Arks of America Read online

  “If no one else has any questions…” Dave didn’t pause or make eye contact. It was clear he didn’t want to take any more questions. “…the fine people from my staff can break you out into your working groups to get started on making this happen.”

  As one group headed off to a different conference room, Dave asked Louis and a few others to stay behind for a moment. While he waited for the others to move out of the room, he stood at the huge window surrounded by mahogany-paneled walls. His back to the room, he gazed off in the distance at the gold-covered rotunda of the Denver capitol building. His eyes focused wistfully at the Rocky Mountains in the distance beyond the capitol.

  As was Dave’s nature, he could never contemplate at a city, a home, or farm and not envision what it once was and how it evolved. In Denver, he liked to think of an early settlement at the base of the mountains with dirty streets and wooden buildings. He could envision a time when only a few buildings were erected with brick or stone. He could see the Colorado River nearby. A town filled with rugged people who dared to come west. Some of them were good people who banded together to protect and build; others were bad people who were just as rugged but preyed on others and stole or killed.

  Dave knew that with time, the good people usually won out. It was what happened during that time of struggle before the good people won out that worried him. He wanted to protect against and mitigate how long the time lasted before the good people won out. He thought that how hard those times got and how long they lasted determined how much was lost in terms of goodness. They needed to preserve all they could. In reality, the longer good people fought the bad, the more of themselves, their progress, and inherent goodness they lost.

  The room was quiet, and Dave turned to the remaining group. “You are the best in your professions at what you do. The task I’m asking this group to take on is the most delicate. Each of the other groups has a lot of work in front of them. Their work is made up of tasks that have been done before. In taking on the fourth prong-related ownership positions of these communities, I’m asking you all to figure out how to do the one part of this that has not been done before to my knowledge. I am asking you all to take the biggest leeway or the most creative approach and help me solve this last problem. I know it can be done. You are the people that I know will make it happen.”

  “Mr. Cavanaugh,” one person said, “I’ve read the brief, and I think I understand what you’re shooting for. I’m not sure this can be done all over the country and in every state or municipality.”

  “That’s okay,” Dave said. “Figure out where and how it can be done for now. That’s the start we need. My preference is to start both here in Colorado and in Kentucky for now. After that, I’d like to bring on a few other locations. Then we can address each situation on a case-by-case basis.”

  “Okay, Colorado I get,” the same person said. “It’s your home and has plenty of places that meet your criteria. Your connections are so strong here. I don’t think they would deny you anything. But why Kentucky?”

  “Good question.” Dave smiled. “I’ll admit there is a bit of whim in the choice. Mostly it’s just that I want it. I’ll give you a few other reasons as well. First, I have some people lined up that area that I have complete faith in. I trust them implicitly, and I’m sure they will make it a success. Second, the state is not overly crowded and has an abundance of natural resources. The cost of labor for companies we bring on is not high, and it fits the profile perfectly. Third, local people would welcome this kind of endeavor warmly. That will make the proof of concept I’m asking you to develop easier. What I’m building in Colorado doesn’t exactly fit the long-term model. Finally, each community has to be able to stand on its own merits. Kentucky is too far for a convoy of trucks to reach from Colorado in a critical resupply mission. Yet in a worst-case scenario, we could get an airplane there. That means the Kentucky location would be forced to mostly stand on its own in a location well suited for that.”

  “Why is it important that the communities stand on their own? If that’s so important, couldn’t we just build a handful of these communities in or near the cities bordering the Rocky Mountain range?” another person in the group asked.

  “It’s important to me that we make this available across the country. If things ever did go bad, we wouldn’t want large waves of refugees beating down the doors of the nearest ark location or charter town. The people who come after a disaster are not the planners and builders. They are not the people who typically are able to overcome adversity, survive, and thrive. By and large, those types of people would become a tribe of locusts. By expecting these communities to stand on their own and forcing autonomy of community on them, they can’t waste their resources and then hope to go knock on the door of the next community down the line asking for handouts like the other people who didn’t plan well.”

  “I understand,” the person said. “I’m totally on board. We should be able to find a plan to make those two states work. After that, I’m sure we can find a few more good locations without delay. I assume you want the ownership process and rules to be similar from state to state, or as much as the various state and local laws will allow?”

  “Yes,” Dave answered, “with one exception. The concept of a charter town is such that the members will be able to have a great deal of self-governance. They should be very involved in writing and ratifying their own community mission statement. Still, as owners with a controlling interest, we will always have final say and majority ownership in every community. That doesn’t mean we won’t allow each community to shape itself in as much of its own way as possible. It means we will not give up control so that this grand plan can be deviated from.”

  “That could be dangerous, sir,” another person said, obviously concerned. “What’s to stop some hate organization from building the membership core somewhere and discriminating? They could create their own mini kingdom or worse while managing our charter town.”

