“The patrol roared through the gate and stopped in the designated area. I saw him, his face drawn and pale, eyes open, expressionless. Waiting for the helicopter, I—I mean we—tried to stabilize him the best we could before flying him to Kandahar, but his brain injury was pretty severe. From Kandahar he went on to Germany, where he died.”
“That was the last I ever saw of him,” Kelly sobbed. “We weren't supposed to be having a relationship and I was still deployed. Nobody knew about us. I couldn't openly grieve, couldn't go to be with him, couldn't go to the funeral,” she said, still sobbing. “We had talked about marriage.”
Jared turned Kelly toward him but she put her hand up, motioning for him not to speak, then buried her face in her hands. Jared held her silently.
After some time, when she had calmed her crying enough to speak, she glanced up at him and then hurriedly looked away, hiding her face. She couldn't bear to see him looking at her—seeing her so exposed.
“I'm sorry,” he said quietly, flatly, then ran his hand through her hair.
“I've always thought that if I had gone with him, I could have saved him. I could have nursed him so intensely, loved him so deeply that he would have had no choice but to live,” she said angrily, swiping the tears from her face. “Never mind, it's stupid. Her voice cracked, her breath caught in her throat and tears streamed down her face.
Jared hesitated, then took a small step forward, not sure what to say or do before quickly making a decision and closing the gap between them.
“That's not stupid,” he said emphatically, reaching out and cupping her face in his hands. “Shhh, you're okay.”
“I don't know why I told you,” Kelly said, wiping more tears from her face. “My mom doesn't even know.”
“Thank you for telling me.” Jared held Kelly by one shoulder and pushed her out to arms' length to look her in the face. “It's clear you loved him deeply.”
“I did, but I didn't think I would ever love again...,” Her voice trailed off and she broke eye contact, looking down at her feet.
Jared leaned in abruptly and kissed her.
Their lips came together in a rush of need and for once, they opened up to one another completely. Only the touch of their lips, the melding of flesh was important.
Jared's hand moved to the back of her neck and the kiss became more urgent, more primal. She met him eagerly, his need becoming hers.
He pulled her down to the rock with him, the surface warm from the morning sun.
“Oh, Kel,” Jared breathed. “You feel so right. This feels so right.”
Kelly quieted his lips with a kiss.
Jared moved his hand down her neck and toward her collarbone. Kelly lightly took his hand in hers, stopping it where it was, and said, “Let's not go there.”
Jared was breathing heavily. “We're not children.”
“No, we are not,” said Kelly, “so let's not act like ones. We are expected home and we're just off the road. Anyone can see.”
“Damn it, Kel,” Jared said in a low tone.
Kelly understood his impatience all too well. “Okay, okay, there's more, I'm afraid,” she said between kisses. “If we go too far too fast, there will be consequences—privacy issues, family-planning issues.”
“Okay, I understand, but shut up,” growled Jared. “Just kiss me.”
Neither moved to end their amorous encounter. Jared traced every feature of Kelly's face, even the tracks of her tears, with his lips, erasing their evidence.
“Did you hear that?” Kelly asked, breathless.
“What?”
“I don't know, but—”
Jared put his finger to his lips signaling Kelly to be quiet. “I think it's voices,” he whispered.
“Yes, there it is again.”
They both lay still, straining to hear what the voices were saying, but couldn't quite make it out. It was definitely a man and a woman speaking though. It was coming from upstream. It might have been possible to make out their words if it weren't for the wind. Voices and wind mingled, echoing down the canyon.
Jared pointed off the rock and Kelly rolled to the edge, then scrambled down. He scooted over slowly, without the aid of his injured arm, and Kelly assisted him down as quietly as she could. Both crouched behind the rock.
“You stay here and I'll go up and see who it is,” Jared whispered.
“I think I should go,” Kelly said. “I know you're the officer, but your injury...” She didn't finish her sentence or wait for his objection. Unsnapping the thumb break on her holster, she rose quietly. Looking down at Jared, she could see the concern on his face. “I'll be right back,” she whispered, more confidently than she felt.
