by Ron Foster
“You actually whacked somebody up side the head with an axe then dragged him inside the house and nursed him?” Charlie asked smiling somewhat.
“Yeah I did. I ain’t proud of it. That fool was trying to kill me and I couldn’t just go off and leave him alone in that condition so we dragged him inside and patched him up the best we could. You got any better ideas, Papa San?” Farley asked playfully grinning at the man that had probably seen enough trouble in his life and knew that Farley meant nothing racial towards him with his smart aleck remark...
“Don’t be a smart ass, Farley. I ain`t nobodies Papa San and be careful or I will start calling you a redneck!” Charley said shooting back.
“You did what you had to do and as bad as it sounds I would have probably whacked him again to make sure he wasn’t moving.” Charlie said reaching across the gear shifter to shake hands with Farley that he had done the best he could have done.
“Time’s have changed old soldier. I ain’t proud of what I’ve done but that old man had blood in his eyes. But I won’t leave a man wounded on the battlefield, enemy or not. Just because we fight one man one moment doesn’t mean we have lost our humanity or my sense of being, or I never have yet.” Farley stated searching the man’s eyes for his own humanity or understanding.
“I understand you, Farley. I can’t say that I ever had something like that happen to me, but I understand your reason for wanting to help out another fighter, crazy or not. It’s what we do, it’s what we’re trained to do and it’s what we’re all about. You can’t translate that to anybody else except somebody who served in the military and I think you did right, Farley. You were right not to pass that old bastard up and I don’t feel bad about you walking away and leaving him there to possibly die, either. Forget about it. I will make sure that Feng don’t bring it up again and please Farley, look at me….You don’t worry about it anymore either.” Charlie said going down the dirt road towards the utility shed that Farley would have probably missed if he didn’t know the lay of the land.
“Thanks, my friend. I appreciate your understanding. Damn, this is a pretty good set up you got out here. If I didn’t know any better with that grass grown up all around here it looks like nobody has been here in a long while.” Farley said looking at the two garage doors and partial driveway coming in to a building about thirty feet long.
“This is casa Wu, this is what’s left, and it’s all that’s left, Farley. I am 63 years old and at the end of my world and if you’re going to take something from me, I know I can’t stop you. However, you seem like a good sort and I’m at the end of my rope and I don’t expect you to be taking advantage of me. Now if we can keep those two boys from trying to kill each other and those two women from biting each other’s necks off, we’ll be o.k.” Charlie said getting out of his official gatekeeper truck to open the door on what food he had left in the world.
“Well I’ll be damned; a Chinaman quoting Spanish like casa, su casa at the end of the apocalypse was something I never thought I would experience. How do you say that in Chinese, Vietnamese or any other language “hell with it” or give me a beer, how about where’s the bathroom?” Farley said laughing as he exited the truck getting ready to have a cold one with a good companion that served in our military.
“I would tell you but you probably couldn’t pronounce it with that weird Southern accent of yours. Let us just say “Beer is on the house! And we are going to drink more than one before we go back to what is it ya’ll country boys call women sometimes when they are gossiping? ‘Biddies?’ Charlie said as a huge grin came over Farley’s face.
“Damn, I keep wanting to watch my words around you. How long you been in this country anyway, if that doesn’t offend you for me to be asking?” Farley inquired.
“I got here when I was nine, from China, well say Singapore, and I’ll tell you the rest of that story later. My Daddy loved your country as much as his and didn’t mind much when I told him I didn’t want to do the import-export business and wanted join the Air Force instead. You know back then about all anybody knew about most Asians moving to this country was that there was a Chinatown in San Francisco and some of us had laundry stores!” Charlie quipped before any interruptions from Farley telling him he knew what the Chinese had done for this country building rail roads and setting up commerce.
“We are not going to rehash old history and old racial tension between Asian folks and white folks, let’s just say that those were hard times.” Charlie said.
“Hey, my wife is from Vietnam. You don’t think I caught hell about marrying outside my race? Imagine those days and times of everything else. Now Farley, I got a some of probably every kind of beer that you can think of, seeing that the old lady doesn’t like me imbibing too much but I already told you I only got two cases of beer in the cooler, Budweiser or Coors, now which one you want?” Charlie said with a grin.
“It’s either, or, grab what ever is handy.” Farley said.
“You don’t have a preference?” Charlie asked.
“I don’t care, just hand me one. Cold beer? Hell yeah, its time for one!” Farley said.
Charlie opened the metal door to the cinderblock building and as soon as the door was opened Farley could hear the sound of a generator running.
“Oh so you are the one that dragged the gas cans out of everything to keep your beer cold, huh?” Farley said laughing.
