Most people these days are sticking to home remedies. In fact, that’s my new profession. Toward the end of my pregnancy, I couldn’t do much physical labor, so I had Chase find me some books about herbal remedies. I’ve been studying them ever since, and I’ve even had a few patients from outside our own little family. They pay us with food if they can, if not, that’s okay too. I figure that even if they can’t pay for the treatment, providing the service helps keep us safe. I mean, who wants to mess with the woman who helps keep them alive, right? I provide the treatments for what ails them (unless it’s something major), and if they can’t pay, then they’re indebted to us.
My little entrepreneurial endeavor is still a work in progress, but every day I’m learning more. If nothing else, it’s helping keep our own family healthy. The hardest part is dealing with infections. We’ve already lost a couple neighbors to things that could have been easily remedied with antibiotics in the old days. Mobile is the only place to get stuff like that. I’m hoping eventually to save up enough to barter for a small personal supply; but right now, I’m limited to antibiotic ointment that’s only good for general cuts and scrapes. Overall, it’s good work. I help the occasional patient, and it lets me stick around the house and raise the kids.
Chase stays pretty close to home these days too. He goes out scavenging every so often when we need something we can’t make or grow ourselves, but otherwise he likes to keep an eye on the homestead (I think that becoming a father has matured him). And that’s just fine with me. He also spends a lot of time fishing and crabbing. He’s actually become quite the fisherman. He has his own boat and is thinking about teaming up with several of our neighbors to work the gulf coast (he says it’s often difficult and dangerous being out there alone). Dylan wants to help him, but he’s still a little young and I need him working in our garden for the time being. Even on his own, though, Chase catches more than we need, and occasionally he gifts or trades some of our extra food to our neighbors. This also helps keep up good relations with the locals. And I can’t complain since I get my fill of delicious fresh seafood, something I could never get enough of back in the Midwest.
Dylan and I started the garden shortly after our arrival since the growing season is largely year-round here. My little big-man continued the work even while I was unable to assist during the last month of my pregnancy. He’s done a wonderful job and has been a huge asset to our family. It hasn’t been easy by any means, but I think we’ve gotten through the most difficult portion of our getting established here. At night, after Daisy is asleep, Dylan and I read together and do a few lessons (when we’re not too exhausted). Right now, his schooling consists largely of survival and agricultural topics with some light general education (mostly math, reading, and writing) thrown into the mix.
So overall, things are good. I think we’ve all come to the realization that they will never be the same as they were before the flu and have for the most part accepted that hard truth. In some ways, they’re better…simpler. We appreciate things for what they are rather than always hoping for something better or thinking about what’s coming next.
Daisy is a little jewel. She’s such a happy baby. Every so often, I have flashbacks to when Violet was a baby. In some ways, Daisy’s presence is hard because she recalls such memories, but in other ways, it’s as though a piece of Violet is here with me.
It’s been one hell of a journey since we left Chicago. There have been so many ups and downs. Who would ever have guessed that THIS is where we’d end up? Not me, that’s for sure. I’m just glad we’re out of Georgia. Not only was I thankful to leave our troubles in Glasgow behind, but in the time since we’ve resettled here, we’ve heard terrible things about the despotic rule of what they call the “Three Families”. They base their operations out of Atlanta and apparently rule with an iron fist, taking what they want, when they want it, killing anyone who stands in their way, and enslaving the rest. From the rumors floating around (since we don’t get factually-based news anymore), these ruling families have expanded their control from Atlanta out to the rest of Georgia and are looking to move into neighboring states. I hope it’s not true. If it is, it looks like we’ll be on the road again. It’s obviously not something we want since we’ve laid down roots here, but we’ve done it before, and we can do it again.
It makes me wonder what has happened to the people of Glasgow. Mostly, I don’t care, although I hope Lamar is okay. The rest of them, well…I want to keep things positive here, so we’ll just move on.
Supposedly, the remaining population of Florida has been fighting within itself, as well as struggling to stay independent from the Three Families’ rule. It makes me thankful that we didn’t select Florida as our new home. Hopefully they’ll be successful in their efforts against Atlanta, keeping the tyrants in check and from expanding their oppressive control into neighboring areas.
While I can’t say the thought of having some sort of governing force overseeing the remaining population of our former nation is necessarily a bad one, it would need to be constructed in the right way. There are so few people left, and so many of us are scattered to the winds, I think it would be difficult at this point. Maybe one day. Right now, most people are just too busy trying to survive. I’m perfectly happy being left alone here with my family for the time being.
Sometimes I find myself wondering how I could have done things differently along our journey. I play out various scenarios, wondering if making different decisions could have saved Violet, or had I been more forceful with Chris regarding taking shelter with us in our condo’s storage space that fateful day, if maybe he’d be with us now. They are questions with no answers, questions that will NEVER have answers. Even if they did, would I want them? Maybe if Chris had remained in the picture, the decisions we made together would have led to ALL our deaths. Or maybe things would have been better. Who knows? I might have kept Chris and Violet alive, but I would never have met Chase or had Daisy. While I wouldn’t trade either for the other, it just would have been different…how different I’ll never know.
That’s why I think that this will be my last entry. This journal has become a relic of a former world…a former life, and I think that’s where it should stay. We’ve begun our lives anew. Rehashing the events of the pre and post-flu world won’t do me any good now. What’s done is done. This book has served its purpose, acting to preserve memories…but now it’s time to make NEW memories. We can’t constantly be looking in the rear-view mirror.
I’ll put this safely away for Dylan, and Daisy, and who knows, maybe another child one day. The kids might even show it to THEIR children and their children after that, long after I’m gone. Maybe it will teach them something, as Chris once hoped…maybe not. If nothing else, it’s a record of our family history – a history of struggle, sacrifice, loss, perseverance, joy, and sorrow.
We are truly the pioneers of our day – pandemic pioneers – forging ahead into the unknown to settle and repopulate a new world, possibly a new nation, but more importantly, our new family.
The Pandemic Diaries [Books 1-3] Page 39