Kelly crouched low as she made her way upstream. It was a skill she had learned well in pre-deployment training. The nurses were made to simulate what she was doing right now. How ironic, Kelly thought, that she would complete her military duty without having to crawl in the dirt, only to find herself doing it in civilian life.
She picked her way around smooth, dry wood, heaped up against tree trunks and debris piles because of its tumultuous journey downstream in a series of floods. It was slow going, but after a few minutes, she was close enough to hear what the couple was saying. They were talking about making their way to the Mogollon Rim, where they could find water, and wondered out loud if it would be too cold to survive there this winter. They were afraid if they stayed here they would not be able to get enough water and food to sustain themselves. How sad, Kelly thought. So many must be in the same predicament.
Kelly did not want to be seen. She momentarily entertained the idea of inviting them home, but knew the stress that two more mouths would bring to her small community. With a deep sigh, she stole back downriver toward Jared and home.
It was getting much later than Kelly had intended. The family had planned on meeting the folks in town for a religious gathering at ten.
Jared was still crouched behind the huge rock when Kelly returned. “How did it go?” he asked. “Do you know them?”
“No,” Kelly said. “They're travelers trying to make their way north. They didn't see me and I'm glad for that. We should be getting back. We have more than a half hour's walk. It's getting late.”
“Seems like we were together for mere seconds,” Jared said, smiling.
She gave him a quick peck that immediately turned into something more.
****
By the time they had returned to the house, the rest of their group was finishing breakfast.
Emma looked at the pair with a slight furrowing of her brow. Kelly and Jared looked at each other, puzzled. How had Emma figured them out? Did their appearance give them away? Kelly reached up as if to wipe away some stray lipstick she wasn't wearing. Emma glanced away and started speaking like nothing had happened. Mothers!
“Hurry up and eat something,” Emma said. “I saved you some scrambled eggs and cream of wheat.”
Kelly took a very small portion, leaving the bulk of the food for Jared.
“We saw a man and a woman down by the creek. They seem to be camped out down there,” said Jared.
Kelly and Jared took turns relating the story, sans kissing. Emma and Rich seemed very concerned.
“We'll have to keep an eye on that, I tell you,” Rich said as they finished their story. “I don't like it. It's too close to home.”
“They aren't that close. It's a half-hour walk to their camp,” said Kelly.
“Even that's too close for my taste,” said Rich. Emma nodded in agreement.
Chapter 10
“All hands on deck?” Emma asked before nudging Traveler to pull the cart out onto the driveway. Dennis and Lynn rode alongside on Buckskin and Hokey.
Dennis grinned, surprised to see Rich joining them. “Rich, I didn't think a heathen like you would be going to Torah study.”
“I'm not a churchgoer,” Rich admitted. “I'm for Bible study and anyway, this isn't just Bible study, it's a way for the community to come together.�
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“Yes,” Emma agreed. “In my time in the Navy and doing medical missions, we discovered that people grew closer and got along better when they shared a religious ritual. There's real comfort in ritual.”
“You're starting to sound like my graduate seminary students,” Dennis said.
“Jess here surprised me when he told me he wanted to go to the meeting,” Jose said. “I grew up in a very Catholic family, but my wife and I haven't gone to Mass much.”
“It was nice to see you, Dennis and Lynn, welcoming the Sabbath last evening,” Emma said. “Lynn, you were so pretty when you lit the candles, covered your eyes and recited that prayer. I felt the bond between you and your dad when he laid his hands on your head and blessed you.”
Lynn offered a shy smile before glancing at her father.
“Jess, why don't you drive Traveler now?” Emma said suddenly. “All of you dudes need to get some practice driving the cart and some more saddle time, too.” She waited for Jess to awkwardly make his way to the front of the moving cart. He sat beside her, then she handed him the reins.
