“Fantastic!” Demi yelled, excited to see all of the supplies. “And gas?”
“We got some,” responded Chris. “They took your card though.”
“Well, that’s good. That means we can hold on to the cash if we need it down the line,” answered Demi.
“Eh, you may not like the price,” said Chris with a hesitation.
“How much?” Demi asked, worried.
“We got the two trucks with full tanks,” started Chris.
“How much did this cost me?” Demi repeated.
“Twenty-thousand dollars,” muttered Chris.
“Twenty-thousand dollars!” Demi said pronouncing and pausing after each syllable.
“Uh, yeah. The gas station owner recognized Mike, and unfortunately, he knew how much we could afford and that we were good for it,” explained Chris. Chris paused as a distraught look came across Demi’s face. “But hey, look on the bright side, you have a big fan in Pocatello,” said Chris, his eyes meeting Demi’s as he appeared to be cheering her up.
Lacey came over to the two. She must have overheard their conversation as she said to Demi, “Well, you can afford it, sis.” She turned to Chris and said, “She paid for my tuition, room, and board in full, like it was nothing.”
“Because there’s no price I wouldn’t pay for you to have your dream,” said Demi, looking at Lacey. “To me, that is nothing.” Demi looked back at Chris and said, “But, twenty-thousand dollars for two tanks of gas?”
“Supply and demand?” Chris replied, shrugging his shoulders. “But you should have seen the guy,” started Chris. “The owner looked at Mike as if he was looking at a being from another world, watching his every move. That was trippy because Mike is just my neighbor. But the way this guy treated him, you would have thought Mike was a king or something.”
Hearing Chris tell this story brought satisfaction to her. She gave a knowing smirk to Lacey. Demi was well aware she could afford the gas. Twenty-thousand dollars was a drop in the bucket for her, but the gut punch came with the notion that it was spent on two tanks of gas. However, she thought about it and figured that these times were desperate. If that meant they could keep more cash on hand in case something like this didn’t happen again, and they could barter to stay afloat another day, then twenty-thousand dollars was well worth it.
Letting her shock and anger blow over, she asked in a joking manner, “And how much did these bottles of water or cans of food cost me?” “Fifty thousand?” Deep down, she hoped that wasn’t the answer.
Chris responded, “Nah. No, one recognized Mike when we went to the general store. We got some camping supplies too, a few lanterns, two tents. A few fire starters and tinder. In my opinion, we scored.”
“That’s a shame,” interjected Lacey.
Chris laughed, and continued, “They still took your card number though. But this stuff only cost you a thousand dollars. We bought what they have left.” Chris leaned into Demi and said, “I was thinking we should give some of the food to Ralph and Drew.”
Demi nodded, “Good idea.” Mike, Jack, Ralph, and Drew finished unloading and Ralph gathered the oil lanterns he had around the house. He and Drew lit them, illuminating the frat house as the sun went down.
Chris whispered in Demi’s ear, “Oh, and they didn’t see the gas station owner gushing over Mike, so they still don’t know who you are.” Demi nodded as she heard that.
Ralph asked, “You guys want to play some cards?”
Lacey’s face lit up as she exclaimed, “Sure!” She nearly sprinted over to the couch where Ralph, Drew, and Jack sat, wedging herself between Ralph and Drew.
“How about Gin Rummy?” Ralph asked while he shuffled the cards.
“Sounds good,” responded Jack.
Helene went through the piles of canned food, looking at the labels in the light from one of the lanterns that were in the kitchen. She came over to where Ralph and Drew sat and asked, “How does beef stew sound guys?”
“Oh, that sounds fantastic!” Ralph yelled. “Better than the energy bars we’ve been living on.”
“Good. I’ll make some extra for you guys, so you have something to eat until the power comes back on,” added Helene.
“But we have no way to keep it cold,” interjected Drew, with a confused look on his face. “I appreciate the offer, ma’am.”
Helene gave Demi a knowing grin, and answered, “Do you guys have some clay pots out back?”
“That we do,” answered Ralph.
