[JMR201803011255: edits]
I continued to wait, looking around the once familiar room.
-
I continue to wait, looking around the once familiar room.
--
The was only one person besides me who was there both times.
-
There was only one person besides me who was there both times.
--
She was being vague. Then, being sure I could see through the door, she imitated a hairstyle I would recognize.
-
Her words are vague. Making sure I can see through the doorway, she imitates a hairstyle I recognize.
--
The reason Georgette and I are have been separated for three of the eight years we have been married.
-
The reason Georgette and I have been separated for three of the eight years we have been married.
--
We slip in the back of the sportswear shop and I hold my conscience at bay as we lift T-shirts, shorts, and running shoes.
-
We slip in the back of the sportswear shop and I hold my conscience at bay as we lift T-shirts, shorts, sweats, and running shoes.
--
Back in the maintenance access, 'Gette pulls off her shirt, and I freeze.
-
Back underground, 'Gette pulls off her shirt, and I freeze.
--
[JMR201803011255: edits end]
[JMR201802282149: edits]
She waited for a comment.
-
She waits for a comment.
[JMR201802282149: edits end ]
[JMR201802281225: edits ]
And I can't guarantee that they would avoid shooting me, and calling me collateral damage of the war on drugs.
-
And I can't guarantee that they would avoid shooting me, calling me collateral damage of the war on drugs.
--
I hold up two fingers and point to the window, then do cherrytops with my finger.
-
I quickly hold up two fingers and point to the window, then do cherrytops with my finger.
--
I had told her some time ago that the recorder on our police issue phones immediately transmits what it records to the station.
-
I told her some time ago that the recorder on our police issue phones immediately transmits what it records to the station.
--
[JMR201802281225: edits end]
[JMR201802281130: edits before this point]
Beep-beep.
-
Bing-bong-bing.
--
The door opens.
-
The door opens and a vision appears before me. I blink, and the vision fades to real colors, which are still not unattractive.
--
"What is it, then, George?"
-
"The uniform is not just to impress an off-duty nurse, huh? What is it, then, George?"
--
"Can't tell you. They should not have sent me. The office knows it's a conflict of interest. I can't ask you what happened, and I can't even offer advice."
-
Watching her from behind, not-faint echos of memories lodge in my mind. Medium brown hair, but it was once my privilege to run my hands through it. And I shouldn't mention my memories of the rest.
I shake myself. "Can't tell you even that. They should not have sent me. The office knows it's a conflict of interest. I can't ask you what happened, and I can't even offer advice."
--
"I can't answer that."
-
"I can't answer that, either."
--
"Well, I want you to know what happened, even if the office is deliberately trying to get me to waive my rights."
-
"Well, I want you to know what happened, even if the police office is deliberately trying to get me to waive my rights."
--
I don't give in, so she took it up a level four years ago. Manufactured a compromising situation, and even though I didn't fold, it was my word against hers. And she has made it more of a personal battle since then. I have become the thing she can't have, and she can't stand not getting what she wants. Now she is using my estranged wife against me.
-
I don't give in, so, four years ago, she took it up a level. Manufactured a compromising situation, and even though I didn't fold, it was my word against hers.
And she has made it more of a personal battle since then. I have become the thing she can't have, and she can't stand not getting what she wants. Now I understand that she is using my estranged wife against me again.
--
The chief would not allow this, so she must be out of control. Or, ... I am also the only officer on the force not somewhat under his thumb.
-
The chief would not usually allow going this far, so she must be out of control. Or, ... I am also one of the few officers on the force not under his thumb. He has this thing about things he can't have, too.
--
I have backup I didn't know about down on the street five floors below us. Two more cars that I can see. There should be no need for that. Then I notice the hardware. Subconsciously, I recoil.
-
I see I have backup I didn't know about down on the street five floors below us. Two cars that I can see from here. There may well be more. There should be no need for that.
Then I notice the hardware. Subconsciously, I recoil.
--
I could walk 'Gette downstairs and keep her to close to shoot without hitting me, but I couldn't protect her at the station.
-
I could walk 'Gette downstairs and keep her too close to shoot without hitting me, but I couldn't protect her at the station. And I can't guarantee that they would avoid shooting me, and calling me collateral damage of the war on drugs.
--
"A girl's got her pride." Fortunately, she also remembers I'm on record. I had told her some time ago that the recorder on our police issue phones actually transmits what it records to the station.
-
"A girl's got her pride." Fortunately, she also remembers we're on record. I told her some time ago that the recorder on our police issue phones immediately transmits what it records to the station. The benefits of permanent connections.
--
I point toward elevator, then the emergency stairs and point down.
-
I point toward the elevator, then the emergency stairs and point down.
--
I follow her into the kitchen and let the camera record her putting soy bars and a couple of cans of apple juice into her purse, then casually turn away so she can grab her piece from its drawer, quietly. She also grabs a jacket and two backpacks she keeps as seventy-two hour kits for natural disasters and such.
-
I follow her into the kitchen and let the camera record her putting soy bars and a couple of cans of apple juice into her purse, then casually turn away so she can grab her piece from its drawer, quietly. She puts it in her purse, too.
Why a nurse needs a handgun may be beyond some people, but she has been the target of stalkers in the past, including the recent past. I'm not the only one who thinks she is beautiful.
She also grabs a jacket and two backpacks she keeps as seventy-two hour kits for natural disasters and such.
--
She locks the door behind her, and we go to the elevator. When it opens, we walk in, then I drop my phone. "Careless of me."
-
She locks the door behind her, and we go to the elevator. When it opens, we walk in, and then I drop my phone.
"Careless of me."
--
But she heads up, gesturing me to follow. I throw my nightstick down the down stairs and follow, dropping my pager near the wall on the first landing up, hoping they'll think I threw it there.
-
But she heads up, not down, gesturing to me to follow. I throw my nightstick down the down stairs and follow, dropping my pager near the wall on the first landing up, hoping they'll think I threw it there from below. GPS in those pagers, useful if the officer needs to be rescued, not so useful if he needs to be rescued from his own fellow officers.
--
On the roof, the next building over is only six feet away and at the same level. This whole block is close like that, the only block with tall buildings in this town. She doesn't wait, just runs for the edge. I follow, and check below as I go over the edge. It appears that the officers on the street are focusing on the ground floor, waiting on the elevator. The building after is at the same level, and we clear the edge together. The third building is taller, but there is a fire escape we can reach. Fortunately, the fire door opens from the outside. Safety code.
-
On the roof, the next building over is only six feet away and at the same level. This whole block is close like that, the only block with tall buildings in this town. She doesn't wait, just runs for the edge.
I follow, and check below as I go over the edge. It appears that the officers on the street are focusing on the ground floor, waiting on the elevator. At any rate, no shots ring out from below. The building after is at the same level, and we clear the edge together. The third building is taller, but there is a fire escape we can reach by leaping.
Fortunately, the fire door opens from the outside. Safety code.
--
"There's an underground maintenance accessway that opens in this building," she says. I wave her back from the entrance, but there's no sign of anyone, so we enter the accessway and make our way under the street. Back at surface level, there is an indoor mall, which we enter from beneath. We come up in an employee access hall.
-
"There's an underground maintenance accessway that opens in this building," she says. I know about it, and we find the entrance. I wave her back, but there's no sign of anyone, so we enter the accessway and make our way under the street.
Back at surface level across the street is an indoor mall, which we enter from beneath. We come up in an employee access hallway.
--
Once again on the surface, we cross the mall and walk as casually as we can to the bus terminal. As the bus pulls out, we hear sirens and watch police cars closing in on the apartment building from all sides.
-
Once again on the surface, we cross the mall and walk as casually as we can to the bus terminal.
As the bus pulls out, we hear sirens and watch police cars closing in on the apartment building from all sides.
--
"Me, too."
-
"Me, too. I'm glad I figured out what was going on."
--
"Hang out in hotels in Cincinnati and further east? Watch the news for a week and post incriminating hints to Twitter from netcafes?"
-
"Hang out in hotels in Cincinnati and further east? Watch the news for a week and post incriminating hints to Twitter from netcafes?"
She leans against me, her head on my shoulder, staring out the window. "Well, if this is the end for us, at least we have a little more time to spend together."
-----
Table of Contents Next: N
-----
Originally inspired by a question in the LDS Beta Readers Facebook group, by Cheree Mackay Myatt, on plot elements to get a long-term separated couple back together for a week. She ended up with a list of ideas long enough to consider using in creating an anthology.
[Edit record starts here: http://joel-rees-economics.blogspot.com/2018/02/backup-me-and-mrs-jones.html.]
--
[JMR201802281130: edits end]
[Backup of http://joels-random-eikaiwa.blogspot.com/2018/02/me-and-mrs-jones.html.]
Beep-beep.
I wait for maybe fifty seconds and reach to ring the doorbell again. It feels awkward ringing this bell, but it should. This apartment used to be mine.
The door opens.
"Mr. Jones, long time no see."
"Uh, hi, Mrs. Jones. How have you been?"
"Not bad. Yourself?"
"Well, enough, I guess. Uhm, well, except, look, I'm really sorry about this."
"What? It's not like there's child support you aren't paying."
"I'm not here on personal business."
"What is it, then, George?"
"There's been a complaint. Medicine missing at the hospital. I have to take you in for questioning."
My ex-, or, should I say, estranged wife sighs and turns around. "I'll go get my purse and a jacket. Do you think it'll take long?"
"Can't tell you. They should not have sent me. The office knows it's a conflict of interest. I can't ask you what happened, and I can't even offer advice."
"Can I make myself a little more presentable?" she asks as she picks up her purse and goes into the bedroom.
"Sure."
"I want you to know my side of things."
"Wait." I recite the litany of rights. "Got that?"
"So I'm being accused?"
