Later, when the clean-up was done and the majority of the food was put away, games for the children began. They played musical chairs… the music plays and all the kids marched around the chairs; when the music stopped everyone sat in a chair quickly. The one left standing without a chair was out. When they tired of that game, they had a Maypole set up and played that for awhile until it was time to move on to something else.
The next game was a form of horse shoes, but this game was with two posts mounted on a piece of wood weighted down with heavy weights to keep it upright. The kids tossed round pieces of rope formed in a loop and tried to lasso one of the posts. Each post had a different value and the points began to mount up until there was a winner. There were others games and the kids played on in absolute glee at the competition.
Some of the people migrated to the pool room and shot pool. Sometimes they bet millions of dollars on a single shot. Listening to them making the wagers seemed it was as serious as a heart attack. Sometimes they lost and other times they won but it really didn’t matter because it was all in fun.
People sat at the tables and talked either in pairs or in groups. The discussion came up about Penny becoming the new recorder for the group and the conversations escalated a bit more. Some slowly eased over to the comfortable furniture of the large lounge and the choice seats that were near the blazing fireplace. Others went into the bar and Crystal was there to serve them and tip a couple with them. Some people sat at the bar and others sat near the fireplace. The laughter and camaraderie were felt deeply everywhere. They partied on and the hours slipped by.
As it was approaching midnight, a couple of people left the bar and returned moments later with the rest of the group. The countdown began shortly and as they counted down the seconds, a cheer went up among them. “Happy New Year!” was sounded out in unison and everyone was either shaking someone’s hand or hugging them. Others were locked into some serious kissing. The festive moment lasted until Chad and Linda went to the bar and turned to face the group. Chad said,
“I’m not much for speeches, but Linda and I want to say a few words as we offer a toast. Our first toast is to all of you. May God bless you and protect you! I also want to include Avalon in these words because without Avalon we might not be alive right now. We, like you, were fortunate we met Mike and Dan and listened to them when they proposed our joining this group. There has not been a day or a moment, quite frankly, when I don’t find myself thanking them and the Almighty for us being here. We are safe and we are thriving. My wish to all of you is Happy New Year and thank you for being who you are right now and in the coming New Year.”
He ended his speech and the cheers and clapping were deafening. Linda waited and when things quieted down a bit she began,
“First of all, there isn’t much I can add to what my husband just said to you all. You know us Italians, we like to talk, and I concur with every word he said. It amazes me that the circumstances that brought us together are so similar in so many ways.”
She cleared her throat and continued, “Chad and I had a very successful business, and many of you know that because you were customers at one time or another. I talked to my mother after we came here the first time and she thought I was crazy when I asked her to talk to Mike and Dan. We saw things as we listened to the two of them and there was so much truth and common sense in what they said that I believed immediately that what they were saying was a viable project and only needed people to make it come together. Look at us here. We wanted to be a part of it and here we are.”
Again she hesitated and appeared to be overcome with emotion but composed herself and continued. “Can you really believe that the end of the world is nearly on us? Can you believe the numbers we have heard on the radio about how many people are dead or nearly dead? We love Avalon and we love you all with as much love as we have to give. Happy New Year everyone! I sure hope we’re going to have a lot more of them together. We never get to choose our family members; we just get what we get. Here at Avalon we had that unique opportunity to choose our families and we chose you and this place. I love you all with all my heart.”
She was starting to cry and Chad wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in close.
Again the clapping and cheers went up and the noise was incredible. Everyone ordered another round of drinks. There was plenty of Scotch; Sam had made a batch by putting pure grain alcohol and water together to cut it down somewhat and added a little iodine from the clinic to give it that authentic flavor… and it flowed. Mike jumped behind the bar to help and so did Caroline to speed up the serving process.
Penny came to the bar and raised her drink into the air above her head. Crystal took a spoon and started tapping a glass with it to get everyone’s attention. When the crowd settled down Penny said,
“There have been a couple of toasts to us and to Avalon, but I think we have left a significant person out and I would like to propose a toast to Eli Cameron, the founder of this place and someone we should always keep in our prayers. Because if it wasn’t for him, none of us would be here; this place would not exist without his efforts. I salute Mister Eli Cameron because of his pioneering spirit and his intestinal fortitude to carve out a home in the wilderness and raise cattle on it. It took him months to drive his cattle to the nearest railhead in those days. How many of you could have done that? How many of you could have braved the wild Indians and the grizzly bears that dominated this area? I know it would have been a low priority for me living in those days to do any of it.”
She paused and sipped her water. People were clapping and offering encouragement for what she was saying.
“The second part of my toast is for you, for all of us here, and for this place called Avalon. I am eternally grateful for what I have found here living among you fine people. I was one of those people who existed, but scarcely anyone knew I did. I was shy and dedicated to my work; it was nothing more and nothing less. Here I stand in front of people I admire and respect and I can hardly believe that I’m here. This was not my style and it wasn’t who I was until I met some of you and began to get together with you at some of your functions. I have to tell you that seeing the beauty of this place for the first time was what really sold me. But more than that it was you, the people who are a part of this group; you are what really sold me. I salute you and I am ever grateful that I am here with you. Happy New Year everyone and may the Saints bless you all.”
Harlan Herrera came up to where she stood and put an arm around her tiny waist and her shyness caused her to look down at the floor. Harlan reached a hand over to her chin and with an index finger and his thumb he guided her lips to his own. They kissed and he said something that was lost in the roar of the shouts. They finally broke loose and smiled together as a happy couple.
Dan stood toward the rear smiling at the festivity. Several people kept prodding him to go to the bar and to say a few words; the chant from the crowd was,
“Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech!”
