“Well, Aleks, you’re not barefoot.” He received a piece of turkey innards in his face for that smart remark. Damn, she was fast.
“As I was explaining, I learned how to prepare a bird, kill and gut a hog, slaughter a side of beef if need be. I also dressed a deer once.” Aleks washed and wiped her hands, then started gutting the second plucked bird. “Bluntly, gutting a pig is not all that different than gutting a man. I’ve done both.”
Torbin had looked at her for a few moments before commenting. “I hope you do not plan on practicing that technique on me any time soon.”
Aleks stepped over, grabbed him and kissed him, hard, leaving some turkey grease on him. “Don’t even joke about that, Torbin. I love you and want you in one piece. Especially when these two trolls pop out of my stomach.” With that, he had held her, hugging her for a few minutes.
“I guess life with you, my dear, will always be full of surprises.”
“Any other way would bore you, husband, admit it.”
He laughed. “Yes, you have me pegged. Now, I’ll get out of your way and let you do your magic.”
And now, he was admiring his very pregnant wife, standing in the open sliding door. A warm feeling coursed through his body. He stepped back from the roaster, stepped up and kissed her.
“Do you know how much I love you, Aleks?”
“I think I do. But what brought on this sudden expression of affection?”
He looked into her eyes. “This is the first Thanksgiving we have had since the day the Squids showed up. Since then, I have a loving wife, two strapping sons on the way, a bunch of new friends, and some fool is going to give me a medal of honor for doing something I would do for free… kill Squids. No matter how bad things are, we seem to be going up rather than down. And again, I have a beautiful loving wife, something that I never imagined would happen in my wildest dreams.”
Aleks began to tear up a bit. “You just have to make me cry, in front of guests, don’t you?” She stepped out into the cold and maneuvered her pregnant stomach so she could hug her husband and her love.
“Out of the whole mess of the past six years, you, my crazy Yankee imperialist, have made my life worthwhile. We will get through this together, raise two fantastic sons, maybe more, and grow old gracefully. With that, I’ll be happy and satisfied. I love you.” They hugged again for a few moments, then Aleks gently pushed away.
“I must get back to the turkey so that we will have something to serve our guests, and the trolls in my stomach.” She smiled, then went back inside and closed the door. Torbin returned to his turkey.
“Damn, I’m lucky,” he said to himself. “Or maybe like Abigail says, ‘Someone up there likes me.’”
As the women in the house finished the table preparation, Fuzz suddenly stood up, his hair bristling as he went to the front door. Seeing this, Abigail grabbed a carving knife she had been sharpening and approached the door as well. Ichiro went for his katana, and Aleks, seeing Fuzz and Abigail move, stepped out near the dining table with her hand on her now ever-present Makarov pistol. No more a pregnant woman depending on a canine to defend her. Any Eater would get a face full of lead. Princess stood up, placing herself between the door and Emily. Paul Miller had his hand on a five shot revolver in a pocket holster. Anybody trying to cause trouble at this house had made a very bad decision.
But no sooner had Fuzz reached the door, then his hair returned to normal and he suddenly wagged his tail. He had caught the scent of someone he knew and liked. The next minute, someone knocked on the door. Abigail being the closest, answered it.
On the threshold were Brynhildr and the five survivors, all dressed in nice long hooded coats, long dresses, leggings and boots. The young ones were carrying covered plates with some type of food. Brynhildr had two large tankards in her hands.
“I see you, Abigail. Happy Thanksgiving.” Brynhildr spoke in Norwegian flashing a big smile.
“I see you, Brynhildr,” Abigail answered. “Please, come in out of the cold.”
“Yes, come in, make yourself at home,” Aleks directed. “We have plenty of food for everyone if you would care to stay.”
Brynhildr and the five young ladies came in, Hannah smiling and petting Fuzz as he licked her hand. She would always be someone special to him.
Abigail had to admit she always felt a bit insecure, almost jealous around Brynhildr. Rolf called Abigail ‘Shield Maiden’, but to her, Brynhildr was the epitome of a shield maiden female warrior. Tall, sure of herself, able to kid around with all the other males, and able to give just as good as she got. She was quick and easy around men, yet let them know what her boundaries were as she was having fun. Abigail still felt clumsy, unsure when put in strictly social settings. During training and combat, she was suddenly sure, confident with men and women. Outside of that, she always felt uncertain what to say or how to talk.
