"Pick a book, Jess," Taylor said again.
"I'm just looking around," Jessica snapped back.
"He's in there changing. Pick a book."
Mike came back out in different clothes, and Jessica glared curiously at Taylor, who's face was buried in her book. He went over to the wood stove and opened a door. A delicious smell filled the room, captivating his uninvited guests attention. Taylor quickly marked her place and bolted to the kitchen. Jessica saw her go directly to the shelf with plates on it and grab three down.
"Taylor, I think we need to go."
"Go!?" she exclaimed. "It's time to eat. Come on. He's a good cook." She watched him walk by with a pan in his hands. "Oh, baked elk ribs!" She said excitedly.
"No, Taylor. That's his dinner, and he didn't invite us to join him," Jessica cut in.
Mike grabbed a plate from Taylor and served himself, sitting to eat and continuing to ignore them both.
"Sure he did, Jess," Taylor explained her rationale. "Look how much he made. He's not going to say anything, but obviously he didn't make this much for just himself," Taylor kept going, as she served herself and Jessica. "Take your coat off."
Jessica relented, hung up her coat, and sat to eat.
"So, I noticed some Navy stuff on top of your bookshelf up there," Jessica said inquiringly.
"Mmm! Yep. He's a disabled Veteran," Taylor answered as she swallowed a bite.
"I wasn't talking to you, miss," Jessica snapped at her. "Thank you for your service, Mike."
He hated when people said that.
"So, what happened? I didn't realize you were disabled," she went on.
"It's his hips. Something happened and they had to do surgery," Taylor again answered for him, knowing he wouldn't.
That got Mike's attention, and he looked up, glaring at Taylor.
"He's got these scars -," Taylor abruptly stopped, realizing she'd just put her foot in her mouth.
"Whoa. Um, what?" Jessica was clearly unhappy at realizing what Taylor was saying. "Scars, Taylor?" She turned to Mike, who knew they'd eventually find out about her seeing him in the shower that day, and was dreading it. "You mind telling me exactly how a girl who's barely fourteen years old knows about scars on your hips?" she demanded.
"It was an accident," Taylor said.
"Oh, what, he accidentally dropped his -"
"Dammit! I knew this would happen,” Mike exploded. “I'm not some damn pervert, so you can get that shit out of your head now!" He was livid that their intrusions to his home was causing this drama. "When the girl came up to ask for help, I was showering in the greenhouse. She walked in, and I didn't have anything to cover up with. She stood there talking to me instead of walking out. And that's it!"
Jessica was stunned. No one had ever snapped at her like that. She didn't know what to think. If that was all that happened, she didn't think it was a big deal. But at that moment, her biggest concern was leaving, knowing they had worn out their welcome .
Later that evening there was a knock at Mike's door. He reluctantly opened it and found Jessica standing there shivering. "Okay, you don't have to say any -"
"Get in here before you get sick. There ain't any doctors up here," Mike had cut her off once again. She hurried inside to stand by his wood stove.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"I'm very sorry for jumping to conclusions earlier. I was wrong. Taylor told us what happened, and she doesn't tend to lie to us about anything. Hell, sometimes we almost wish she would."
"No, you don't," he replied.
"Well, I am very sorry," she continued. "We all really do hope you'll still join us for Christmas. If not, I understand. And we won't come intrude on you if you don't show up. I'll go now. I'm sorry for bothering you."
"The boy and girl," Mike said. "They're good kids. The girl's a bit imposing. And blunt."
Jessica was again surprised. This time by him actually carrying on somewhat of a conversation. "Thanks," her surprise obvious in her voice.
"Where's their dads?" he asked. "Wait. That's not my business."
"No, it's okay. It seems they've made themselves part of your life, so you have every right to know. Um, well, I used to be a prostitute. We both did, and that's what we moved here to get away from. Anyways, Brad's dad could be anyone, anywhere. I really have no idea. As for Taylor, her dad was never around. Her mom was a drunk and dumped her on Stacy when she said she was going to go to rehab or something. Hell, that was like five years ago. Her mom never came back. So, well, we don't know where either of her parents are."
"So did she adopt her?"
"Nah. She's just lived with us ever since," she answered. "Well, I'm serious," she went on. "Please come over for Christmas."
"Don't forget your coat this time," was the answer she got.
As their first year as neighbors went on, Mike spent a lot of time mentoring them about living in the wilderness. They learned a lot about farming, ranching, and hunting. And in the process, they'd all become somewhat of a team. He used his tractor and knowledge to help them build a root cellar, and showed them how to use the dirt to build a smoke house out of rammed earth. They would help out with checking on his livestock and making fence repairs. They frequently tried to repay all his help by cooking and cleaning for him.
Their second year, he agreed to expand the gardening so the ladies could try selling at the farmer's markets. He built two very large pit greenhouses, and cultivated two more acres. So much area was almost more than they could handle without more machinery, but they made it work. They also added a hundred and fifty new laying hens, since free-ranged eggs cost almost nothing, yet sold for a premium. The ladies would take the food in to the farmer's markets in Cedar City and Saint George, and Mike let them keep the profits in exchange for them helping out more with his own shopping and other errands. While in town, they would go withdraw his military disability from the bank and bring him back the cash.
