All politics are local and no one gave a rat’s ass about partisan policies when enemies were at the gate. For empires of affluence, it was game over...in spades. The economy lay in shambles. Money was worthless. My grandmother used to tell me, “A poor man is only a rich man with no money.”Poverty was the rule unless you stood on your own property with a wad of cash in your kit. The ATM and credit cards stuffed into wallets were useless pieces of colorful trash connected to someplace on the dark. She giggled to herself, then remembered that she was down in the basementat the desire of her employer, tasked with a serious endeavor. Glancingover at Miss Imperium who was working her way through the maze of items,she quickly composed herself. Determined to conduct herself in a seriousmanner not willing to risk the Miss's disapproval at anything less thanher best efforts.Time continues to pass while they are down there working. Before theyknow it, it's 11AM and could hear footsteps coming. She packed the rucksack and was wearing a fleece and a skirt when she went to go out the door. I pointed out that a skirt was not a sensible thing to wear as there might be nettles along the way and she waved a walking pole at me saying that she would use it to push back nettles if needed.The path initially was bridleway and then went to narrow paths alongside fields or woodland. We had been going about half an hour when we came to a stile. Jean jumped up and sat on the top and unzipped her. ”“I have to go back,” said Nathan stubbornly. “He hurt her bad, Mamma. She might need a doctor.”“Help me get him out of the public view, and I’ll go back down there with you,” said his mother.She muttered about the paint all over everything, and Nathan explained about hitting him to knock him off Miss Flossie. She pulled the whole sordid story out of him, bit by bit, making him tell her everything he could remember about what Harvey did and said. He was like a recording machine. Marian could.