Blood Roots: Are the roots strong enough to save the pandemic survivors?

by Michael Green

  44

  The next few months proved a time of great excitement at Haver.

  During the month of July, eight births were expected. In addition to Julie, Louise, Anne, Jane, Jessica and Nicole who had arrived on AWOL, Amy and Beatrice were also heavily pregnant. If all went well, there would be the addition of nine babies to Haver’s population — Beatrice was expecting twins.

  Roger was kept busy not only with anxious mothers-to-be but also working through the health issues that had built up in the community over the preceding seven years.

  The election date was set for the fifteenth of July. Campaigning was officially allowed only in the thirty days prior to Election Day, but canvassing started unofficially immediately the trial was concluded — a fact that irked Rick, who was serving his fourteen days in the Punishment Room for contempt of court.

  Mark, Duncan and Theresa were drafting a constitution which was actually a Bill of Rights and Basic Laws. They did most of the drafting themselves, but also consulted other members of the community. Mark’s original suggestion of a five-member administrative committee had been increased to a committee of seven, so most, if not all branches of the family would be represented.

  There had been much debate as to what the title of the new leader would be. British politics, with its never-ending cycle of sleaze and expense scandals, had fallen into such disrepute pre-pandemic that no one fancied the title Prime Minister.

  Leader, the title chosen by Diana, still held some unfortunate connotations and certainly no one would entertain another Lord of Haver, particularly since three of the candidates standing were women. Everyone agreed Emperor was over the top. King or Queen was disrespectful as far as the English were concerned, out of the question as far as the Americans were concerned, and smacked of the feudalism they’d suffered under all the previous rulers of Haver.

  In the end President seemed to be the natural choice, even though that title had also been badly tainted by the actions of several politicians around the world. Rick was delighted, feeling the English had come around to the American way of thinking. In reality the English were comfortable with the term President having been members of golf clubs, bowls clubs and service clubs such as Lions and Rotary.

  The members of the administrative committee were to be called Representatives. Hopefully that would remind them of why, and by whom, they had been elected.

  Ten members of the community had decided to stand for the seven places available. Rick was the first to announce his candidature, which he did in a very loud voice from the Punishment Room. That in turn prompted Roger, under pressure from Louise and Anne, to stand too. The Americans were unsure how Rick would fare in an English-style election, but all were keen that the American branch of the family should have a voice on the committee.

  Mark had already announced he would not stand, and was supporting Steven. He wanted Jane to stand too, but she wouldn’t. Cheryl, Theresa and Jennifer were standing: a strong female block. Duncan had put his name forward, as had his son Fergus. Harry, keen to capture the youth vote, was a candidate. He had sensibly dropped the Monster Raving Loony Party and to his credit was campaigning as seriously as everyone else.

  He was fighting a tough campaign against Zach, who was also seeking to corner the youth vote. The two lads’ performances vindicated Mark’s assertion the voting age be reduced to fourteen. He noted with satisfaction that both boys behaved with more decorum and maturity than some of the pre-pandemic politicians he had known.

  The lobbying was intense. There were rallies and debates. The ancient hand-operated printing press, once owned by the Saville family of Haver, was commissioned to provide a manifesto for each candidate. All promised free healthcare, free education and justice for all. To his credit, Roger made no issue of the fact that he was the only candidate who could deliver on the promise of free healthcare. Significantly, the age to which free education would be made available was higher in both Zach and Harry’s manifesto than that offered by other candidates, contradicting the myth that youngsters were only too anxious to leave school.

  The first item on Rick’s manifesto was the right to bear arms, a provision that no one else mentioned. None campaigned harder than he. There was a predominance of women in the community and Mark was concerned that Rick’s charm would weave its magic on them.

  To male voters, Rick offered a raft of incentives as he called them — or bribes as other candidates referred to them. Mark wondered how Rick’s promises were to be funded; money, after all, was non-existent at Haver. Rick also introducing the concept of tactical voting, pointing out to each family in turn that if they voted for a strong candidate in another family it could lessen the chances of their own family’s candidates being elected.