"I can't answer that."
"Well, I want you to know what happened, even if the office is deliberately trying to get me to waive my rights."
I'm not allowed to stop her from talking, either.
"So get out your recorder and make this official," she adds.
I pull out my standard-issue phone and thumb the recorder app. "It's recording."
"Four times in the last two weeks, I've found some patient's prescription in my purse. The first time, I didn't find it 'til I got home. But I called immediately and told my boss and the physician in charge. Since then, I've checked my purse every day before I go home. Three more times, and each time I took what I found to whoever was in charge at the time before I left."
She waited for a comment.
"You know I can't say anything here."
"The third and fourth time, I checked my purse after I took it out of my locker, and there was nothing there. Then I checked it again after I changed clothes, and there it was."
I continued to wait, looking around the once familiar room.
"The was only one person besides me who was there both times. I think you know her." She was being vague. Then, being sure I could see through the door, she imitated a hairstyle I would recognize.
Julia Gomez. The chief's daughter. The reason Georgette and I are have been separated for three of the eight years we have been married. I have no kind words for the woman, but I can't say so. Not under the circumstances. 'Gette knows, anyway.
Something clicks in my brain.
Chief Gomez runs his unit like a fiefdom. He keeps the force under his thumb, by hook and by crook. One mistake, and he uses it to blackmail you. If he can't catch you at something useful enough, he sends his daughter to do his dirty work.
I don't give in, so she took it up a level four years ago. Manufactured a compromising situation, and even though I didn't fold, it was my word against hers. And she has made it more of a personal battle since then. I have become the thing she can't have, and she can't stand not getting what she wants. Now she is using my estranged wife against me.
The chief would not allow this, so she must be out of control. Or, ... I am also the only officer on the force not somewhat under his thumb.
I go to a window and look outside, being careful not to disturb the curtains or show my face.
I have backup I didn't know about down on the street five floors below us. Two more cars that I can see. There should be no need for that. Then I notice the hardware. Subconsciously, I recoil.
I could walk 'Gette downstairs and keep her to close to shoot without hitting me, but I couldn't protect her at the station.
Walking into the bedroom, I say, roughly, "Can't wait forever for you to put on your pretty face. Nobody at the station'll be persuaded anyway."
'Gette looks up at me in surprise. I hold up two fingers and point to the window, then do cherrytops with my finger. I turn sideways as her eyes go wide, and do a charade of shooting with rifles.
"No use delaying things."
"A girl's got her pride." Fortunately, she also remembers I'm on record. I had told her some time ago that the recorder on our police issue phones actually transmits what it records to the station.
"Okay, one more minute."
It is also fortunate that, with the phone on my belt, the camera is at such a level that I can keep my gestures out of the viewfield. But I can't risk too many more clues, and we are probably out of time. I point toward elevator, then the emergency stairs and point down. I think that racing the elevator down is our best chance.
She makes some finishing touches and puts her makeup away. "Let me get some snacks, just in case it takes a while."
I follow her into the kitchen and let the camera record her putting soy bars and a couple of cans of apple juice into her purse, then casually turn away so she can grab her piece from its drawer, quietly. She also grabs a jacket and two backpacks she keeps as seventy-two hour kits for natural disasters and such.
"I'm ready."
I lead, so the backpacks won't be picked up by the camera.
She locks the door behind her, and we go to the elevator. When it opens, we walk in, then I drop my phone. "Careless of me."
I turn the camera facing the wall and leave it there as she steps back out, and then I follow her. She hands me one of the packs. When the door is safely closed we both break into a run for the stairs.
But she heads up, gesturing me to follow. I throw my nightstick down the down stairs and follow, dropping my pager near the wall on the first landing up, hoping they'll think I threw it there.
On the roof, the next building over is only six feet away and at the same level. This whole block is close like that, the only block with tall buildings in this town. She doesn't wait, just runs for the edge. I follow, and check below as I go over the edge. It appears that the officers on the street are focusing on the ground floor, waiting on the elevator. The building after is at the same level, and we clear the edge together. The third building is taller, but there is a fire escape we can reach. Fortunately, the fire door opens from the outside. Safety code.
Inside, we run down the stairs. I follow her into the basement.
"There's an underground maintenance accessway that opens in this building," she says. I wave her back from the entrance, but there's no sign of anyone, so we enter the accessway and make our way under the street. Back at surface level, there is an indoor mall, which we enter from beneath. We come up in an employee access hall.
"Your fashion sense sucks."
"I do stick out, don't I? I think you should change, too"
"There's a Team Captain."
We slip in the back of the sportswear shop and I hold my conscience at bay as we lift T-shirts, shorts, and running shoes.
Back in the maintenance access, 'Gette pulls off her shirt, and I freeze.
"We never did finalize the divorce. Get changed."
It takes me a minute longer to change, and we stuff our clothes in our packs.
Once again on the surface, we cross the mall and walk as casually as we can to the bus terminal. As the bus pulls out, we hear sirens and watch police cars closing in on the apartment building from all sides.
"I think I'm glad I read your mind back there."
"Me, too."
"What'll we do?"
"Hang out in hotels in Cincinnati and further east? Watch the news for a week and post incriminating hints to Twitter from netcafes?"
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Friday, February 2, 2018
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Sociology 500, a Novel, ch 3 pt 6 -- More Random Dating
Previous
Marie and Karel ate lunch together the next Monday, and others of their friends joined them, too.
A woman I'll call Pixie brought up the dating game culture.
"Karel, can you tell me why women have to try so hard to please the guys?"
Karel smiled at the thought that the woman who had asked this apparently considered him far enough out of her range that she would be willing to ask his opinion on the subject. "I don't actually think it's a good idea."
"What do you mean?"
"A person who is using his or her talents to help others and serve God is attractive."
Another woman, whom we shall call Water Sprite, asked, "If that's so, why don't all of us win the beauty contests?"
"Good question. Why do you think?"
Pixie said, "I think you're just telling us not to bother, 'cause we're ugly."
"Well, I've noticed that beauty contests are often promoted to the parents as a way to teach their daughters self-confidence."
"So?"
Marie was listening rather attentively.
"If they have another way to learn self-confidence, why should they bother?"
"'Cause we're ugly, right?" Pixie retorted.
"I've never seen a person with real self-confidence who was ugly."
"There's a point in that," Marie spoke up. "When you're playing a beautiful person on stage, you tend to become beautiful."
Water Sprite said, "Well, you're beautiful anyway, so how would you know?"
Karel looked at Marie and raised his eyebrows.
She stood up. "I'll be right back."
The conversation went around in circles for a few minutes until she returned. As she sat down, the conversation stopped.
Pixie blurted out, "What happened to your face?"
"What you seem to have seen as a beautiful face was a product of makeup and, well, the confidence that I have in the makeup job."
"But, ...," Water Sprite hesitated, "... well, you aren't ugly without the makeup. Just different."
Karel concurred. "Definitely not ugly. There's a different beauty that shines through without the makeup to cover it up."
It was Marie's turn to be surprised. She demurred.
A male student whom we shall refer to as Thor said, "Well, I'm not going to say you're beautiful, but I think you're attractive."
Marie said, "Thank you. I can accept that as honest."
Karel couldn't resist generalizing, "It's a kind of a negative way to say it, but anyone who thinks you are ugly just doesn't count. You really shouldn't care what they think."
While the others sat and thought about that, Water Sprite added two and two and got three. "So, if you think a girl is beautiful, that's the girl you should marry?"
Marie laughed. "That sounds so, one-way."
Thor came closer to the truth. "Then, if I think a girl is beautiful and she thinks I'm, uhm, good looking, we should get married."
Everybody in the small group laughed.
"Okay, I guess there's more to it than that."
"It could be a good place to start." Karel grinned. "But I don't think I'd ask every good looking girl for a date."
Thor grinned, too. "Too many good-looking girls around. I'd never have time to study."
Laughs, snorts, and jeers greeted that.
Marie suppressed her laughter. "Being able to study and work with a person is also important."
Everyone ate silently for a moment.
Pixie asked, "Do these kinds of things get talked about in your country?"
"Of course. Even though most marriages are arranged, we are still interested in whether or not we will like the person that we marry."
Water Sprite asked, "You said you had an arranged marriage waiting when you go back."
"Yes, I do."
"Can't you just refuse?"
"That would bring shame on my family."
"Isn't an unhappy marriage a matter of shame, too?"
Karel thought they might not know something. "In her country, family relationships are based on principles of chattelry. The master of the house effectively owns all the members of the household."
"Like slaves?"
"My father is not a bad man. He doesn't treat me and my siblings as slaves. He does what he thinks is best for us."
Karel asked with his eyes whether he could voice a question about her feelings, and she said no, he shouldn't, with hers.
"What if you don't go back?" asked Pixie.
Marie just smiled an unconvincing smile, tilted her head, and didn't answer.
On Tuesday, it was just the two of them, and Marie decided to ask about the study group.
"Are you sure it's okay if I sit in on your study group?"
"Of course. Everybody's friendly. If we explain that you want to listen to everyone's natural conversations to study the language, some of them will be claim to be shy. But I'm sure no one will mind."
"What time do you start?"
"Some of my friends and I usually get there early, but the study group starts gathering around six thirty."
"Are you sure they won't mind?"
"It's the library. How could they object to your being there?"
But Marie was worried about whether she would be accepted, and decided she should watch the group for a little while before actually joining it. She would go early and find a place in the stacks to unobtrusively observe the group.
She didn't mention her plan to Karel.
Marie arrived at the study area about five to six and found a place in the stacks where she could stand and read, and watch through the gaps between books.
Bobbie and Kristie came in about six, talking and laughing. When Marie saw them, she suddenly felt shy about her own looks, and wondered whether they were part of Karel's study group.
Karel came in a few minutes later.
