Andi hadn’t even undressed for bathing when her husband had the Bible out and was reading. “What did you just say?” she asked him, when he had read for a while. “That man had two women?”
“Two wives,” her husband said. “I heard a sermon in a low church once on the subject. He said as how we would be likely to despise such a one, but that he would be likely to despise us, with our temporary contracts. He was a powerful preacher, altho much disliked by some.”
“But how can a man have two wives? How would the contract read?”
“Could it not be said that a man has two wives now? He has a wife at home and a temporary contract…”
“But a temporary contract isn’t really a wife…” Andi trailed off. Of course she had to be a wife, or he couldn’t sleep with her.
“Well, anyway, it seems hardly moral,” she concluded.
“He might have said the same about us. I’ve heard sermons about other Bible characters that did the same thing, so I guess we’ll see what God says about it.”
She nodded, and then noticed that their neighbors seemed oddly quiet. But then she checked herself. It was considered rude to pay too much attention to what one’s neighbors were doing.
“I’m sorry,” she said, “go on.”
“No,” he replied, “I like talking about it as we go. Besides, then I get to enjoy the view.”
She grinned and thought she heard a snort from the wife next door. But, again, the custom was to ignore such. Then she grinned again at her husband’s expression, and almost snorted herself. It was fun living with a shop class lad in a crowded street class setting. He was constantly shocked.
Andreina was gasping her way through her two minutes of allowed break between laps, her latest instructor eyeing her critically, when she saw a young lass of perhaps 12 years old run up to the edge of the water.
Andreina and her instructor both looked around, but the head instructor was practically at the other side of the lake. “What doest thou have?” Andreina’s instructor asked.
The lass looked at her, relieved, “Message for Andreina Moravia, Ma’am,” she said.
“For me?” Andreina said, surprised.
The lass hurried over and Andreina dried her hands on the grass by the side of the pond and took the message.
“It says I’m wanted at a meeting at the induction center,” she told her instructor.
“Well, I’ll tell the head instructor,” her instructor said, and dove off.
“Doest thou know where I am to go?” she asked the lass, who nodded so, when Andreina was dressed, the two of them hurried off.
The lass took her into the induction building and to a room right across from the medical cylinder room. The lass opened the door and Andreina walked in.
Her husband was there, sitting across the table from an army officer. “Thank you for coming,” the officer said. “I’m Colonel Stanlon, but I’m here on clan business.”
“Clan business?” she said, sitting down.
“Yes…” the colonel focused on her husband and, abashed, Andreina looked down.
“As I say,” the colonel said, “I am here on clan business. The clan is a bit concerned.”
“About us?”
“Yes. Not that I came her just for you. I will be here all day having meetings.”
He opened up a file of papers. “I am informed that you intend to go out for the Forward Colonists?”
Her husband nodded.
“That is a very unusual placement. They usually send prisoners in that slot. While it can be good financially, there is no possiblity for advancement, a good rate of death. Now, as a volunteer you will have your choices, but, still…?”
“I am hoping that we will retire with land,” her husband said.
“You mean to become landowners?” the colonel asked, shocked.
“Yes. Most Forward Colonists sell their land when they move to a new posting… but is possible to rent it instead. Then, when our twenty years are up, we can pick one of them and move back to it.”
“Brilliant. That settles that. Now, a different bit of clan business. Asking officially, how is the marriage contract going? Any official complaints? Or worrying areas? Ma’am?”
Andreina shook her head, “His father handled all of the paperwork and finances, and at said he was going to send the one percent to the clan. His mother fufilled her role and was very gracious. His father paid for our honey trip, as promised, and my husband fulfilled all of his obligations under the contract; although I am not yet increasing.”
“Well, very few men don’t fulfil their obligations on their honey time,” the colonel said. “Basic training is harder.”
“No complaints there, either, Sir,” Andreina said.
The colonel turned to her husband. “Any complaints on your end?”
“No, Sir. Her parents hosted us for the initial meeting, as required. My new wife has been competent in managing our finances, hasn’t really had much opportunity for housework or cooking, and has been more diligent than I have in her other obligations,” he said, a bit red.
“Nothing that I didn’t expect, given the reports I received about the two of you and your families. Don’t worry, very few people get to read these reports. But you do need to be honest in your reporting. The clan severely frowns on any violation of marriage contracts; and we believe in early and active intervention. Believe me you wish to report any problems as soon as possible.”
“If either of you do have something to report when I am not here, just tell one of your supervisors that you need to speak to me. I will be available for you. The clan is very interested in seeing that each of our marriages is profitable.”
He picked up the papers and put them back in the file, “ Very well, you can return to your training, and the clan will watch your progress with interest.”
Just as they were getting up he said, “And fully fertile… that means your wife will own your land if you die. That is brilliant. Go with God, my son.”
“Thank you, my father,” Lorcan said.
Andreina was dying to ask Lorcan if that was what he had had in mind when he left himself open to fully fertile… but how could she? That question was beyond personal.
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Von