Lisa's Way

“Speaking of settling down, when is your school going to be built?”

  “A couple days,” Ellen replied over her shoulder. “We’re waiting on some more lumber to come up.”

  “And more hands,” Wayne added. “Folks come up from Cave City and Cookeville to help. It becomes a real get-together. Too bad you can’t stick around and see it.”

  “Maybe when you put up the actual inn,” Lisa said.

  An instant later lunch was ready. Ellen doled out hot stew, filled their cups with the local mild wine, and uncovered a basket of warm rolls. The four at for a few moments before resuming the conversation.

  “Dave and I have been talking about what we owe you,” Wayne said to Lisa.

  “Owe me?”

  “Once we get this store up and running, we’ll be making something. We don’t need all that much to live on. We are here because of you.”

  “I guess.”

  “We agreed that you ought to get a share of what we make. That way you’ll be taken care of. You should have enough goods to trade with. That will be our way of thanking you.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “How about ’thank you’?” Ned asked.

  “Yeah, right. Thank you. I thought you two would run the wagons between worlds.”

  Wayne nodded. “We can. We’d like you with us, to start. People already know you. You can introduce them to us, and we can take it from there.”

  “I think you should lead any trips to new worlds,” Ellen told her. “You know what everyone already has. You won’t have to struggle to figure out where to get goods to fill a need. You’re good at making deals. People trust you. They see a young woman, and they aren’t as likely to assume that this newcomer is there to attack them.”

  “Okay.” Lisa didn’t want to admit that she didn’t need much convincing. She already knew she wanted to visit the other three worlds she knew about. Something inside her wasn’t ready to take it easy. She wanted to see more, to meet new people. She hadn’t had her fill of traveling.

  “Here’s what we’ll do,” she said. “Ned and I will head back to White Rocks and Lone Star. We’ll tell the leaders of the two portal towns what we’ve done here. We’ll find out if they need anything.” She looked at Wayne. “We’ll tell them that you and Dave will be running the wagons and making the deals in my place. We’ll come back here, pick you and him up, and introduce you.”

  “What about your world?”

  “I want to talk with my father before I introduce you to him.”

  “Another solid plan,” Ellen said.

  ***

  Lisa and Ned went right to the Great Junction town hall as soon as they arrived on White Rocks. They were ushered up to the town manager’s office. Lisa told Edward Coe what she and her friends had been doing. After she finished, Coe was quiet for a few moments.

  Finally he said, “That’s quite a story.”

  Lisa couldn’t read his expression. Does he believe me?

  “It’s all true,” she said.

  “Oh, I believe you. I know what you’ve done here. If it was anyone else, I wouldn’t believe one word.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Sure.” Coe’s tone grew a bit more serious. “Those two friends of yours, back on Big Springs. They aren’t planning to crowd out any of our merchants, are they?”

  “No, sir. They’ll conduct trades between worlds. Our idea is to go only to those places that aren’t being visited, or that already know us.”

  Coe appeared somewhat more reassured, but not much. Lisa couldn’t blame him. He was only looking out for his people. They too had to make a living. There wasn’t any way to share; someone had to win, and someone had to lose out.

  Does it have to be that way?

  “Y’know,” she said, voicing her thoughts, “I suppose merchants and traders here could make a deal with us.”

  “What kind of deal?”

  “Say one of them goes with us to a town, like Quail. We give him an introduction. Give the folks there our word that this merchant will deal fairly with them. That man can then trade in our place, in exchange for a share of what he makes.”

  Coe considered her idea. “That sounds pretty fair.”

  “How do we know the man here will keep his word?” Ned asked.

  “Wayne and Dave keep coming back,” Lisa replied. “Maybe they go out on their own, without any goods.”

  “An inspection trip,” Coe said.

  “Sure. What if someone from the town could come here and complain?”

  “What, to me?”

  “Why not?”

  “Well, that would work for a year or so. I won’t be in this office forever. I’m up for reelection in two years. I might lose.”

