Distant Cousin: Reincarnation: Chapters 31-36

[BrassMan]

Chapters 31-36

In effect, these chapters complete the main action of the story. We can talk about the rest on the next, final thread.

Chapter 31 (5544)

Why did Matt visit a financial advisor?

Have you ever had the snack Darcy shared with Coombs?

Note: Nanofibers exist. The Thomans have done considerably more with them than we have so far, however.

Hleo said technology, both good and bad, metasticizes, which it does. In this case, what was he referring to?

Note: The heavy little boxes of explosive material Coombs had along were probably Semtex, a potent military-grade explosive.

Chapter 32 (5958)

Abuelita cracked that the garden club ladies seldom talked about plants. I didn't make that up. My mother in law told me something like that about her garden club. I found it easy to believe....

Both Julio and Clio get in a scrape this time. Several of you noted earlier that Julio wouldn't defend himself. This time he did. Why might he have done so this time?

Once again, Darcy's determination (or impetuousness) leads to problems: housebreaking, in this case. Did you enjoy the fight she and Coombs got into?

Chapter 33 (6404)

Ding, ding, ding! Super-trivia question! Ana told Coombs she had scattered the leftover rose petals on the ground as he picked her up from the second cottage. She said she did it to give the people some hope. For 100 Brownie points, can anyone make an association between that act and another famous similar scene from history?

The twins acquire ID cards and checking accounts, though they are only seven years old. Have you ever heard of underage children doing anything similar?

Chapter 34 (6709)

Julio has his first automobile accident at a very precocious age. Do you think Dr. Dave had reason to think it was funny?

Twoson Henderson, son of DuChesne Henderson, yard supervisor at Port Newark, is one of my favorite minor characters. Just thought I'd mention that.

Chapter 35 (7054)

Clio gets a new tutor. What did you think of Sra. Guajardo?

Darcy and Coombs have another wild adventure at Port Newark. What was Coombs' opinion of all the action Darcy had gotten him involved in?

Chapter 36 (7386)

Darcy flies home and reunites with her family in the wee hours of the morning. The twins learn about the pod. The story ends with a recipe, sort of. I bet not many action stories end with a recipe.

About the middle of next week I'll have a thread up for the Epilogue. I was worried that it was too long a denouement for an action story, so think about that as you read. We can discuss it next time.

[Anju No. 469]

Why did Matt visit a financial advisor?
He knew the one he went to would not be able to keep his mouth shut and his family would quit thinking Abuelita was "rich"

Have you ever had the snack Darcy shared with Coombs?
nope

Hleo said technology, both good and bad, metasticizes, which it does. In this case, what was he referring to?
both good and bad things could have been created from the technology that el jerko sold to the bad buys



Chapter 32 (5958)

Abuelita cracked that the garden club ladies seldom talked about plants. I didn't make that up. My mother in law told me something like that about her garden club. I found it easy to believe....
The plants with roots in the dirt? or the dirt about the neighbors 

Both Julio and Clio get in a scrape this time. Several of you noted earlier that Julio wouldn't defend himself. This time he did. Why might he have done so this time?
This was different, these were really bad buys

Once again, Darcy's determination (or impetuousness) leads to problems: housebreaking, in this case. Did you enjoy the fight she and Coombs got into?
I love the surprise she presented the bad guy - ego, yuck!

Chapter 33 (6404)

Ding, ding, ding! Super-trivia question! Ana told Coombs she had scattered the leftover rose petals on the ground as he picked her up from the second cottage. She said she did it to give the people some hope. For 100 Brownie points, can anyone make an association between that act and another famous similar scene from history?
nope

The twins acquire ID cards and checking accounts, though they are only seven years old. Have you ever heard of underage children doing anything similar?

actually when I was in grade school, in the dark ages, we had savings account and actual money at the bank.

Chapter 34 (6709)

Julio has his first automobile accident at a very precocious age. Do you think Dr. Dave had reason to think it was funny?
because it was the way it happened and from building the robot and it's getting away and Julio's reaction to have done something bad/wrong

Twoson Henderson, son of DuChesne Henderson, yard supervisor at Port Newark, is one of my favorite minor characters. Just thought I'd mention that.
I agree

Chapter 35 (7054)

Clio gets a new tutor. What did you think of Sra. Guajardo?


Caesar - the Dog Whisperer`

Darcy and Coombs have another wild adventure at Port Newark. What was Coombs' opinion of all the action Darcy had gotten him involved in?

better than carting hot shots around

Chapter 36 (7386)

Darcy flies home and reunites with her family in the wee hours of the morning. The twins learn about the pod. The story ends with a recipe, sort of. I bet not many action stories end with a recipe.
That's one good thing about your books - always eating 

[BrassMan]

Thanks for the responses, Dona. I'll wait for others to join in before I get to them (and to the SuperTrivia question), but I just had to share this, from Dianne Salerni, KindleBoard member and author of High Spirits, which she had to pull out of the Kindle edition in order to write the screenplay, which is currently titled We Hear the Dead. She's the first, as far as I know, to characterize the entire Distant Cousin series.

