it.”
“Peachy. Thanks.”
“You know that Stacy just pretends to hate you because she’s jealous Josie landed you and she didn’t. You know that, right?”
“Josie told me the same thing. I guess I should feel lucky for being so darned desirable.”
-43-
Frank walked over to Josie, who was sitting in a recliner next to an oil lamp reading a book.
“Hiya, sexy. How’s the prettiest girl in Texas?”
She smiled and placed the book face down on her leg.
Frank picked it up and examined it.
“Hmmm. The Yellowstone Event. What’s that about?”
“It’s about a super volcano beneath Yellowstone National Park. And what might happen when it erupts.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. Apparently there really is a super volcano beneath the park. And it could explode any time. And when it does it’s gonna destroy most of the United States.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously. It was written by the same guy who wrote Alone. Some guy from Texas I think.”
“Well, if he’s from Texas he must be a pretty smart guy. But Yellowstone better not erupt in my lifetime. Two catastrophic natural disasters in one lifetime is my limit.”
“Amen to that. So what did John say?”
“He said to go ahead with my project. Wanna help?”
“Yes. Under two conditions.”
“Dang. That’s a pretty high price to pay. How about just one condition?”
“Not negotiable, Frank. Two conditions or no deal.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Okay, two conditions it is. Hit me with them.”
“First, you kiss me like you should have done when you walked over here. We’re supposed to be a new couple in love. We’re supposed to be all romantic and lovey dovey and all that kind of foolishness. How’s a girl supposed to feel loved if her man walks over and engages her in conversation and doesn’t even kiss her first?”
He kissed her and said, “I hope the second condition is this easy.”
“That depends, sir, on your level of hardheadedness.”
“Huh?”
“I suspect that if I tell you not to work too hard I’ll be wasting my breath.”
“Then don’t tell me. There, I saved you some breath. You’re welcome.”
“Frank, I’m serious. I refuse to let you do this if you’re going to tear open that wound again.”
“I thought you said the wound was healing nicely.”
“I did. And it is. But the scar tissue is still too dark.”
“Excuse me? What’s that got to do with it?”
“It’s still growing. It’s still not finished. When it’s grown as thick as it’s going to grow it’ll be a light pink.”
“I’ll tell you what. I’ll take off my shirt each night in the tent and you can examine my wound. If you think I’m starting to open it back up I’ll stop the project for awhile.”
“Also if you notice any dampness or seepage.”
“I promise.”
“Wow, that was easy.”
“See, honey. I can be reasonable.”
“When are you going to start your project?”
“As soon as you finish lecturing me.”
“Frank, damn it, I’m not lecturing you. I’m watching out for you because you’re too pig-headed to watch out for yourself.”
“How do you know? You haven’t given me a chance yet.”
“I know because you’re a man. And every man I’ve ever known didn’t know how much was too much.”
“I’ll be careful, I promise.”
“Can I come and help?”
“Help or supervise?”
“How can I supervise a project when I don’t know what your plans are?”
“Good point. In that case I would love to have somebody at my side to help and keep me company.
“And to hold the lantern.”
“Lead the way, old wise one.”
“You coulda left out the ‘old.’”
“Nope. That was my reminder your muscles and joints aren’t as flexible as they once were.”
-44-
In the mine’s one-room grade school Markie was doodling while his Aunt Karen went on and on about… something he couldn’t have cared less about.
She said, “Markie?”
He looked up. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Can you repeat what I just said?”
The only other children young enough to be in grade school were his cousins David, Rachel and Melissa. All three giggled.
“Um… no.”
“Maybe if you paid attention you could?”
“Sorry.”
There was a knock on the door.
A quiet, almost polite knock, as though someone didn’t want to disturb the students while they were working.
Of course any knock, no matter how quiet, always grabs the students’ attention.
Karen opened the door and stepped outside, giving Markie a chance to scold his cousins for their giggling.
“You guys hush! It’s not like you never goofed off in class!”
“Yeah,” Melissa countered. “But you do it all the time.”
The other two giggled again.
Markie just fumed.
The door opened and Aunt Karen said, “Maybe Markie had a point. My math lesson is kind of boring today. How would you guys like to take a field trip?”
That’s all she had to say.
She’d taken them on field trips before… to the power plant, where Uncle Bryan explained how the generators worked.
And to the water plant, where Mark explained how he reclaimed and recycled water.
Even to the vehicle storage bay, where Brad demonstrated changing a tire on one of the forklifts.
Today, though, they were in for a special treat.
Rachel asked, “Where are we going, Aunt Karen?”