"Hey."
"Hey, yourself. What have you got on the questions about IQ measurement?"
"Found a study that basically turns the whole question on its edge. The researcher found a field in which the students with high measured IQs all performed poorly."
"Great."
Books were spread out, and from where she watched Marie recognized that there was something more than just friendship between the three. She caught her breath, and Bobbie heard a sigh and caught sight of her hair disappearing behind books. She whispered something to Kristie and Karel in between comments on their studies.
Karel thought a moment and whispered back. And Bobbie nodded. And their conversation continued.
I suppose I should mention, here, that polygamous marriage in the world of this novel had not been banned by the government as it has been in our world. That is, the Supreme Court of the Union of Independent States had ruled that the Constitution reserved family welfare to the ken of the States, and that attempts to unilaterally impose national laws regulating family welfare on territories with their own established governments would impinge on the Constitutional authority of said territory when the territory applied for statehood. What the Constitution denied the national government relative to states, it must also must deny relative to territories.
Well, the ruling was a bit more detailed, but that was the effect.
So polygamy was a part of the history of the E-P movement. But the first E-P prophet delivered many sermons about abuses in marriages and in family relationships before he was martyred. He specifically directed E-P-ist spouses and parents not to play favorites, if they wanted the blessings of heaven in their homes. He also directed the Church to give women full status with men in their communities, and worked to change the laws of the communities in which Church members lived, to give women the right to vote and hold property independently of men.
The second E-P prophet repeated the warnings, and made sure that women had full status before the law with men in the State of Beehive when it was admitted to the Union.
The third prophet told the members of the Church that there had been too many abuses which seemed to be made worse by polygamy, and directed them to seek better solutions to their social problems. With his support, marriage laws for the State of Beehive were changed. In monogamous marriage, the man and wife shared legal responsibility and authority for the family equally, but when a man took a second wife, his authority under law over each family would be limited. And he would still be fully responsible for the welfare of each family.
(I'm leaving out the details of how that worked. The laws appear counter-intuitive at first, and it would take several pages to explain why. I want to get back to the story.)
That made polygamy less attractive to men, but more attractive to women.
Finally, the fourth prophet received a revelation and transmitted it to the Church, that false traditions about polygamy were destroying the Church from within. No more polygamous marriages would be performed or recognized by the Church without express permission from the prophet himself, and he listed all the usual reasons for polygamous marriages as being insufficient.
This prophet urged the individual stakes and wards to develop programs to support women who needed to leave abusive husbands. He was also able to encourage the members of the state legislature of Beehive to strengthen the legal framework under which women could support themselves and their children independently. And he re-emphasized in his sermons the idea that a monogamous man who properly supported his one family had far more glory in heaven than a polygamous man who abused his spouses and children or failed to provide for them properly.
That mostly put a stop to polygamy within the mainstream Church, but there were a few members who left the Church over the issue, and a few others who secretly continued the practice.
Which long aside might help to explain why Marie was suspicious when she saw how well Karel, Bobbie, and Kristie got along.
For the next five minutes, she listened and snuck peeks through the stacks, and what she saw and heard seemed only to add to her concerns. The ease with which they joked and discussed things, the complete lack of deference which the two women displayed, the intuition which was more an ideal in her home country than a reality but seemed quite real here, and the lack of real heat when the intuition failed were all so far beyond her experience that she could not believe that they could be just friends.
(I don't repeat the conversations she overheard here. Words do nothing to communicate what she was seeing.)
When Dan arrived, Bobbie noticed that she didn't seem to be there any more, and Karel stood and looked around the stacks to find her. But she was gone.
"Do you think it was your new friend from the dorms?"
"Maybe. I hope it wasn't. Maybe she'll come later. I think she'd enjoy our study group.
"Speaking of new friends, Karel, you are officially invited to our ward dance Saturday."
"Oh?"
"Kelly's roommate and fellow club member, Cherise, says she'd be glad to have someone to help her help keep the rhythm going."
On Friday, after the dance class, Piers met Bobbie at their apartment and they went to the International Cinema. The movie was interesting, and about half way through, Piers put his arm around Bobbie's shoulders. She stiffened at first, but after a few minutes, relaxed.
Nothing further happened of interest. Bobbie's shift would start soon, so they talked about the movie as they walked back to the womens' apartment. Bobbie found the conversation agreeable, and agreed to go out with him again.
As Bobbie prepared for her shift at the hospital, Kristie, Michelle, and Jennifer prepared for the ward dance. Joel and some of his roommates came, and they left for the dance at the same time Bobbie left for work.
At the dance, Joel's and Kristie's roommates enjoyed themselves. Joel and Kristie also enjoyed teaching each other new dance steps, and some of the members of the ward tried to copy them. Then they split up to teach others how to do the steps for a dance or two, and then they got back together again.
Both Kristie's roommates and Joel's left early, so Joel walked Kristie home. On the way, Kristie thought he seemed a little down, and thought she should probe a little. "Well, I had fun," she said.
"Yeah. Me too. Thanks for letting me monopolize your time."
"Not at all. You didn't really, and I enjoyed it, anyway."
"Dan and Karel deliberately stayed away."
"Maybe so."
"Weren't you sad they weren't there?"
"It's not like we're going steady or anything."
"But you guys really mesh. It's hard to imagine that you aren't."
"We've only known each other for a month or so."
"Do you think it takes time?"
"To build a real relationship? Yes. Of course."
"How many years do you think it takes?"
"Years? Well, maybe not necessarily years. It depends."
"I've got a friend I've known since we were children. We never went out before my mission, but we worked together on a lot of the committees, and we'd dance at the dances. Now she's my regular partner in the folk dance club. I want to ask her out, but the club rules say we can't."
"Why's that?"
"The club is semi-professional, and if members of the club date each other it can cause problems during performance. And it's easy to forget that dance isn't all there is to life, and assume that, since you dance well together, you could live together well."
"Have you ever let her know how you feel about her?"
"She would never let me close. She thinks she isn't very attractive."
"Very few women can admit to themselves that they are attractive, but that doesn't really tell us anything."
After walking a few minutes in silence, Kristie said, "Well, I suggest you consider sacrificing the club to tell her your feelings.
"I couldn't. She'd insist on being the one to leave."
"Then you need to be patient, and try to find a way to build her confidence until she can agree to let you leave so you can date."
"But what if she doesn't want to date me?"
They were at the door of Kristie and Bobbie's apartment. Kristie stopped and looked at him. "That's a risk you're going to have to take if you want to every know how she feels. Do you have any sisters?"
"Five."
"Do you miss them?"
"No!" Joel looked a little sheepish. "Well, maybe, just a little."
"I'll be your sister at school, okay?"
Joel had to think for a moment, then he said. "Thanks. I think I need someone to talk to."
Karel didn't see Marie again that week, and when he went to watch her play practice on Saturday afternoon, he was intercepted by one of the actors.
"Marie asked us to inform you that you are not welcome here."
Karel thought for a moment, then asked, "Could you tell her I just thought we could be friends?"
"I don't think she cares what you think."
Karel nodded apologetically, said a quiet, "Okay," and left.
That evening, Karel crashed Dan's ward's dance. Of course, since he was invited, he wasn't really crashing. He and Dan met the two women at the women's apartment and walked them to the dance.
Any time the dance flagged, the four of them would get out on the dance floor and start a snowball, and the dance was a success.
On the way back to Kelly and Cherise's apartment, Kelly opened up about her worries.
"Dan, I know it's not fair to ask, but am I pretty?"
Cherise held her piece.
Dan stopped and looked her up and down and gave her a wolf whistle.
Kelly giggled. "Stop that."
And all four laughed.
Cherise asked, "How is it you can do that whistle so well, Dan?"
"Ask Karel. I used to hang around with a wild crowd."
"He did. And if he says you're cute, you're cute."
Kelly blushed.
"See?" Cherise said. "I'm not lying to you."
"Why do guys tease me about my looks?"
"Guys are stupid." Cherise replied.
Dan and Karel both said, "Yep."
Then Dan said, "Karel would tell you that some of the very guys that tease you most about your looks are the very ones that secretly like you."
Karel laughed. "And you never did that, did you?"
Dan mugged a look of fake innocence. "Never!"
Both Kelly and Cherise laughed.
Cherise asked, "Why do guys do that?"
Dan sighed. "Self-doubt. Scared that somebody we like doesn't like us."
Kelly was apparently only half listening, or maybe she just couldn't accept what Dan said. "Why doesn't he like me?"
"Who is this 'he'?" Dan asked.
Kelly looked at Cherise and then looked down at the ground.
Cherise shook her head. "Her dance partner is a friend from home that she has been in love with for years. But she's never had the courage to tell him. I think he likes her, too, but she won't believe me."
"In love?" Karel asked absently.
"Well, considering their history, I'd say it's more than a crush."
"Dance partner. I can see why she would not want to mess that up with questions about who likes whom." Karel was still speaking in the abstract.
Dan reached around and boffed the back of his head.
"Beauty is as beauty does, right Karel?"
"Yeah. But I was talking with someone about that recently, and apparently offended her, so maybe I should keep quiet. Why don't people see the truth about beauty?"
"You're not keeping quiet."
"You're right."
"Anyway, Kelly," Dan continued, "you should trust yourself. This is too important to throw away. Remember the parable about the talents?"
"Love is an important trust from God, too." Karel said.
Cherise stopped and gave the two of them a good look over. "Where do they hide guys like you?"
Dan mumbled. "Don't assume too much. Neither of us is particularly perfect."
As they arrived at the two women's apartment, Cherise said, "Look, Kelly, I'll try to fix it with the club members if you want to ask Joel."
Dan and Karel looked at each other and agreed, without talking, to refrain from asking which Joel.
[This part is not yet backed up.]