  By bringing up tactical voting, Rick was in danger of sabotaging what had begun as a fair election. Mark realised, of course, that Rick was hoping the existing families at Haver would vote for him in preference to the strong candidates fielded by other families. When Mark wasn’t campaigning for Steven he was busy trying to negate Rick’s efforts.

  As the campaign ran its course, subtle changes were taking place at Haver. The collective, centralised, feudal system was beginning to break down. Some functions, such as the kitchens, were still operating communally, but even there families were showing a degree of independence. Additional meals were being cooked on barbecues scattered around Lawn Court. Alongside the communal gardens, private allotments were springing up.

  Life had become more enjoyable. Soccer, rugby, bowls and other games were being played. One activity Mark didn’t approve of was target practice, which had first been introduced by Diana as a means of training her troops. He wished to have it stopped but didn’t want to appear heavy-handed just as everyone was enjoying new-found liberty. Apart from the young boys, the only adults who seemed interested in target practice were Rick and Jennifer. Mark was biding his time. He had ensured that privately held firearms were to be outlawed in the new constitution.

  Expeditions beyond the boundaries of the park were growing increasingly frequent. Families began to talk openly about their preferred areas of Sevenoaks, should they ever decide to leave Haver. Mark suspected it would only be a matter of time before many did leave.

  He and Anne were secretly planning to leave the following spring. They had chosen a cottage in Mill Lane. It had been Mark’s grandmother’s cottage, the house in which he had been born. He described the phenomenon to Anne as being drawn by his blood roots, a theory he supported by pointing out that the Steeds were discussing returning to Bradbourne, the area of Sevenoaks where they had been born.

  Duncan, however, was adamant he wouldn’t leave Haver. Mark believed Duncan’s attitude was driven by his determination that Rick should not have the staterooms rather than a genuine desire to stay.

  ‘For heaven’s sake, let Rick have the staterooms,’ Mark told his cousin. ‘He won’t stay in them for long. They’re not practical without an army of servants to maintain them and collect the tons of wood needed to keep them warm. He’ll soon get sick of the work involved.’ He was sure Duncan would soon be drawn by his blood roots too. He would want to be with the other members of the Steed family.

  Four of the ten babies due in July were delivered before Election Day. All were healthy. All were female.

  45

  At breakfast on the fifteenth of July, Jane, as chief polling officer, moved to the lectern and read the rules of the election to the assembled community.

  ‘The voting paper,’ she said, holding up an example, ‘is divided into two sections. The top section is the vote for the constitution. Tick the Yes box if you are in favour of the constitution. Tick the No box if you are not in favour. The constitution requires at least seventy-five percent of eligible voters to vote in favour for it to be adopted. If the constitution is adopted, a seventy-five percent vote will be required for it to be amended.

  ‘The second section of the voting paper is the general election. The ten candidates
are listed in alphabetical order. Each voter must indicate their order of preference for every candidate. Write the number one against your first choice, two against your second choice and so on down to your least favoured choice, against which you must write the number ten.

  ‘The polling booth, which is located in the old Haver Trust Coffee Shop, will be open from nine till eleven o’clock. When the poll has closed, the votes will be counted. The individual scores for each candidate will then be tallied.

  ‘The candidate with the lowest total score will be declared President. The candidate with the second lowest score will be declared Vice President. Those with the next five lowest scores will be elected representatives.

  ‘The results will be announced at the conclusion of lunch today. Are there any questions?’

  Rick stood up. ‘Do you intend to announce the scores when you give the results — as we do in the States?’

  ‘We gave the scores, as you put it, in England’s pre-pandemic elections too. That’s probably where you Americans got the idea from.’ Harry and Ruben sniggered. ‘But I’m not so sure advising the scores is warranted in such a small community as this.’