“Have you guys ever seen an animal give birth?”
“You showed us that video once of a dog having her puppies.”
“I mean in real life.”
All four shook their heads.
They’d all led rather sheltered lives to that point.
Quite literally.
For all four of them had been born in the mine and hadn’t seen the sky or felt grass beneath their feet until well after they’d learned to walk.
“Well,” Karen continued, “Mona the cow is getting ready to give birth to a new calf. How would you like to watch?”
All four were excited, although Markie was even more excited about ridding himself of a math lesson.
But he was more than game, and hoped the birth killed the rest of the school day.
Karen led the way, walking down the main corridor of the mine with her four young charges in a line behind her. They were not unlike a mother duck leading her ducklings to water.
They stayed to one side, as was the general rule in the event there was any vehicle traffic.
There wasn’t on this particular day. It was a rather slow day, really. There weren’t a lot of projects going on. Those scheduled for duty in various locations were at their stations, doing their thing, and the mine was exceedingly quiet.
They walked through the two smell barriers, which were really just long plastic tarps that hung from ceiling to floor with twelve feet between them.
They did an exceedingly good job in keeping the smells from the industrial area from the living area.
For as soon as they walked through the barriers all four children turned up their noses.
Rachel went so far as to cough a couple of times and voice her opinion: “Ewww.”
To be sure, the air they breathed was now rich with a combination of smells… the fecal smell from several species of animals… the compost pile Karen carefully brewed from a combination of leftover food scraps, soil she’d brought in before the freeze and cow manure.
Even the diesel fuel stored in mass quantities in the far bays of the mine added their aroma to the mix.
It smelled roughly like it would if an oil refinery was built next door to a stockyard.
Karen smiled and said to Rachel, “Suck it up, buttercup. You’ll get used to it.”
It was a reference which flew right over the top of Rachel’s tiny head.
When they reached the livestock bay they found Debbie and Sarah comforting Mona, who was lying on her rather expansive side and obviously in a lot of pain.
The children winced as Debbie shoved her arm up inside the cow and felt her way around a bit.
She brought it back out, soaked in amniotic fluid, causing Rachel to repeat her earlier comment: “Ewwww.”
This time she dragged it out a bit longer for extra effect.
Karen asked, “Is she doing okay?”
As much as she wanted her students to witness the miracle of birth she didn’t think they were ready for the possibility of seeing a stillborn calf.
“She’s doing very well,” Debbie answered.
“The calf is alive and is getting closer. It won’t be much longer.”
The difference in the birth of a human baby and the birth of a bovine is that a human mother knows what’s going on.
She can be comforted. She can be encouraged. She can be instructed by a doctor or a midwife when to push, when to relax, when and how to breathe heavily.
She knows what to expect.
In a cow’s case, she has no clue what to do to make it easier on her or her calf.
She has no way of knowing how this happened or why.
If she has given birth before she’ll remember. She might think to herself, “Oh, crap. Here we go again.”
(But in cow, not in English)
But she won’t know when it’s going to end or how to stop the pain.
Sarah tried her best to comfort her, to let her know she wasn’t alone, by stroking her long head and speaking to her in soothing tones.
But really, how can one convince a cow things are going okay when that cow is in a world of pain?
-45-
Fortunately for all concerned, and especially mother and calf, the baby wasn’t breech.
His snout came into view and stayed there for half a minute.
And then, as the children oohed and awed about the sight of the baby cow’s nose, Mona the cow lurched and the calf came hurling out.
Rachel turned away and said, “Ewww.”
The other children watched, mesmerized, as Debbie wiped away the mucus from the calf’s eyes and helped him stand.
Mona lay for a couple of minutes, perhaps catching her breath and basking in her relief it was all over.
Finally she got back on her feet and nuzzled her new calf.
The kids continued to watch while the baby stumbled about, then found a teat and began to feed.
By then the novelty of the whole thing had worn off and they were ready to go back to the classroom.
Sarah stopped them.
“Before you go, does anybody want to name him?”
They pondered the thought. Markie said, “How about Max?”
“No, that’s stupid,” Melissa argued. “We already have a baby pig named Max.”
“How about Yucky?” Rachel snapped.
Sarah laughed, then asked the group, “Well, it’s definitely unique. And considering his appearance, it fits him. Any objections to Yucky?”
There were none, and Yucky it was.
Karen said, “Okay. That’s a good way to end a school day. You’re all a bit smarter and wiser to the ways of the world than you were yesterday.”
The children all smiled until she added, “But…”