[Chapter 3 part 6 is original to the second draft, and is not found in the first draft.]
Marie and Karel ate lunch together the next Monday, and others of their friends joined them, too.
A woman I'll call Pixie brought up the dating game culture.
"Karel, can you tell me why women have to try so hard to please the guys?"
Karel smiled at the thought that the woman who had asked this apparently considered him far enough out of her range that she would be willing to ask his opinion on the subject. "I don't actually think it's a good idea."
"What do you mean?"
"A person who is using his or her talents to help others and serve God is attractive."
Another woman, whom we shall call Water Sprite, asked, "If that's so, why don't all of us win the beauty contests?"
"Good question. Why do you think?"
Pixie said, "I think you're just telling us not to bother, 'cause we're ugly."
"Well, I've noticed that beauty contests are often promoted to the parents as a way to teach their daughters self-confidence."
"So?"
Marie was listening rather attentively.
"If they have another way to learn self-confidence, why should they bother?"
"'Cause we're ugly, right?" Pixie retorted.
"I've never seen a person with real self-confidence who was ugly."
"There's a point in that," Marie spoke up. "When you're playing a beautiful person on stage, you tend to become beautiful."
Water Sprite said, "Well, you're beautiful anyway, so how would you know?"
Karel looked at Marie and raised his eyebrows.
She stood up. "I'll be right back."
The conversation went around in circles for a few minutes until she returned. As she sat down, the conversation stopped.
Pixie blurted out, "What happened to your face?"
"What you seem to have seen as a beautiful face was a product of makeup and, well, the confidence that I have in the makeup job."
"But, ...," Water Sprite hesitated, "... well, you aren't ugly without the makeup. Just different."
Karel concurred. "Definitely not ugly. There's a different beauty that shines through without the makeup to cover it up."
It was Marie's turn to be surprised. She demurred.
A male student whom we shall refer to as Thor said, "Well, I'm not going to say you're beautiful, but I think you're attractive."
Marie said, "Thank you. I can accept that as honest."
Karel couldn't resist generalizing, "It's a kind of a negative way to say it, but anyone who thinks you are ugly just doesn't count. You really shouldn't care what they think."
While the others sat and thought about that, Water Sprite added two and two and got three. "So, if you think a girl is beautiful, that's the girl you should marry?"
Marie laughed. "That sounds so, one-way."
Thor came closer to the truth. "Then, if I think a girl is beautiful and she thinks I'm, uhm, good looking, we should get married."
Everybody in the small group laughed.
"Okay, I guess there's more to it than that."
"It could be a good place to start." Karel grinned. "But I don't think I'd ask every good looking girl for a date."
Thor grinned, too. "Too many good-looking girls around. I'd never have time to study."
Laughs, snorts, and jeers greeted that.
Marie suppressed her laughter. "Being able to study and work with a person is also important."
Everyone ate silently for a moment.
Pixie asked, "Do these kinds of things get talked about in your country?"
"Of course. Even though most marriages are arranged, we are still interested in whether or not we will like the person that we marry."
Water Sprite asked, "You said you had an arranged marriage waiting when you go back."
"Yes, I do."
"Can't you just refuse?"
"That would bring shame on my family."
"Isn't an unhappy marriage a matter of shame, too?"
Karel thought they might not know something. "In her country, family relationships are based on principles of chattelry. The master of the house effectively owns all the members of the household."
"Like slaves?"
"My father is not a bad man. He doesn't treat me and my siblings as slaves. He does what he thinks is best for us."
Karel asked with his eyes whether he could voice a question about her feelings, and she said no, he shouldn't, with hers.
"What if you don't go back?" asked Pixie.
Marie just smiled an unconvincing smile, tilted her head, and didn't answer.
On Tuesday, it was just the two of them, and Marie decided to ask about the study group.
"Are you sure it's okay if I sit in on your study group?"
"Of course. Everybody's friendly. If we explain that you want to listen to everyone's natural conversations to study the language, some of them will be claim to be shy. But I'm sure no one will mind."
"What time do you start?"
"Some of my friends and I usually get there early, but the study group starts gathering around six thirty."
"Are you sure they won't mind?"
"It's the library. How could they object to your being there?"
But Marie was worried about whether she would be accepted, and decided she should watch the group for a little while before actually joining it. She would go early and find a place in the stacks to unobtrusively observe the group.
She didn't mention her plan to Karel.
Marie arrived at the study area about five to six and found a place in the stacks where she could stand and read, and watch through the gaps between books.
Bobbie and Kristie came in about six, talking and laughing. When Marie saw them, she suddenly felt shy about her own looks, and wondered whether they were part of Karel's study group.
Karel came in a few minutes later.
"Hey."
"Hey, yourself. What have you got on the questions about IQ measurement?"
"Found a study that basically turns the whole question on its edge. The researcher found a field in which the students with high measured IQs all performed poorly."
"Great."
Books were spread out, and from where she watched Marie recognized that there was something more than just friendship between the three. She caught her breath, and Bobbie heard a sigh and caught sight of her hair disappearing behind books. She whispered something to Kristie and Karel in between comments on their studies.
Karel thought a moment and whispered back. And Bobbie nodded. And their conversation continued.
I suppose I should mention, here, that polygamous marriage in the world of this novel had not been banned by the government as it has been in our world. That is, the Supreme Court of the Union of Independent States had ruled that the Constitution reserved family welfare to the ken of the States, and that attempts to unilaterally impose national laws regulating family welfare on territories with their own established governments would impinge on the Constitutional authority of said territory when the territory applied for statehood. What the Constitution denied the national government relative to states, it must also must deny relative to territories.
Well, the ruling was a bit more detailed, but that was the effect.
So polygamy was a part of the history of the E-P movement. But the first E-P prophet delivered many sermons about abuses in marriages and in family relationships before he was martyred. He specifically directed E-P-ist spouses and parents not to play favorites, if they wanted the blessings of heaven in their homes. He also directed the Church to give women full status with men in their communities, and worked to change the laws of the communities in which Church members lived, to give women the right to vote and hold property independently of men.
The second E-P prophet repeated the warnings, and made sure that women had full status before the law with men in the State of Beehive when it was admitted to the Union.
The third prophet told the members of the Church that there had been too many abuses which seemed to be made worse by polygamy, and directed them to seek better solutions to their social problems. With his support, marriage laws for the State of Beehive were changed. In monogamous marriage, the man and wife shared legal responsibility and authority for the family equally, but when a man took a second wife, his authority under law over each family would be limited. And he would still be fully responsible for the welfare of each family.
(I'm leaving out the details of how that worked. The laws appear counter-intuitive at first, and it would take several pages to explain why. I want to get back to the story.)
That made polygamy less attractive to men, but more attractive to women.
Finally, the fourth prophet received a revelation and transmitted it to the Church, that false traditions about polygamy were destroying the Church from within. No more polygamous marriages would be performed or recognized by the Church without express permission from the prophet himself, and he listed all the usual reasons for polygamous marriages as being insufficient.
This prophet urged the individual stakes and wards to develop programs to support women who needed to leave abusive husbands. He was also able to encourage the members of the state legislature of Beehive to strengthen the legal framework under which women could support themselves and their children independently. And he re-emphasized in his sermons the idea that a monogamous man who properly supported his one family had far more glory in heaven than a polygamous man who abused his spouses and children or failed to provide for them properly.
That mostly put a stop to polygamy within the mainstream Church, but there were a few members who left the Church over the issue, and a few others who secretly continued the practice.
Which long aside might help to explain why Marie was suspicious when she saw how well Karel, Bobbie, and Kristie got along.
For the next five minutes, she listened and snuck peeks through the stacks, and what she saw and heard seemed only to add to her concerns. The ease with which they joked and discussed things, the complete lack of deference which the two women displayed, the intuition which was more an ideal in her home country than a reality but seemed quite real here, and the lack of real heat when the intuition failed were all so far beyond her experience that she could not believe that they could be just friends.
(I don't repeat the conversations she overheard here. Words do nothing to communicate what she was seeing.)
When Dan arrived, Bobbie noticed that she didn't seem to be there any more, and Karel stood and looked around the stacks to find her. But she was gone.
"Do you think it was your new friend from the dorms?"
"Maybe. I hope it wasn't. Maybe she'll come later. I think she'd enjoy our study group.
"Speaking of new friends, Karel, you are officially invited to our ward dance Saturday."
"Oh?"
"Kelly's roommate and fellow club member, Cherise, says she'd be glad to have someone to help her help keep the rhythm going."
On Friday, after the dance class, Piers met Bobbie at their apartment and they went to the International Cinema. The movie was interesting, and about half way through, Piers put his arm around Bobbie's shoulders. She stiffened at first, but after a few minutes, relaxed.
Nothing further happened of interest. Bobbie's shift would start soon, so they talked about the movie as they walked back to the womens' apartment. Bobbie found the conversation agreeable, and agreed to go out with him again.
As Bobbie prepared for her shift at the hospital, Kristie, Michelle, and Jennifer prepared for the ward dance. Joel and some of his roommates came, and they left for the dance at the same time Bobbie left for work.
At the dance, Joel's and Kristie's roommates enjoyed themselves. Joel and Kristie also enjoyed teaching each other new dance steps, and some of the members of the ward tried to copy them. Then they split up to teach others how to do the steps for a dance or two, and then they got back together again.
Both Kristie's roommates and Joel's left early, so Joel walked Kristie home. On the way, Kristie thought he seemed a little down, and thought she should probe a little. "Well, I had fun," she said.
"Yeah. Me too. Thanks for letting me monopolize your time."
"Not at all. You didn't really, and I enjoyed it, anyway."
"Dan and Karel deliberately stayed away."
"Maybe so."
"Weren't you sad they weren't there?"
"It's not like we're going steady or anything."