  ‘But surely, those of us …’ he corrected himself, ‘those who are elected, would wish to have an idea of the level of their mandate?’ he challenged.

  ‘Very well, I’ll put it to the vote by simple majority — a show of hands from the candidates only please. Those in favour of the scores being published, please raise your hand.’ Rick’s hand shot up, as did Harry’s and Zach’s. Duncan, Kimberley and Jennifer followed suit, giving the necessary six votes.

  ‘The scores will be published,’ Jane said.

  ‘You mean announced and published, surely,’ Rick corrected, as with a self-satisfied smirk that said ‘I sorted that out, folks’ he regained his seat.

  Jane neither confirmed nor denied. ‘If there are no more questions …’ She scanned the hall, pausing until she was sure there weren’t. ‘I shall now go and brief Jasper and Greg on the voting procedure and the polls will open at nine o’clock sharp.’

  Rick was on his feet again. ‘You’re not giving those criminals the vote, surely?’ he said.

  ‘I certainly am,’ Jane said firmly. ‘I agree with the United Nations position that all prisoners should have the right to vote.’

  With that she snapped her folder shut and hurried out of the room.

  ‘I shouldn’t knock it, Uncle Ricky,’ Ruben said in a loud voice. ‘Jasper and Greg are sure votes for you. Crims always stick together, you know?’

  The Great Hall erupted into laughter, then there was a mad dash for the door. The race to be first in line at the polling station was won by Harry. The youngest eligible voter and the youngest candidate was to be the first person to vote in the first election of a new democratic era.

  Lunch was a noisy affair. A special finger-buffet lunch had been arranged allowing people to mix and mingle. There was a carnival atmosphere, with a great deal of hand shaking. The candidates — with the exception of Rick — were relaxed. Even though the election was over, he couldn’t stop campaigning, wandering around the Great Hall making outlandish promises and offering positions such as Sheriff. Harry began mimicking Rick and had promised Ruben the post of Indian Reservation Controller.

  Jane and her two adjudicators, Bridget and Anne, arrived a little later. The votes had been counted and the results safely recorded in the folder which Jane kept tucked under her arm.

  Anne, much to Rick’s annoyance, joined Mark and his family rather than American Headquarters as he had named the section of one of the refectory tables he had commandeered. Eventually he could contain his curiosity no longer. He sidled over and asked Anne if the count had gone well.

  ‘Yes, it went very smoothly,’ she replied. ‘Jane’s a great organiser — pity she didn’t stand as a candidate.’

  ‘So is the result … good, the scores sort of … ’

  ‘The result is excellent, though one or two of the scores are a bit surprising. But really I can’t say any more. You’ll have to wait until Jane announces the result.’

  Exasperated, Rick wandered off.

  ‘Surprising scores?’ Mark asked, looking inquisitively at Anne.

  She pulled him close and squeezed his waist. ‘You’ll have to wait too. If Jane takes too long, you might be a father again before you know the result.’

  He looked at her, concerned.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘I’ve been a mother before. I’ll be a few more hours yet.’

  He stood up. ‘I’ll tell Jane to hurry up.’

  ‘Don’t bother, she won’t dally, her labour has started too.’

  Before Mark could respond, the banging of a gavel rang out. They all spun around and looked towards the lectern.

  Jane seemed in a hurry to get proceedings underway. ‘I should like the candidates to assemble with me up here on the dais,’ she announced. Once again Harry was first up, followed closely by Rick, then the others. The hall became deathly quiet. ‘First, I wish to announce the result of the vote on the constitution. It is a pity that it was not unanimous, but we achieved the next best thing — only one vote against. The new constitution is therefore adopted.’

  There was a great round of cheering and applause. It was clear who had not voted in favour: Rick was remonstrating with Julie, whom he had presumably told to vote against the constitution.