  “Can’t we make the man who follows you keep everyone happy?”

  Coe sighed. “What you’re talking about is a written contract. Almost every deal between two sides needed a contract, back before the Rain. We’ve been kicking that idea around, since you were last here. The biggest problem we think there is with it is that not everyone can read. Would they trust what they can’t read?”

  “Oh, yeah. Damn.”

  “Fix one problem,” Ned said to her, “and two more pop up.”

  “Something like that.” She turned to Coe. “Could we at least try it?”

  “Sure. If it doesn’t work, maybe we’ll have to hire teachers.” He shifted in his seat. “I do have some good news for you.”

  “What?”

  “A few of our young men here were inspired by you. They were looking for work around town when they overheard someone from Red Cloud mention that they used to have mines down there.”

  “What?”

  “Mines. You know, where they dig mineral out of the ground.”

  “Oh, right. Sorry.”

  “Anyway, they used to mine iron ore, copper, and I think something else. Those young men decided that if you could make a difference, so could they. They went down there and got the mines going again.”

  “Oh, really?”

  Coe nodded. “It’s all by hand, of course. I heard that the machinery had rusted so badly that it couldn’t even be used for scrap. They’re getting ore out, and they’re trying to process it.” He smiled. “You wouldn’t happen to know who might want it?”

  “You can make metal out of ore, right?”

  “Of course.”

  Lisa smiled a broad smile to Coe. “I think I do, actually. There’s a man on Lone Star with a sawmill.”

  ***

  Lisa spread out her hands. “That’s my suggestion. You can say no, but I think this would be much better than moving your whole sawmill.”

  Ace Marshall took only an instant to consider her idea. “I guess you’re right there, Miss Herbert. Maybe folks would get mad if I moved. I would get to keep an operation here. This would give me a head start on anyone else trying to get sawmills going on those other worlds.”

  “Cave City, that town on Big Springs, really needs help. The miners at Red Cloud need a first customer. You get the metal to make tools, and the chance to start up two more sawmills.”

  “And make three times what I’m making now.”

  “Sounds like a good deal to me, sir,” Ned commented.

  “Boy, it sure does.” Marshall looked at Lisa. “Miss, you are as good as your word.”

  Lisa shrugged. “I’m trying to get people working together, Mister Marshall. If I am as good as my word, it’s because I keep trying.”

  ***

  Lisa took a long look at the landscape around the portal outside of Great Junction. “These mountains are so beautiful,” she murmured.

  “They’re okay, I guess,” Ned said.

  She smiled. “I didn’t grow up with mountains. Before I came here, I’d only seen pictures of them in old books.”

  “C’mon. It’s not like you’re never coming back.”

  “I know. I just want to enjoy the view. Just for a little bit.”

  “All right.”

/>   She took in a long breath of air. The air was cool and dry, as it was the first day she arrived. The smells weren’t quite so distinctive though. It was still different than Mountain View. Every place was different. Maybe it was those differences that attracted her. Maybe it was finding those differences.

  “You ready?” Ned asked.

  “Yeah.” She looked at him. “You sure you want to go with me?”

  “I told Wayne I’d look out for you.”

  “And that’s it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You sure?”

  “Quit stalling.”

  “Okay.” She walked over to the portal controls. “Fairfield, here we come!”

  CHAPTER 17

  Lisa stopped as soon as she stepped from White Rocks to Fairfield. Getting onto the latter portal platform meant that she was home. She took in a breath of fresh air. It felt warmer than when she had left, but not by much. She’d lost track of the days; was it still summer, or was it fall?

  “How the Hell are we gonna get wagons through that?” Ned asked.

  His question brought her back to the here and now. Lisa looked ahead of her. The rubble she’d left behind hacking an opening was still lying around. The entrance cut into the building was indeed too narrow to drive a wagon through. The chunks of debris on the floor and on the street beyond certainly wouldn’t help.