With both Ichiro and Torbin she could be more herself. However, she always had this little gnawing insecurity in the back of her mind that she would say something stupid to Ichiro, and he would leave her. What she did not know was this was impossible. But when Brynhildr was around, as when Ichiro trained her in some bow work, Japanese style, Abigail felt a pang of jealousy, which she suppressed. But, it was still there.
The younger girls brought their plates to the coffee table near Paul and Emily. They curtsied, then hugged the two familiar faces. They turned to Aleks, Abigail and Shannon. As the oldest, Hannah spoke for the rest after they had performed the now programmed curtsy and stood in a line.
“We have brought you some cookies, a pie, some traditional Nordic pastries. We hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed making them for you. Brynhildr also has a tankard of ale and a tankard of mead.”
Aleks stepped up to them, smiling. “My, you are all so pretty and polite. Please place the food and drink on the large coffee table. What brings you to my home, my dears?”
“Brynhildr said Major Bender, Major Yamamoto, the Commissioner, and Doctor Anders would be here today. We have some things to show our Thanksgiving for helping us find our new life.” The four younger survivors quickly produced an intricate crocheted shawl and doilies for Emily.
“My God. I haven’t seen things like this in years. How did you do this beautiful work?”
“Aunt Freda taught us. It was fun,” Jewel answered. Emily stood up after carefully handing the new treasures to Paul and hugged and kissed each young lady.
“Thank you all so very much.”
“It’s little compared to what you have done for us,” Hannah answered. “Now, if the two Majors and the Commissioner could come here. I have something for you each.”
The three men, who had helped save the five survivors, came forward somewhat self-consciously, Torbin having come in from the broiler when he heard they had new company.
From under her long hooded coat, Hannah produced three felt wrapped bundles. She carefully sorted and handed one each to the three men. In the two bundles given to Torbin and Paul were slender six and a half inch blade combat knives, a full edge on the main, a half edge on the back. Both were razor sharp. The handle was leather wrapped.
“These are based on a M-3 combat knife from World War II, used during the years of the Holocaust,” Hannah explained. “If you look just in front of the handle, you will see a Jewish star engraved there, with the words ‘Never Again’. I think, given the current situation, it fits.”
Paul looked at his. “This is impressive. You made this yourself?”
“Yes Sir. Uncle Johann showed me some pictures from a book he had, I figured out how to do the rest. My apologies that I have no sheaths.”
Ichiro carefully unwrapped his. He suddenly sucked his breath in past his teeth with a slight hissing sound.
“I used a Tanto design for yours, Major Yamamoto. I tried to match the repeated folding techniques of steal shown in a book on Japanese katanas. Hopefully, I did an adequate job.”
Ichiro examined the pronounced temper pattern th
at marks a high quality blade. He stood ramrod straight, held the Tanto out with both hands, and began to bow his head until it almost touched the blade. He began to rattle off in rapid fast Japanese as he repeated the bowing.
“I don’t speak Japanese…” Hannah began, then Abigail broke in.
“He is saying he does not deserve this, that you must be the reincarnation of a Japanese swordsmith to have made this. Ichiro, English. Please.”
Ichiro stopped. Then stood up straight again. “Hannah Weitz, I am honored to accept this. I feel I am not really worthy of such a gift. I was there to help my brother Torbin that night, nothing more.”
Hannah smiled. “The reason you were there does not matter. The fact you were there does.”
Torbin turned around and walked out through the back door without saying a word. Aleks knew something was wrong.
“Excuse me, I will be right back.” She moved fairly quickly despite her bulk.
Brynhildr looked at Abigail. “Your friend is upset about something.”
“Yes, he is. Aleks soon will find out what it is. Now, can I offer you anything?”
Brynhildr and Hannah exchanged a look. The dark-haired beauty said, “We need to get back. There is a full meal waiting for us. We just wanted to bring these items to you.”
