No Normal Day

by Richardson, J.

  Beth had that stubborn set to her mouth...”WHEN they arrive, we will find a space.”

  Jack shook his head, nothing meaner than a mother and her cubs.

  Lee said that arrangement sounded good to him.

  “So, now for the security around this place. I want to board up all of the front windows, the ones that are outside of those big wooden gates and the back privacy fence. I don't know how much lumber we have, there is some out in the storage building and maybe behind it. Once we see what we need, we might have to add lumber to our “acquisitions” list.”

  Beth said, “There is a roll of barb wire that might help secure the top of the fence.”

  “There's no barb wire, honey. I never bought that, didn't seem important.” tactfully said Jack.

  “Actually, there is a roll behind the shed. I bought it when you were gone hunting last Fall.”

  Jack narrowed his eyes at her and talked some more about making a night watch schedule. “Right now, we have Jason, Tate, Lee and myself that are familiar with firearms. We can manage to cover the perimeter, once we get it as secure as we can make it, in shifts”.

  Dianne said, “Daddy, Jason has been giving me some lessons on using the guns. I can help.”

  “That is a good idea. Probably a second person needs to be on a shift. I want to start being sure that every one of us knows how to safely use a gun. We will be working on that. Your mother is not the only one with secrets. I have probably a dozen or more weapons and ammo. Lee and Jason brought some. Some time today, the guys and I will make a schedule and we will see just what weapons we have.”

  “Anything to add, anybody?” No body spoke, they were trying to take it all in. “Well, we are burning daylight and that has become a real issue, so let's get busy. Beth, I imagine you and the girls will need to get together some lunch and then you know a lot better than me, what's got to be done. Boys, I want you to got out to the storage building, get all the roll away beds, blow-up air beds and I think there are even some old lounge cushions out there. You can put it all in my big garage for now. First, I want you to help your dad unload the station wagon.”

  He spoke to the twins, “Mindy, Michelle, you go out to the storage shed and get two of those big plastic pails. Stay in the back yard but fill the pails with twigs and small limbs. There are plenty that blew down in the rain yesterday. Put them by that stove on the corner of the patio.” Jack had built a “rocket stove” last Fall, mainly just out of curiosity about the way it functions. He took the bottom barrel half of an old smoker, placed an “L” shaped piece of stove pipe in it and surrounded the pipe with lava rock. The top of the pipe was level with the top of barrel and the “L” piece sticks out a hole cut near the bottom. He found a rusty heavy grill, cleaned it up and secured it on top. The theory is that you could start your fire in the bend of the “L” and it will burn very hot. By just feeding twigs, small limbs or leaves, etc. into the bottom, you can have a hot fire and even boil things on the grill. They cooked a pot of chili on it and it worked pretty darn good.

  The next two days were full of work. Beth and Jack constantly added to a list of needs. The trailer got moved and hooked into the septic. They boarded up, all but two of the windows. Where they were able, they opened the window up, placed a 2x4 across the outside with a long bolt through it, that traveled through plywood cut for the inside and a 2x4 cross piece on the inside of that. There were two small windows that didn't open, it was necessary to screw pieces of odd lumber across them. Beth cringed at the scarring, but felt better when the windows were secure. The materials to secure two more windows go on the list. The barb wire was nailed up in coils, near the top of the fence, they would need some more of it. The big wooden gates opened out into the small courtyard between the big garage and the house. In order to make them harder to open, they bolted pieces of lumber that could drop across the crack between the two doors and still be opened from the inside. Being short on barb wire, they take some 2x1 strips of wood, it was trim that Jack had and pounded nails all the way through. They screwed those strips right below the top of each gate, with the nails facing up. A climber might get a surprise. The men and boys looked at the gun and ammo cache and plans were made to start getting everyone some training.

  Beth had the guys disconnect and move the washer and dryer out of the small pantry/laundry room. They took the doors off of the cabinets that were built above, she managed to pull some shelves in, underneath, where the appliances had been. She gets rid of just clutter in the pantry on the other side. With help from all of the kids, she moved all of the food stores from the closet by the office to the pantry and the shelves. They added the food that Dianne brought to the stores. It looked like a lot, but there were a lot of mouths to feed.

