The clothes I made were simple, pants and shirts for the men and simple shifts for women. I didn’t bother with zippers or buttons but ties out of the same material. None of us were interested in shoes. Our lives were simple, serene, and fertile. Then one day Joe brought up marriage. “You know what we need, Ashley? Some form of marriage. We don’t have anyone in authority to marry anyone, though.” “Well, we’re forming our own society and we can do anything we want. Why don’t we ask Irene if she wants to perform marriages? Should we hold a town meeting and see what everyone thinks?” “Let’s do that.” So that’s how so many couples, including Joe and I, came to be married. By then I was almost eight months pregnant and several other women were pregnant also at different stages. It was an exciting time for us all and we had pretty much decided that the authorities had given up on us. Most of us didn’t even think about them anymore. That was a mistake.