  “You, Wayne, and Dave aren’t weaklings,” she said.

  “I didn’t agree to hard work.”

  “Oh, yes you did. You want the profits, you have to work. C’mon, let’s get going.”

  She led him out of the building. Once outside she looked at the sky. The sun was still high; if they walked they could make it to Mountain View before sunset. She listened to find out of anyone was moving around in the ruins of Centropolis. This time, the city really was dead.

  “We should be able to get home by dark,” she said.

  “Okay.”

  Lisa and Ned started walking. She didn’t have to get too far out of the city to get some idea of how much time had passed. It was warm, but a few leaves on a few trees were changing colors. The bright greens of spring had already changed into the duller green of summer. That color would soon be replaced by the yellows, reds, and browns of autumn. School had probably already started. She had been away for quite some time.

  As they headed up the road, Lisa let Ned know more about her family and her hometown. She talked about her sister and her father. She described the library where she’d been inspired to begin her journey. She told him about her adventure in Centropolis, and a few more minor “adventures” farther back in her past.

  “Sounds like you had it pretty good,” Ned commented when Lisa’s stories were completely finished.

  “I don’t know if I’d put it that way.”

  “You had it lots better than me.”

  “I know. What I meant was, I wouldn’t say I had it good. I’d say it was a pretty comfortable life.”

  “What’s the difference?”

  “Comfort isn’t challenging.”

  “Challenge is over-rated.”

  “Tell me that when you’re comfortable and bored.”

  “When I get there, I will.” He pointed. “Is that it?”

  She gasped. “That’s it.”

  Lisa thought Mountain View didn’t appear to have changed a bit since she left. That sent an odd chill down her back. She wondered if anything had happened to her father, and her sister Leslie.

  She suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure ahead of her. “Father!” she called.

  The man turned and looked her way. A wide smiled broke onto his face. “Lisa!”

  It was a long run, but she ran it all the way. At the end she embraced him. She let him sweep her off the ground. She held on, wanting to savor his arms. She was a child again, protected by her father.

  At last he eased her away. He looked down at her. “You’ve lost weight.”

  “Yeah. Comes from walking, and riding, and eating on the road.”

  He laughed. “Still the same Lisa.”

  “I guess.” She turned to find Ned. He was standing a few paces away, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “Come here.” She turned back to her father. “Father, this is my friend Ned. Ned, this is my father.”

  Ned stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  Her father shook it. “Nice to meet you, young man.” He looked at Lisa. “Just a friend?”

  “Yes.”

  “And her business partner,” Ned said, “and her protector, and her wagon driver, and one of her followers. Have I missed anything?”

  “Student.”

  “Oh, yeah. She’s gonna teach me to read a little better, and to read some books she likes. In exchange for me teaching her to put up a good fight.”

  “I see,” her father said. “I suppose we have much to discuss.”

  “Yes, we do.”

  Her father smiled. “First, you need to say hello to your sister.”

  “Okay.”

  He led Lisa and Ned to her old home. “Your sister got married a few weeks after you left,” he told her as they walked.

  “Dan?”

  “Yep.”

  “Thought so. Did you cry?”

  “Of course I did. A father’s supposed to cry at his daughter’s wedding.” He opened the door. He waited for them to enter before going inside. Once inside he called out, “Leslie! We have guests.”

  “Who is it?” the other woman called back.

  “Come and see.”

  “Okay.”

  A few moments later Lisa saw Leslie. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. Leslie had a pronounced bulge in her belly. “Oh, my God.”

  “Lisa?”

  Lisa jumped to her sister. She hugged her, more warmly than she would have guessed even the day before. It was strange. For so long she’d mocked her sister’s low ambition. She thought little of Leslie because all she wanted was a husband and children. Now, there she was, pregnant. She really is going to be a mother.