  Dave’s eyes got hard. “Me. I will stop them. My vision will not be perverted.” Then his countenance softened. “And you good people, too. Remember, this only works when good people band together. I would be okay with a community that was mostly Jewish or predominately black or Hispanic. I would be fine with a community of gay and lesbian folks, or people who ride horses or dune buggies or whatever. I would prefer them all mixed together, of course. In any event, each of those communities must abide by our rules. We have the right and obligation to provide rules and oversight to make sure prejudice does not happen. All people will be accepted equally. Each community will practice the core tenets of what this is all about. I’m counting on you all to help me build those rules and safeguards.

  “First, I need you all to find a way for us to own shares in real estate and set up a tiered system for people to pay dues or fees for the shares similar to an equity country club’s dues. Still, this will be so much more than that because they will be buying an equity position in a home and full lifestyle. They will have a home and way of life that is more insulated from the real world. Like Mayberry behind walls in modern times. If we do this right, it will have so much more benefit than old-fashioned home ownership. As a part of their dues and fees, they would also be getting shares in the mutual fund and business ventures.

  “Members would have both financial and service commitments back to the community as a part of their monthly or annual obligations. They would have a say in the government and charter of their own community. To a lesser degree, their ownership position would grant them participation in decisions as shareholders for the company as a whole. It’s a very ambitious undertaking legally and something that not only has never been tried, but to my knowledge never even been dreamed of.”

  “We can make this happen, sir,” said the woman who had asked the most questions. “We only need a little time to work out the details. I share your vision.”

  Beaming, Dave thanked them. “Okay, perhaps this has been dreamed of. However, if it was, it
had to be by some hippies in the seventies while building a tent city for a whole other purpose.”

  ***

  After leaving the meeting, Dave sat in his car listening to the news coming from the radio up front:

  “…narrowly avoided a downgrade in the U.S. national debt rating this week. Internal experts reaffirmed America’s AA+ rating. In 2011, the rating was reduced from AAA, outstanding, to AA+, excellent. While to most Americans the national credit rating doesn’t seem impactful to their everyday life, nothing could be further from the truth. Nearly everything we buy is at some level serviced by debt tied to our national rating. If this rating is lowered, the cost of our loans goes up and the cost of goods would skyrocket and create a depression.

  “We have only to examine the recent example of Greece to see the impact of a reduction in available money and goods and what increase in the cost of money did to their economy. We could see gas prices that approach ten dollars a gallon and similar increases with food staples such as milk or bread. Unemployment could triple, causing further ripple effects of hyperinflation. This would deplete social resources on an already overtaxed U.S. government and in turn cause more taxes or civil unrest. While some experts say this is a very unlikely scenario, others warn that it’s much more likely than people care to admit…”

  << Vince >>

  After a long day at the office, Vince packed up his laptop and headed home to the suburbs. Like millions of other Americans, Vince worked in a cubicle farm, the type of place ridiculed in the Dilbert cartoons. Vince had worked his way into a middle management role that afforded him an office with a window view of the Ohio River fifteen floors below. He was good at the job, just not so good at the schmoozing that was so critical to success in corporate America. The popular corporate term was “networking.” Vince reflected on his office at the knickknacks and awards. They made him feel connected to the people around him and the years invested in this work. He was most fond of the things people brought him from their travels. Those were special because coworkers and employees didn’t have to give him anything; they did it because they were good people and they cared. He had souvenirs from various states and South America, as well as Russia and many from India. For as much as Vince appeared to be outgoing, he kept a large part of himself private, and that could make people think he was standoffish at times. These reminders that people did care made him smile.

  ***

  Vince pulled into the large driveway of what had been their dream home. It was large and built for entertaining with the requisite man cave, pool, and a wraparound porch on the main level. There was another wraparound porch outside of the turret at the top level. Built to accommodate seven or eight cars, these days the driveway was empty except for his truck.

  The house wasn’t as clean as it should be. It felt empty and hollow, not worth the effort. Vince walked through the house, noticing the fast food cartons piling up in the garbage, dust and mail on the counter, and laundry to do. He loaded some clothes into a basket, still unsure how Ellie kept the colors from bleeding together and how she made the clothes smell good. It was sheer luck so far that no one at work or the gym had commented that his t-shirts were no longer white, but a lovely shade of pink. Vince now understood at a visceral level the difference between a house and a home. He needed to fix it up and sell it, perhaps buy a small hobby farm further out of town. He’d been working long hours at the office and could always find a good reason to put it off a little longer.

  He hadn’t yet gotten over the divorce from Ellie, or Eleanor as she now preferred to be called. He’d lost so much already. Selling the house was just one more link to the past and his marriage he wasn’t quite ready to sever.

  Ellie was still an attractive woman as she moved into midlife. She had curves she wanted to reduce yet men still noticed with appreciation. She wore her hair shorter these days, and the color ranged from dark blonde to light brown, colored for the season. She had blue eyes that made her and Vince resemble brother and sister more than husband and wife.

  The divorce was now two years in the past. Although they’d both known it was coming for quite some time, they kept working at the marriage. Ellie had worked at it because she was a caring person and desperately wanted to make it work. Vince went through the motions of working on it because his head was elsewhere and he foolishly thought things would work out for him the same as they always had. This time there wasn’t a stroke of good luck or magical reprieve. In the end, the damage was already done.

