The next morning, Max decided to use the sauna and the pool before he and Carl left to return to the truck. While he was gone, Carl went to the shop downstairs for a toothbrush and toothpaste. While he was looking around, he heard, ”Whatever are you looking for, Dahling?”

And when he turned around he saw Karen, the lady who reminded him of his Grandma. After he told her what he was looking for, she walked him over to the pharmacy section of the shops.

While they were walking, Carl realized he had no way to contact the elderly people on this ship. He also did not know if he would be the one driving the supply truck next week or the week after. It was pretty important to have a way to communicate with them to work things out. He said to Karen, “Do you have a cell phone?”

Karen answered, “Yes, I do, dahling! You must think I look like the Gabor sisters, too if you want my phone number!”

Carl said, “No, it’s not that. We have to have a way to communicate if I am going to be able to help you all get out of here. Give me your number. I won’t call from my phone so you and I aren’t linked up. I will get a different girl to call each time and say they are your granddaughter, Carla. Don’t call the number back because you won’t get me. Hurry, because I probably shouldn’t talk with you long for either of our sakes.” He got Karen’s number and headed back up to the room to get ready for the day.

Laurence and Nancy had gotten their heads together and weren’t wasting any time. They decided to question each of the elderly who were on board to find out who was interested in getting out of the line of fire. They decided to pose the questions as a ‘what if’ scenario instead of a real life threat. While Nancy worked in the kitchen, there were a couple of other kitchen prep ladies, Linetta and Cora, working with her and she decided to ask them first. “Linetta, what would you do if you learned that the elderly would soon be candidates for euthenasia? Would you run away to live in the woods somewhere? Or would you just stay here aboard the ship until your time came?”

Linetta said, “Honey, that is a tough question. I care about my life, even though I have already lived most of it. I don’t think I could live out in the woods because, as you know, I am incontinent and I can’t make it without my diapers. Also, I have to have my blood pressure medicine or I will have a heart attack and die. No, If that ever happened, I would not be able to run. Why are you asking?”

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“OH, no reason, I was just thinking about how we were always on the run when we were homeless and how we have gotten a chance to be comfortable, now. Just curious,” Nancy replied. Linetta’s answer took her by surprise.

Steve, who worked on the ship’s HVAC system, was having a cup of coffee with Laurence, before they started work, as they had grown accustomed to since they had been living onboard the ship. He had worked in HVAC, off and on since he was a teen. He was 67 now and happy with his new home. Laurence asked Steve, “ So, how’s it going, working on the ship, instead of waking up scrounging every day to stay alive?”

Steve said, “It is like a new life! There is good food to eat, a comfortable bed to sleep in and I don’t have worry someone is going to stab me in the night. I have a job and am needed. I am pretty happy.”

Laurence asked, “If you found out there was a program starting to get rid of everyone over 50, what would you do? Would you find some other place to live?”

Steve said, “Where would I go? There’s no place to go!”

Laurence and Nancy talked with other elderly people all day and came to the same conclusion, elderly people were not very adventuresome, and not many wanted to give up their comfortable living to go back to being homeless. It was unsettling, but realistic.

Nancy went to the shop to look for a scarf to match her blue skirt for the dance that was happening that night and saw Karen. “Hi Karen, how’s it going?”

Karen looked at her with tears in her eyes. “I am distraught!” Ever the actress, Karen had asked a few people, too, with the same results. She was, however, taking it personally and looked as depressed as she felt. “Everyone has a reason why they can’t go. Diabetes meds, blood pressure meds, mobility issues, and so on and so forth. I understand, but when it is a life or death situation, you would think they would choose to live.”

Nancy said, “Try not to take it so hard. If you let this get to you, you won’t be much help for others. We have to be strong for the ones who are going to choose life and let the others go.”

The phone rang and Karen answered. “Hello?”

“Hello, grandma? This is Carla. I wanted to ask if you could ask around and find out a ballpark figure of how many people will be coming with us? (In a muffled tone, Carla asked was that what I was supposed to say?) I will call back tomorrow. Good-bye.”

Karen perked up and told Nancy in a whisper, “That was Carl. He wants us to ask around and find out how many of us will be going. He will call again tomorrow. You are right. Maybe we will only save a handful of lives, but we can’t give up!!!”