“Thanks, I've been wanting to learn to drive,” Jess said, rolling his eyes as he took the reins. “I had imagined something with a little more horsepower though.”
Everyone laughed.
“Lynn, you can drive the next time we take the cart out,” Emma announced, “since you can't drive a cart on the Sabbath.”
“That sounds fun. I hear girls are better drivers than boys,” she said, glancing sideways at Jess.
He ignored her.
“Great, and tomorrow you can both learn to muck out the stalls,” Emma said , ignoring their looks of disdain. “It's time to find out how your cart gets its giddy-up.”
Kelly smiled at the camaraderie, then reached out and took Jared's hand. She said, “Mom, you and I will need help when it comes time to move the cattle off the range. Jess and Lynn will make good cow hands, but they will both need some roping practice.”
“A little shooting practice is in order too,” Rich said. “We're lucky we got out of Fountain Hills without getting shot. Well, most of us.” He glanced over his shoulder at Jared with a playful grin. “I don't think we should press our luck.”
“I've never shot much,” Jose said. “I could stand some lessons.”
“That's why you have my shotgun,” Rich said. “I have a bunch of .22 ammo back at the house and I'll teach you to shoot with my rifle. It's a perfect little gun for learning and keeping your skills up. “
“I'll help with that,” Jared volunteered.
“I could use some range time too,” Dennis said.
“We all could,” Kelly said.
“I'll make up both basic and more advanced training for each of you,” said Jared. “I'll have to get a feel for everybody's skill level first, but I've qualified expert on pistols and rifles since the academy.”
“Do I have to shoot?” Lynn asked, trying not to whine but not succeeding. “I mean, I'm not afraid of guns, but I've never really seen myself as”—she thought about what word to use—, “aggressive.”
“Your cousins in the Israeli army carry M-16s with them everywhere, on and off duty, “ Dennis said. “Because of our circumstances, you need to be able to defend yourself.”
“They are in a war—we're not. Teen attitude echoed through Lynn's words.
“Well, at this point I don't know what to say we are in, but I think it's safe to say we are in a survival situation until proven otherwise.”
“Do I have to shoot the big guns?”
Jared answered that one. “I'll teach you everything you need to know. When you're confident, you won't be afraid of any of them.”
“Okay, what if I don't want to?”
Dennis jumped in. “You might need to defend one of us too. How would you feel if Emma needed you, or Kelly, even me?”
“I don't know,” Lynn said softly, anger still coming through even without volume.
“Talking about shooting practice,” Rich said, “what about the stuff we left in Fountain Hills? I think we should go into town tomorrow and see if there's anything left of our cache.”
“It's got to be done,” Jose said. “I suppose the sooner the better.”
By the time they arrived at the Johnson home, most of the people of Sunflower were there, some with family Bibles in hand.
After the discussion with Rich and Emma this morning, Dennis was not surprised to see the turnout. The family groups broke up, and individuals greeted each other and began conversing. Dennis circulated among the crowd, making small talk.
As 10 a.m. drew near, Dennis cleaned off a worktable in the shop and placed his chaplain kit on it. Dennis always carried the kit he had put together for Civil Air Patrol. He drew out his prayer shawl and pronounced a blessing before donning it, then set up a small white stand. He laid out a Hebrew Bible, the Torah in book form, and a King James Bible. On the stand he placed a miniature Torah scroll. It had a blue protective cover with gold designs and Hebrew writing on it. People noticed him preparing and began to drift into the building. Lynn, seeing her father ready to start, unfolded her prayer shawl, recited a blessing and placed it over her shoulders.
“Welcome,” Dennis said. “Let's get started.” He waved toward the lawn chairs around the tables. “First, thank you for coming to study with Lynn, my daughter, and me. This is our Sabbath, and these studies will be our substitute for attending synagogue. I hope each one of you will find joy and peace in our contemplation of the Torah, the five books of Moses.” He paused for a moment.
