Marti: A Romance with an Enigma

Jenna took the woman's hand and said, "It's all right Anna; everything is now in the future." She paused and then turned to Marti, "All of us have a story like that. They are all different but Jeff bailed us all out and gave us a way to recover from it."

"It sounds like Jeff is some kind of a saint or something."

"Don't say that around him. He will get defensive and withdraw. He just says that he does what he does because it is the right thing to do. You won't get much more than that out of him. I don't think any of us knows much about him personally. He just looks to the future and doesn't spend much time talking about the past."

Sarah quietly added, "Are you ready to go settle in for the night, Marti? Our world starts early in the morning around here." Marti took that as a hint and agreed. As they walked back slowly towards the town, Sarah added, "When Anna talks about their past, she gets very emotional. Jenna will calm her down but it will take a while."

"Do you have as story like that too, Sarah?"

"Yes, but it isn't quite as dramatic. I was working as an accountant for a medium-sized company. It was a good company with good people. It got bought out by a bigger one and they laid off about half of the people including me. There weren't many jobs available where I lived. Anyway, I was living with my boyfriend at the time and was looking for another job when he decided that he wanted to break up and for me to move out. So, I was basically on the street. Jeff showed up one day and simply said, "Do you want an opportunity?" I said "Yes." He brought me here. Not as dramatic as some of the others but that was my story."

"What do you do? No one has said."

"I work with Jeff on planning and stuff. We keep it very low key but we keep track of all of the activities and the time invested in them. As you have heard, everyone contributes in some way but we keep track of it all. The money we earn from these activities goes into one pot and is then allocated to each person based on their efforts."

"So, it is like a business and you pay people."

"Sort of but not really. Think of it this way. You get a paycheck and you pay for your living expenses and all of that. Here, all of our living expenses are part of being part of the community. The money that we earn is like profit. The profit is divided up appropriately and deposited into each person's interest bearing account. So, it is more like profit sharing than a paycheck."

"Really! My savings account never grows very much and my 401K loses about as much each year as it gained the previous one."

"I know. That was when Jeff came up with this idea and it works beautifully. When the committee decides to buy something to improve things, they actually borrow the money from the pot at the normal interest rates a bank would charge a business. It is usually around 8-10%. The committee will buy the equipment and it is paid back with interest from the increasing revenue. It helps us all but it also makes the committee think hard before they recommend something. They only recommend things that will improve what we do. The equipment they are picking up is an example. Some of it is for the farm while some of it is for the kitchen. The kitchen equipment will allow us to save money on preparing meals for bigger groups. They are also buying a commercial oven and freezer. These will let us make more at one time and preserve it."

"Who runs the committee? Jeff?"

"No. He only sits on it as an advisor. The committee is formally six people that we choose but any of us can sit in their meetings and make suggestions and offer opinions."

"I am hearing that Jeff is behind all of this but isn't really in control."

"That's a good way to put it. He encourages us to follow our dreams and supports us but doesn't dictate what can be done. Besides the community things, each person or family can do some things independently. They are responsible for buying their own supplies and selling them but they add this money to their accounts. That portion is never used for community things without their specific approval."

"What do you mean? That sounds a little weird."

"Take Jenna. She still sings. If she takes a gig at a club or something, she does it and one or two of us go with her. Any money that she makes from the club is hers. The community paid for a CD for her and those who go with her, sell them. The profits from the CD sales becomes part of the community pot. Some of the others make handicrafts and sell them at the farmer's markets. We set up a separate table for them and they are responsible for manning it. Some of the men contract out mowing or excavation work using their own equipment. That money is theirs too. The equipment is theirs too. The community takes care of the repairs and bills them for the work. They pay it and that goes into the community pot."

"That almost sounds like an accounting nightmare."

"It could be but the whole system is built on the one thing that is missing outside of here. Jeff always stresses that this will only work if we trust each other and not try to manipulate things. So far, we haven't had a problem. That could happen in the future though. We are all aware of the possibility and work hard to keep things open and fair. We are here; welcome to my humble home."

