Nathan "Mad Dog" Morgendorffer sat on the front porch of his home to catch the fleeting Virginia summer breeze. He growled at his eighteen-year old son. "Army? What's wrong with the Marines?"
Bruce stood his ground. "Nothing's wrong with them. But, the Army offers the new airmobile forces I'm interested in."

"Bouncing around in them fancy helicopters? Well, I guess it gets you into the fightin' quicker."

"It does, and allows troops to be more precisely placed or removed."

"Rather you were a Marine, but I'm proud you're off to do your duty." Mad Dog turned to glare at the sixteen-year old Jake. "Now if we can just get this worthless piece of crap to do his."

Sixteen-year old Jake stepped back and stammered, "D…dad. I was planning to go to college."

"What the hell do you want to do something like that for? You need to get your butt out there and fight the stinkin' commies."

"B…b…but I can do that after college. Then I can be an officer. That's what they're asking us to do at Buxton Ridge."

"Officer? Bah. Bane of a true non-com's existence. But, you can't do without 'em." He glared at Jake. "Okay, boy. We need good officers instead of those jerks I had to work under. If the school says it's a good idea, fine. You can go."

Jake stepped off the bus and looked through the gate of Middleton College. "Well, it's not UCLA, but Dad said he'd only cover in-state tuition. Doesn't matter; it's not enlistment."

The open yard was scattered with young people walking on their business. Cars were pulled up next to the dorms and families were helping new students unload belongings. The bus driver opened the luggage compartment and tossed Jake's duffle bag on the ground. "Dere ya' go, kid." Moments later, the bus was back on its way. Jake picked up his bag and began to walk forward. He pulled the folded campus map from his pocket and oriented himself quickly. "That way."

Jake saw the counter-culture had firmly established itself among the students. He felt out of place with his crew cut, pressed pants, white shirt and red tie. Students read, threw frisbees, and some openly drank on the open lawns. A multitude of voices called from all directions. Music he was barely familiar with played. He was entering a world far, far removed from the strict discipline of Buxton Ridge Military Academy.

A pretty girl with blond hair and very pleasing curves rushed past him. "Very different." He smiled and stood straighter. As he approached his dorm, his shoulders slumped. "Who am I kidding? Someone like that will never be interested in me."

Almost eighteen, Helen carefully parked her Dodge Dart in the driveway next to her sister Rita's MG and shut off the ignition. Her father had obtained both cars as repossessions. She frowned in frustration. "It doesn't seem fair. You'd think a bank owner could afford new cars for us."

She looked over at her silver salutatorian sash, bright against a black graduation gown. "Second place. By less than half a tenth of a lousy GPA point." The young woman's red hair flowed over a white peasant blouse when she reached back and removed the gown from the hook. "But, I did it on my own. I can be proud of that."

Inside the elegantly decorated house, she called out, "I'm home."

Simon Barksdale entered the living room from the back of the house. He was a small, slender man with close-cropped, red/brown hair and gold-rimmed bifocals. "Good afternoon. Ready for the big night?"

Helen held up the sash prominently. "Hi, Daddy. Ready as ever. At least Rita won't be able to butt in on this."

"You know she doesn't mean any harm, she just gets carried away."

Helen rolled her eyes. "Right, Daddy. And then, Mom just backs her up and that's the end of it."

A tall woman with bright red hair stormed into the room. Tess Barksdale snapped, "At least Rita knows how to show some respect for her parents."

Helen turned. "Respect? She's playing you like a cheap fiddle."

"You insolent little witch! You're grounded."

Helen angrily tossed her hair to the side as she headed for the stairs. "You'd better call the school to let them know I won't be giving my speech."

"Speech? Dammit! That is tonight. You're not grounded until tomorrow."

Helen yelled down the stairs, "Wow, thanks."

Nine-year old Amy sat at the top of the stairs. "Oooh. Good one. Get Mom wound up good and tight before tonight."

"Out of my way, Amy."

Amy scrambled to avoid the rapidly advancing big sister. "Hey, I'll let you know when the coast is clear."

"Thanks," Helen grumbled as she closed the door to her room.

Helen trudged her two suitcases down the hall toward her assigned dorm room at Middleton College. "It's not Bromwell or Crestmore, but it's college, even if I'm still in Virginia."

