The Far Side of the Sun

+++++

"I wonder," she said to him one night a few weeks later, "what people are saying about us? About you and me, being together at night?"

He looked at her, nodded his head, came to the bed and sat beside her. "There is some talk, yes, but so far I've heard nothing ill-tempered."

"Oh? Talk? Like what?"

He turned away for a moment, then back to look her in the eye. "They wonder, the women mostly, if you and I will marry."

Now it was her turn to look away. "Really? I wonder why?"

"Traditions, I think. Men and women do not cohabit unless married. Is that not so outside the valley?"

"It used to be common practice, maybe until forty of fifty years ago."

He nodded. "So many changes. It can be confusing, because now I see the village as frozen in time, yet it's a reference point. Is that the right phrase?"

"I think so, but what point are you trying to make?"

"Well, if we are a reference point – in time – and you look at where outside society is now as another point, it's hard to see what changes occurred to get from one point to the next."

She nodded her head. "Yes, I see that. Especially if you look at things in such a linear 'cause and effect' way, but that's why historians will be here, because there have been so many points 'in between' over time, so many random, completely unexpected influences, both within and outside our culture. Historian's are good deciphering all those events, finding links in time. Anyway, ascribing causality to any one influence could lead you away from the rabbit's hole..."

"The...what?"

"Oh yes," she said, catching herself. "The rabbit's hole is from a book, called Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. On the surface it's a children's tale, but once you scratch beneath the surface it's anything but. In the sense I mean, to go down the rabbit's hole is to start on a journey, a journey seeking out the true nature of reality. To venture away from the rabbit's hole is to turn away from truth, away from reality."

"And this is a child's story? Truly? To seek the nature of reality?"

"Well, it's a story that functions on many levels." She smiled. "Maybe one day you'll read it."

"In fairness, Heidi, reality for me is in the forests and streams that make up this valley..."

"And yet," she interjected, "when your people settled this valley many of the greatest philosophers that ever lived were writing some of the most important works in human history."

He paused, looked at her. "Yes, I can see how that confounds my line of thinking, or the way you see this valley, but I am not a philosopher."

"Aren't you? You said once you write poetry?"

"What?"

"You write. Poetry. Correct?"

"Yes."

"And do you not write about such things as life and love and the meaning of things?"

"Sometimes, yes."

"And when you are in the woods, alone, don't you from time to time think about the nature of life? About right and wrong, perhaps?"

"Sometimes, yes."

"I see. So, you're not a philosopher?"

"I have no training. I've not read many books on the matter."

"Oh," she said, quietly. "Are you curious? About what you could learn in those books?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure how I would gain from the reading. Would I become a better hunter? A better carpenter?"

"Perhaps there's more to life than..."

"Out there? Out in your world? Perhaps. But here, in this valley? I'm not so sure. Not if we are to preserve our way of life. Not if we are to survive. What would happen if everyone here was to sit and read all day? To fulfill an inner longing to learn all there is to learn, to grasp that which we've missed out on for the past hundred and fifty years? What food would we eat? What wood would we burn to warm our homes? We have no slaves, or poor people to do these things for us. We do not live in a world where ideas like "leisure time" mean very much. We work, we survive. We don't work, we go hungry, or we freeze to death in winter. Life here is as simple as that."

She smiled, understood what he meant. "And yet here we are, talking, reasoning through a problem. It's night, we have light. We have books. We could read together, could we not?"

"Would you rather read than, well, you know?"

"No, of course not, but if we keep at it like rabbits..."

"What? We'll go down the rabbit hole?" he smiled.

"Ah. So then, sex is the very truest nature of reality? Is that what you're saying?"

He smiled now, wanting to step back from this sudden precipice they had found. "Oh yes, truly. I have seen this greatest truth in your eyes, on your face."

"Well then," she said, wanting very much to defuse this line of thought, "perhaps I need a mouthful of your truth. Think you're 'up' for it?"

"Anytime, my love. But I was wondering. I'd like to ask you a question."

"Go ahead," she said warily.

"Well, I wonder. Would you marry me?"

He watched her face, watched her lips begin to tremble, an eyelid as it began to twitch...

"Because, you see, I was talking to Rebecca today, and she dropped a few hints, and while I'm not sure, it seemed to be, to me at least, about something quite rare and interesting..."

"Yes, I'm pregnant," she said as she bit her lip, tried to calm it down.

He looked at her for a long while, saying nothing, just watching her eyes. Then: "Well Heidi? What do you think of the idea?"