Abigail glanced toward the backyard. “Well, I’ll walk you out. Maybe Torbin will come out before you leave.”
The young ladies all said goodbye to Emily and Paul with hugs and kisses, then caused Ichiro to blush by doing the same to him. Abigail had to smile. Ichiro was such a staid, upright samurai. It was fun to watch him deal with an unfamiliar situation, like being hugged and kissed by four young girls. They then said goodbye to Fuzz and Princess with ear scratches and pats. The Dane looked as if this was expected because of her royal personage.
As they exited the home, Brynhildr said to Abigail in Norwegian, “Your family name is Jorgensen, correct?”
“Why yes, that was my father’s family.”
With that, Brynhildr stopped and extended her hand. “We are cousins. That is my family name. Cousins maybe many times removed, but cousins nonetheless.” Abigail took her hand, surprised. She had never given it a thought that she could somehow be related to a New or American Viking as they were called in the Unoccupied States.
As Brynhildr grasped her hand, she said, “Since we are family, please realize that I’ll always be there if you need help. Hopefully you will return the favor. And, more importantly, you have nothing to worry about me interfering with your relationship with Ichiro.”
Abigail suddenly blushed. “How could you tell? Were my concerns that obvious?”
Brynhildr smiled. “I’m a hopeless flirt. It is a skill I use to disarm men, and to make them do things they think are their idea. I see the effect that has on other women when their men are involved. So yes, I noticed. But blood is thicker than lust. Remember that. I’ll never do anything to hurt you, cousin.”
Abigail smiled, then hugged Brynhildr.
“Uff da. You are strong like they say, Abigail. Coiled steel you are.”
Abigail laughed, let go. “The epitome of a Shield Maiden says I squeeze too hard? Come now, you are pulling my leg, as they say.”
Brynhildr stepped back, then felt Abigail’s arms, shoulders. “Remind me never to do anything that might make you angry at me. I’ve never felt such compact, coiled strength in a woman. How did this happen?”
Abigail shrugged. “I have been trained as a warrior for some six years. Maybe that and my father’s genes. Or my mother’s. My Uncle Buck—my mother’s brother—is built like a modern Hercules. Women have been known to actually swoon over him. It was funny to watch, even as a young girl.”
Brynhildr cocked an eyebrow. “Hm. If Rolf angers me too much, maybe you will help me look up your Uncle?”
“So Rolf is your…boyfriend?”
Brynhildr laughed. “Yes, I guess you can say that. We are like two bears. We fuss, slap each other around, playfully of course, and then he proposes his undying love for me.”
“And you, to him?”
Brynhildr sighed. “Yes, I suppose it is written on my face when I talk about him. I was not looking for a soulmate, but I guess I found one by accident. I have other plans. I do not wish to be tied down with children right now. But later….” She shrugged.
Abigail smiled. “Now, it is my turn to say that Rolf, despite his constant declaration of loyalty to me, is nothing other than a good friend. So now, cousin, I guess we are even.” Both women began to laugh, and intertwined their arms as they walked to the SUV. In these apocalyptic days, it was nice to find more family.
As the visitors were in the process of saying their goodbyes, Aleks threw on her parka and joined Torbin outside. He was standing next to the broiler and staring at its contents.
“My love, what is the problem? Hannah was just trying to…”
He thrust the wrapped present at her. “Here, a present. I have my Ka-Bar.”
Aleks unwrapped the knife, noticing the intricate workmanship. “Husband, my love, why does this upset you so? I don’t want to see you this way. I need to understand.”
Torbin threw his meat fork across the backyard, making Aleks jump.
“Because, goddamnit, a young seventeen year old girl should not be making killing instruments. She should be making jewelry, rings, crocheting doilies. Not making knives to kill enemies.” He began to shake with rage.
“I carried Anne, the little blonde out from the downstairs dungeon. She looks like Abigail must have at that age. Some sick fucks were using her a plaything for some mutated ape. And the worse thing about it, was that it was all humans, people there. No Squids. We did it to our own.” A tear of rage ran down his face, and he quickly wiped it away. Marines don’t cry, at least not in front of people.