A brunette girl in blue and green tie-dye hugged Helen as soon as she opened the door. In a soft voice, she said, "Hey, I'm Willow. You must be my roommate."

Helen was temporarily dumbfounded by her new roommate's friendliness. "Hi, I'm Helen."

"That is such a pretty name. Let me help you."

Willow picked up one of Helen's suitcases and carried it to the center of the room. "I waited for you to get here. Do you care which bed you get?"

"You didn't already choose a bed?"

"It wouldn't be fair without you here."

Helen stood still, not knowing what to say.

Simon entered the room. "Good morning, Miss."

"Hi."

Simon set two more suitcases on the floor and hugged Helen. "Looks like you have a nice roommate. I promised your mother I'd be home by dinner, so I better get going."

Helen found she was more emotional than anticipated. "Bye, Daddy. I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you. Try to stay out of trouble."

Helen smiled past the tear she felt. "I'll try."

Simon looked around. "I think you are going to have a fascinating time."

Helen and Jake stood facing Coyote and Willow. Behind was the rustic group house they had lived in since the end of their freshman year of college. Two weeks after graduation, their few belongings were packed in the trusty Dart and they were ready to leave.

Coyote said, "Man, are you really sure you want to do this?"

Willow held Helen's hands. "We've managed to make a new world here. Why would you want to go out to the madness?"

She smiled at the warmth of her friend's hands. "We may have made a new world here, but we aren't changing the one out there. I know that's where my calling is."

Jake hugged Helen. "We're going out to make a difference."

Coyote and Willow hugged both of them. Coyote said, "Be careful, man. The corporate running dogs can suck you in before you know it."

Helen said, "We know to keep true to our goals."

Jake spread his hands wide. "Sure do."

Quietly, Willow said, "Farewell."

Helen brushed a tear away. "Thank you. Goodbye. Both of you have been the most wonderful friends."

Helen and Jake got into the car and slowly pulled away from the commune. Helen looked forward as she drove. "I'm never kneading bread again."

Jake looked disappointed. "But, I like your pumpkin seed loaf."

"Jake, if we're going to save society, I can't spend more time in the kitchen than my mother did."

"Aw, you're right."

"We need to find some decent jobs. I already applied with the state social services agency. You should be able to find something, too. Put your business degree to work. You said we should work from inside the system, here's our chance."

"Gotcha." After a few minutes, Jake said, "You know; it'll be kind of nice having more than three sets of clothes."

"Having hot water for regular baths will be wonderful."

"Maybe, we can sell out a little."

"I don't see where it will hurt. The new place will be ours, after all."

"Having our own place has another advantage; a lot more privacy."

Helen smiled, "Oh, Jake!"

Helen looked out over the kaleidoscopic dance floor with a pang of jealousy. Mostly for the gross amount of money spent, but secretly, for the reason of the celebration. She said to Jake, "Rita sure knows how to go overboard. This must have cost Mom and Dad a fortune."

Just beginning to show her pregnancy, Rita came up to them in a stunning gown, set with hundreds of pearls. "Helen, Jake. I hope you're having a good time."

Jake grinned. "We're having a great time. These snacks are delicious."

"Thanks, we had them custom catered."

Helen weakly smiled. "That's nice. I'm sure Mom had a wonderful time planning all this."

"Oh, you know how she gets. I don't think I've ever seen her have so much fun."

Helen sighed. "I bet she did."

Fifteen-year old Amy sneaked up next to Jake and put a hand on his elbow. "I bet Helen would love something like this."

Jake jumped. "Huh?"

"A wedding."

"I don't think so. We've already given in to society's norms enough as it is. What does a piece of paper mean?"

"If that wasn't a concern, would you ask her?"

"I would've years ago."

"Hypothetically, what would you say to her?"

Jake closed his eyes in concentration. "Hmm."

Amy began small movements to rotate Jake to face Helen. Rita saw Amy's maneuver and suppressed a smirk. She began a slight shift to turn Helen toward Jake.

Amy stepped behind Helen and released Jake's arm just as he said, "Helen, you truly are the love of my life. Will you marry me?"

Helen started at the question. Jake's eyes were still closed, but he held a dreamlike smile that Helen recognized as a sign of him imagining something he wished he could do, but couldn't quite bring himself to do. She also noticed Rita's widening grin and Amy's satisfied smirk. She whispered, "Only one thing to do now," put her hands behind Jake's neck, said, "Yes," and kissed him.

