by Reed, N. C.
“Think you two will ever make it back together?” Gordy wondered aloud as he pulled the truck underneath the barn roof and up next to the mill.
“I don’t know, man,” Zach shrugged. “I mean, I liked Vic. Still like her, I should say. Until she started trying to be my parent or guardian it was…fun, you know? It seemed like we both enjoyed it. I guess if it went back to that, somehow, then maybe? But if I’m being honest, I’m not truly interested in that right now. I got other stuff I’m concentrating on, and that takes up my time. But I don’t hate her, or anything like that. Just hated giving up my little house. Would have lost it anyway, as it turned out, so in the end that didn’t even matter.”
“Clay already said you could build what you wanted, man,” Gordy reminded him as they got down from the heavy truck. “Now’s a good time to do that, maybe.”
“You know, I hadn’t even thought of that,” Zach said honestly. “Maybe I’ll ask him if we get time. Right now, though, it’s not a priority.”
-
Clay watched as Flores rode hard on the men working to put the buildings up. It was obvious that her railing was taking its toll, and both Gleason and 1st Sergeant Maxwell were beginning to show signs of resentment as well.
“Captain, this is your command, and it’s yours to run,” Clay said suddenly, without looking at Adcock, “but it is my professional opinion that if you don’t rein in your 1st Lieutenant, you’re going to be looking at some fairly severe problems. Starting with your Top Sergeant and working its way down. That’s just an observation from an outsider, however, and in no way meant to be a criticism of you or an intrusion into your command.”
“I’ve been watching,” Adcock replied softly. “I was hoping that Maxwell and Gleason’s prodding and guiding would work, but it’s becoming clear that it won’t. Worse, I still have no idea what the hell is wrong with her attitude.”
“Could it be the fact that she will soon be exercising an independent command for the first time?” Clay asked. “Perhaps she feels she has something to prove?”
“That’s possible but acting like a DI at Basic is not the way for a 1st Lieutenant to behave,” Adcock exhaled angrily. “You’re right, though. I’ve got to get her under control. I think she and I will take a walk. I think Maxwell and Gleason will both thank me for it and will likely get a great deal more done.”
“I would have one of them follow along, or else your radio operator, assuming you have one that is trustworthy and loyal,” Clay suggested. “Either that or stay well within sight of others. Just as a precaution,” Clay raised a hand at Adcock’s forthcoming objection. He reached into his pocket and removed a small digital recorder, handing it to the Captain.
“Just press the red button and slip it in your pocket,” Clay told him. “It will last for about two hours. As I said, Captain. Just in case.”
“Yeah,” Adcock had a look of consideration now. “Thanks.”
“You bet.”
-
“They’re building us a dorm?” Amanda Lowery asked as she and Kim Powers stood with Xavier, about to step into the real classroom once more.
“They are, indeed,” Xavier nodded. “It promises to be a strong defensive position as well as comfortable quarters. Rather well protected, too, with thick, reinforced walls. I do believe you will find yourself enjoying your new accommodations, ladies.”
“Anything would be better than what we have now,” Kim admitted. “We’re literally sleeping atop one another. Not that I’m complaining about being here,” she added hastily. “It’s still miles ahead of where you found me.”
“That wouldn’t take much, but it is true,” Amanda agreed. “So, what are we going to bruise today?” she asked Xavier. “Aside from our ego, I mean,” she grinned despite the coming beating she expected.
“I think today we’ll work hand-to-hand,” Xavier replied. “Unarmed combat. I have noticed that Miss Powers seems lacking in that area, and I fear that will hinder her blade work moving forward. Or am I mistaken?” he asked Kim.
“No, you’re not,” she answered, downcast. “Before all this, I would have felt like I could hold my own against anyone, at least for a minute or two. I’ve never been in an actual boxing match, but I’ve used it as a training tool for my arms, and sparred with others, including men. But this,” she motioned to Xavier and Amanda with both arms, “this is way beyond that.”
“Don’t feel too bad,” Amanda told her. “I’ve been taking lessons for three years and still get my ass handed to me every time. You’ll get it if you just stay at it.”
“Well said, Amanda,” Xavier agreed. “She is quite correct, Miss Powers. You are not at all shy at putting the work in to improve your skills. That work will be rewarded if you persist. With that said, shall we begin?”
-
“We need to talk about what we’re going to do with the girls.”
Jose Juarez had tracked Clay down at the site where the finishing touches were being put on the third of the smaller cabins being added to the square.
“I thought we had agreed not to call them girls, for one thing,” Clay remarked.
“I never agreed to that,” Jose reminded him. “But I don’t disagree. In any case, are we going to try and work them into the field unit, or make them strictly defense? Their training is getting to the point that we’re going to have to start assigning permanent fire teams in order for them to learn to work together. See what I mean?”
“Yeah,” Clay nodded. “We’ll have a meeting with them one all this is done and see if any of them actually want to go into the field if the need arises. I suspect a few will, but at least some will balk at the idea. And I don’t blame them if they do. We’ll brief them on what we’ve encountered so far, and what we may encounter in the future and see how many are interested. Let them decide once they can make an informed decision.”