"Ask me in about an hour," she said as she began to lick her lips, only now with a very sly look in her eyes.

+++++

The first researchers arrived in late August, about a week after Heidi and Martin announced they would be married – when the autumn harvests were complete. Anthropologists from Cornell and Columbia arrived first, then historians and public health specialists from Dartmouth and Harvard a day later, along with a music historian from NYU. The historians, the public health and music researchers were slated to be housed in the clinic compound; the anthropologists would stay in newly built cottages located within the four primary villages.

These were followed, in mid-September, by more than thirty undergraduate and graduate students, and this first group of students and teachers was scheduled to stay through New Years Day.

An hour after they arrived, the students were advised they would be building their own shelters, with the help of villagers, of course, but that within a week they would also be helping bring in the first harvests of corn and wheat. They would also be able to choose a villager to help them get acclimated to life in the valley, they were told, and as a means to 'mentor' one another, but only after they'd finished a few days work in the village.

Rebecca was now more or less attached to the village's blacksmith; she stayed with him in his house most nights and almost always came to the clinic mid-mornings. Only now she always appeared stiff, almost sore when she walked in.

Martin cleared that up soon enough.

"Old Sims, yeah, he's hung like a horse, and I've seen her walk after a night riding that monster. It's a wonder she can move at all, I reckon. Sims is single because of it, you know. None of the gals around here want anything to do with that thing of his."

"Oh come off it," Heidi cried, laughing through her breakfast. "Just how big could it be?"

"Don't look at me, sister! I've never seen yon beast!"

"Then how could you possibly know?"

"Well, you know, women talk."

"Do they, now! And?"

"Well, Big-Assed Kate couldn't take him, and I've heard her cunny's big enough for any two men."

"Rumors, rumors, rumors! I need facts!" Heidi said through her laughter. "Really? Big-Assed Kate? There's really a woman here named Big-Assed Kate?"

"Oh, if you see her you'll understand. It's not that she's fat, mind you, but, well, she's kind of gassy, and it's just that her bottom forty acres are a wee on the broad side. And she's insatiable, or so it's known."

"Insatiable?"

"Well, her appetites are enormous. And I'm not talkin' about food, ya know."

"So, a broad-beamed nymphomaniac, right here in Eden. Is she married?"

"Widow. Personally, I think she screwed poor old Willis Simpkins into an early grave. He wasn't an older man, don't remember his age, but she screwed that poor fella five, six times a night. You could hear her wailin' away through it all, halfway to sunrise most nights, anyway. He lasted a few months, then he just plumb gave out."

"You're serious?"

"Oh, cross my heart. Screwed him to death, or so I've heard. Nowadays most any young man needin' a quick go-round just slips by Kate's place. Any time, day or night. Many a young lad, too, ya know? For their first time? A big ass she has, but a bigger heart, if you know what I mean."

"So this Sims, the blacksmith," Heidi managed to say through her giggling, "is too much for Big, uh, for this Kate to handle?"

"Yup. Reckon he tried one night and it was like someone shot a wild boar in the ass with bow and arrow. All kinds of wailin', all sorts of name callin', then Sims comes runnin' out of her place with his pants down around his knees, and there's Big-Assed Kate right behind him with a broom, yellin' at him to never try that again, whatever 'that' was."

Heidi could hardly catch her breath at this point. "Poor, poor Rebecca! Oh! I wonder how she's taking all that!?"

"Well, her mouth's too small, that's for sure."

Now Heidi lost it, was writhing in her wheelchair as gales of laughter split the early morning air. "Stop it! Stop it! I've probably wet myself already," she said as she looked down at her lap, and as suddenly she was crying.

"What is it?" Martin asked as he came to her side.

"Oh...look!" she said as she pointed at her urine soaked chair and nightgown.

"Oops, looks like it's time for a rinse..."

"Oh, Martin, how can you stand this! I'm not sure I can much longer!"

"Now, now, what's all this? Handle what? Let me heat up some water? And you stop your cryin' now, willya, or I will too. Just so's you'll have company, mind you." He helped her out of her gown, lifted her to a simple chair and cleaned her wheelchair then, when the water was warm, he rinsed her with a washcloth, pausing every now and then to kiss away a tear. He dried her, helped her dress for the clinic, then walked beside her while she pushed herself along the walkway. Soon she slowed, slowed to look ahead when she saw a woman waiting outside the clinic's entry, and as the woman was one of the very first people to visit Heidi asked Martin who it was.