“You should have seen Feng and me trying to get these refrigerators and freezers in here but I figured if there was no gas and nothing to steal at the boat rental place folks would have left us alone up here until some son of a bitch like you arrived at my door!” Charlie said with a smirk.
“If there’s a cold beer and somebody to drink it with within a hundred miles of here, I’ll find it!” Farley said joking with the man.
“That’s awful worrisome. Are you damn sure you secured that front gate well?” Charley asked not wanting any other visitors to come down his road for a visit in this apocalypse.
“Yeah we fixed it o.k. but just for appearances sake. I can fix it for you a whole lot better though. And I got a lot few more security measures you can use around here if you want. In the meantime, where’s that beer?” Farley said as his new Chinese buddy passed him one out of a big white refrigerator.
“That’s the ticket! That’s the fine stuff. Damn! You know I drank my last can of hot beer a day and a half ago before I met that little goomer Jeremy and his mom. Me and her had us some hot vodka and some MRE drink mixes but this is ambrosia! Salute!” Farley said as he cheered his new found friend.
“When are you all going to be leaving, Farley?” Charlie asked sipping on his own can of suds.
“Well if ya’ll don’t mind talking a few minutes about the weather and such for awhile we’ll be moving on soon enough after supper.” Farley stated, studying the man a bit.
“What about my gate and what are you going to be doing, Farley, if they are going home to Mobile?” Charlie asked.
“That’s the question from hell, my military brother. They have been talking about heading towards Mobile but they got some weird family history I am not bringing up at the moment, as for me I’m thinking about staying up the road at a place I ain’t looked at yet, but if you would have me I wouldn’t mind staying on here and helping you beef up the security around this place or whatever. I know how to hunt and fish and I ain’t a bad backup in a firefight, you probably got keys to them cabins down there and maybe I could stay around awhile? Before you say no, let me tell you I got a year’s worth of supplies with me and I can fend for myself. I ain’t going to bother you none about your food, but I definitely want a hamburger today! Where you got the hamburgers at?” Farley said unexpectedly.
“Well I guess I kind of lied to you a little bit, I still got a case….” Charley said before Farley cut him off with a question, “A butcher’s case of commissary hamburgers? Why you old bastard. How many are in one of them things anyway? A bazillion or whatever? That’s a bunch
of damn hamburger!” Farley said looking at the man with hunger in his eyes.
“No, it’s not that many but it’s all we got. I don’t know what I’m going to do when that runs out and as much as I like hamburger, I’m awful tired of them damn things.” Charlie said glancing behind him at one of the freezers.
“Beats the hell out of what I been chowing down on. And excuse me my Asian friend or whatever is more appropriate not meaning any offense but I have cans of dehydrated food marked oriental vegetables that you might want one this evening to whip up a dish with some of that burger to give yourself a change of pace.” Farley offered.
“That would be wonderful!! Feng will hug you to death for some of that.” Charley said welcoming something new to do with the hamburger.
“I will have to discuss it with Feng of course about you staying but I don’t see a problem with you moving into one of the cabins. That would be a big help if you could teach us about hunting and fishing and with us not having a gun around here for protection it sure would make me feel better having you staying down there. Farley, I can assure you that you will be moving in. Put it there buddy!” Charlie said extending his hand for a handshake.
“Thanks a lot, my new neighbor!” Farley said grasping the man’s hand in camaraderie.
This was great news for Farley and the answer to all his wishes and dreams. He couldn’t ask for a better place he figured to ride out the apocalypse. His happiness was short lived however as he began to think about Becky and her son. As soon as they heard Farley was going to be staying there they would ask for the same favor and they had neither the supplies nor the experience Farley had to make it in this new world. Farley thought about that for a bit as Charley and he sipped some suds and discussed a few things Farley had in mind he wanted to accomplish once he moved in but he was distracted.
“What’s the matter Farley? Seems like you got something else on your mind.” Charlie asked
“Well I kind of do, it’s Becky and the kid.” Farley said looking seriously at Charlie.
“You worried about them making that trip to Mobile?” Charlie inquired.
“More like them not making the trip. On the way down here Becky sort of hinted around she was thinking about staying on the Lake, I guess she was seeing if I would extend her an invite and to be honest with you I was considering it. I know it would be a hell of a drain on my supplies but having some extra pairs of hands to help me out is a big consideration.” Farley said looking at his new friend’s reaction.
“You said you have got about a year’s supplies with you, I guess then you have already thought about how taking her in would cut your supplies down by at least a half.” Charlie said studying him.
“More than that I am figuring, you know how teenage boys like to eat. Then there is another thing, she has a few mental issues from what they tell me. She has mostly been all right with me so far but I haven’t had a chance to get to really know her yet.” Farley said more than bit concerned about that fact.