"But you guys really mesh. It's hard to imagine that you aren't."
"We've only known each other for a month or so."
"Do you think it takes time?"
"To build a real relationship? Yes. Of course."
"How many years do you think it takes?"
"Years? Well, maybe not necessarily years. It depends."
"I've got a friend I've known since we were children. We never went out before my mission, but we worked together on a lot of the committees, and we'd dance at the dances. Now she's my regular partner in the folk dance club. I want to ask her out, but the club rules say we can't."
"Why's that?"
"The club is semi-professional, and if members of the club date each other it can cause problems during performance. And it's easy to forget that dance isn't all there is to life, and assume that, since you dance well together, you could live together well."
"Have you ever let her know how you feel about her?"
"She would never let me close. She thinks she isn't very attractive."
"Very few women can admit to themselves that they are attractive, but that doesn't really tell us anything."
After walking a few minutes in silence, Kristie said, "Well, I suggest you consider sacrificing the club to tell her your feelings.
"I couldn't. She'd insist on being the one to leave."
"Then you need to be patient, and try to find a way to build her confidence until she can agree to let you leave so you can date."
"But what if she doesn't want to date me?"
They were at the door of Kristie and Bobbie's apartment. Kristie stopped and looked at him. "That's a risk you're going to have to take if you want to every know how she feels. Do you have any sisters?"
"Five."
"Do you miss them?"
"No!" Joel looked a little sheepish. "Well, maybe, just a little."
"I'll be your sister at school, okay?"
Joel had to think for a moment, then he said. "Thanks. I think I need someone to talk to."
Karel didn't see Marie again that week, and when he went to watch her play practice on Saturday afternoon, he was intercepted by one of the actors.
"Marie asked us to inform you that you are not welcome here."
Karel thought for a moment, then asked, "Could you tell her I just thought we could be friends?"
"I don't think she cares what you think."
Karel nodded apologetically, said a quiet, "Okay," and left.
That evening, Karel crashed Dan's ward's dance. Of course, since he was invited, he wasn't really crashing. He and Dan met the two women at the women's apartment and walked them to the dance.
Any time the dance flagged, the four of them would get out on the dance floor and start a snowball, and the dance was a success.
On the way back to Kelly and Cherise's apartment, Kelly opened up about her worries.
"Dan, I know it's not fair to ask, but am I pretty?"
Cherise held her piece.
Dan stopped and looked her up and down and gave her a wolf whistle.
Kelly giggled. "Stop that."
And all four laughed.
Cherise asked, "How is it you can do that whistle so well, Dan?"
"Ask Karel. I used to hang around with a wild crowd."
"He did. And if he says you're cute, you're cute."
Kelly blushed.
"See?" Cherise said. "I'm not lying to you."
"Why do guys tease me about my looks?"
"Guys are stupid." Cherise replied.
Dan and Karel both said, "Yep."
Then Dan said, "Karel would tell you that some of the very guys that tease you most about your looks are the very ones that secretly like you."
Karel laughed. "And you never did that, did you?"
Dan mugged a look of fake innocence. "Never!"
Both Kelly and Cherise laughed.
Cherise asked, "Why do guys do that?"
Dan sighed. "Self-doubt. Scared that somebody we like doesn't like us."
Kelly was apparently only half listening, or maybe she just couldn't accept what Dan said. "Why doesn't he like me?"
"Who is this 'he'?" Dan asked.
Kelly looked at Cherise and then looked down at the ground.
Cherise shook her head. "Her dance partner is a friend from home that she has been in love with for years. But she's never had the courage to tell him. I think he likes her, too, but she won't believe me."
"In love?" Karel asked absently.
"Well, considering their history, I'd say it's more than a crush."
"Dance partner. I can see why she would not want to mess that up with questions about who likes whom." Karel was still speaking in the abstract.
Dan reached around and boffed the back of his head.
"Beauty is as beauty does, right Karel?"
"Yeah. But I was talking with someone about that recently, and apparently offended her, so maybe I should keep quiet. Why don't people see the truth about beauty?"
"You're not keeping quiet."
"You're right."
"Anyway, Kelly," Dan continued, "you should trust yourself. This is too important to throw away. Remember the parable about the talents?"
"Love is an important trust from God, too." Karel said.
Cherise stopped and gave the two of them a good look over. "Where do they hide guys like you?"
Dan mumbled. "Don't assume too much. Neither of us is particularly perfect."
As they arrived at the two women's apartment, Cherise said, "Look, Kelly, I'll try to fix it with the club members if you want to ask Joel."
Dan and Karel looked at each other and agreed, without talking, to refrain from asking which Joel.
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[This part is not yet backed up.]
[Chapter 3 part 6 is original to the second draft, and is not found in the first draft.]
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Sociology 500, a Novel, ch 2 pt 2 -- The Girls Talk
Previous
Kristie and Bobbie are not talking about fire drills. Or are they?
Kristie looked at her reflection in the mirror, holding her hair up and letting it fall, trying to decide whether to put her hair up for the graduate students' opening social or leave it down. The mirror she was using was the full-length mirror in the living room that they shared with the four other women in the apartment.
"Do you think the guys find me attractive, Bobbie?"
"Hunh? What?" Bobbie was sitting on the floor in hers and Kristie's room, checking her textbooks.
"I always worry about whether the guys find me attractive."
Bobbie leaned sideways and looked at Kristie's back through the doorway. "So you did just ask whether I thought the guys found you attractive."
"Yes, ..."
Bobbie got up and came into the living room and stood behind Kristie and put her hands on her shoulders. "Kristine Person, ..." Then she examined Kristie's hair and her face in the mirror, shaping her hair and lifting it in various styles, letting Kristie look at the effect. "... you know that's not the right question. What do you think of this?"
Kristie shook her head. "No that's not me. Too exotic. Not the right question? Well, the Sunday School teachers always said we shouldn't worry too much, but how are we supposed to find a husband if we don't make ourselves attractive?"
"Okay, picking a wrong question to answer first, yes, the guys find you attractive. But which guys? How's this?"
Kristie's face clouded. "That's not fair, asking which guy. No, I'd feel off balance with my hair up that high."
"I didn't say which guy, I said which guys. As in, I would bet Karel and Dan will both find you quite attractive enough, even without you doing your hair up, or even using makeup. How's a tight bun, like this?"
"That's nice of you to say. Maybe, but not today. It'd take too long to do it right."
"I don't think you should worry about guys who don't find you attractive. They don't really matter to you. Have you ever bobbed your hair?" Bobbie cupped her hands under Kristie's hair and lifted it close to her ears.
"They don't matter? Really? Don't you worry about it? I mean, sure, you're the kind of girl just about any guy would find attractive. Yes, I have, but that's so, what? like a tom-boy. I bobbed it in high school."
Bobbie smoothed Kristie's hair out and took her by the shoulders and turned her around to face her. "So are you. Half the guys on campus would kill to get a date with you, and the other half would die for you. And these two guys, Dan and Karel, I think, will behave themselves nicely, instead of any of that. ... I wonder, though, have you never wished certain guys wouldn't find you attractive?"
"You mean, guys who try to push themselves on you?"
"Uh, huh."
"Yes, I guess I have." Kristie's face clouded again, in mixed emotions.
"Once, when I was a freshman," she continued, "I was walking alone on a road off-campus, and a bunch of creeps came up behind me in a car and started whistling and howling and stuff. They tried to get me to get in the car with them."
"Oooh. That's terrible. But just once?"
"No, it happens every now and then." Then her face cleared. "But this one time, this really cool guy came along and told them, 'Get out of here!'. And they did. He walked me the rest of the way to campus to make sure I got to my next class okay."
"Wow! Wonderful!"
"I didn't find out who he was until later."
"You didn't ask his name?"
"I was a freshman. He was a grad student. I was too awestruck, I guess."
"But you did find out who he was?"
"It was Karel Pratt."
"Oh!"
"When I found out who he was, I started going to all the football games to see him. That's how I got interested in football."
"So, you've had a crush on Karel for a while?"
"I've been in love with him for six years! I was disappointed today that he had forgotten me, but here he is in the same class with me! You won't take him away from me, will you?"
Bobbie blinked. She thought for a moment, and said, "Six years to think you're in love with someone you don't really know is a long time -- long enough to develop a lot of wrong ideas about him. He might not be your white knight after all, ..."
"I went on a mission partly because I heard he thought it was okay for women to go if they wanted to teach people about Jesus."
Something inside Bobbie was crumbling. She'd known various kinds of disappointment before, and, somehow, she had been almost expecting disappointment this time, too. But facing this kind of internal conflict was going to be awfully hard. The dreams she had been thinking she might be ready to permit herself would have have to be postponed for a while.
The nurse inside took over. "Well, like I say. Don't worry about your looks. The guys that are important will like you anyway. At least, that's what my mom says."
Mary Whitmer had not always said such things. But she said such things now, and it was more important for Kristie to hear the conclusion than to hear the history of how Bobbie and her mother had come to such a conclusion.
"In that case, I think I'll just be lazy and go with my hair down."
"Good idea. I think I'll do the same. It's getting about time to go, anyway. The point is, real love takes time to negotiate. There's lots to learn about each other."
"Patience."
"Yes, patience, but not passive. Gotta have fun with people."
"I think I can do that."
[There are no previous versions.]
[The original of this chapter can be found in the first draft, here: http://free-is-not-free.blogspot.com/2016/05/economics-101-novel-ch04-going-by-four.html.]
Kristie and Bobbie are not talking about fire drills. Or are they?
Kristie looked at her reflection in the mirror, holding her hair up and letting it fall, trying to decide whether to put her hair up for the graduate students' opening social or leave it down. The mirror she was using was the full-length mirror in the living room that they shared with the four other women in the apartment.
"Do you think the guys find me attractive, Bobbie?"