Aleks wrapped her arms around Torbin, squeezing him tight. They stood like that for a few moments, the only sounds were the murmur of a suburban neighborhood, and their breathing. Finally, Torbin patted Aleks’ arm.
“Okay, I’ve got control now. Sorry I’m such a pain in the ass. I love you so much, I don’t want to be a millstone on your neck.”
Aleks kissed him. Then grabbed his ears, to make him look her in the face. “Do not beat yourself up. It makes me question my taste in husbands. I love you. We will get through this together. Da?”
Torbin smiled. “Da. See, you’re a learnin’ me Russki.”
Aleks slapped his chest. “Now, come with me. You have to thank Hannah. I will gladly use the knife if you do not want it. It has a nice gut cutting blade, good balance.”
“Ouch. I keep forgetting what you do for a living. Yes, let’s go so I can apologize for being a jerk.”
Aleks looped her arm through Torbin’s. “You may be a jerk, but you are my jerk. Don’t forget it.”
Brynhildr was about to get into the driver’s seat when she saw Torbin and Aleks exit the house, and come toward them. Hannah also noticed them and quickly got out. Then, all of the others were out, standing around the SUV. Torbin approached Hannah, and stuck out his hand. “I apologize for being such a jerk. Sometimes, things just hit me funny. That is an excellent blade. You need to be proud of your workmanship.”
Hannah brushed by his hand, throwing her arms around him in a big hug. Suddenly, all four girls were wrapped around him, hugging, kissing him, giggling. Aleks began to laugh, then cry a little, then laugh. Abigail walked over and hugged her.
Hannah managed to step back. “Thank you, Major Bender. You save us. That is all that matters. No apologies are necessary.”
Anne stood in front. “Thank you for carrying me up the stairs that day.” The other three chimed in. “Thank you, Major Bender.”
Torbin, for once in his life, was speechless. He just stood silently and received their gratitude.
Jewel broke off and walked over to Aleks. “You are going to have twins?”
“Yes, two little trolls. Would you like to feel?”
“Can I?”
“Of course.” Aleks pulled up her clothes enough so Jewel could feel her belly.
“Oh! A baby moved.”
Soon all five of the young women were gathered around, touching Aleks’ stomach. They began to giggle as they felt the life within her move about.
“Someday, I want children,” Anne piped in.
Her assertion made Aleks chuckle. “Just make sure you have a husband that will give you children, not trolls like I am carrying.”
Abigail and Brynhildr both began to laugh. Torbin put on his best hurt face. “I am hurt. I am cut to the bone. Once again, I, Torbin Bender, Marine extraordinaire, am insulted beyond belief.” He dramatically placed the back of his hand on his forehead as if to swoon. The old Torbin was back.
“Come here, husband. It is time to go in and finish up the Thanksgiving meal.”
“I will see you later, cousin.” Brynhildr called to Abigail.
“And I you, cousin.”
With that, the survivors and Brynhildr loaded into the car.
“He’s a nice man,” auburn-haired Susan declared.
“He’s more than just nice,” Brynhildr interjected. “He has honor and bravery. He is a protector of the weak, the young. He is what a warrior and a husband should be. Use him as a model when you begin to be interested in boys. Men like him will not disappoint you, young ladies.”
Hannah gazed at Brynhildr. “Is Rolf like him?”
Brynhildr laughed. “Yes, in a rougher way. But he has a good heart. That often is enough.” She started the SUV and headed back for the Munsen home.
Abigail, Aleks and Torbin went back into the house. Torbin shot a quizzical glance at Abigail. “You and Brynhildr are cousins?”
“Yes,” Abigail answered. “We are both named Jorgensen. So, somewhere, there were sisters and brothers, eventually cousins.”
“You never mentioned your birth name before.”
“You never asked, Torbin.”
“Come, help me with the finishing touches for the meal,” directed Aleks.
Within half an hour, hot, steaming turkey was on the table, along with mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, bread, rolls, butter and honey. On a small side table were Abigail’s pies, along with the pie and sweets the survivors had brought. Everyone found a seat, with Torbin, the man of the house, at its head. He looked at Abigail.
The Tsunami Page 50