“Good. I’ll make you a Zeer pot,” responded Helene, and she headed back into the kitchen to gather the cans of food before heading to the back yard. Demi knew she headed out to the back to make the Zeer pot and a fire pit to heat the food.
As Helene passed through the living room with the armfuls of cans and a large pot, Drew asked, “Mrs. Cromwell, what’s a Zeer pot?”
Helene answered as she walked, “You’ll see.” Seeing Helene move through her grief and putting herself to work was encouraging for Demi. She only could imagine what she was going through.
Mike went to check on Sophie, who was sleeping in one of the bedrooms with Lily. Demi knew that he was very concerned about his sister, but he would help his little sister and mother every step of the way.
Chris sat with the guys who played cards, watching them. Rufus, laid on Jack’s toes while his kids played at the kitchen table with some dolls he packed. Demi went over and sat on the couch next to Chris, watching the intense game of Gin Rummy.
While Ralph took a card from the middle pile, he asked Demi, “So what are you guys’ plans? You’re welcome to stay as long as you guys want.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that,” answered Demi. “I think we’ll head out in the morning. We’ll make sure we lock the door behind us, so you don’t have to get up.”
“Oh, Ok,” answered Ralph.
Demi then asked, “Do you guys have a sharpie?”
Drew answered, “I have one on my desk. I’m the first room on the right.”
“I’ll be right back,” said Demi as she got up from the couch. Demi made her way to Drew’s room, fumbling around in the dark. The lantern light was much dimmer on that side of the house, but she made her way to his desk and found the sharpie permanent marker.
Demi went back to the living room, where the card game took place. She motioned Chris to move over, so she could sit next to Ralph. Demi then maneuvered herself so she could write on Ralph’s shirt, with the marker.
Ralph, too engrossed in the card game to pay much attention to what Demi did, asked, “Hey, what are you doing?”
“Drew, your turn,” announced Demi as she went over to his shirt, and wrote on the chest.
Ralph paused the card game to pull his shirt and read what she wrote, “Ralph, thank you! I owe you everything. Love Demi Thicke!” Ralph to a second to process what he read. He then exclaimed, “Wait, you’re Demi Thicke? As in, Shards of Glass, Demi Thicke?”
“That, I am,” answered Demi. “I wrote the same on your shirt, Drew.”
“Wait, what?” Drew looked at Demi, perplexed by what had been revealed. “You’re Demi Thicke?”
Something must have clicked for Drew, because his eyes widened as he shouted, “We spent the day with Mike Cromwell?”
Demi sheepishly responded, “The one and only.”
“Man, that guy can hit!” Drew shouted. “He’s my hero. No wonder he looked familiar. I just never thought Mike Cromwell would wind up on my doorstep.” Drew hesitated and then muttered, “Gees, Mike Cromwell.” Demi was glad that Drew made a bigger deal about Mike than her, even if he wasn’t there to hear it. He needed this and she thought back to when in the rare instance when Mike would get more adoration than her and it fueled her innate jealousy and competitive nature. Now she relished that Mike had his moments.
“I’m sure he’ll sign your shirts when he gets back,” assured Demi.
A few minutes later, Helene returned with a pot of stew. Drew and Ralph helped her bring in t
he stainless steel pot and Chris went out to bring in the Zeer pot and they set them on the kitchen counter.
Mike came from one of the bedrooms, appearing groggy. “Hey guys, Sophie is still asleep with Lily. What have you been up to?”
Demi answered from the dining room table where everyone took part in Helene’s stew, “You missed a killer game of Gin, an autograph signing, and instructions on how to use the Zeer pot.” Demi, glad to see that Helene resembled her old self wanted Mike to know that it appeared as though she was going to pull through losing John.
“Oh, man. I missed a lot,” said Mike as he rubbed his forehead, a shallow grin formed on his face.
“Yo, Mike,” yelled Drew. “When you’re done with dinner, I’d love for you to sign my shirt.”
Mike’s eyes brightened as he said, “Of course, man.”