This is what she said:

Many books have been written about how First Contact with an extraterrestrial will change the world. Very few books have been written about how such an event would affect the life of the being who makes that contact. In the Distant Cousin series, Ana Darcy (Anneyn Darshiell) – the initial human envoy from a distant world populated by “cousins” to our species – is both the most famous person on Earth and also a private individual who wants what most women want: a family, a home, and a meaningful life.  The Distant Cousin series explores Darcy’s arrival on Earth, her meteoric rise to fame, her impact on world politics and technology – and her growth as a person in the role of wife and mother after settling down on her new home world.  Of interest also is the network of friends that Darcy cultivates through her actions on Earth; it seems that no one who meets this woman remains untouched by her. Although the Distant Cousin novels include plenty of action and intrigue – deadly danger and sometimes worldwide threats – they cannot rightly be called action novels.  Moving at a leisurely pace and focused more on characters than on thrills, the four-book series describes the evolution of a family – composed of one extraordinary woman, a kind and gentle man that most people would find rather average, and two children with an unusual heritage and a refreshingly unique view of the world. Although “light” on the science fiction aspect of the situation, the Distant Cousin novels are gold for readers more interested in the human impact and implications of knowing we are not alone in the universe.

Thanks, Dianne! And thanks to all of you who have enjoyed the series and spread to word to others!

[Monica of NY]

Chapter 31 (5544)

Why did Matt visit a financial advisor?

He wanted to divert attention away from Abuelita's supposed wealth.

Have you ever had the snack Darcy shared with Coombs?

Never have.

Hleo said technology, both good and bad, metasticizes, which it does. In this case, what was he referring to?

He was referring to the discovery of a second weapon, which had not yet been located, and that more were planned.

Chapter 32 (5958)

Abuelita cracked that the garden club ladies seldom talked about plants. I didn't make that up. My mother in law told me something like that about her garden club. I found it easy to believe....

I had no trouble believing this either. 

Both Julio and Clio get in a scrape this time. Several of you noted earlier that Julio wouldn't defend himself. This time he did. Why might he have done so this time?

I think Julio felt more justified in defending himself since one of the boys had a knife and clearly intended to do harm.

Once again, Darcy's determination (or impetuousness) leads to problems: housebreaking, in this case. Did you enjoy the fight she and Coombs got into?

What a fun section to read!  I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out, but I just knew that Ana and Coombs were not going to waltz in and out the house without being caught.  I really enjoyed the exciting fight scene.

Chapter 33 (6404)

Ding, ding, ding! Super-trivia question! Ana told Coombs she had scattered the leftover rose petals on the ground as he picked her up from the second cottage. She said she did it to give the people some hope. For 100 Brownie points, can anyone make an association between that act and another famous similar scene from history?

I haven't the first idea.

The twins acquire ID cards and checking accounts, though they are only seven years old. Have you ever heard of underage children doing anything similar?

I have not heard of checking accounts for minors, however I see that it could be useful in teaching kids how to manage money.

Chapter 34 (6709)

Julio has his first automobile accident at a very precocious age. Do you think Dr. Dave had reason to think it was funny?

While I understood why Jameson thought the "accident" was funny, I could not share in the humor.  I understand that the genius displayed by Julio in the building of this robot and the design of the software is tremendously impressive.  Julio had the sense to be concerned that he had damaged his dad's truck.

Chapter 35 (7054)

Clio gets a new tutor. What did you think of Sra. Guajardo?

I liked the "dog whisperer" comment.

Darcy and Coombs have another wild adventure at Port Newark. What was Coombs' opinion of all the action Darcy had gotten him involved in?

He absolutely loved it.  He would be ready to go on the next adventure whenever she called.

[marianneg]

Why did Matt visit a financial advisor?

This was pretty funny.  He wanted it to get around that his family was having financial difficulties so that the busybodies wouldn't give Abuelita such a hard time.

Have you ever had the snack Darcy shared with Coombs?

The Cajun jerky?  Nope.  Probably a teeny bit spicy for my taste.

Hleo said technology, both good and bad, metasticizes, which it does. In this case, what was he referring to?

The welding technology had been changed into a weapon, and the plans for the weapon had created a second weapon.  It was no longer contained or controllable.

Abuelita cracked that the garden club ladies seldom talked about plants. I didn't make that up. My mother in law told me something like that about her garden club. I found it easy to believe....

Hee, hee.  I belive it!

Both Julio and Clio get in a scrape this time. Several of you noted earlier that Julio wouldn't defend himself. This time he did. Why might he have done so this time?

I think that this time he sensed that these people were going to do him real harm, and he also was protecting his sister and the other boy.

Once again, Darcy's determination (or impetuousness) leads to problems: housebreaking, in this case. Did you enjoy the fight she and Coombs got into?

Pretty enjoyable.  I knew she would get out of it somehow, but I was a little nervous about Coombs.