It was a typical farm house with a covered porch, two bedrooms, sitting room, and a kitchen and eating area. It had obviously been renovated on the inside and the outside showed a fairly recent coat of paint. It was also obvious that Sarah had only recently begun to decorate it.

"Out of curiosity, is Jeff part of the community pot?" Several questions in that direction suddenly came to Marti's administrative mind.

"He is very much part of the community but not the community pot."

"Really? How does he make his money?"

"No one knows. I suspect that he has an inheritance or some other major assets. He works and participates as I told you but doesn't take anything out of the community."

"What about taxes and all of that stuff?"

Sarah smiled, "You really need to meet Jeff. He is brilliant about those kinds of details. The community is organized as a non-profit corporation to operate the land but the land is owned by him personally and he pays the property taxes. He argued with the IRS and they finally agreed that we are bartering our labor for food and services and that it isn't income. All we pay taxes on is the distribution of the profits. So basically, none of us owe any taxes unless we have a personal business on the side. I do everyone's tax returns and only a couple of people actually pay anything."

"And Jeff owns the houses and stuff?"

"Yes. He pays the taxes on them but we are free to decorate and garden and do what we want with our houses. Each house except the few in town are on an acre. His reasoning is that some people may want to garden and grow some of their own food outside of the community. So, I have an acre here."

"But you don't own it, right?" Sarah squirmed for a moment before Marti asked, "Is that an awkward question?"

"Yes and no. Only a couple of people know this right now and Jeff doesn't want it spread around for a couple of reasons. If we live here for ten years, he will sell us our house for $1000. He doesn't want that spread around because he wants people to stay because they want to be part of the community, not because they will own a house if they stick around. We have had two couples come and leave after about six months. Some people just don't fit in or want to fit in. So, it isn't a secret exactly; he just waits until people are well-established before they are told about this."

'This is almost unbelievable! I have never heard of anyone doing something like this on this scale."

Sarah just smiled and replied, "Believe it. I see more of the details than anyone else. It is all real and like everyone says, 'Wait until you meet Jeff.' Let's settle in for the night. You can ask more questions tomorrow. I get up at six and take the kids out to get the eggs. Do you want to come along?"

"Sure. I haven't collected eggs in a long time. Why do you take the kids to do it?"

"For one thing, they like it. But the main reason is so they can learn. Melody teaches them arithmetic, math, and science in the classroom. Some of us take them out and practice it in the real world. The younger kids learn to count while the older ones learn to add, subtract, and multiply in the hen house. I also have them help me count the money. It is amazing how well they learn when things are real and not just numbers on a page."

Sarah brought Marti a sheet and a quilt and wished her a good night. Even though a thousand things were running through her head, Marti's long day caught up to her and she was soon asleep.

She was surprised when she woke in the morning. Usually, she only woke up after slapping her alarm three times and had to force herself to get up. It took a moment before it finally dawned on her that she wasn't at her apartment, didn't have to go to work, and was supposed to go collect eggs this morning with Sarah. She heard the shower running in the bathroom and decided to see if there was a coffee pot in the kitchen. There was and it was already plugged in and perking. A cup of coffee and a shower seemed like the perfect start to this new day. She poured herself a cup and got one ready for Sarah.

When Sarah came out in a robe with her hair wrapped in a towel, Marti said, "Good morning."

Sarah replied, "Oh, good morning. I really wasn't expecting you to get up. From what you said, you had a long day yesterday."

"I did but for some reason, I slept well and woke up more refreshed than I have felt in a long time."

Sarah grinned, "There is something about the country air and the fresh smells that will do that for you. The shower is yours; I left a towel on the rack for you. We aren't in a rush but need to meet the kids in about thirty minutes."

"No problem."