"Hunh? What?" Bobbie was sitting on the floor in hers and Kristie's room, checking her textbooks.
"I always worry about whether the guys find me attractive."
Bobbie leaned sideways and looked at Kristie's back through the doorway. "So you did just ask whether I thought the guys found you attractive."
"Yes, ..."
Bobbie got up and came into the living room and stood behind Kristie and put her hands on her shoulders. "Kristine Person, ..." Then she examined Kristie's hair and her face in the mirror, shaping her hair and lifting it in various styles, letting Kristie look at the effect. "... you know that's not the right question. What do you think of this?"
Kristie shook her head. "No that's not me. Too exotic. Not the right question? Well, the Sunday School teachers always said we shouldn't worry too much, but how are we supposed to find a husband if we don't make ourselves attractive?"
"Okay, picking a wrong question to answer first, yes, the guys find you attractive. But which guys? How's this?"
Kristie's face clouded. "That's not fair, asking which guy. No, I'd feel off balance with my hair up that high."
"I didn't say which guy, I said which guys. As in, I would bet Karel and Dan will both find you quite attractive enough, even without you doing your hair up, or even using makeup. How's a tight bun, like this?"
"That's nice of you to say. Maybe, but not today. It'd take too long to do it right."
"I don't think you should worry about guys who don't find you attractive. They don't really matter to you. Have you ever bobbed your hair?" Bobbie cupped her hands under Kristie's hair and lifted it close to her ears.
"They don't matter? Really? Don't you worry about it? I mean, sure, you're the kind of girl just about any guy would find attractive. Yes, I have, but that's so, what? like a tom-boy. I bobbed it in high school."
Bobbie smoothed Kristie's hair out and took her by the shoulders and turned her around to face her. "So are you. Half the guys on campus would kill to get a date with you, and the other half would die for you. And these two guys, Dan and Karel, I think, will behave themselves nicely, instead of any of that. ... I wonder, though, have you never wished certain guys wouldn't find you attractive?"
"You mean, guys who try to push themselves on you?"
"Uh, huh."
"Yes, I guess I have." Kristie's face clouded again, in mixed emotions.
"Once, when I was a freshman," she continued, "I was walking alone on a road off-campus, and a bunch of creeps came up behind me in a car and started whistling and howling and stuff. They tried to get me to get in the car with them."
"Oooh. That's terrible. But just once?"
"No, it happens every now and then." Then her face cleared. "But this one time, this really cool guy came along and told them, 'Get out of here!'. And they did. He walked me the rest of the way to campus to make sure I got to my next class okay."
"Wow! Wonderful!"
"I didn't find out who he was until later."
"You didn't ask his name?"
"I was a freshman. He was a grad student. I was too awestruck, I guess."
"But you did find out who he was?"
"It was Karel Pratt."
"Oh!"
"When I found out who he was, I started going to all the football games to see him. That's how I got interested in football."
"So, you've had a crush on Karel for a while?"
"I've been in love with him for six years! I was disappointed today that he had forgotten me, but here he is in the same class with me! You won't take him away from me, will you?"
Bobbie blinked. She thought for a moment, and said, "Six years to think you're in love with someone you don't really know is a long time -- long enough to develop a lot of wrong ideas about him. He might not be your white knight after all, ..."
"I went on a mission partly because I heard he thought it was okay for women to go if they wanted to teach people about Jesus."
Something inside Bobbie was crumbling. She'd known various kinds of disappointment before, and, somehow, she had been almost expecting disappointment this time, too. But facing this kind of internal conflict was going to be awfully hard. The dreams she had been thinking she might be ready to permit herself would have have to be postponed for a while.
The nurse inside took over. "Well, like I say. Don't worry about your looks. The guys that are important will like you anyway. At least, that's what my mom says."
Mary Whitmer had not always said such things. But she said such things now, and it was more important for Kristie to hear the conclusion than to hear the history of how Bobbie and her mother had come to such a conclusion.
"In that case, I think I'll just be lazy and go with my hair down."
"Good idea. I think I'll do the same. It's getting about time to go, anyway. The point is, real love takes time to negotiate. There's lots to learn about each other."
"Patience."
"Yes, patience, but not passive. Gotta have fun with people."
"I think I can do that."
| Previous | TOC | Next |
[There are no previous versions.]
[The original of this chapter can be found in the first draft, here: http://free-is-not-free.blogspot.com/2016/05/economics-101-novel-ch04-going-by-four.html.]
Sociology 500, a Novel, ch 2 pt 1 -- The Boys Talk
Previous
Dan and Karel think they've been through this fire drill before.
"Suddenly I'm thinking the apartment off campus is not so great." Dan was grumbling as he and Karel left the Education Building.
"Why is that?"
"Re-you Tenny Hannah. No. Yo-yo Bennie Hannah. What's that Japanese saying?"
"I'm not recognizing anything you are saying, here."
"What happened back there. The best-looking girls in the whole lecture, and there they are sitting either side of you. I should be rooming with you."
"Sheer coincidence."
"And when you found the holes in the other teams' lines on the football field, that was sheer coincidence, too."
"I still don't really understand how I could dig those holes in the defense."
"Drove the coaches up a wall. You'd be out there, totally out of position, looking like you had just wandered onto the field, and suddenly there'd be nobody around you. And when I looked at the right time, if I could get it to you, you'd take the ball and go for what we needed. And the offense, too. You'd be nowhere around as a big play was forming, and suddenly the play would run into you and you'd break it up. Maybe steal the ball while you were at it."
"I think it had something to do with me being in my own world a lot. I had different goals than most of the players. But that wouldn't tell anybody how to do what I was doing. Doesn't explain much."
"That's exactly what the coaches said. Unpredictable. Can't teach others how to do it, can't design plays around it. And it was why the team waived you after the second year."
"They didn't know what to do with me. They wanted something to take to the bank."
"You were just having fun."
"Yep. So, what does this have to do with me ending up, as you think, ryō-te-ni-hana? That was what you were trying to say, wasn't it? Flower in either hand?"
(If you can display Kanji: 「両手に花」)
"Yeah. That one. Uhm. So, ... what does it have to do with ...? Well, ... uhhmm You weren't doing what everyone else does?
"Well, yeah, but what was different?"
"Okay, so I and all the other guys are looking to get a date. And get married. And you are not. You're just having fun."
"And helping others have fun. I think that's why some women feel comfortable around me."
"So all I have to do is quit trying to get a date?"
"I don't think it's quite that simple. The minute I ask a woman to go out, she usually runs away."
"And that's why you still aren't married."
"I guess."
"And we've had this conversation before."
"True. I've gotta get to my next class."
"Okay, 6:30 in the university president's garden, right?"
"Seems a bit early to me, but that's what they said, and we agreed."
"And tell me more about Bobbie."
"Huh? Uh, Later. Gotta go."
"Yeah, later."
[There are no previous versions.]
[The original of this chapter can be found in the first draft, here: http://free-is-not-free.blogspot.com/2016/05/economics-101-novel-ch04-going-by-four.html.]
Dan and Karel think they've been through this fire drill before.
"Suddenly I'm thinking the apartment off campus is not so great." Dan was grumbling as he and Karel left the Education Building.
"Why is that?"
"Re-you Tenny Hannah. No. Yo-yo Bennie Hannah. What's that Japanese saying?"
"I'm not recognizing anything you are saying, here."
"What happened back there. The best-looking girls in the whole lecture, and there they are sitting either side of you. I should be rooming with you."
"Sheer coincidence."
"And when you found the holes in the other teams' lines on the football field, that was sheer coincidence, too."
"I still don't really understand how I could dig those holes in the defense."
"Drove the coaches up a wall. You'd be out there, totally out of position, looking like you had just wandered onto the field, and suddenly there'd be nobody around you. And when I looked at the right time, if I could get it to you, you'd take the ball and go for what we needed. And the offense, too. You'd be nowhere around as a big play was forming, and suddenly the play would run into you and you'd break it up. Maybe steal the ball while you were at it."
"I think it had something to do with me being in my own world a lot. I had different goals than most of the players. But that wouldn't tell anybody how to do what I was doing. Doesn't explain much."
"That's exactly what the coaches said. Unpredictable. Can't teach others how to do it, can't design plays around it. And it was why the team waived you after the second year."
"They didn't know what to do with me. They wanted something to take to the bank."
"You were just having fun."
"Yep. So, what does this have to do with me ending up, as you think, ryō-te-ni-hana? That was what you were trying to say, wasn't it? Flower in either hand?"
(If you can display Kanji: 「両手に花」)
"Yeah. That one. Uhm. So, ... what does it have to do with ...? Well, ... uhhmm You weren't doing what everyone else does?
"Well, yeah, but what was different?"
"Okay, so I and all the other guys are looking to get a date. And get married. And you are not. You're just having fun."
"And helping others have fun. I think that's why some women feel comfortable around me."
"So all I have to do is quit trying to get a date?"
"I don't think it's quite that simple. The minute I ask a woman to go out, she usually runs away."
"And that's why you still aren't married."
"I guess."
"And we've had this conversation before."
"True. I've gotta get to my next class."
"Okay, 6:30 in the university president's garden, right?"
"Seems a bit early to me, but that's what they said, and we agreed."
"And tell me more about Bobbie."
"Huh? Uh, Later. Gotta go."
"Yeah, later."
| Previous | TOC | Next |
[There are no previous versions.]
[The original of this chapter can be found in the first draft, here: http://free-is-not-free.blogspot.com/2016/05/economics-101-novel-ch04-going-by-four.html.]
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Sociology 500, A Romance -- Table of Contents
Every work of fiction creates an alternate world. Even historical fiction does. That's implicit in the definition of fiction.
Since you, the reader, are being kind enough to give up some of your time to read this story, you need to know something in advance about the world in which Karel and Dan meet Bobbie and Kristie.