“Nice we got out of Old Poky early,” Chris said to Demi as he drove the truck with Jack, his two kids, and Rufus in it.
“Yeah, the sun is not even up,” replied Demi, looking in the back seat to find that Jack and his kids were asleep. The truck that Mike drove followed right behind them.
“With all of these cars in the road, we will probably have to stop for the night,” advised Chris. Demi agreed since they could only travel around thirty miles per hour on average, weaving in and out of stalled vehicles.
“Looks that way,” she muttered, staring out the window.
Chapter Eleven
Mike Cromwell
“Look, they’re pulling off,” announced Helene pointing to the truck ahead of them veering to the left to take the off-ramp.
“Where are we?” Mike asked, tired from the day of driving and weaving in and out of stalled vehicles.
His mom answered, “According to the signs, Butte, Montana. The population of thirty-three thousand.”
“Uh, thanks mom,” replied Mike, smirking. “How’s Soph?”
Helene turned her head to look at the back seat. “She’s asleep. Lacey is holding Lily.” Mike looked in the rear-view mirror to see Lacey holding his niece as she looked out the window.
“Well, glad one of us is getting rest,” said Mike, following Demi’s truck ahead of him. “I think we are pulling over for the night,” he announced.
Mike liked that Lacey elected to ride in his truck rather than her sister’s. There wasn’t much room left for her since Jack had his kids and Chris had Rufus, but he was glad that Lacey offered to ride with him rather than making Chris and Rufus squeeze in the back seat.
Following Mike to a park, he pulled up beside Demi’s truck. Chris rolled down the window as did Mike. Rolling it by hand was much more exerting than the automatic windows he had grown accustomed to. He couldn’t remember the last time he rolled down a window with a hand crank. Must have been in high school. Chris yelled from the other truck, “We’ll set up camp here tonight.” Mike nodded in agreement and rolled up the window. That was the last time he was doing that again.
Mike got out of the truck and pulled forward the driver’s seat to get to Sophie. “Hey, we’re stopping for the night. You should probably eat something,” he said in a nurturing tone. Sophie, who barely opened her eyes nodded, still half asleep.
Helene helped Lacey out who held Lily while Mike helped Sophie. Demi, Chris, and Jack unloaded their truck with the supplies. Mike helped Lacey with Lily and situated his mom and sister near a park bench. The sun went down, and darkness filled the park, which appeared to be vacant. Thankfully, they were able to purchase lanterns and camping supplies when they went into town in Pocatello.
Lacey and Helene watched Lily while Demi, Chris, Jack, and Mike set up the tents. Jack’s kids tended to Rufus and kept him busy. Helene didn’t feel up to preparing dinner, so Demi took over the cooking. Demi prepared a fire using the fire starter and tinder the guys bought with her Black Amex from the general store. Within no time, the group feasted on beans, rice, and chunks of canned steak. Mike relished the warm food as they did not have any cooked meals during the day, only keeping their hunger at bay by eating energy bars.
After dinner, Lacey and Mike went for a walk. Demi watched Lily, while Sophie slept and Helene attempted to clean the campsite, yet was struggling to focus and get things done. Chris tried to help her the best he could while Jack played with his kids and Rufus.
“Your friends were very nice,” said Mike as they strolled around the park.
Lacey giggled, “Oh, you liked Ralph and Drew?” she asked. “They’re great guys, I was lucky to get paired up with them as lab partners.” They walked further and Lacey said, “They liked you. Huge fans of yours.”
A smile came across Mike’s face. “I got that impression. I mean, they were cool to me before they realized who I was. We were talking about some other bands that were big a few years ago, like Deep Poison, and Mangled Hearts,” said Mike.
“Well apparently their big fans of Shards of Glass, guess that band never came up?” Lacey asked in a joking manner.
“No, never came up,” answered Mike. He thought for a moment, and then said, “Nothing is going on between you and Drew is there?” His face blushed as he realized how his question sounded.
“No, nothing is going on between us, we’re just friends,” she answered.