He came to the bar as several people pushed him from behind and he was maneuvered in place where he turned to face them. He was smiling and everyone wanted to hear what he had to say. The cheering was still going on so he waited; then it got quiet and he said,
“My brothers and sisters, we are gathered here to… No! No! No! Different speech!”
He was laughing and so were they. He was a little high from the homemade scotch. He began again.
“I apologize. I didn’t mean to make light of the occasion but I just couldn’t help myself in the moment, Okay, here goes.”
He was laughing at his own joke.
They all helped make a dent in that large two-gallon bottle of homemade Scotch, so he wasn’t the only person feeling pretty good. He said when he was able to compose himself,
“There was a time when I was so jealous of this place I didn’t want to share it with anyone, but I was counseled and changed my mind. We are here because we had the foresight to do something for ourselves and that is usually the case; we have to make the decision to do what is right for us.”
He paused and took a breath and appeared to be thinking about his next words and finally said,
“As you all know, I was a successful medical doctor down below and studied for years to achieve that pinnacle I strove for, to be called a doctor of medicine. I studied and went without sleep and at times felt as if I was being required to memorize almost everything in that medical dictionary and the anatomy books. But one day there I was, a physician finally, and I was proud of myself and all that I did. But there was one problem; I had been too busy to pay attention to the people I was enmeshed with. They were greedy and money hungry and you the people had to suffer from their mistakes. While they went along their merry way playing golf, sailing on their luxury sailboats, and enjoying the good life, many of you slowly but surely began to lose the quality you expected but were not always getting from my peers or myself. You paid exorbitant prices until, little by little, many of you could no longer afford competent professional medical care. We, the medical profession, became the place where incompetence was protected by all of us together as a group and you, the public, suffered. I suddenly felt shame. I was looked on as a healer and I was becoming just like them, a money machine, and my patients began to suffer from that greed and the need to make more to buy something else. It soon became a matter of what was important for me and the patients be damned!”
“One day as I was riding with my friend Michael, we came across this place and it was that day my perspective for life and what I was meant for came into sharp focus. I was a doctor. That was what I always wanted to be. I only needed enough money to get by and take care of my needs. I was one of those people who found early on what they wanted to be and here I was wasting it chasing the dollar into a never-ending loop that had no end. God Bless Avalon, and God Bless you all for saving me to do what I always wanted to do!”
People were howling and clapping, but the doctor wasn’t done so they quieted down and he began anew by saying,
“We are here under the protection of each other. We are here because we chose to be in this place and we are here because we had the courage to be different from everyone else. We need each other and no one here is any more or any less important than anyone else. We are in this place most of all because we believed in what we were doing and, take a look around you, we are comfortable. There is plenty of food to go around; we sleep in real beds off the ground; and we sleep between clean sheets. I’d like to think you’re getting proper medical attention…”
That made them go off again and the clapping and hooting and hollering and cheers went up several notches. They settled down again and he continued by saying,
“Happy New Year to you all, and I hope with all that I am or ever will be that it comes true and we will all be here in another year, safe, secure, and blessed because of your individual sacrifices and efforts. You had a vision and you made it come true for all of us. I thank you for what I have and what you returned to me by allowing me to be your physician in this place and for allowing me to have my dignity returned to me as well. Lastly, I thank whatever makes the universe revolve that I have the love of a good woman. Happy New Year!”
He turned to Dayna and smiled at her.
The cheering went up louder yet and everyone was clapping. Everyone felt so grateful for being here. Dayna came over to him and the kissing and embracing began.
Now the group started yelling at Mike; he was behind the bar and facing them. He looked at them and tried to look into the eyes of all of them one at a time as he began to speak.
“Thank you for honoring me in this way. It is I who owe my thanks to all of you for what we have here and I am only a small part of it. I have gained one thing here at Avalon that I have missed in my life for a very long time and that can be summed up in a single word, Freedom. I didn’t have freedom for many years and now I do.”
“We worked hard through these many years, first with the clean up, then the repairs, and the constant coming up here packing something we would need later, but we did it all. We have animals to help us work, to get us where we need to go, and to share our happiness and companionship. We have food that we’ve harvested in abundance and have enjoyed time and again just like we did a little while ago. Don’t ever forget those who are dead and dying right now, those who don’t have a fraction of what you have every minute of every day. Some of those people we knew. There is no way to describe the suffering that has happened and continues to happen, but we are here in Avalon and we are safe for the time being. We have the individual choice to love who we want and to laugh if for no reason than to do it without any fear of repercussions.”
“Here we fear little, but we are vigilant and guard what we have from those who would take it from us, even by force if we didn’t give it up.”
“Look around you; look into the faces of your neighbors; these are your true friends. Could you bear to know they were dead, even one of them, because of their philosophy or what they own or believe?”
“I make you a solemn promise here and now. I love Avalon and what it represents to me. There are no limits as to what I will do to protect it or you from harm. Without reservation, I pledge my life to Avalon and to you. I will gladly give up whatever I have to ensure the endurance of this place.”
“I am a free man and the yoke of the slavery I had on my shoulders supporting the designs and corruption of a government that was out of control down there has been lifted from my shoulders and it will not be my burden to carry again. The results of that same government are a legacy of death, destruction, and suffering. It is nearly the end of the world down there, but here we thrive. Here we are truly united, here we have love, we have companionship, we have togetherness, and we have happiness,” his voice was going up in volume and with conviction, and he continued more forcefully by saying, “And we have each other, there is safety here and most importantly we have FREEDOM!”