Marti took her shower and felt very refreshed. She had a sense that it was the water. The soap felt more creamy and luxurious than she was used to. Even her hair felt better. When she rejoined Sarah in the kitchen, she said, "That felt good; even the water felt better."

"I noticed that too. It is straight from the well and is softer than normal city water but not so soft as to feel oily. I love showering here."

Ten minutes later, they two walked outside in a brisk morning to find six youngsters waiting by the community center. As they walked, Sarah asked, "Is that a pistol you are wearing?"

"Yes; but it is a pellet gun. We used to have a lot of problems with snakes getting in the chicken house. So, most of us carry a pellet gun just in case. When we go out in the fields, we usually carry a .22. The snakes out there are more dangerous and there are some other critters to be careful of. I've never had to use the pellet gun but have used the .22 a couple of times. One of the things we do regularly out here is to practice on the range. This is the country and a gun isn't a power symbol. It is a necessary tool to protect our crops, animals, and sometimes ourselves from some of the bad things in nature. Normally, just showing up is enough to run them off but sometimes... Good morning children. This is Marti; she is visiting with us today. Amy and April, why don't you each hold her hand and show her around. She has probably never been in a chicken house before."

Marti started to say that she had but that it had been years when then she remembered that the hen house was a teaching place and that Sarah might be using this as a way to teach the children. Then she felt two little hands take each of hers to lead her behind the older group that were with Sarah.

The one on her right said, "I'm Amy and she is April but she doesn't talk much."

"Thank you, Amy and hello April. Both of you are very pretty young ladies."

"Tank you." April replied while squeezing Marti's hand.

Not having had much experience with small children, Marti was concerned about what she should say or ask when they entered the hen house. She needn't have worried because Amy started an almost non-stop verbal and walking tour of the hen house while pointing out her favorite chickens and where the egg cartons were stored above the feed barrels. April took one of the egg cartons and led Marti to the first laying box and reached in to remove two eggs. She carefully placed them in the carton and then moved to the second box. Amy did the same except that when she put an egg in the carton, she counted it off. "One. Two and three. Four."

Marti looked at April and asked, "How many do you have now, April?"

"Thixth."

"That's right. You count them in your head, don't you?"

The little girl beamed and nodded heartily. When the eggs in their group of nests were collected, all of the kids met near the door and set their cartons on the table. Sarah said, "Ok, you four, fill the feeding bowls with two cups in each one. Amy, why don't you make sure that all of the cartons are full. Now April, how many full cartons do we have today?"

Marti watched April closely as she looked over the cartons. "Fife."

"Very good. Sally, how many total eggs do we have?"

An older girl screwed up her face before saying, "Five times twelve is...sixty?"

"Yes, it is. And we have five more in this carton. How many do we have?"

April quickly replied, "Thixty Fife."

"Excellent, April. We have sixty-five eggs today. That is pretty good. Each of you take a carton and we will take them to the kitchen." All five of the kids picked up a carton and they proudly walked together towards the kitchen.

Marti walked behind with Sarah and asked, "Tell me about April. She seems very bright."

"She is. She picks things up faster than some of the others. But she has that lisp. Her mom said that the other kids where the used to live teased her a lot and she didn't talk very often. She has become more talkative since she has been here. She seemed to respond to you very well."

"I felt like she did but I wasn't sure."

"If you are up to it, after breakfast, ask her to read to you. She likes to read but seldom will to others. She might with you."

Marti didn't respond but thought that she might give that a try later. "What do they do with all of these eggs?"

"The first priority is to have enough for the community to eat; then some for the visitors. The extras are available for local people to buy. We usually collect about five or six dozen every day and use about a half of that here. So, we have about two to three dozen for sale every day. We seldom have any that don't sell. There is a plan to build another hen house and double our production but that will probably be next year. The goal is to have about ten dozen for sale every day. The local people in the area would support that we think."