“I'm assuming you folks are of a Christian background, am I right?”
Everyone nodded.
“I truly hope that your faith in God and your determination to follow the moral values of your religion is strengthened. From my perspective, Christianity is Judaism for non-Jews. We all worship the God of Abraham and base our religions on the books of Moses, as well as the other writings of the Hebrew Bible. We have a lot to share.
“I am not the final authority here. We each bring unique perspectives to the discussion. I encourage debate. We do not all have to have the same opinion.
“Some of you may be wondering about my views on religion. Well, I call myself a Jew without portfolio. I was raised and educated in the Orthodox tradition. I was ordained a Reform rabbi and attend a Reform synagogue. I'm less interested in the form of Judaism, but more interested in seeing how the teachings of the Torah and Jewish practices are adapted by individuals and communities to fit new circumstances.
“Enough of my blathering, I think it's appropriate to begin our gathering with a prayer. Would someone like to offer one?”
So began the first meeting of the “Christian-Jewish Synagogue of Greater Sunflower” as the residents came to call their spiritual meetings. The participants soon became animated as the discussion ranged from opinion to opinion.
Rich surprised Kelly with his insightful and erudite discussion of the text. A little of the shroud of mystery covering Rich lifted when Dennis asked about his ability to parse the meaning of passages. For the first time, Rich divulged personal information, saying, “Oh, I was raised Mormon and even served as a missionary in Italy. Later, I taught high school and community college English.”
The hour passed quickly. Dennis brought the meeting to a close with a prayer in Hebrew and then one in English.
Study hour broke up with the neighbors thanking Dennis and Lynn. Dennis sought out the Bantings and had a long talk, exploring their fears of Emmet's diabetes. People continued to visit after the meeting, reluctant to leave the little community they had created, until one by one the family groups began to go.
****
The clan lazed about the house after lunch. “I could get used to this not working on Saturday thing,” Rich announced.
Jess blurted out, “So, can you play horseshoes with real horseshoes?”
“Yes, you can,” Emma said. “It's harder to get a ringer because the real shoes are smaller.”
/> “I saw some horseshoes in the tack shed,” Jess said. “Does anyone want to play?”
“I'd like that,” Kelly said.
“Me too,” Jose said.
“I'll get a couple of stakes and a hammer,” Rich said. “Jess, go get some shoes.”
Emma used the powdered lemonade packets they got when provisions were divided in Sunflower and made a big, celebratory pitcher, all the while pining for ice.
Shortly the clan was gathered in Emma's front yard, sipping gleefully.
“Boys against girls,” Lynn called out.
“That's three against five,” Jess said.
“That's all we need,” Kelly said, pitching the first shoe. Jared threw with his good arm and did about as well as everyone else.
“Rich, I didn't know you taught school,” Dennis said between pitches. “What did your wife do?”
“She was a music teacher. We met in college and played in a band together.”
“You played in a band?” Dennis asked incredulously. “What kind of band? What instrument do you play? Wait, wait, don't tell me... the trombone.” A big smile spread across Dennis's face and then Rich's.
“I messed around with guitar, bass guitar and upright bass. Betty had a beautiful voice and could play almost any instrument she picked up,” Rich said wistfully with the sheen of tears in his eyes. “In school—remember, this was the 'sixties—we were in a folk band. Later we tried our hand at rock, bluegrass, country and some jazz. We loved being together and working out different styles.”
“Do you still play?” Lynn asked.
“I get my guitar out now and then and pick a little,” Rich said.
“Don't let him fool you,” Emma jumped in. “He has some amazing licks. I first heard him playing sitting out on his front porch.”
“Emma knows a thing or two about guitars herself,” Rich said. “She joins me playing on the porch most times.”
“I just strum chords enough so people can sing along,” Emma said. “I never got beyond that. Lynn, do you play an instrument?”
“Violin and piano. My dad plays clarinet.”
Post Grid: An Arizona EMP Adventure Page 16