  After the divorce, Ellie began dating a man named Malcolm she’d met through work. They got along, he was a good man, and he made her happy. Although Ellie first met Malcolm while still married to Vince, he never believed she’d been unfaithful. That wasn’t Ellie’s way. In an odd way, Vince was pleased that Ellie and Kate were with Malcolm. Chicago could be a dangerous city at times; he would worry even more if they didn’t have someone to look out for them. No matter what happened between him and Ellie, he wanted them safe and happy.

  According to Kate, Malcolm had grown up in a hardworking north shore family in Chicago. His father owned a mechanical shop that did various engine repair and light machine shop work. Although Malcolm grew up helping his father in the shop, it was his father’s dream that his son get an education and a white-collar job. Malcolm was a large man, and strong. He had been born with strength and built it even more working in his father’s shop. Because he was large, it was easy for some people to miss that he had kind eyes and a good heart. His resting face could appear meaner than he intended, and it touched Malcolm deeply when Ellie saw past that to who he was underneath.

  It was that heart that helped direct his career choice into human resources when his father insisted he not follow him in the family business. Malcolm liked helping people and giving them a sense of purpose. Now Malcolm was a director in the HR department of the company where Ellie worked. When Vince heard that, he teased Ellie about the office romance. Ellie hadn’t appreciated the humor, insisting in her tightlipped way when she was upset that everything was on the up and up and they disclosed their relationship early on. Still, it was hard for Vince to think of his wife and daughter spending dinnertime with another man.

  When Ellie and Malcolm married, she and Kate moved to Chicago. Kate was excited because she loved the big city. She’d wanted to go to school at the University of Chicago for years. When Vince and Ellie were together, he’d always thought he would have more time to convince her to choose a college closer to home, dreading her going to school in the big city. His fears were partially for her safety, though he also worried she would get a job in another city and be distant from him forever.

  He still missed Ellie and their life together. Even more so, he missed Elizabeth Kate. She would always be Kate to him. Vince could remember all the times they had done father-daughter things together as if it were yesterday. It was odd how some memories dimmed, while others stayed vibrant for many years. It seemed only yesterday she was young enough to ride in Daddy’s truck and be his best buddy. She loved their special trips to an amusement and waterpark about an hour west of Louisville.

  It was hard to contemplate Kate as an adult, nineteen years old, going on twenty-five and living in Chicago with her mother. Thinking of a mature Kate enrolled at the University of Chicago was drastically different from the little girl in his mind. Kate had always wanted to be a lawyer. She was doing great academically and well on her way, now enrolled in political science classes with plans of going to law school in a few years.

  When Vince and Ellie spoke on the phone, he wanted to ask what they knew of the big story that was all over the news about a Chicago police shooting. Although those were no longer uncommon, this was a bigger story and getting more coverage. Ellie insisted that he was overreacting and looking for things to be paranoid about concerning Chicago, bringing up the latest trouble in Louisville as an example that there was trouble all over. No city was immune from strikes, riots, and police shootings these days. Vince coul
dn’t disagree. He would have loved for Kate and Ellie to live a more rural, safe life. At the same time, it wasn’t fair to take a whole generation and put them “on the bench” from the life their parents and grandparents had enjoyed in an effort to keep them safer.

  With the TV droning on in the background, he tried to clean up the house some. He had already heard the current “breaking” news story several times. Every local news station was replaying it and putting their own spin on it:

  “We have breaking news. The peaceful march protesting the shooting of Edwin Watson, who was pulled over for simple drunk driving, turned violent today as marchers left the approved route and spread into side streets and nearby businesses.

  “Two officers were cut off by the crowd and pelted with rocks and bottles. As tensions escalated, the officers opened fire on the protesters, killing one man. That victim’s name has yet to be released. The officer involved has been identified as twelve-year veteran policewoman, Officer Tanya Johansson. A Louisville Metro police spokesperson issued a statement saying the officers involved saw a gun and were trying to protect their lives, as well as those citizens in the immediate area. No gun was found after the crowd cleared.

  “In separate news, the police spokesperson issued a statement saying that for the immediate future they will stop responding to certain non-emergency calls in parts of the city, citing manpower issues and the inability to guarantee the safety of their officers. Police urge citizens in the impacted areas to file a report online. An officer will be dispatched within forty-eight hours.

  “Civil rights leaders have yet to respond to this latest announcement. The expectation is that riots and civil unrest will not subside anytime soon.

  “The governor released a statement that says all options, including the deployment of the National Guard, are being examined. Some experts have warned that the National Guard is underfunded and understaffed at this time. They have openly suggested that if the governor did make the call, many guardsmen would not report. It is suggested that for this reason, along with the long-standing rift between the mayor and the governor, the state may choose to delay a decision on this crisis. Spokespeople for both the mayor and the governor adamantly deny that assertion…”