Jake was speechless to see his mother exit the car, his father nowhere to be seen. He walked over and asked, "Where's Dad?"

Ruth looked at her son. "He couldn't make it today. The dog needs to have its nails trimmed."

Jake looked like he had been punched in the stomach. "Fine." He turned and walked back to Helen.

Bruce and his wife, Tina, escorted Ruth toward the small group of guests waiting near the seashore. "I knew Dad still held a grudge, but isn't this a bit much?"

"You know how your father is, once he gets in one of his moods."

Bruce grimly shook his head. "It probably is for the best he isn't here. Does he still blame Helen for turning him into a hippie?"

Ruth nodded. "Yes, he does."

They joined the small crowd. Simon, Tess, Rita, her new husband Ray, and Amy stood with a small knot of people that neither Bruce nor Ruth recognized.

Tess leaned over to Simon. "What the hell is going on here? His own father didn't show up. Is that psycho bastard too ashamed to be related to our little girl?"

Ashamed, Simon waved his hand for her to lower her voice. "Tess, please."

Ruth glared at Tess.

A local notary officiated, a co-worker of Helen's from the social services office was the maid of honor, and a fellow accountant where Jake worked was best man

With the last arrival, the notary said to Jake and Helen, "On this happy day, we are gathered to join two young people in marriage. You may begin your vows."

Jake slammed his fist down on the paper ledger. "Dammit, Helen! We just aren't getting anywhere. Once we pay for the wedding and honeymoon, we're flat broke again."

Helen sat down at the table. "I know. We're working harder than ever before, and we still don't seem to be making a difference."

"What good is making a difference if we can barely afford to eat?"

"At least we aren't being part of the problem."

"Yes we are, we're the victims."

"And we won't change anything this way." Helen gazed off in the distance for a while. "We've talked about going back to school. You for that MBA and I still want to be a lawyer."

"Helen, how can we do that?"

Disappointed, she said, "The wedding just got simple, and we ask Mother to help on the honeymoon."

"But, we still can't afford for either of us to quit our jobs."

Helen sat in thought again. "It's still a male-dominated world out there. You get your MBA first. It'll give us more earning potential, faster. Then, I can get my law degree. We'll have to make do and take out student loans. It'll take us into our thirties, but we can do it."

"Helen, that's brilliant. Then, we really can go out and take on the world."

Jake and Helen lay cuddled in the cramped bed of their apartment. Helen softly stroked Jake's chest. "Tell the truth: despite the problems your brother and my sister had, you want children as much as I do."

"Yes, but I'm still spooked by what happened to them."

"Don't be. You know we love each other enough to get through our problems, just like we've always done."

"What if I can't control my temper?"

"We'll be there to help each other. I'll help you with your temper, just like you'll make sure I don't play favorites, like my mother did."

"I guess."

"You know, we're approaching thirty. This will be the best time for us to try."

"But Honey, you're still in law school."

"I'm not saying it'll be easy. But, once I graduate and join a firm, taking time off to have a child will be even more difficult."

"Money is going to be tight."

"We've made it through before. Besides, we're better off now than when you went through grad school."

"But, won't it interrupt your studies?"

"Not too badly, if we time things right."

Helen carefully buckled Quinn into the child seat in the back of a green sedan. Daria was already seated and buckled into the other back seat. Done, she turned to face Amy and Bruce. "Thanks for taking the time to help."

Amy shrugged. "I've got a few weeks to kill before I start my doctorate in the fall and had nothing else to do."

Bruce said, "I don't have a lot else to do with it, might as well burn my leave helping my brother."

Jake approached. "Okay, I've got the Haul-R's truck closed up and ready to go."

Helen looked at an open map. "We should be able to make it in three days." She looked over at the car. "We won't be able to push as hard with our little darlings along. Amy, you ride with me to help with the children and Bruce will drive the truck."

Amy pulled her glasses down and peered over the top. "You want the two of us bottled up in a small space for two days…in front of your children?"

"I was hoping to catch up with you a little more. With us out in Texas, I won't be able to see you as often."

Amy whispered to Bruce, "This is a problem?"