  Lisa stepped back to look at her sister. Leslie was clearly expecting, but it seemed as if she hadn’t gained too much weight. Her face was still pretty; she had no new chins or extra cheek. Lisa could tell that she wasn’t due, unless she’d found out about her pregnancy soon after Lisa had left. There might still be time for Leslie to lose some of her glow, but Lisa didn’t think that it would happen. When it came to looks, Leslie had all the luck.

  “You’re looking pretty trim,” Leslie said.

  “Thanks. You look great.”

  Leslie smiled, and rolled her eyes. “I’m starting to waddle.” She glanced towards their father, and saw Ned. “Who is that?”

  “My friend Ned. Ned, this is my sister Leslie.”

  “I thought so.” He approached and nodded to her. “Pleased to meet you. Lisa told me lots about you.”

  “Oh?” Leslie glared at her sister.

  “I tried to be nice,” Lisa said, “honest.”

  “Uh-huh. So, is he...?”

  “My friend. We work together.”

  “Work?”

  Their father cleared his throat. “I think we should let Lisa and her friend tell us what they’ve been up to.”

  “It’s going to take a while,” Lisa said.

  “Then you should start right now.”

  ***

  Lisa’s tale was finally finished as they completed dinner. Dan had joined them as Leslie started cooking, so backtracking to include him took time. Questions from Leslie and her father took more time. The fact was that Lisa had a long story to tell, and she didn’t want to leave anything out.

  When she was done her father sat back in his chair. He took a deep breath and nodded. “You really have made a difference.”

  “I tried,” she responded, surprised at how small her voice suddenly sounded.

  “What are you going to do now?” Leslie asked.

  “Help get Wayne and Dave introduced to some of the leaders I met.” Lisa l
ooked at her father. “They want to meet you, too.”

  “To trade?” her father asked.

  “Yes. They’ll want to know what we need, and what we have that might fill someone else’s needs.”

  “I have a question,” Ned said to Leslie and the women’s father. “Wayne’s trying to reclaim Springdale. Has anyone here tried to reclaim Centropolis?”

  The older man shook his head. “No, we haven’t. Not that the subject hasn’t come up.”

  “It has?” Lisa asked.

  “Yes, while you were gone. You see, Grainfield might run out of old houses in the next year or so. We might here in a couple of years, along with Riverton and Rossville. We Mayors had a meeting about this, and we came up with only two solutions. Let the new people move into Centropolis, or start cutting down trees to build new homes.”

  “Why not cut down trees?” Ned asked.

  “Not enough saws and axes.”

  “We could solve that.”

  “I know, but I’m not so sure I want us cutting down trees in large numbers. Besides, Centropolis is fairly intact. It should take a generation or more to fill up all the houses there.”

  Leslie nodded at her father. “He wants Dan and I to lead the way.”

  “Why not? Or do you want Lisa to get all the attention?”

  “There’s all that work. Cleaning, hunting for firewood,...”

  “Ned could help you with that,” Lisa said. “He knows how to scrounge.” She pointed at her father. “There ought to be a trade store there, too.”

  “Your friends would still have to travel around,” her father replied.

  “If there were families from most of the towns, they’d know what was needed and what everyone had. If the families kept in touch with their hometowns, Wayne and Dave wouldn’t need to travel. Well, they might, but they wouldn’t waste a trip.”

  “That’s not a bad idea, Lisa.” He turned to Ned. “Would you be willing to help a group look over the old city tomorrow? You don’t have to do any work, just find out what’s there that can be salvaged.”

  “I can do that.”

  “Dan, would you go with him?”

  “Sure. I’ll get some of my friends to go along.”

  “I’d like to go to,” Leslie said.

  “Are you sure?” her father asked.

  “I can travel.” She patted Dan’s hand. “If we’re going to live there, I want to pick out our home.” She smiled to her father. “Besides, you men don’t know what women need to survive.”

  “All right. Don’t go exerting yourself.”

  “I won’t.”

  He looked at Lisa. “I guess you and I have Saturday to ourselves.”