“I’ll make sure none of them are on the roster for that evening as soon as you decide which one it is,” Jose promised.
“When you get back, I need you to do something else for me, too,” Clay stopped him. “Flores has trampled this bunch all day and their morale is in the dirt.” He explained what he wanted, and Jose was smiling by the time he finished.
“We should be able to do that,” he agreed. “It’ll put a big dent in the cooler, thought.”
“I know,” Clay nodded. “I’m literally buying good will among the rank and file here, Poncho. That’s all.”
“Well, this should do it.”
-
“What are you guys doing?”
Angela, Lainie, Evelyn Lacey, Dee Talbot, Amy Mitchell and Dottie Greer all looked up, startled by the appearance of Leon and Leanne Tillman. The women were seated around an antique loom and spinning wheel that Angela had brought down from her attic by Gordy and Titus the night before.
“We’re trying to determine if this wheel can still be used, or if we’re going to have to try and have one made using this one as a pattern,” Dottie Greer replied.
“Or you could just use the ones we bought,” Leanne told them.
“What?” came a chorus of replies.
“No one reads anything we give them,” Leon looked at his sister. “We are completely unappreciated.”
“Constantly underestimated and steadily underutilized,” Leanne nodded her agreement.
“Don’t start that, you two,” Lainie cut them off. “Are you seriously telling us you have a new spinning wheel?”
“No,” the two replied in unison. “We’re saying we have two new spinning wheels,” Leanne continued.
“And the patterns to make more,” Leon tagged into the conversation. “We also have a material loom,” he added.
“And a video on how to make one of those from scratch,” Leanne finished.
“Why in the name of…why didn’t you say something!” Angela demanded.
“No one asked,” the duo replied in tandem.
“Have you two ever seen a movie called The Shining?” Evelyn L
acey asked.
“No,” came the joint reply.
“Huh.”
-
“Wow, that is nice,” Lainie whistled as they looked at the shiny new spinning wheel now sitting in her sewing area.
“There’s some practice material to use for it and the loom,” Leanne informed them. “We didn’t know exactly what to get, but there were recommendations from the manufacturer, so we took them after checking them with websites of people who taught this kind of thing by video or blog.”
“There’s actually a lot of it,” Leon mused. “I don’t know if there’s enough to make anything out of, but it should be more than enough to learn how to operate the tools. You should have time to become fairly proficient before the flax is ready to use. I don’t know about the cotton,” he shrugged.
“You two have once again proved your worth,” Lainie hugged them both. “This puts us miles ahead of the curve. Thank you!”
“Always the in-laws who appreciate us the most,” Leanne sighed theatrically.
“Always,” Leon agreed.
“Do I not feed you two on a regular basis?” Angela demanded, fighting to keep a smile off her face.
“A fair point,” Leanne told her brother.
“An effective rebuttal,” Leon concurred.
“I bet you two were the life of the school system, weren’t you?” Dottie Greer was laughing.
“We were popular with those needing help with homework,” Leanne frowned.
“Not so much with the ‘in’ crowd,” Leon made little air quotes with his fingers.
“I’d say the two of you are making up for that now, considering who you bring to dinner most evenings,” Angela replied slyly.
“I’m afraid we have work to do elsewhere,” Leanne said at once, her face red.
“But way to look a gift horse in the mouth, Grandma,” Leon added, also red faced.
“Get going, you two,” Lainie laughed. “And thanks again!”
-
“I have spoken to your father,” Jody Thompson told Abigail Sanders as the two sat in the cupola normally referred to as The Roof. They could see the officers from the Guard contingent walking along the road, apparently in a deep and possibly heated conversation.
“I speak to him nearly every day,” Abby shot back sourly. She was still a bit sore at him over the whole ‘speak to your father’ thing.
“I spoke to him about a rather serious matter,” Jody was not deterred. “I promised him I would explain to you what he and I discussed, and why. Will you agree to stay silent until I finish, or will you interrupt me every time I say something you don’t care for?”
“Are you seriously telling me to shut up?” she demanded.
“I’m suggesting it ahead of time, yes,” Jody nodded. “You will scoff at much of what I am about to tell you, I’m sure. But the ways of my people go back a millennium or more, handed down from one generation to the next. As I have been respectful of your culture and customs, I would ask you at least listen to mine without your usual caustic interruptions. If you think you cannot, then I see no reason to move forward with this discussion.”
“English isn’t your first language, is it?” Abby asked suddenly.
“Surely you had figured that by now,” Jody snorted.
“Tell me, finally, where you’re from, and I promise to listen quietly, even if I don’t like it,” she told him.
“That is part of what I intend to explain,” he assured her. “As to where I come from….”
-
“Them two are having a pretty heated discussion, man,” Nate mentioned quietly as he eased up to Clay’s side.
“Yeah,” Clay agreed. “I’ve been watching. I told Adcock he should stay within sight of others, just in case. I’ve about decided that her game is to get Adcock’s job. Can’t prove that, and I’m not sure of it, of course, but it’s the only thing that fits. She keeps pushing us, and probably others like us, making requests that are more like carefully worded demands. If she can get the results she’s after, then she looks good to their commander, and maybe moves ahead. She was the one who kept pushing the training facility at me.”