"Well, as I live and breathe, it's Big-Assed Kate!" he whispered.

"Really?" she replied. "Anything else I need to know about her?"

"Nope, not that I know. You have a nice morning," he said as he left her by the clinic entrance. "Maybe I'll seeya for lunch?"

"Bye, Martin. Yes, later." Heidi wheeled up to the entry. "Hello," she said to the woman at the door. "Need to see me?"

"I reckon so," the woman replied.

"I'm Heidi, by the way," she said, holding out her hand.

"Kate. Kate MacDonough," the woman said, taking Heidi's hand.

"Well, Kate, wanna step inside?" Heidi was amazed anyone would think this woman had a large rear end, and was equally amazed how attractive she was. Auburn hair streaked with gray, a creamy complexion complete with freckles and wild green eyes, she looked like a living advertisement for Irish tourism, yet she wasn't big anywhere save, perhaps, for her breasts.

They made it into the main exam room and Heidi asked her to take a seat.

"What brings you here today?" the physician asked.

"I'm not bleedin', down there," Kate said, pointing to her vagina.

"Is it time?"

"Well past it, if you know what I mean."

"Had sex recently?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Come one now, you've heard of me, ain't you?"

"No, sorry, should I have?"

"Go on now, I'm the one called Big-Assed Kate, ya know. I have it, sex, like ten times a day, more if I can get it."

"Oh?"

"Well, I gotta have, like all the time, or I go like crazy, if you know what I mean?"

"No, I'm not sure. Would you tell me exactly what you feel?"

"Well, if I don't have sex I feel down like. When I get it I feel good again. Simple as that."

"I see. Are there other things you do that make you feel up? Or down?"

"Not that I can recall. Is this a problem?"

"Hmm? Oh, well, let's talk about the bleeding. When were you due? To have your period, I mean?"

"My what?"

"Oh, the bleeding that comes once a month or so. I call it 'the period'."

"Oh, well, I haven't had it in two months to so, and, well, I wondered if I might be pregnant."

"Easy enough to check," Heidi replied as she got a pregnancy test kit ready. "The first test we run involves taking some of your urine..."

"My what?"

"Uh, your pee?"

"Oh, yes mum."

"Well here, let's go to the bathroom and get this sorted out..."

+++++

"Anyway, she tested positive, but I'm reluctant to draw blood at this point," Heidi said at a meeting she had called of the academic team.

"Why?" asked Amy Rabinowitz, the lead anthropologist from Columbia.

"Well, two reasons, I think. First, the nymphomania. I'm not well qualified to diagnose borderline bi-polar disorder, but that's my inclination at this point. Second is an anthropological concern, really. I didn't want to start with more complicated testing if it's either unnecessary or likely to interfere with your early assessments of the people here."

"I appreciate that," Amy said, "but if you think blood-work is necessary..."

"Probably not, not to confirm pregnancy, anyway. At some point I'd like to get a complete panel on her, maybe within a few weeks or so, while she's still in the first trimester anyway. She seemed to know she was pregnant, and what to do about it if she was. And it's not like they're unfamiliar with the routine..."

"Midwives?" Rebecca asked. "Do they have midwives?"

Everyone looked around the room; no one had an answer.

"I'll ask Martin," Heidi said, "later."

"Well," Rebecca said next, "let's assume they have midwives of some sort here. Should we let them take over Kate's care?"

"Absolutely," Amy said. "Unless or until they can't. Or won't. I'd say stick to emergent life saving care only, for the time being at least."

"And that brings up an interesting point," Heidi interjected. "Me."

"You?" Rebecca asked, puzzled.

"Should I be cared for by the midwives? Assuming...they are still used here."

"Are you serious?" Todd, one of the public health researchers asked. "I mean really, isn't getting to term going to be hard enough on you as is?"

"I hear you..." Heidi began, but Rebecca interrupted.

"Her pregnancy doesn't present many extra complications. I think this might be a case where we let the midwives carry the load, and we remain on the sidelines for the most part. If Heidi agrees, that is."

"I'd think I'd kind of like to use both," Heidi said. "Midwives and someone here in the clinic. I'd like to compare notes, so to speak. See which paradigm is most effective."

"Best, you mean?" Todd asked, incredulously. "You mean like modern O-B care vs 19th-century midwifery?"

