Chapter 178
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Amy and Eve had to wake up early Saturday morning. Mr Sanchez was making himself a small breakfast, nothing for his unwanted guests, which he brought up to his room to eat alone. After their own breakfast they went to the farm. The foreman, Dale, gave the new people orientation. He showed them about planting, also getting milk and eggs. Eve knew some things from highschool classes, but soon learned there was no substitute for experience. She quickly learned that it might take a few weeks for her body to adjust to milking cows and planting crops. But with all she was facing, this might be the easiest part to adjust to.
Over the next week Eve adjusted to farm work fairly easily. This added to her resume, construction, oil drilling, farm work, all would be useful skills in an Ark. She'd heard that teenagers would be the ones most likely chosen. They were young enough to adapt to life in the Ark, old enough to be useful. Teens were also the ones joining the collective army. Old enough to fight, young and foolish enought to want to fight. On the other side Mason's son Jed had joined his army. His father had reservations, as commander-in-chief Mason could've stopped this, but in the end he consented. War hadn't been declared, Mason and Douglas had even negotiated an exhibition game between the two countries scheduled for labor day, Monday September 4th. Although football seemed more popular in Texas, Eve preferred to think that this baseball game was a good indication of goodwill. Eve began wondering about the soldiers, should war come. They'd get more chances, if they survived. But what of those who were wounded? Would they be excluded, not being of much use to the Ark? Would their noble service be rewarded with exclusion? Eve thought about Manny, and the waitress' daughter. They helped build these Arks, but their injuries might exclude them. Eve feared the same fate would befall wounded soldiers.