  She gathers all the first aid supplies and medicines that she had and made a place for them, clearing out one of the upper kitchen cabinets. She even had a few bottles of antibiotics that she ordered online. They are “fish” medicines, doing her research and reading information from both doctors and vets, she believed they are equal to and as safe as human meds. It reminded her though, that Lynn takes prescription meds for chronic problems. They won't last forever and that is a real worry.. She asked Lynn for her scrip bottles and wrote down the medicines on her list.

  They were two mattresses on the antique bed in the front bedroom, where the girls and Lynn were sleeping. The twins on the full bed, Lynn on a roll away. They take one mattress off and move it to the office for Kathryn and Tate. They scoot the big desk against the wall and put down a lounge cushion for BJ. The closet is now empty and it opens to the office and front bedroom, the shelves and racks can be used by the sleepers from both rooms. Dianne moved her and Jason into the garage space that Lee and Cody had vacated. She pushed the two roll away beds together and stowed their stuff away on the shelves.

  Later that day, the boys set up their beds in Jack's big garage/shop. Beth had cleared them some shelves and took some sheets, blankets and pillows out. They would get the air twin mattresses, they were all young and fit and could sleep on just about anything. David, the youngest said, “Gram, I think that Cody should bunk with us.” The boys had been working together all day and got along fine.

  “Of course boys, that is totally up to you.” All of Dianne and Jason's “integrated” children were close. From the beginning they seemed to feel like true brothers and sister. Dane, the first born and beloved grandson of Jack and Beth, was gay. The others didn't give that a thought, he was just their brother or whatever. The world had been changing and in some areas, tolerance had been greater than ever, in others, not so much. Who knows what this new world would bring. Cody came to the door of the garage, pushed his hair behind his ear. Matt said, “Hey man, want to bunk in here, with us? Go get your gear and start pumping up a bed.”

  “Sure, that would be cool,” answered Cody.

  After working all day the second day, Jack was thinking, we are just about squared away. They pulled up lawn chairs and sat on the back porch, a huge pot of chicken stew with macaroni and vegetables, simmered on the rocket stove. Everybody had some kind of beverage, for now they managed to keep a few ice cubes frozen and those were rationed out. Jack sipped his drink and said, “I am real proud of the way everybody dug in and the work we have done. I am feeling better about our security, although it will not make us perfectly safe. I do think, it is time to get Trish and her family here.” Beth was instantly paying attention. “It's been five days now since the event. Even at the lake house, they will not be able to make it indefinitely. It is only going to get more dangerous out there. When we pulled the trailer around we checked out the highway, even more cars looked broken into and we could see a fire down the road a ways. I need to make a trip. I am thinking I will take the wagon, and Lee will go with me. We will go tomorrow. With no bad trouble, we can get there and back easy in a day.

  “Jason and Tate will be here.” Jack spoke to Jason. “All of you will need to stay alert. That house next door was in
foreclosure. When we were moving the trailer, I saw the back door standing open. Someone could even be staying there or maybe they just broke in” The girls looked nervously at the back fence. “I don't think the single lady next door has ever come home and Mike, two doors down, must be still at the school with his family. Just stay on your toes.”.

  Beth said, “I didn't think I would ever be saying something like this and in front of my children, I am giving you my list of needs. If you can get in a pharmacy, maybe even a hardware store, get what you can. And don't pass up any food or water that you might find. Lynn will soon be in need of those meds. We will be fine here, Jack. Go and get the rest of our family.”