It was seven o'clock when they arrived at the community center and breakfast was already being served. Marti was surprised that a number of the women were dressed as if they were going somewhere including Megan. When she asked Sarah, the quiet woman replied, "They are leaving for the Farmer's Market after they eat. They will be back at around two. Tonight, will be a quiet night but we will be getting ready for tomorrow."

"What happens tomorrow?"

"It is sort of a local community pot luck. At least that's what we call it. After church tomorrow, many of the local people will come over and set up tables along the street in town. They sell and trade things between each other and we have a pot luck dinner around four. They bring food and we provide the meat and drinks. It is a time to share news and catch up with what is going on locally. There will probably be around 100 people all told. It is fun. The kids get to play with other kids and the parents get to gab."

"That sounds interesting."

Twenty-four hours later, Marti was helping in the kitchen as they prepared the meat for the grill. The previous day had seen her listen as April blossomed as she read to her out loud complete with her lisp. Marti went with Amanda and Sarah on a drive around the entire property. The most interesting sight besides the clean and neat rows of vegetables was the back three hundred acres where the cattle grazed. That was where Sarah pointed out the house where Jeff lived. There was nothing ostentatious about it but it looked solid and comfortable; very much like the mental image she had built of the man she hadn't even met yet. That evening had been a quiet one with only a few travelers stopping in for dinner.

By morning, she was eager to help when Sarah asked if she wanted to help prepare for the day. She and the others talked while they made hamburgers and hot dogs. Sarah had never seen a hot dog being made before but she made two dozen herself with the sausage press. They retired to Sarah's house for a nap and rest before venturing back outside. She then discovered that the only street in the town was now a maze of tables and tents with people talking and looking at all kinds of handicrafts and homemade canned items.

She and Sarah wandered through the maze together. Sarah introduced her to a number of people and Marti bought two blouses that looked to be very comfortable. By four o'clock, the tables began emptying as people migrated to the back of the community center and began filling their plates with food. Marti felt certain that she had not seen this much food in one place since her youth at a church pot luck lunch. She couldn't help but notice that very few things fit the fad diets of the day but everything smelled fabulous. In spite of her desire to stick to a healthy diet, she filled her plate with multiple helping of the things that smelled the best. Sarah had been called away to help someone with some problem of another, so Marti went inside and found a relatively quiet corner to sit by herself to eat and process everything she had experienced.

She was half way through her plate when April walked up holding the hand of a tall man dressed in jeans and a western shirt. "Thith ith Marti. I read to her today." Then she ran off to join up with some other kids her age.

"Hi, Marti. May I join you?"

"Certainly." She was surprised to realize that this was the first man she had spoken to since she left work on Friday. She assumed that this must be April's father and said, "April is such a smart girl. I really enjoyed listening to her read."

"She is very bright and she is getting much better at talking and reading as she gains confidence. Have you enjoyed your stay so far?"

"I don't think that I have ever been in such a fascinating place before. Everyone is so nice and warm. Were you one of the men who went to pick up the equipment?"

"Yes. We got back about an hour ago and had time to clean up a little first. Some of the stuff has been sitting out and is a little dirty and rusty but it will all be worthwhile when we finish refurbishing them."

"I'm glad to hear it. Um...have you seen Jeff here yet? I am anxious to meet him."

"He's around somewhere and will make an appearance. He doesn't miss many meals." He grinned and started eating his plate of food.

She asked about the equipment and he told her that some of it was used restaurant equipment that would take a big load off of the kitchen and some of it was farm equipment. It had taken two 24-foot trailers to carry it all. He asked about her job and expressed interest in how she compared her city life to life in the country. Marti was almost embarrassed to admit that she felt fresher and more relaxed here than at home. He nodded knowingly.

When they finished eating, he asked if he could get her a cup of coffee, which she agree to if she could get him a dessert. He replied that he was more of a cake person than a pie person and that any of the choices would be fine with him. Marti went to the dessert table while he went to the coffee pot. When they returned, Sarah was sitting with her dinner plate.