“I think we all got some mental issues to deal with, especially these days, she is not dangerous is she?” Charlie said now worrying about his family we had left her with basically unattended.
“No, the boy said she hasn’t had any real issues with that aspect of things. He is a pretty good kid and I have sort of grown to like having him around, him I am not worried about. Now her on the other hand, I am not so sure about. It’s hard enough taking on the responsibility for another without wondering if they are going to hold up under the pressures we are going to be facing.” Farley said for consideration.
“You sound like you might want to take her on anyway. Do you have other reservations? You got any interest in her other than just helping her and her boy out?” Charlie said wisely as a man of experience...
“No, she is a good looking woman don’t get me wrong, but I don’t have any thoughts in that direction. I think I probably need them as much as they need me, though. When I started on this dang trip I was resolved to trying to survive alone but I have come to many conclusions since then. The first thing is being alone is one thing, staying alone is another and it sucks.
“I have never subscribed to the theory of being a lone wolf survivor but I was kind of forced to become one, now I have options to change that no matter what kind of reservations I have about it. There is a ton of work to be done planting a garden, setting up a house etc. and although I could do it on my own, it is a hell of a lot better to share the work and the appreciation of getting it done with someone other than myself.” Farley declared.
“We got us a garden started and expanded already. We didn’t have a lot of seeds to expand the one we started in spring but we added a bit more. You got lots of vegetable seeds, Farley?” Charlie asked.
“I have a good bit of seeds in my supplies I brought along and some fertilizer but I am light on a bunch of things. I got this book called “Bug Out Gardening” that might help us out though that tells how to make some stuff out of grocery store items and use innovative growing techniques that might be of help. Oh that reminds me; I got an odd request for you seeing now that you have a refrigerator running off a generator.” Farley said.
“What? You want me to make room for some of your beer?” Charlie said laughing.
“No, not at all but that’s not a bad idea.” Farley said smiling back.
“I bought me a whole bunch of worms for my garden at the Bait store earlier today and I wanted to stick them in there for a couple days until I can get me a worm bin built.” Farley said.
“Worms! Well I will be damned, didn’t think nothing was open around here, let alone a bait store. They have anything else interesting for sale?” Charlie asked very interested.
“No, I asked did they know anybody with any live chickens for sale but they said not at the moment. I sort of want to go back once in awhile and visit so I can keep up with them folks but I am kind of worried about being around people at this particular time, too.” Farley declared.
“You worried because you whacked the old man or you got something else on your mind?” Charlie asked shrewdly.
“Well that is my biggest worry, I just soon lay low and get forgotten for awhile now. The only folks that might recognize my van or me are some country boys staying in a trailer not far from where Becky’s place is but we are transiting or going into strange times now. Who is to say if it’s right or wrong at this given time to be out foraging for supplies if I find the need to do so and doing a little breaking and entering? Not burglary mind you of structures people are normally living in but places I call abandoned if nobody has been living there for 10 weeks or more. I don’t want anyone observing me doing it and then accusing me of doing something or being responsible for a theft when I visit the store.” Farley declared.
“Well with all that gray hair of yours, you don’t exactly blend in well and I am sure you’re not the only one that has it but I see your point. I hadn’t planned on going to a local store around here but I thought I might try my luck at the Air Base in Montgomery later to see if I could get some government aid. I cant go down to the store for you and try to blend in looking for information because I am Asian and as you know some of them folks don’t like me just because of that.” Charlie said realizing some old prejudices were likely to surface after this disaster.
“Damn what a couple of misfits we are!” Farley chuckled and said cheers to his beer drinking buddy.
“Why would you need to go out stealing, Farley? We got pretty much everything we need here for a little while.” Charlie questioned.
Farley looked at him momentarily angered of being accused of stealing but soon regained his composure and with a sigh advised Charlie what he was talking about doing didn’t really rank in his current morality code as stealing as long as he wasn’t directly taking it from someone or knowingly hurting them in some way by taking supplies but he had a point. Farley agreed the best thing for him to do was stay at the resort and keep his head down for 30 days or longer but tha
t meant to him that what ever was abandoned or not thought of yet would soon disappear. That bothered him. He could have been gathering and storing for leaner times that they both knew they would face later on as their own supplies ran out.
Charlie pondered that for a few moments before reminding Farley he had expressed some skills in hunting and fishing and couldn’t he at least wait even longer to consider thievery being that he didn’t want anyone coming after Farley for revenge or arrest as a burglar on his place.
“Damn, you would think I was the wickedest man to ever set foot out around here! That’s not the case, I don’t steal because I can or just want to fool. We are talking about survival man!” Farley said softly before beginning to talk more normally and agreeing with Charlie that he wouldn’t venture off the place on a foraging mission for at least 30 or more days.