  Chapter Four

  TRISH and ERIC

  The sun came sparkling across the calm blue lake. They loved being at the lake house, it was closer to Trish's work than the house in town, about thirty minutes away. It had become their true haven. When she got off work on Friday evening, she went straight to the lake house. Eric, had usually already made it out, after he picked up their two girls at school. Nicky, age 6, and Brook, age 4 couldn't wait to get to the lake. Brook came out of their small bedroom and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, “Mommy, the tv is broke, I want my cartoons”. Trish looked over at the clock, it was black. “Oh honey, the power is off I guess. Just go color in your new book, it will be on soon. Anyway, Daddy went to get us some doughnuts, we will have breakfast when he gets here.” Trish, got up, slid into her house shoes and went to the kitchen. It's so quiet, beautiful on the water this morning.

  The girls kept asking about the tv and where are the doughnuts. Trish thought, seems like Eric has been gone a long time, he should be back. She pulled out the cell phone, nothing would come up on the screen. Out the side window, she saw no sign of him. Things were really still. Often though, folks were not there for the weekend or they would come later in the afternoon. A small boat was putting along the shoreline. Worry was nagging at her a bit now. She gathered the girls, put them in her car and got behind the wheel, “Damn-it, what's wrong with the car?” They all exited the car and she said, “Look, let's just take a little walk, maybe we will see Daddy coming.” She started the slow steps with the girls beside her. They had moved about a quarter of a mile and way up ahead through the thick trees, she spied Eric. “Look, it's Daddy, let's wait here for him.” They sat on the damp grass on the side of the road. Eric had a white bag in his hand, shortly he reached them. “Hi girls, what's up?”

  Brook said, “Daddy, my cartoons are broke.”

  He gave Trish a kiss, “I don't know why, the blasted truck just stopped dead and my cell phone is dead.”

  “Me, too,” said Trish.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Me too, the cell is dead, the car won't start and the power is out at the house,” she said with frustration.

  “That's weird. Come on, lets get back to the house and eat these doughnuts,” he said to the girls.

  That was five days ago. Trish and Eric still did not know what had happened but they knew something was way wrong. They waved down a small boat or two and asked if they knew anything. No one did, one man said there were cars stopped everywhere, nobody had power. Sure enough, Eric looked through the binoculars and cars were not moving, vehicles scattered along the distant bridge that spanned the lake. They had their little paddle boat, even if they could get somewhere in it...where and what would they do from wherever. They had stocked the lake house with pretty good supplies, food and bottled water. At first, they didn't really get overly concerned. As the days passed, he and Trish agreed, they were going to have to figure out how long they could just stay put. They couldn't communicate with anyone, they had no idea about Trish's work, about family or the situation beyond the gates of the addition. Eric knew that his brother and family were supposed to be visiting his mother about 90 miles away. She had always been a bit of a hoarder, they were probably surviving well. Their own supplies were getting a bit sparse, though. They had no way of knowing that Trish's father was winding his way down little used country roads, trying to reach his daughter.

  Jack took the soft bag that was made for the top of Beth's SUV and plenty of tie downs, threw them in the back of the wagon. Beth had packed up a little food, including a jar of vanilla wafers that she had “dry canned” for the babies...forever the optimist. He included a couple of big soda bottles of water. It is just getting daylight and Lee joined him in the front seat, his .45 at his waist. He set the AR on the seat beside Jack's .45. “Before dark,” he said as he kissed Beth goodbye. He knows exactly which way he was going. He and Beth had never liked taking the major highways or Interstate and they had over the years, explored nearly every country lane around this part of Texas. He backed out of the drive, as he pulled forward he looked across the street.

  “Damn, Lee, I haven't checked on the elderly couple there. I know it is early but I need to do that. Will you stay with the car a few minutes?” Jack got out and walked up the walk, he knocked on the neighbor's door. “Mr. Carpenter, it's Jack, from across the street. Are you in there? Are you okay, Mr. Carpenter?” Finally, the door was cracked and the elderly man peered through the narrow opening.

  “Hello, Mr. Carpenter. Are you and the wife making it? Beth told me you have a generator for her oxygen,” said Jack.

  Mr. Carpenter's voice was not very strong, “The generator is propane, Jack. I still have fuel for it”.

  “Do you need anything else? We can share a little supplies,” said Jack.