Bruce rubbed his forehead. "Why don't Amy and I alternate driving the truck and helping with the kids. We can also trade off driving the car to give you a break."

"Oh, I suppose that will work."

Jake looked up at their old second-floor apartment. "Going to miss this place. Both our little girls were born while we lived there."

Helen looked up at the stairs leading to the front door. "I won't miss worrying about the girls falling down those stairs. Or the upstairs neighbors stereo, or the neighbors to the right with their loud nocturnal activities."

"But Helen…"

"Jake, we're moving on."

"It's going to be a little hard to find a new job in Texas. What was the name of that town again?"

Sighing, Helen said, "Highland. I wrote all the information down for you. Please, don't lose your plane tickets."

"Honey, I won't do that. Two weeks alone finishing up those last contracts is going to be miserable." He looked skyward and yelled, "But I should be used to that by now! 'Why don't you spend spring break at the academy, son. The janitorial staff are getting used to you being there.' Not like my family was used to me being home!"

Helen jammed her hands to her hips. "Jake! We don't need that now."

"What! Oh, sorry."

Helen took Jake's arm and began walking toward the apartment. "Amy, Bruce, we need to get going soon. I can't afford to be late for my first day at the law firm. Why don't you get in the cars and I'll be back in a bit."

With nods from them, Helen escorted Jake upstairs. "Jake, I know this is tough for you."

"I was finally starting to get somewhere with the company."

"I know. But, this new firm specializes in defending tax-exempt groups and social activists. I can make such a difference there."

Jake slumped. "You're right. All I'm doing in my job is making money for a greedy company. Where did I go wrong?"

Helen kissed him. "You got a little sidetracked to keep me in school. Now, we can go out and do something different."

"Right."

"Besides, this new firm likes my background and thinks I can make partner quickly. Won't that be great?"

"It sure will. I'm starting to have a good feeling about this move."

"So do I. This can really be our big break."

Helen beamed as she talked on the telephone. "Yes…oh, yes…October fourteenth…I'll start taking care of things immediately…good bye."

She excitedly said to Jake, "I start in one month."

Jake returned the enthusiasm. "One month, wow. Hey, we need to get cracking on stuff."

"No kidding. It's a good thing I did some house hunting while I was in Lawndale for the interview." Helen pulled a file folder from her briefcase and started removing pages, each with a Polaroid photo of a house. "I really liked this one, gorgeous red brick, four bedrooms, two car garage, and in a good neighborhood that's an easy walk to the high school."

Jake looked off in the distance and yelled, "Free at last! Okay, you bastard, I'm on my way out! Jake Morgendorffer Consulting, here I come!"

Helen quietly sighed. "Yes, dear. The new firm has promised a fast review for partnership because of all my previous experience. With the pay increase I'll be getting over the skinflints I work for now, we should do well while you build up your business."

"Oh, we'll need a new house."

Jake. I said I'd looked." She put forth the one she had discussed before. "How about this one?"

"What? Oh…hey, that place looks pretty good. Do you want to get it?"

"Yes, Jake. I'll call the realtor tomorrow. We can Package-Air the forms back and forth and close on it by the time we move."




Helen held Jake's hand as they faced Daria and Quinn, who were just finishing dinner. Helen said, "Girls, we have some important news."

Daria looked up with unrestrained disinterest. "You're replacing us with low-maintenance androids and shipping us across the border to a sweatshop."

Jake blurted out, "We're moving to Lawndale, Maryland next month!"

Quinn looked at him. "Maryland? What's there?"

Helen said, "I've accepted a position at a law firm in a small town north of Baltimore. I start in one month. You girls need to start preparing to move."

Quinn's eyes widened, "I have to pack?"

Daria smirked at Quinn. "Only if you want to bring your overstuffed wardrobe with. I'll be just as happy if you don't pack and we leave it all here."

"Mo-om!"

Helen pinched her nose in pain. "Girls. We'll be leaving here in three weeks. I expect both of you to help."

Daria thought for a moment, "Do we have a place to stay, or will we be homeless for a while?"

Helen swallowed. "Daria. Yes, we will have a new house, one much nicer than this."

"Then, I don't see a downside."

"Good."

Daria stood up and started toward her room. "Guess I better get started; I have so much to pack." As she closed the door to her room, a very rare, broad smile spread across her face. "We're really getting away from here."