Mother America

physical and mental capacity."

  "Educated people know that already."

  "True, but it needs constant emphasis or it is forgotten under thepropaganda. Besides, I don't believe in mating people like cattle orslaves. That's why this whole thing is a travesty of love and marriage.I hate being used to give it a semblance of scientific authenticity. I'mgoing to declare the top four contestants equal. They are, as far as Iam concerned, genetically speaking. The audience will decide the winner.They'll love it and so will the sponsor. The other three are realAmerican dream girls. I want you to outsmart them at their own game ...and tell America later what a farce it all was."

  "You really are a romantic, underneath the cynicism," Gloria saidwonderingly. "I didn't think scientists were built with hearts anymore." She reached across and took his hand. "But I like you that way.Do you think I could do it?"

  "Easily. Just pretend you are Ellen the Earthling from that comedy ofyours. That's the type they want."

  "Yes, but when I bow out later they'll be calling me Marina the MartianMenace ... that won't be so funny."

  "They won't, Gloria. You can laugh it off as a publicity stunt and getthem laughing with you. Who knows, it might even stop this mad fad ofcareer women having babies without a proper home and a father to raisethem."

  She laughed. "Are you afraid you're going to be replaced by a machine,George?" her eyes twinkled with amusement.

  He grinned. "Oh, we still have our uses. Time to go. Will you do it?"

  She stood up. "I'll play it by ear. If the audience is the type you saythey are, it will be a pleasure."

  * * * * *

  The parade was over. Now, as they waited for the banquet and thespeeches to begin, John Harmon spoke to Turner.

  "You're a lucky man, George."

  "Why?"

  "Spending so much time with Gloria. She had me laughing all the way upWall Street with her remarks about the parade. If I didn't have to goback to the base tomorrow I'd steal her for a date." He turned toGloria. "I mean it, honey. You really leave me weightless!"

  Gloria smiled at him. "I'll take a recount, John. We can blast off someother time."

  After the banquet the Mayor of New York made the major address of theevening. "And so, ladies and gentleman," he concluded, "you have seentoday two people who represent the end of one era and the beginning ofanother. The lovely lady on my right is to be the first Mother America.For the first time in history, our nation is actively planning ourfuture citizens. It is true that for years now, with the help of theGenetics Laboratories, represented so ably by Doctor Turner, individualcitizens have planned their parenthood, but never before have aPresident and Congress given their approval, their official blessing,for such a purpose. This then is a milestone we have passed, a point inour history we will never forget."

  "They'll never forget me either when I back out," Gloria whispered toGeorge. "I'm getting worried. We're in too deep."

  "Don't be scared, baby," George said. "I'll get you out of it, if youhave to fall sick to do it." He patted her arm reassuringly but somehow,without the rosy glow of a bottle of wine to color this view, the jokedidn't seem as funny as it had the previous night.

  The Mayor continued. "Another point in our history was passed when thisyoung man on my left, at that time Captain, now Major John Harmon of theSpace Force, returned from Mars. He and his crew represent the end ofour isolation in space. The Moon, after all, is a satellite of Earth.Mars is another planet, and Major Harmon has landed there. We are notlikely in our time to see another such event since the next big step,beyond the Solar System, will require a technology we do not possess.So, ladies and gentlemen, you, tonight, are witnessing the beginning ofa new age, an age of supermen borne by women of America, such as GloriaManson, and led by heroes such as John Harmon. I propose we drink atoast to them ... together."

  * * * * *

  Afterwards, in Gloria's apartment, the three of them sat and talkeduntil late. Then John Harmon looked at his watch and got up to leave.

  "I have to catch the ramjet out of La Guardia," he said. "We startplanning the next space trip in Colorado tomorrow, or rather thismorning. It's been fun." He shook George's hand and kissed Gloriaquickly. "I'll be seeing you one of these days."

  George shut the door behind him. "I guess I'd better go now," he said.

  "No! Have one for the road," Gloria said quickly. "I want to talk toyou."

  George poured another Scotch. "You still worried?"

  "A bit," she admitted. "What is the next step?"

  "Now I'm supposed to pick the male donor."

  "I thought you'd done that already."

  "No. You see we have to know what blood types the female has and whather genetic structure is; whether she has any antibodies against spermand so on, before we pick the male. To do it before the winner ispicked would entail a lot of unnecessary work."

  "Then we still have some time before the impregnation ceremony?"

  "I can stall for maybe four weeks ... no longer. You see I have toconsider your cycle too." He got up to go. "Gloria, I guess I was halflit last night. I'm sorry. It was a damn-fool idea."

  She came close to him. "But you really do believe in the old-fashionedmarriage, even if not in the old-fashioned girl?"

  "Yes, I do. I still think people should be in love and not just matedbecause a calculating machine says they'll produce superior offspring."

  "You're sweet." She put her arms around his neck and kissed him. Thekiss lasted ... and lasted. Finally George broke it off.

  "My God!" he mumbled. "Don't we have enough problems, without this?"

  * * * * *

  Three weeks later, on Monday, George announced he had a suitable donor.The New York Genetics Panel, in session, considered the records andannounced that permission was granted for one Gloria Manson, spinster,of New York City, to bear a child by artificial impregnation. The datewas set for Wednesday. On Tuesday night George went to Gloria'sapartment.

  "What are we going to do?" Gloria asked as she watched George wearing apath on the rug. "We've left it awfully late."

  "I couldn't do anything else," George said. "We can't plead illness asI'd hoped to do. This afternoon the panel decided on a last minuteindependent medical check to be sure you're OK. That means I can't fakeit and there's no time to give you a cold or some mild illness now.Somehow I've got to stall past the fertile period and then we will haveanother month to think of something."

  "How long is the fertile period?"

  "Our tests show that in your case it is approximately twenty-four hoursand begins about midnight tonight."

  "Couldn't I disappear for a day or pretend I'm frightened of having ababy and call it off? Goodness knows we're both getting frightened rightnow." She poured out two stiff drinks.

  "You can't just quit, Gloria. The whole nation has been whipped up intohysteria over this business, both by the politicians in theiranticommunist speeches and by the sponsors on Coloraudio system. I neverdreamed it could put a whole country into orbit ... but it has. We'llboth be ruined if I can't figure a way out that doesn't anger thepublic." He drained his glass and began pacing again.

  "If I have to go on with it can't you at least do something to preventconception?" Gloria asked. "I don't mean vaccination. I want to havechildren later. I can stand the ceremony if I know I won't becomepregnant."

  "In that case I could give you a shot of antiserum against sperm,"George said. "That would stop pregnancy all right."

  "Would it make me sterile for long?"

  "Oh no ... no! I wouldn't use pooled serum from all types anyway. Yousee we make some specific serum when we are testing each donor and itworks only against the sperm of that particular man."

  "Then we're all right? All I need is a shot?"

  George shook his head. "I'm afraid to risk it, Gloria. They'll probablyexamine your blood tomorrow. If they found the specific antibody, oreven a general antisperm
antibody, that would really get us into troublefor fraud." He shook his head. "No. I'm afraid that's not the answer. Idon't know what to do." He poured another drink and downed it.

  "George," Gloria wailed, her control breaking at last, "I don't want atest-tube husband, a parent by proxy. I want a man!" She began to cry.

  He came over to the couch