That is, I'd like you to know some things about it.
It does look a lot like our world. There is a union of independent states similar to the United States of America here. It has a Constitution and a Declaration of Independence and a Bill of Rights and a history very much like our USA. There is a Christian religion in this world, with a Bible. And there is a restorationist Christian church with a companion scripture similar to the Book of Mormon. There are even states parallel to such as Hawaii, New Mexico, and Texas, and countries parallel to such as Japan and the Philippines.
As much as I can without causing confusion, I will borrow names from our world.
You will find some differences, of course.
In the world of this novel, that book of companion scripture, being named after the ancient new world prophet who abridged it, has a name that can be translated as "Eternal Progression". Since that is a mouthful, I'll abbreviate it "E-P"†. And the restorationist church will be commonly called after the book, with the resulting confusion about whether E-P-ists are Christian or not.
You ask why you should care about this?
The protagonists of this novel are of the E-P-ist faith, and will do some things that you might not expect.
The university where most of the story takes place would not be called Brigham Young University. It kind of looks a lot like BYU, and it is even located in a town a bit south of the Point of the Mountain. But from the way it was named and its history and so forth, it would make more sense to call it Orson Hyde University. And there are some policy differences at the school that you may notice.
Speaking of points of policy -- considering that it's a different world, perhaps you will not be overly disconcerted if the E-P-ist church has certain points of policy different from the Mormons, as well.
I think that will be enough that you won't be too surprised. Thus --
†I had thought to use the name "Straitgate" (partial Japanese-English pun) as the name of that prophet and the book he was the editor-in-chief of in the alternate world of this novel, but there are already organizations with that name. Using that name might invite confusion.
(I was thinking of Jesus as being the gate and considering that the gate is very hard to get through if you don't conquer your pride, ergo, "strait".)
I had also considered "Moregood", but I might as well just use "Mormon" if I do that. (The interested reader might research why.)
Which left me scratching my head. Thinking of repentance as a "proceeding forth to return to that God from whence we came" brought back a name that has some special meaning to me -- "Forth". And I decided the confusion might be something I could deal with, and maybe the Forth Programming Language community would not be too upset at me for presuming to use it.
"Turn" or "Return" might be more appropriate, but "Forth" also sort-of evokes the idea of "doing more good".
But, no, after more thought, I decided that I need as much separation as possible for certain elements of the plot. (People get upset when you talk about certain things.)
So I will use the abbreviation "E-P", for "Eternal Progression". Maybe I'll be able to provide a satisfactory explanation somewhere in the story.
Ultimately, I know someone will be dissatisfied, but no proxy name I could use will satisfy everyone, and I do want to make it clear that this is an alternate world.
(The Programming Language Forth will get some mention along the way.)
‡For the curious, this novel is essentially an edited extract of The First Draft of Economics 101, a Novel, and is named in a similar pattern. Perhaps you will understand that I plan it to be the first of a trilogy.
[Previous versions backed up here: http://joel-rees-economics.blogspot.com/2017/02/backup-soc500-00-00-toc.html.]
Since you, the reader, are being kind enough to give up some of your time to read this story, you need to know something in advance about the world in which Karel and Dan meet Bobbie and Kristie.
That is, I'd like you to know some things about it.
It does look a lot like our world. There is a union of independent states similar to the United States of America here. It has a Constitution and a Declaration of Independence and a Bill of Rights and a history very much like our USA. There is a Christian religion in this world, with a Bible. And there is a restorationist Christian church with a companion scripture similar to the Book of Mormon. There are even states parallel to such as Hawaii, New Mexico, and Texas, and countries parallel to such as Japan and the Philippines.
As much as I can without causing confusion, I will borrow names from our world.
You will find some differences, of course.
In the world of this novel, that book of companion scripture, being named after the ancient new world prophet who abridged it, has a name that can be translated as "Eternal Progression". Since that is a mouthful, I'll abbreviate it "E-P"†. And the restorationist church will be commonly called after the book, with the resulting confusion about whether E-P-ists are Christian or not.
You ask why you should care about this?
The protagonists of this novel are of the E-P-ist faith, and will do some things that you might not expect.
The university where most of the story takes place would not be called Brigham Young University. It kind of looks a lot like BYU, and it is even located in a town a bit south of the Point of the Mountain. But from the way it was named and its history and so forth, it would make more sense to call it Orson Hyde University. And there are some policy differences at the school that you may notice.
Speaking of points of policy -- considering that it's a different world, perhaps you will not be overly disconcerted if the E-P-ist church has certain points of policy different from the Mormons, as well.
I think that will be enough that you won't be too surprised. Thus --
Sociology 500, a Romance‡
by Joel Matthew Rees
Copyright 2017, all rights reserved.
Table of Contents
- Chapter 1 -- Introductions
- Part 1 -- in which we meet Bobbie, and she is accepted to graduate school.
- Part 2 -- in which we meet Karel and Dan, and they are admitted to grad school, as well.
- Part 3 -- in which I talk about football and engage in a little recreational invention.
- Part 4 -- in which we get to actually meet Kristie, and Bobbie and Kristie meet Karel and Dan.
- Chapter 2 -- Going by Four
- Part 1 -- in which Dan and Karel discuss their luck with women.
- Part 2 -- in which Kristie and Bobbie talk about about men.
- Part 3 -- in which our four protagonists go on a double date and find that they do like each other.
- Part 4 -- in which our four friends study and dance and set some patterns for the next couple of years.
- Part 5 -- in which we read their letters home.
- Chapter 3 -- The First Semester
- Part 1 -- in which we get to listen to our protagonists talk about many things, including much that is religious in nature, before a study group session.
- Part 2 -- in which the protagonists and some friends visit the temple and talk a little about the physical meaning of being a proxy.
- Part 3 -- in which Bobbie and Karel explain a little about the temple to Mrs. Burns.
- Part 4 -- in which we meet Piers (again), and he invites Bobbie to a movie that Karel doesn't like, and our friends talk a little about social and sexual issues.
- Part 5 -- in which I introduce more of the people our four protagonists socialize with, and talk a little more about the world they live in.
- Part 6 -- in which I moralize about beauty and love and introduce more history of this novel's world, and we meet more of our four protagonists' friends.
- Part 7 -- in which I invent a solar system and our friends play Pit.
- Part 8 -- in which we attend a class with Dan and Kristie and learn a little about their calendar.
- Part 9 -- in which we continue to observe their class and learn a little about their computer technology.
- Part 10 -- in which I commit the literary folly of asking you, the reader, to put up with an extended passage written in a language for machines after talking a little about the computers of their world and time.
- (placeholder)
- (placeholder)
†I had thought to use the name "Straitgate" (partial Japanese-English pun) as the name of that prophet and the book he was the editor-in-chief of in the alternate world of this novel, but there are already organizations with that name. Using that name might invite confusion.
(I was thinking of Jesus as being the gate and considering that the gate is very hard to get through if you don't conquer your pride, ergo, "strait".)
I had also considered "Moregood", but I might as well just use "Mormon" if I do that. (The interested reader might research why.)
Which left me scratching my head. Thinking of repentance as a "proceeding forth to return to that God from whence we came" brought back a name that has some special meaning to me -- "Forth". And I decided the confusion might be something I could deal with, and maybe the Forth Programming Language community would not be too upset at me for presuming to use it.
"Turn" or "Return" might be more appropriate, but "Forth" also sort-of evokes the idea of "doing more good".
But, no, after more thought, I decided that I need as much separation as possible for certain elements of the plot. (People get upset when you talk about certain things.)
So I will use the abbreviation "E-P", for "Eternal Progression". Maybe I'll be able to provide a satisfactory explanation somewhere in the story.
Ultimately, I know someone will be dissatisfied, but no proxy name I could use will satisfy everyone, and I do want to make it clear that this is an alternate world.
(The Programming Language Forth will get some mention along the way.)
‡For the curious, this novel is essentially an edited extract of The First Draft of Economics 101, a Novel, and is named in a similar pattern. Perhaps you will understand that I plan it to be the first of a trilogy.
[Previous versions backed up here: http://joel-rees-economics.blogspot.com/2017/02/backup-soc500-00-00-toc.html.]
Backup: Sociology 500, A Romance -- Table of Contents
[JMR201704121729: edits -- Trying to clean up the introduction of E-P.]
{replace}
In the world of this novel, the name of the prophet and the book of companion scripture will be translated as "E-P"†, for "Eternal Progression". And the restorationist church will be commonly called after the book, with the resulting confusion about whether E-P-ists are Christian or not.
{with}
In the world of this novel, that book of companion scripture, being named after the ancient new world prophet who abridged it, has a name that can be translated as "Eternal Progression". Since that is a mouthful, I'll abbreviate it "E-P"†. And the restorationist church will be commonly called after the book, with the resulting confusion about whether E-P-ists are Christian or not.
You ask why you should care about this?
The protagonists of this novel are of the E-P-ist faith, and will do some things that you might not expect.
{replace.}
[JMR201704121729: end edits.]
[JMR201704121404: metadata edits -- Changed the name of the novel. Good thing this doesn't affect the URLs.]
Sociology 500, A {replace}Novel{with}Romance{replace.} -- Table of Contents
-----------
Sociology 500, a {replace}Novel{with}Romance{replace.}‡
[JMR201704121404: end metadata edit.]
[JMR201704071911: edit -- incidental stuff from the calendar]
(The Programming Language Forth will get some mention {replace}in the third book of the trilogy, by{with}along{replace.} the way.)
[JMR201704071911: end edit]
[JMR201703111521: metadata edit]
{replace}Straitgate{with}E-P, Eternal Progression{replace.}
[JMR201703111521: end metadata edit]
[JMR201703081923: edits -- Simple stuff that needed fixed.]