“Ah,” Nate nodded in understanding. “Well, your point is a good one, and it does make sense.”
“We’re not going to work with her, aside from her being the OIC for the detachments in this area,” Clay added suddenly. “She’s a mistake on someone’s part, I’m afraid, and we are not going to be connected to her aside from being the people teaching the soldiers to ride.”
“When did you decide that?” Nate asked, frowning.
“Just now.”
-
“-not continue to treat your troops in such a fashion. Nor the civilians as if they were your troops, while I’m thinking about it.” Adcock’s voice barely reached Clay as he watched the finishing touches put on the final cabin erected today. So far, they had managed to build the soldier’s dorm and three of six cabins. The lady’s dorm and the final three cabins were all laid out and ready. Clay would be surprised if they weren’t finished in the next two days.
“Yes, sir,” he heard Flores near insolent reply. It was clear that something had triggered the woman. Clay wondered if she had promised Whitten, behind Adcock’s back, that she would get cooperation from the Sanders’ Ranch even if Adcock could not. That could well explain her attitude he supposed.
“I think that’s enough for today,” Clay called out, to cheers from the tired men around him. “Captain, how about we let everyone get a shower and maybe some pulled pork? I have killed the fattened pig, so to speak, and I think it’s enough for everyone.” More cheers erupted from behind him, morale restored almost at once. Adcock recognized what Clay was doing and nodded to him in thanks.
“That sounds just fine, Mister Sanders,” Adcock said aloud. “Sergeant Maxwell! Let’s get everyone cleaned up and ready for chow!”
“Sir!” Maxwell grinned as he stiffened to attention. The grin was gone by the time he faced his troopers.
“You heard the man! Hustle! First squad hits the showers, second squad clears the tools. Second squad eats first to make up for it! Move!”
“Nothing like a good Top Sergeant,” Clay chuckled.
“Nothing in the world,” Adcock agreed. “Lieutenant, you are free to set your own schedule, so long as you report for chow. We’ll have an officer and NCO meeting immediately following.”
“Sir,” Flores came to attention before spinning on her heel and walking away.
“I thought a little meat and beans might restore some morale,” Clay explained. “I wasn’t trying to intrude on your command.”
“Stop apologizing for helping me, Clay,” Adcock laughed. “I appreciate it.”
“I figure it will be at least another two hours before we can eat,” Clay estimated. “Even with just half of your outfit, it’s a lot to feed.”
“They’ll survive that long, I’m sure,” Adcock waved it off. “I may need to hang on to this little recorder for a few days,” he added more seriously. “May need to replay what was said.”
“You can do that, or I can have the kids make you a disc of it,” Clay shrugged. “If your Major has a way to play discs back then it would be easier to mess with, I guess.”
“Yeah, that might be better,” Adcock nodded.
“I take it things didn’t go well?” Clay decided to intrude just a little.
“She’s definitely got the red-ass because you wouldn’t go for the training idea,” Adcock replied, looking to where Flores was still stomping her way down the hill. “I think it was in her plans to end up commanding that program. And maybe, by extension, being able to exert more influence on your farm.”
“I can tell you exactly how that ends, Captain,” Clay said flatly. “It ends in a trench on the east fence line. No one commands anything on this farm except me.”
“Which is the message I gave her,” Adcock nodded. “She is convinced somehow that we, meaning the military, have some kind of righ
t to take whatever we think we need. Legal right, I mean. I know for a fact that Whitten doesn’t think that, because his standing orders forbid it other than extreme emergencies. It seems as though she’s trying to make a name for herself at other’s expense.”
“That was my impression as well,” Clay agreed. “And I’m telling you now, flat out, I will not work with her. I’m willing to cooperate with her within the scope of the agreement we have in place, but that’s it. The first time she shows up here throwing her supposed weight around, she’s got a problem.”
“You may want to find someone to shadow you, Captain,” Clay told him. “If something happened to you, she’d get quite an increase in base pay, would she not?”
“I don’t think it’s that bad,” Adcock shook his head. “But it is something to think on, I suppose. But that would mean she’s been this way the whole time and was just really good at hiding it.”
“Wouldn’t be the first one to do that,” Clay noted. “Won’t be the last, either.”
-
“You’re telling me that you asked my father for permission to marry me?” Abby looked dumbfounded. “Don’t you think maybe you should have run that by me, first?”
“I did not ask him for permission to marry you, Abigail,” Jody replied patiently. “I asked him to clarify for me the things that in my culture would already have been done. This was something important to me, mostly to honor my grandfather for teaching me when no one else would. Among his time when a girl came of age to marry, there were symbols and signs that would announce this, allowing for courtship rituals to begin. In modern times this is symbolic for the most part, but still an important part of our heritage and is practiced as a form of respect for our elders, as well as our ancestors. Here, there are no such signs to guide me. So, in order to follow the way I was taught as being proper, I had to compromise. It was the best I could come up with and still be true at least to the spirit of my grandfather’s teaching, if not the letter.”
“So, this still comes back to you asking my father if you could marry me?” her voice was rather loud in the confines of the cupola.