Brad reminded Mike of Opie Taylor, from The Andy Griffith Show, having the same freckles and red hair as his mom. Ever the quiet one, he would just show up and watch the only man he'd ever known, hoping to learn anything he could. He was a very observant young boy who liked to work. If Mike was splitting firewood, he would simply see the boy walk up and start stacking it. Nothing needed to be said by either of them. Mike would give the boy a nod of approval, and Brad would grin slightly as he grabbed as many logs as his little arms could handle.
Stacy was different with Mike. He was a man, and the only man around. She wanted his attention, like she had been used to getting from so many other men in the past. After learning of his garden showers, she built one of her own that she would try to be in whenever she thought he would be around. She often tried to show up at his place, wearing little, to surprise him with dinner or some homemade dessert. She even tried stripping down to join him in the shower once. But like her other more aggressive advances, he quickly took off to avoid the situation.
Jessica and Mike had grown to enjoy a more deep relationship. They didn't talk a lot, but every time they did talk, there was substance to it. Whether talking about the needed projects around their houses, or just unloading about something that was bothering them, almost everything said had a purpose.
Chapter 2
The Crash
On the morning of May 23rd, Stacy, Taylor, and Brad were making a trip into town. It's a three hour drive each way, and they had a lot of clothes to stock up on for everyone. Jessica and Mike stayed behind to plant an acre worth of three-sisters crops, consisting of corn, and different varieties of beans, squash and pumpkins.
When they first pulled up to Walmart, they noticed the parking lot was unusually empty. There were maybe a dozen other cars. And when they got inside, it was impossible not to notice that the entire grocery section was wiped clean, with nothing left on the shelves.
“What's going on?” Taylor asked the old man working as a greeter.
“Do you live under a rock?” he answered
. “The entire economy is tanking, and it's going to be a lot worse than 2008 was.”
Taylor was only twelve during the 2008 crash, eight years ago, and didn't remember much of anything about it. And it was two years after then that they had moved to the mountains. But Stacy knew exactly how ugly 2008 had been. She couldn't forget watching the housing market, and her clients, being crushed financially.
“How much worse?” Stacy asked curiously.
“All the banks have been shut down as of today,” he said. “For the last week they had to limit withdrawals. We're only accepting cash, and so few people have any that prices are down at least 75% on everything. They shut down the stock markets yesterday after it dropped by more than half two days in a row.”
“Holy shit!” she exclaimed.
As she grabbed a cart, Stacy hesitated. She thought hard about what she'd just heard. “This is bad. Really bad. Great that we've got cash and everything is cheap, but this is going to get ugly. Let's hurry so we can get back and let Jess and Mike know what's going on.”
Everyone needed new socks and underwear, including Mike. His wardrobe was simple. Blue jeans and plain white t-shirts were all he ever wore. In the winter, the only change was from cowboy boots to snow boots, and a flannel over the t-shirt. The ladies had all grown to appreciate his stylistic laziness in their own lives too. They didn't care much about what they looked like because they were rarely out in society, other than their trips to the farmer's market. And even there they'd found that shorts and loose fitting tank tops were perfectly acceptable. In fact, it seemed to help draw in the male customers. And Brad never warmed up to the latest superhero trends, instead wanting to dress just like Mike did.
On the way out they stopped to watch the news on TV. A lot of it was financial gibberish that they didn't really understand. But two things stood out very clearly to Stacy. The first was that China & Russia were rumored to be planning to dump all their holdings of U.S. Treasuries, and stop accepting U.S. Dollars. She didn't understand the implications of it, but it sounded bad. The other thing, she knew full well what it meant. The president was debating an executive order for a federal emergency that would nationalize all banking in the United States. Now she couldn't get home fast enough to tell the others what was going on.
When they pulled up, Stacy expected to find Jessica and Mike out in the field planting. But instead they were soaking wet on Mike's front porch, sitting in the shade and savoring the breeze on a very hot day. They had finished the first half-acre, and decide to plant the other half later in the evening, by moon light if necessary. Stacy told Taylor and Brad to dig out Mike's stuff for him while she talked with the other two.
“Jess! Mike! You won't believe what's going on out there!” she exclaimed.
“Damn, girl, you look like you've been running from your own ghost. Calm down. Take a seat,” said Jessica.
“The economy is trashed, and it's way worse than last time.”
Mike sat quietly, listening intently.
“How bad? How'd this happen again?” asked Jessica.
“Walmart had everything marked down at least 75%. The groceries are all gone. All the banks are closed. The stores are all accepting cash only, but hardly anyone has cash since the banks are all closed. Then, on TV, they said the president is considering nationalizing all the banks. And something about rumors that China is going to get rid of their treasuries and not take dollars anymore,” she rambled on without taking a breath.
That got Mike's full attention. “Go unload your stuff. Come back up here later and we'll get plans worked out for tomorrow.”
“What are we doing, Mike?” inquired Stacy.