"Well Todd, let's face it," Amy replied, "midwives are still around, and for good reason. But let's also consider the docs don't exactly have a full Ob-Gyn suite set up to go here, let alone a Ob-Gyn..."

"Point taken," Todd replied, "but..."

"Yeah," Rebecca added, " and I haven't done a C-section since residency. It's not that hard, as I recall, but we don't have a gas-passer or even a scrub-nurse. It's, well, I don't think it's impossible to do solo, but I'm not sure I'd want to try alone. Having a midwife around might not be a bad way to go, regardless. If we anticipate major issues, we'd have to medevac Heidi out anyway."

"Are you thinking of training a midwife to assist?" Amy asked.

"If one or more is interested, why not?" Rebecca replied.

"How about just one, for the time being?" Amy said after thinking about it for a moment.

"Well, if we're going to do that we ought to get whoever it is up to speed on a few other nursing skills we might need her for. By the way, I think we need to get an RN up here as soon as we can, but until that happens it would be nice to have an extra pair of hands around that know what they're doing?"

"I agree," said Heidi.

"Well," Amy replied, "as long as we're only talking about one or two..."

"So," Heidi added quickly, and with an air of command in her voice, "midwives for both Kate and myself, for the time being anyway, and Rebecca can do some follow up care on me here while she finds a midwife that might want training in modern nursing techniques? And we pick choose just one candidate for interim nursing training, for now? Does that about wrap it up? The Team in agreement?"

After nods of assent around the room, Heidi adjourned the meeting.

"You're brave," Todd said as he left the room.

Heidi smiled, Rebecca too, though she was mad as Hell. "What an asshole," she said to his back.

October

Martin and Heidi's wedding was a simple affair, but her father made it to the village the day before, along with a couple of strangers the villagers hadn't seen before. There was something of a small feast planned for the night before, but it was cold out and Heidi expected a dismal turnout.

She was mistaken.

Every villager, each and every student and faculty researcher, all turned up at the anointed hour, and the evening began with music inside a rebuilt pavilion near the parson's house. Roasts simmering on spits filled the air with savory aromas, while corn on the cob buried under coals beckoned. Torchlight filled the space with whirling shadows when Martin picked up Heidi and took her for a spin around the dance floor, and even her father joined in the festivities and danced with a few of the older villagers.

The marriage ceremony came at noon the next day, and was as simple as could be. Brief, solemn vows by the kindly old parson, a simple kiss, and a joining for all time. There was another feast after the ceremony, this one arranged by the the faculty from Columbia.

The outsiders were stunned when two musicians took to the stage. Songs with names like The Sound of Silence, and Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme filled the pavilion, and kept the crowd attentive but subdued. Then came Punky's Dilemma, which got things going, but when Mrs Robinson coo-coo-cachooed one more time, the place got going. Then several cases of a bubbly wine appeared, 'as if by magic' said one of the profs from Cornell, and the 1820s met the 1960s. As bottles and bottled of the 'bubbles' disappeared, more than one villager passed-out in the chairs along the walls, yet no one quite seemed to understand why.

Traditional food was served of course, but the Columbia group also spiced things up with Indian curries. Not to be outdone, several students turned up with a dozen or so lasagnas, and so India and Italy came to the little valley, if only for an afternoon. Mystified villagers ate the stuff, but there were worried looks among them when Big Assed Kate floated an 'air muffin' that nearly suffocated half the people in the pavilion – when her toxic fumes hit. As the Stillwell's gasped for air Heidi suddenly understood why Kate had gotten such an interesting nickname.

Then Heidi wheeled herself over to the singers, took their hands in hers and thanked them; not long after she was off with Martin to parts unknown. They surfaced a few days later, with dark circles under their eyes.

+++++

It turned out there were several women acting as midwives in the various settlements around the valley, and one, a middle aged woman named Chelsea who had already expressed an interest in nursing, was chosen to join the clinic staff as an intern of sorts. She was an eager learner, and sat reading anatomy textbooks whenever she wasn't working with Rebecca and Heidi. Chelsea's husband decided, after talking with Rebecca one morning, that it might be better if they lived closer to the clinic, so he built a new home not far from Martin and Heidi's with the help of a group of college students. Within days, one of the students, a slight girl from the Ozark's named Tina, had attached herself to Chelsea, and they were soon inseparable. Chelsea taught Tina the basics of midwifery, while Tina walked her mentor through elementary Biology and Chemistry. Rebecca taught her how to draw blood and start an IV, then the theory behind EKGs and other cardiac care instruments and procedures.