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BOZEMAN, MONTANA:
Christa arrives at the airport and finds Alex’s silver SUV in the parking lot. She stows her small carry-on bag and suitcase in the back seat and follows the directions on the map Alex drew for her. On the drive to the ranch, she marvels at the beautiful scenery. Huge green meadows surrounded by trees, rugged mountains reaching up to a deep blue sky, and the aroma of pine fills the air.
Alex didn’t describe the ranch, but as she drives through the timber and meadows, she pictures Alex’s home as a quaint log cabin with a rustic old barn near a meandering stream. She’s slightly disappointed when she drives into a circular driveway. His home is a modern rambler style, and a steel barn instead of a wooden one is sitting on a small hill above a meadow.
She shuts off the engine and steps out of the car to look around. The deck is facing a magnificent view of the valley and rugged mountains in the distance, and there’s a stream farther down the hill.
She turns to walk up the sidewalk to the house and freezes in mid-stride. A huge brown bear is standing a few feet away. She takes a step back and bumps against the car, fumbles behind her for the handle, and eases the door open. She feels a sense of relief when the bear just stares at her as she backs onto the driver’s seat and closes the door. Even though it serves no purpose, she pushes the lock button.
As she stares out the window, the bear slowly plods toward the car, then rises on its hind feet as it places its massive paws on the door and stares inside. Her heart pounds in her chest as she scoots across the seat, forcing herself against the opposite door as she stares at the huge head filling the window. She suddenly sees movement beyond the bear and hears a woman’s voice.
“Barney, get down.”
The bear’s head turns away and drops from view, and Christa watches a tall, attractive young woman with long brown hair approach the window. The woman tries the door handle, but it’s still locked. Christa slides across the seat, can see the bear standing a short distance away, and rolls the window down a little.
“Who are you?” the woman asks.
“I’m a friend of Alex Cave. I thought this was his ranch. I’m sorry if I disturbed you. I must have taken a wrong turn.”
“No, this is Alex’s ranch. He told me someone would be staying here. He didn’t say it would be a woman.”
Christa thinks she sees a hint of jealousy in the woman’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect anyone to be here. I’ll be doing some work at the college.”
The woman stares at Christa for a moment, like one cat sizing up another. “I’m a friend of Alex’s, too. Come on in and I’ll show you around.”
Christa looks at the massive beast a short distance away. “What about the bear?”
The woman chuckles. “That’s Alex’s dog, Barney. Don’t worry. He likes women.”
Christa eases the door open and slowly climbs out. “Alex said he had a dog, but he’s huge!”
“He sure is.” The woman turns toward the dog. “Come here, Barney. Say hello.”
Barney’s tail wags back and forth as he trots up to Christa, sits, and lifts a big paw. Christa reaches down, which isn’t very far, and shakes it, feeling the massive callused pads on the bottom. She strokes Barney’s head and smiles up at the woman. “He seems friendly.”
“He’s a big baby around women, but if you were a man, he wouldn’t let you out of the car unless Alex told him it’s okay.”
Christa stands and extends her hand to the woman. “I’m Christa Avery.”
The woman accepts. “I’m Judy Kerns. Grab your bags and come inside. I’ll show you the guest room.”
Christa retrieves her bags from the back seat and follows Judy up the sidewalk. She notices Judy is much taller than she is, with a nice figure filling her blue corduroy shirt and blue jeans tucked into her well-worn cowboy boots. Christa guesses she’s probably in her late twenties. She suddenly feels a little depressed. Alex didn’t mention he was living with another woman. That must be the reason he didn’t want to come into my apartment last night. Damn! And I just threw myself at him like some kind of what? Bitch? Slut? No. Just like a lonely woman attracted to a handsome man. No, it’s his fault for not telling her about this Judy.
Judy leads Christa through the living room and points out the bathroom in the hallway. They pass an open door and Christa glances inside. The walls are lined with books, and a computer sits on a large desk under the window.
At the end of the hall, Judy indicates the room on the right. “You can stay in there. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be in the living room.”
Christa enters and sets her suitcases on the bed, noticing the thick, patchwork quilt on top. The room is sparsely furnished, with a small dresser and two nightstands. Christa hangs part of her clothes in the closet and puts the rest in the drawers.
On the way to the living room, she stops to look in the other bedroom. A king-size bed with an ornately carved headboard dominates the room, with a massive dresser and mirror against the opposite wall. The nightstands match the headboard, and she sees a door which probably leads to another bathroom. She smells slight traces of aftershave in the room, but no trace of perfume.
When Christa enters the living room, Judy is sitting at a breakfast bar separating the large kitchen.
“Would you like something to drink?” Judy offers.
“Yes, thank you. A beer, if you’ve got one.”
Judy walks to the refrigerator and returns with two beers. She hands one to Christa and opens her own, then takes a sip from the bottle.
Christa opens her beer and looks around the kitchen. “Where do you keep the glasses?”
“Oh. Up there, in the last cupboard.”
Christa receives a cold feeling from Judy as she walks to the cupboard and brings back a glass. “Listen, Judy,” Christa says as she pours the beer. “If it’s going to be a problem, I can stay at a motel instead. I mean, Alex didn’t tell me he was living with someone.” Christa sees a flash of bitterness in Judy’s dark blue eyes.
“I live a few miles away. I take care of Barney and the ranch while Alex is gone.” Judy gives her a look of warning. “But we’re really close, if you know what I mean.”
So, he’s not living with her. Christa feels relieved and restrains from laughing with joy, though she smiles. “Yes, I see.”