“I said we'll talk about it later. I need some time to think. Taylor, stay up here to give me a hand with some things.”
“I'll stay, and she can go with Jess & Brad to the house,” Stacy said, hoping for time alone with him.
“No, I need her. She knows where some of my stuff is that I need help getting together.”
Stacy felt a bit jealous that Taylor knew something she didn't.
After the others left, Mike told Taylor, “Go and start gathering up all my cash. You know where I've got it all hidden. Then bring the trucks to the barn.”
“How much is there?”
“I don't really know. Should be around $20,000 or $30,000 I guess.”
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“I'm going to clean up and clear my head. We need to try to spend everything tomorrow. But we need to be sure to spend it wisely.”
“You plan to spend like $30,000 in one day!!” exclaimed Taylor. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was filled with both dismay and excitement.
“Yep. And we're taking all four trucks, with trailers.”
Mike went to shower and sit for a little while to clear his head and think. As he walked back to his house, Taylor was waiting on him. “I gathered up the money. It's on the table. I went ahead and filled up the gas tanks on each of the trucks too.” She knew why he wanted the trucks at the barn. He kept two, one-thousand gallon fuel tanks in there. One of diesel for his bigger truck and tractor, and one of gas for his other truck, the generator, and small tools like the tiller and chainsaw.
That night, everyone gathered at Mike's house. He and Taylor had counted and sorted the money, and were cooking dinner. He had elk steaks on the grill and she had some mashed potatoes and green beans on the outdoor wood stove.
When Stacy and Jessica saw the piles of money on the table, their jaws dropped. There was $27,420 total. Mike had said that Brad and Taylor could split the $420 to buy themselves whatever they wanted. $7,000 each was divided up between himself, Stacy, and Jessica. The remaining $6,000 Taylor would take.
“Okay,” he said. “Here's the plan. We're not planting the rest of the three-sisters acre until this is finished. Each of us will take the money that's sitting in front of us, and each take one of the four trucks. We've got the trailers hooked up. We'll go in pairs. Taylor and Stacy will go down to Saint George. Jess and I will go to Cedar City. Here's a list of important things to get. Get all you can. Do not separate. Jess and Stacy, load up your magazines and take your guns. Open carry. Taylor, You're driving my S-10, and there's an extra 9mm handgun in the glove box I want you carrying.”
“Oh my God, Mike!” said Stacy. “You act like we're going on some special forces mission or something.”
“This is nothing even close to that,” he replied. “But consider what we're doing, and more importantly, how we're doing it. You said stores are only accepting cash, but no one can get cash from the banks. We're carrying around several thousand dollars each. Then, when you think of the things we're buying, that most others simply can't, it's a risk. Not a huge risk, yet. But we have to do this tomorrow because I'm betting it's going to get a lot worse, and fast.”
“This is kind of scary,” Stacy complained.
“I didn't create these circumstances, Stacy. I just have a good idea how to respond to it for our needs. We're rolling the dice that any stores will even be open tomorrow. They probably won't be open much longer since they know the cash that customers have will be out soon. And if this stuff about China happens, the cash will lose all it's value anyways,” he told them.
“What? Money's still money. Just because China's being stupid about things doesn't change that,” said Taylor.
“Wrong,” replied Mike. “Money's value is in people being willing to accept it in trade for goods or services. If China stops accepting it, and dumps it's U.S. debt, that will guarantee other nations, and most large companies, will, at best, ask for a lot more of it per thing you want to buy. But many will just follow China's lead and not take dollars anymore. What value does it have if you can't buy anything with it? It's just paper.”
Mike continued, to a very quiet audience, “Take a minute to look over our lists. Ask any questions you may have. Then we all need to get to bed so we can get started early. Oh, yeah, everywhere you're buying stu
ff, always try to negotiate for a lower price since you're wanting to buy bulk. As long as businesses think the cash is going to retain value, but is in short supply, they're going to be very flexible. It sounds like demand for paper money is high. Not something I would have expected, and that won't last long, so let's take advantage of it.”
Mike and Jessica's List
Fuel tanks and fuel
STA-BIL (or other fuel stabilizer)
Chainsaw fuel mix
Oregon S62 chainsaw chains
Sledge hammer and ax handles
Marine grade 12volt batteries
AA, AAA, C, D and 9v batteries
Toilet paper and toiletries
Any supplies for first-aid
Matches
Cigarettes
Stacy's and Taylor's list was the same, minus the fuel tanks and fuel.
“Cigarettes, Mike? Really? Why do non-smokers need to stock up on those?” Jessica asked with a snarky tone in her voice.
“Well, if the China stuff is right, and just considering the way things look right now, I figure they could prove to be a high demand barter item in stressful times.”
The next morning they were all up early and headed to town well before sunrise. Mike and Jessica made their first stop at the farm supply stores to buy auxiliary transfer fuel tanks. They were each getting two, one-hundred gallon tanks. IFA only had two left in stock that Mike purchased for half off, so they headed over to C-A-L Ranch.
Crashed: The Death Of The Dollar Page 2