Ding, ding, ding! Super-trivia question! Ana told Coombs she had scattered the leftover rose petals on the ground as he picked her up from the second cottage. She said she did it to give the people some hope. For 100 Brownie points, can anyone make an association between that act and another famous similar scene from history?

<don't call on me, don't call on me, don't call on me...> 

The twins acquire ID cards and checking accounts, though they are only seven years old. Have you ever heard of underage children doing anything similar?

Well, I've certainly known of teenagers having checking accounts, but not kids that young.  Not sure whether I agree with that one, Matt.  Like Dona, I had a savings account when I was young, and I plan on doing that for DD, too, but checking is kind of a different animal.  I would probably want to teach the money management first with cash, then teach them how to balance the checkbook and things like that, and then they'd be ready to have their own checking account.

Julio has his first automobile accident at a very precocious age. Do you think Dr. Dave had reason to think it was funny?

I thought it was a little funny, too, especially after Dr. Jameson pointed out that the college scholarship that a kid could get for such a project would more than cover the damage to the truck.  I did feel sorry for poor Julio, though.

Twoson Henderson, son of DuChesne Henderson, yard supervisor at Port Newark, is one of my favorite minor characters. Just thought I'd mention that.

He seems neat.  Maybe he needs a spinoff series

Clio gets a new tutor. What did you think of Sra. Guajardo?

She sounds like a very cool lady.  I'm sorry we didn't see more of her.

Darcy and Coombs have another wild adventure at Port Newark. What was Coombs' opinion of all the action Darcy had gotten him involved in?

He loved it!

Darcy flies home and reunites with her family in the wee hours of the morning. The twins learn about the pod. The story ends with a recipe, sort of. I bet not many action stories end with a recipe.

That's one of the things I love about these books

[BrassMan]

Here's what I know about Cajun jerky. I had a Cajun student years ago, a sweet, high-spirited woman who one day brought a bag of Cajun jerky to class. Her parents had sent it to her. She shared it with all of us, and speaking personally, it set me back on my heels. Mind you, it was delicious, but it nearly took my head off. I made sure to retrieve the empty bag, and called the number on it and ordered some more. It was a rare and memorable treat, though I've not had any since. Our local market makes the best jerky in South Texas, and on those occasions when I crave some, that's where I get it, minus the Cajun Tabasco marinade. I'm sure Ana Darcy Mendez would have loved Cajun jerky.

On the subject of kids, money, savings and checking accounts: my wife and I got our two daughters ID cards when they were in junior high school, and checking accounts also. OK, they were older than Julio and Clio, but Julio and Clio are hardly normal children. Here's what we found: we gave our kids an allowance, plus an amount for school supplies and clothing, an amount we considered fair. They both had a little income from doing chores and writing newspaper columns. (They were newspaper reporters (for small area communities covered by the local paper) and they received 25 cents per column inch for their columns. It wasn't a lot, but it got daugher #2 into National Geographic World's "Kids Did It" feature.) Anyway, the deal was, if they wanted more or better clothes and supplies than their parents' money allowed them to afford, they could make up the difference from their own income. Result: you never saw such pinch-penny kids. They'd collect coupons, watch for sales, balance their statements, and generally gave the grinch-eye to every purchase they made. My wife and I felt like geniuses. Maybe other parents would have a different outcome but for us it worked like a charm.

Now, the Super Trivia question: Darcy's roses are a tiny nod to Mexican Catholic history. Here's the basic story (there's more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe):

"According to official Catholic accounts of the Guadalupan apparitions, during a walk from his home village to Mexico City early on the morning of December 9, 1531, Juan Diego saw a vision of a young girl of fifteen to sixteen, surrounded by light. This event occurred on the slopes of the Hill of Tepeyac. Speaking in the local language of Nahuatl, the Lady asked for a church to be built at that site in her honor. From her words, Juan Diego recognised her as the Virgin Mary. When he told his story to the Spanish Bishop, Fray Juan de Zumárraga, the bishop asked him to return and ask the lady for a miraculous sign to prove her claim. The Virgin then asked Juan Diego to gather some flowers from the top of Tepeyac Hill, even though it was winter when no flowers bloomed. There, he found Castilian roses (which were of the Bishop's native home, but not indigenous to Tepeyac). He gathered them, and the Virgin herself re-arranged them in his tilma, or peasant cloak. When Juan Diego unfolded his cloak to present the roses to Zumárraga, the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe miraculously appeared imprinted on the cloth."

This is not to claim any notion of a miracle, or Catholicism, or religion of any kind, for what Ana Darcy did. The Sedlakian people probably would never have heard of the Virgen de Guadalupe, on the other side of the world and 500 years earlier. Still, to find rose petals where a mysterious woman had disappeared, a woman who might or might not have been a reincarnated queen, would certainly have had an effect on them.

In a day or two, I'll have some final discussion points about the epilogue. Thanks to all who have followed along with this Klub. I hope you've enjoyed it!

[Anju No. 469]

I shulda caught the the rose petal thingy with the Virgin of Guadalupe, but since it was across the world I think I can be forgiven for skipping this question