  “That's generous of you, I can see that you have your family there to take care of. Listen, we appreciate your concern. Truth is, the wife is not doing so great. She is really weary. We are old and we didn't plan on being around a whole lot longer, anyway.” He gave Jack a weak smile, “Don't you worry, we are together and we will be fine.”

  Jack felt a deep sadness sink in. They were probably in their late 80's, he had often seen one or both of them puttering around in their well landscaped yard or leaving in their nice luxury car. Often there were visitors parked in front of the house. He knew he had to get moving. “I will check on you again, Mr. Carpenter. I am going to try and get my youngest daughter and her family. She lives up north, on the lake. You take care, be careful who you open the door to.” The old man quietly closed the door and Jack could hear the locks clicking.

  Jack joined Lee and the wagon rumbled forward. Just a couple of blocks, at the highway, they met their first obstacles. They had to steer the hulking car between the still vehicles. How had Jason maneuvered through this mess? They even had to stop and push one or two out of way, practically every car was vandalized. Jack declared that as soon as he could reach a street that was not so highly used, he would get off the once busy highway. He could weave his way north, a block or so at a time. Since he had been a fireman, he was very familiar with the streets of the city. They made their way to the north of the city in less than thirty minutes. Before they left the city, Lee said, “Jack, there is a drugstore. It is off by itself, the front windows don't look broken out. Think we might get in there and find some of Lynn's meds?”

  Jack eased the wagon around behind the drugstore. He could see that the lock on the metal door was broken off. Probably won't be a thing left in the whole place...but, I need to check it out. He was having a hard time dealing with the fact that he was sitting here with an accomplice, wondering how he could break in a store and steal. It went against everything he had ever stood for. Lee said, “Somebody has been here.”

  They looked around the area and didn't see anyone moving about. They took the guns, locked the car up and pulled open the heavy metal door to the store. The door slammed behind them with a clanging sound and it was really dark inside. Jack pulled out a flashlight and they saw boxes busted open and various things scattered everywhere. They spotted the doorway to the main part of the store, it was a little lighter in the store area. Shelves were not completely empty, in many aisles things had just been raked off, busted on the floor or looted. Jack
saw the pharmacy sign on the east wall. They moved behind the counter and to the shelves, Jack got the list out. He has no idea how the drugs were arranged, maybe alphabetically. He started looking for Lynn's most needed medication. There was a crash of something falling, back in the store. Lee spun around and spotted a rat skulking across the aisle. He lowered the gun, “Crap! Nasty ass rodents.”

  They had a couple of trash bags from a box they found. Jack said, “Al-l- right”, he had found the medication and he dropped all that was on the shelf into the bag, about ten bottles. He managed to find a couple of more meds that Beth had listed. Then, another of Lynn's and blood pressure pills that he and Beth both take. He chuckled, he had probably lost nearly ten pounds in the last few days, working and worrying and not much appetite. Soon, he might not need the pills. Lots of drugs were still on the shelves. Looked like the looters were picky, most likely looking for uppers, downers, whatever got them high. Since they were here, Jack was going to get whatever they might use. He looked for anything that ended in -cillin or moxin, antibiotics and maybe some pain pills. He asked Lee, “You know any names of pain meds?”

  “Um-m, codeine...think about what the dentist uses,” he said.

  They dropped a few more bottles in the bag. There was not really much edible stuff on the shelves, some nuts, some packages of dried fruit, a few things here and there. They put those in the other bag. Also, some big packages of toilet tissue and all the wet wipe type things that they can get, those will help save water and be antiseptic. They pulled several bags of disposable diapers off and tossed them in the bag. In the back, they saw some cases of water, stacked in the corner, Jack took the bags and Lee started loading up some of the cases. They stacked about ten cases of water in the back of wagon and threw the bags in. Still, no one around, before their luck ran out, they pulled away with their loot. Jack soon hit the first of many rural roads that they would travel and moved north. It was still early morning and they were making good time on the mostly clear side roads. Out here in the country, you could nearly believe nothing had changed.