“Good to know,” muttered Mike. He didn’t push anything further as they had returned to the campsite where everyone was getting ready for the night.
As they walked up, Demi shouted while she held Lily, “Lacey, watch Lily!” After handing off Lily to Lacey, Demi yelled, “Mike, a word!” Mike knew this tone. This was a tone that she used with Trevor whenever the band was fighting. This tone only meant one thing, confrontation.
Mike's usual disposition was to smooth things over, as he did with their band disagreements, especially when Demi was in one of her moods. “What’s wrong?” Mike asked.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Demi asked in a heated manner.
“Huh?” Mike sought to clarify the meaning of her question, he was a little caught off guard because he didn’t think he was doing anything.
“You know, Mike. Starting something with my sister, under these circumstances. It’s dangerous for you and I don’t want you to get hurt,” explained Demi.
“Under these circumstances?” Mike paused for a second and then said, “What are you cautioning me about?” To Mike, Demi was not making any sense. This warning seemed to come out of the blue and was unwarranted.
Demi, her face returning to normal color in the lantern light seemed to calm down. She said in a more reasonable tone, “Mike, we have the largest national disaster that I have ever witnessed. Starting a romance right now should not be at the top of your list. Surviving should be.”
At least Demi made some sense now, even though Mike did not agree with her. Mike returned with a question, “So, are you trying to protect me or Lacey?” Mike asked.
“Both,” she answered, in a quick manner. Demi hesitated for a second before continuing, “Tom is dead. And your dad—“
“I know,” answered Mike, lowering his eyes. Tears formed in the corners. He knew the point that Demi was making. She was concerned that if he died that it would put Lacey in a tailspin. He didn’t want to put Lacey through that and he knew how much Demi protected her sister. This jeopardized everything that Demi worked for, to ensure her sister was happy and cared for. However, he did not want to live his life in fear. He spent his entire life making others happy, smoothing things over because he hated conflict. He had the rocker, go with the flow attitude, but that was about to change. He started the band, only to have Demi be the breakout star. He held the band together at the risk of losing what he wanted with the band. Mike was done with letting others get theirs. Mike responded with the most thought out response he could muster, considering this encounter came out of nowhere, like most of Demi’s high horse arguments. “Demi, I know this is not the right time to start anything, but I realized that I have feelings for your sister. I think she might have feelings for me too.
Since this whole disaster happened, walking and talking with her has been the first time I’ve been happy. That’s all we can do, make the best out of what we have.” Mike paused for a second, and then added, “And, I think you should do the same. You should find joy while you can. Tomorrow is not promised. I think you should start something up with Chris again.” Mike took another second before he continued, “I’ve seen the way you guys look at each other. I mean, come on, Demi. Have some faith that this is supposed to be.”
Demi stared at Mike, and turned with a huff of her breath and stomped off back to Lacey to hold Lily. Mike knew he got to her and that she would take his advice to heart after she softened some. He only hoped that she had enough faith to take action on his advice.
While everyone straightened up the camp to get ready for the night, clouds circulated in the sky, resulting in a few drops of rain. The others had made their way to their respective tents, staying in the same group as they traveled in the trucks. Mike sat out at the picnic table, thinking about things. Chris walked over to Mike and said, “It’s starting to rain. The last thing we want is for you to catch a cold.”
Chris made a good point. He didn’t want to compromise his health. “Yeah, man. I’ll head inside the tent. Was enjoying the rain, I missed the smell of rain,” said Mike, lifting his face to the falling drops.
“Right! We have had some pretty good weather,” responded Chris. The rain fell harder, and he said, “Well, up until now. Go inside your tent, it’s starting to downpour.” Rain pelted their heads as the two ran toward their respective tents.
Mike entered him, completely drenched. Sophie slept in her area, and Helene and Lacey tended to Lily who was fussy from the sound of the rain and the storm that crept upon them. “Mike, you’re soaked,” said Helene. “Change out of your clothes. You have something else to wear, don’t you?”
Lights Out (Book 2): Power Trip Page 11