  Before the clamour died down, Jane held up her hand. ‘I will now announce the result of the general election. I shall give the scores in reverse order. And for those who were so keen to have the scores announced, I would remind you that since there were twenty-seven eligible voters, the best score achievable by a candidate is twenty-seven, assuming that they voted for themselves and were everyone else’s first choice. The worst possible score for a candidate, assuming the candidate voted for themselves as first choice but everyone else placed them as their least favoured candidate, is two hundred and sixty-one.

  ‘In tenth place, with a score of two hundred and sixty-one …’ She paused, her facial expression fighting between wincing at her labour pains and trying to stop herself laughing. ‘Rick Hoff.’

  Mark smiled. Rick’s charm had not worked. As always, the British had voted for the principles and policies that made sense to them, and none could support ‘the right to bear arms’.

  As Rick stormed out of the room, Roger hurried up to Jane to ask her what was wrong. She told him she was in labour and that Anne had started too. He reminded her that they were both older mothers-to-be and told her sternly that she should hurry up so they could get somewhere more comfortable.

  ‘In ninth place, with a commendable tally of one hundred and ninety-seven — Harry Grey.’

  There was a considerable cheer. Only one other candidate would not make the cut.

  ‘In eighth place, with one hundred and ninety-six …’ Again she paused, more because of pain than for dramatic effect. ‘Jennifer Steed.’

  Jennifer received a generous round of applause. She shrugged her shoulders and appeared almost relieved not to have been elected.

  Jane rattled off the next five names, giving their scores, all of which were close. ‘And finally,’ she concluded, ‘it is my pleasure to announce the Vice President and the President of our community. There was only a one-vote difference between these two candidates.

  ‘So without further ado, I give you our Vice President, Steven Chatfield.’ There was long and generous applause. Steven was a popular choice. Jane waited until the clapping had died and concluded, ‘And it is my pleasure to announce our new President, my doctor and yours, Doctor Roger Cox.’

  There was a huge cheer, and the other candidates congratulated Roger upon his success. No one had expected him to win, but no one begrudged him his success either. He had been the quiet man who listened, studied the mood and responded to it.

  Mark was disappointed Steven hadn’t been elected President and wondered whether Roger had benefited from Rick’s pleas
for tactical voting. Maybe specific families, keen to prevent other families becoming too powerful, had voted for Roger. However, Roger had been Mark’s second choice and he had certainly voted for him based on his qualities. Perhaps others had done the same.

  Then he began to congratulate himself: his son was Vice President and his fifteen-year-old grandson Zach a representative. Did that make him another Joe Kennedy?

  Then he came back to the real world as Jane, obviously in pain, said, ‘And I can announce that President Roger Cox will now perform his first presidential task, which is to deliver the first baby to be born in this new era of our community. Anne and I are both in labour.’

  There was another round of applause as the President, Vice President and Mark led the two women away.

  No sooner were Jane and Anne settled in adjacent rooms than Zach was hammering at the door, calling for Roger to come quickly because his sister had gone into labour too.

  Roger acted swiftly. He had what were potentially the most difficult births to deal with — the oldest women and the youngest — all occurring at once. He had Nicole carried to the room next to her mother and rallied his midwives — Susan, Jennifer and Cheryl.

  As the afternoon wore on, a large crowd began to assemble. Roger asked all three women quietly if they wanted anyone else present at their babies’ births. None of them did. He sighed with relief and barred everyone but the midwives from the delivery rooms. Mark, who had previously been shuffling between all three rooms, was forced to stand with the crowd in Lawn Court. There were regular bulletins, assuring the crowd the mothers-to-be were doing well. The concerned look on Roger’s face suggested otherwise, however.

  Finally, a little after six in the evening, Jennifer emerged from Anne’s room and announced, ‘Anne has a beautiful daughter.’ A cheer resounded around the courtyard. She beckoned Mark to enter.

  Mark was ecstatic. He took Anne in his arms and stoked her hair. She was white and weak and he could see she’d had a tough time.