In the world of this novel, the{add} name of the{add.} prophet and the book of companion scripture will be translated as "E-P"†{add}, for "Eternal Progression"{add.}. And the restorationist church will be commonly called after the book, with the resulting confusion about whether E-P-ists are Christian or not.
--------
The university where most of the story takes place would not be called Brigham Young University. It kind of looks a lot like BYU, and it is even located in a town a bit south of the Point of the Mountain. But{add} from{add.} the way it was named{add} and its history{add.} and so forth, it would make more sense to call it Orson Hyde University. And there are some{delete} minor{delete.} policy differences at the school that you may notice.
--------
Part 4 -- in which we meet Piers{add} (again){add.}, and he invites Bobbie to a movie that Karel doesn't like, and our friends talk a little about social and sexual issues.
--------
Which left me scratching my head. Thinking of repentance as a "proceeding forth to return to that God from whence we came" brought back a name that has some special meaning to me -- "Forth". And I decided the confusion might be something I could deal with, and maybe the Forth Programming Language community would not be too upset at me for presuming to use it.{replace} {with}
{replace.}"Turn" or "Return" might be more appropriate, but "Forth" also sort-of evokes the idea of "doing more good".
--------
So I will use the ab{add}b{add.}reviation "E-P"{add},{add.} {delete}({delete.}for "Eternal Progression"{delete}){delete.}. Maybe I'll be able to provide a satisfactory explanation somewhere in the story.
[JMR201703081923: end-edits]
[JMR20170204: edits. On-going addition of chapters, changed the TOC structure to a two-level index.]
[JMR201702031105: edits]
{global replace}Forth{with}E-P{replace.}
{add}
But, no, after more thought, I decided that I need as much separation as possible for certain elements of the plot. (People get upset when you talk about certain things.)
So I will use the abreviation "E-P" (for "Eternal Progression"). Maybe I'll be able to provide a satisfactory explanation somewhere in the story.
Ultimately, {add.}I know someone will be dissatisfied, but no proxy name I could use will satisfy everyone, and I do want to make it clear that this is an alternate world.
{add}
(The Programming Language Forth will get some mention in the third book of the trilogy, by the way.){add.}
[JMR201702031105: end-edits]
[JMR201702031036: Changed "Straitgate" to "Forth" and added an explanatory note.]
[JMR201702030939: backup of http://joel-rees-economics.blogspot.com/2017/01/soc500-00-00-toc.html before rework incidental to the Straitgate stuff.]
Every work of fiction creates an alternate world. Even historical fiction does. That's implicit in the definition of fiction.
Since you, the reader, are being kind enough to give up some of your time to read this story, you need to know something in advance about the world in which Karel and Dan meet Bobbie and Kristie.
That is, I'd like you to know some things about it.
It does look a lot like our world. There is a union of independent states similar to the United States of America here. It has a Constitution and a Declaration of Independence and a Bill of Rights and a history very much like our USA. There is a Christian religion in this world, with a Bible. And there is a restorationist Christian church with a companion scripture similar to the Book of Mormon. There are even states parallel to Hawaii and New Mexico.
As much as I can without causing confusion, I will borrow names from our world.
You will find some differences, of course.
In the world of this novel, the prophet and the book of companion scripture will be translated as "Straitgate". And the restorationist church will be commonly called after the book, with the resulting confusion about whether Straitgatists are Christian or not.
The university where most of the story takes place would not be called Brigham Young University. It kind of looks a lot like BYU, and it is even located in a town a bit south of the Point of the Mountain. But the way it was named and so forth, it would make more sense to call it Orson Hyde University. And there are some minor policy differences at the school that you may notice.
Speaking of points of policy -- considering that it's a different world, perhaps you will not be overly disconcerted if the Straitgate church has certain points of policy different from the Mormons, as well.
I think that will be enough that you won't be too surprised. Thus --
{replace}
In the world of this novel, the name of the prophet and the book of companion scripture will be translated as "E-P"†, for "Eternal Progression". And the restorationist church will be commonly called after the book, with the resulting confusion about whether E-P-ists are Christian or not.
{with}
In the world of this novel, that book of companion scripture, being named after the ancient new world prophet who abridged it, has a name that can be translated as "Eternal Progression". Since that is a mouthful, I'll abbreviate it "E-P"†. And the restorationist church will be commonly called after the book, with the resulting confusion about whether E-P-ists are Christian or not.
You ask why you should care about this?
The protagonists of this novel are of the E-P-ist faith, and will do some things that you might not expect.
{replace.}
[JMR201704121729: end edits.]
[JMR201704121404: metadata edits -- Changed the name of the novel. Good thing this doesn't affect the URLs.]
Sociology 500, A {replace}Novel{with}Romance{replace.} -- Table of Contents
-----------
Sociology 500, a {replace}Novel{with}Romance{replace.}‡
[JMR201704121404: end metadata edit.]
[JMR201704071911: edit -- incidental stuff from the calendar]
(The Programming Language Forth will get some mention {replace}in the third book of the trilogy, by{with}along{replace.} the way.)
[JMR201704071911: end edit]
[JMR201703111521: metadata edit]
{replace}Straitgate{with}E-P, Eternal Progression{replace.}
[JMR201703111521: end metadata edit]
[JMR201703081923: edits -- Simple stuff that needed fixed.]
In the world of this novel, the{add} name of the{add.} prophet and the book of companion scripture will be translated as "E-P"†{add}, for "Eternal Progression"{add.}. And the restorationist church will be commonly called after the book, with the resulting confusion about whether E-P-ists are Christian or not.
--------
The university where most of the story takes place would not be called Brigham Young University. It kind of looks a lot like BYU, and it is even located in a town a bit south of the Point of the Mountain. But{add} from{add.} the way it was named{add} and its history{add.} and so forth, it would make more sense to call it Orson Hyde University. And there are some{delete} minor{delete.} policy differences at the school that you may notice.
--------
Part 4 -- in which we meet Piers{add} (again){add.}, and he invites Bobbie to a movie that Karel doesn't like, and our friends talk a little about social and sexual issues.
--------
Which left me scratching my head. Thinking of repentance as a "proceeding forth to return to that God from whence we came" brought back a name that has some special meaning to me -- "Forth". And I decided the confusion might be something I could deal with, and maybe the Forth Programming Language community would not be too upset at me for presuming to use it.{replace} {with}
{replace.}"Turn" or "Return" might be more appropriate, but "Forth" also sort-of evokes the idea of "doing more good".
--------
So I will use the ab{add}b{add.}reviation "E-P"{add},{add.} {delete}({delete.}for "Eternal Progression"{delete}){delete.}. Maybe I'll be able to provide a satisfactory explanation somewhere in the story.
[JMR201703081923: end-edits]
[JMR20170204: edits. On-going addition of chapters, changed the TOC structure to a two-level index.]
[JMR201702031105: edits]
{global replace}Forth{with}E-P{replace.}
{add}
But, no, after more thought, I decided that I need as much separation as possible for certain elements of the plot. (People get upset when you talk about certain things.)
So I will use the abreviation "E-P" (for "Eternal Progression"). Maybe I'll be able to provide a satisfactory explanation somewhere in the story.
Ultimately, {add.}I know someone will be dissatisfied, but no proxy name I could use will satisfy everyone, and I do want to make it clear that this is an alternate world.
{add}
(The Programming Language Forth will get some mention in the third book of the trilogy, by the way.){add.}
[JMR201702031105: end-edits]
[JMR201702031036: Changed "Straitgate" to "Forth" and added an explanatory note.]
[JMR201702030939: backup of http://joel-rees-economics.blogspot.com/2017/01/soc500-00-00-toc.html before rework incidental to the Straitgate stuff.]
Every work of fiction creates an alternate world. Even historical fiction does. That's implicit in the definition of fiction.
Since you, the reader, are being kind enough to give up some of your time to read this story, you need to know something in advance about the world in which Karel and Dan meet Bobbie and Kristie.
That is, I'd like you to know some things about it.
It does look a lot like our world. There is a union of independent states similar to the United States of America here. It has a Constitution and a Declaration of Independence and a Bill of Rights and a history very much like our USA. There is a Christian religion in this world, with a Bible. And there is a restorationist Christian church with a companion scripture similar to the Book of Mormon. There are even states parallel to Hawaii and New Mexico.
As much as I can without causing confusion, I will borrow names from our world.
You will find some differences, of course.
In the world of this novel, the prophet and the book of companion scripture will be translated as "Straitgate". And the restorationist church will be commonly called after the book, with the resulting confusion about whether Straitgatists are Christian or not.
The university where most of the story takes place would not be called Brigham Young University. It kind of looks a lot like BYU, and it is even located in a town a bit south of the Point of the Mountain. But the way it was named and so forth, it would make more sense to call it Orson Hyde University. And there are some minor policy differences at the school that you may notice.
Speaking of points of policy -- considering that it's a different world, perhaps you will not be overly disconcerted if the Straitgate church has certain points of policy different from the Mormons, as well.
I think that will be enough that you won't be too surprised. Thus --
Sociology 500, a Novel*
by Joel Matthew Rees
Copyright 2017, all rights reserved.
Table of Contents
- Chapter 1 part 1 -- in which we meet Bobbie, and she is accepted to graduate school.
- Chapter 1 part 2 -- in which we meet Karel and Dan, and they are admitted to grad school, as well.
- Chapter 1 part 3 -- in which we get to actually meet Kristie, and Bobbie and Kristie meet Karel and Dan.
- (placeholder)
* For the curious, this novel is essentially an edited extract of The First Draft of Economics 101, a Novel, and is named in a similar pattern. Perhaps you will understand that I plan it to be the first of a trilogy.
[JMR201702030939: end-backup.]
[JMR201702030939: end-backup.]
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