When Judy sees Christa smile, the hair on the back of her neck stands up at the thought this woman is invading her territory. She’s been trying to get a serious relationship going with Alex since he bought the ranch two years ago, and even though they dated and a few times, she can’t get him to make a commitment. She accepts the fact that Alex is not the type of man to be possessed by any woman. Still, this attractive little gal might be nudging her out of Alex’s life, and she needs to know just how much competition she’s up against. “So, are you and Alex, ah, close friends?”
Christa smiles and shakes her head no. Better to play it cool with this woman. “I’ve only known him a little over a week. We’re working on the same project together.” Christa notices the tension between them ease up as Judy relaxes a little.
“That’s good. I mean, that you’re working on the same project. What is it, anyway?”
Christa doesn’t want to say too much about what’s happening to the crude oil. “We’re working on a way to solve the oil problem on the west coast.”
“Yeah, it’s been on the news a lot lately. All those people rioting over gasoline and food. It’s starting to affect us, too. It’s getting harder to get some things at the stores.”
“What about gasoline? Any shortage yet?”
“It’s getting worse. Smaller stations have closed, but the bigger companies still have gas. You just have to wait in line longer.” Judy glances at the clock on the stove. “I have to get going before it gets dark. Help yourself to whatever you need.”
“Thanks.” Christa watches Judy chug down the rest of her beer. “How are you getting back? I didn’t see your car.”
“I’ll walk. It’s only a mile.”
“Can I give you a ride?”
“No, thanks. I live just across the valley. It’s about thirty miles by car, so I can walk it faster than you could drive me there. I’ll stop by tomorrow and see if you need anything.”
“Thanks.”
Christa walks Judy to the door and stands on the porch. Barney wags his tail and follows Judy until she walks through a gate beside the barn and heads across the meadow. Christa shakes her head in wonder. So that’s the kind of woman Alex is interested in dating. The rough-edged cowgirl type. Then again, maybe not. Judy seems to be the outspoken type, and if she and Alex were serious, she’s sure Judy would have said so.
Barney stands at the gate until Judy disappears over a small rise, then turns and trots across the driveway, wagging his tail as he walks up the sidewalk to Christa and sits at her feet. She pets his head for a few moments, then turns and walks into the house.
She takes her glass of beer into the living room and sits on the curved sectional sofa, picks up the remote control from the glass coffee table, and turns on the television. She flips through the stations until she finds a news broadcast. The weatherman is explaining his forecast for the next day. Sunny, with the temperature reaching sixty-five. After a commercial, the picture shows a slender, serious looking man standing behind a podium with a presidential seal on the front. A newswoman’s voice announces she’s broadcasting live from the White House pressroom for a special announcement from the National Transportation Director, Sam Barnsworth.
“Ladies and gentleman,” Barnsworth begins. “I’ve been asked by the President to announce the implementation of a temporary nationwide rationing of petroleum products.”
The pressroom resounds with questions shouted at Barnsworth, who patiently waits for everyone to quiet down. Several long moments pass before the room is quiet again, and he continues. “The rationing process will begin immediately. Every citizen will be mailed a ration card, based on last year’s income tax records. The amounts of gasoline and oil each person will be entitled to will be based on employment, types of business, and priority needs. We feel this will be the most honest and equitable way to decide how the rationing should be distributed.”
Again, questions are shouted at Barnsworth, who waves his hands to quiet them down. “Ladies and gentleman, please!” he shouts. “I’ll answer your questions one at a time!” As the voices quiet down, Barnsworth points to a man in the audience.
“Mr. Barnsworth, are you saying big business will be allotted more gasoline than the private citizen?”
“Not necessarily. Some key industries will be allotted more if their products are an integral part of the national welfare, such as hospitals, food manufacturers, and portions of the trucking industry.” Barnsworth points to a woman reporter.
“What about the military? Will the Government be rationed along with its citizens?”
“To a certain extent, yes. However, we still need to ensure national security.”
“What about the airline industry?” the woman continues.
“We’ve ordered them to cut back on the number of flights to ensure the flights carry a full complement of passengers.” Barnsworth points to a man in the back row.
“How are people supposed to get to work? Does the President realize how many businesses will go bankrupt?”
“Like I said, this is only temporary. We will give financial aid to companies specializing in mass transit. We know this will be a burden for a while, but we’re confident the citizens of the United States will pull together to curtail the waste of petroleum products.” Barnsworth indicates another man, standing to the right side.
“Mr. Barnsworth, you’re telling us what we have to do, but you’re not telling us why this is happening.”
“I’m not at liberty to give you specific details, but let me say we are not the only country forced to implement a rationing system. Canada is following our lead, as will other countries around the world.”
“You can’t expect people to blindly accept this rationing without telling them why!”
Barnsworth talks quietly with a man standing next to him, then faces the audience. “Okay. I’ll tell you why. For years we’ve squandered our crude oil, and now it’s time to face the consequences. To put it bluntly, for the time being, we’re running out of oil.”
Again, the room erupts with questions, but Barnsworth doesn’t reply and walks away from the podium. The newswoman’s voice replaces the sound of the pressroom. “We don’t have all the details yet,” she explains, “but we will fill you in once we’ve read the press release they are handing out right now.”
Christa turns off the television and stares at nothing in particular, lost in thought. If Broden is right, this rationing could just be the beginning of a serious situation which will only get worse.
She slowly stands and walks to the bathroom, takes a shower, and crawls into bed. By the light on the nightstand, she stares at the crystal she found in the tanker, now enclosed in a small, clear plastic box. “What have you got to do with all this?” she asks, as if it’s alive and can answer. She sighs, sets it on the nightstand, and turns off the light.