Survivors

by Rich Goldhaber

  Arnie looked at me. “They’ll be coming here. I know the type, and the problem is they’ll have some heavy duty weapons at their disposal. When I get back to Tampa I’ll contact Lieutenant Monroe. I’ll assess their situation and probably have his team return to Florida as soon as they can.”

  “What should we do to prepare?” I asked. “Nothing right now. I’m guessing it will take them several days to mount an attack. They may want to send out a scouting party to provide reconnaissance. That’s what I’d do if I were them, and this Brad Davis guy will tell them we destroyed the Tampa misfits. That will make them think twice about attacking us until they’re fully prepared.”

  A dozen of the captive women suddenly arrived. They were being led by a few of the other women from our community. They saw us and walked over to our table. With tears in their eyes, they thanked each of the assault team who had risked their lives in freeing them. Arnie’s team was both moved and somewhat embarrassed by the act.

  We found Paul sitting at a table with Beth and a few other people. I asked to speak to him for a minute. He immediately stood up and the three of us huddled in private a few feet from the others. Jessie and I told him of our plans.

  He smiled and then shouted at the top of his voice. “They’re getting married! Jim and Jessie are getting married!”

  The place erupted in applause and shouts of approval from the several hundred people who were eating an early dinner. Beth stood up and smothered us in a matronly embrace. I stopped counting as hundreds of people gathered around and congratulated us. I guess our decision had the total support of our community.

  Arnie’s comment was a little surprising, “What took so long? You guys have been making goo-goo eyes since the first day I saw you both together.”

  And here I thought Jessie and I were being very discrete.

  Chapter 53

  USS Jimmy Carter A lookout on the starboard side of the submarine spotted the three fishing boats. Captain Sanchez signaled for a change in course, and the sub reduced speed and approached the small fleet.

  Stan Kolinski was the first to see the huge dark-grey submarine approach his boats from the west. He sounded his boat’s air horn and immediately his alert was answered with a symphony of deep-throated responses.

  As the large weapon of destruction cut its engines and coasted to a stop, Captain Sanchez moved out onto the forward deck along with a half dozen of his crew. He took out his bull horn. “Ahoy fishing boats. This is the USS Jimmy Carter. Please tie up on the starboard side of our ship along the forward bow plane.”

  Stan expertly piloted his fishing boat to the mooring point, and the other two boats tied up to the starboard side of Stan’s boat. Stan stepped onto the forward bow. Captain Sanchez cautiously shook the man’s hand. The risk of infection and death still weighed heavily on the captain’s mind. He doubted he would overcome his fear for many months.

  Chapter 54

  I answered the phone and listened in silence as Stan announced the arrival of the submarine. “Okay, we’ll send some buses over right now, and I’ll call Major Connors to let him know.”

  Jessie and the others at the table looked at me waiting for the bad news. “That was Stan. A nuclear powered submarine just stopped by for a visit. There’re 143 sailors aboard and they’re coming here.”

  The news of the arrival of our latest guests spread rapidly throughout the community. I asked Jessie to locate the rest of the governors and then called Major Connors. After hearing the news, he indicated he would have Sammy fly him down as soon as possible.

  Ten minutes later Jessie, George, Manny, Bill and I left in two yellow school buses and headed over to the fishing docks at Fort Myers Beach. As usual there was no traffic, and we made the trip in just over thirty minutes. We parked by the dock area and watched as the three fishing boats and massive submarine passed under the San Carlos Blvd.

  It took almost half an hour for all of the introductions and after helping the fishing crew unload their catch of the day, everyone crowded into the buses and three trucks that had brought the fishermen to their boats.

  Bill drove the bus and I sat in one of the front seats next to Captain Sanchez. On our ride back to the campus, I briefly filled Sanchez in on our community, and he quickly summarized the odyssey of the USS Jimmy Carter.

  We arrived back at the campus and were immediately surrounded by several hundred residents who wanted to greet the sailors. It must have been the ultimate port leave for the crew who stepped off the bus and were greeted by everyone in the area.

  I spoke to Captain Sanchez. “Can we offer you a late breakfast Captain?” His smile was answer enough, and I screamed for everyone’s attention. “Please everyone. Let’s give our guests some room. The captain tells me they haven’t had a good meal in over six months. We’re going over to the dining area, and there’ll be plenty of time to meet our guests as soon as they’ve had a chance to eat and relax.”

  I led the sailors over to the dining tent where Beth greeted each of the sailors and encouraged them to eat their fill at the never ending buffet line. There was an immediate stampede for the food. Captain Sanchez and his officers waited until the crew had passed through the chow-line. I saved a large table for the ship’s officers and the governors. Jessie and I took a carafe of coffee over to the table and waited for the ship’s officers to join us.

  As we were waiting, I heard Sammy Lafayette’s chopper approach the area, and he expertly landed the bird in his designated parking place. Sammy and Major Connors walked quickly to our table, and I made the introductions. The captain and the major saluted each other and then embraced. Arnie left to grab a cup of coffee and Beth’s blueberry pancakes, and we made room for him at our table.

  Captain Sanchez looked around our community with astonishment. “My God this is paradise. You’ve put the entire infrastructure back. We’ve traveled all along the eastern seaboard, and this is the first place we’ve seen with electricity.”

  Jessie said, “There’re two other places with power, one in California that we visited a few weeks ago and another just west of Boston. There may be others but so far we haven’t located them.”

  Captain Sanchez listened in wonder. “How did you find all this out?” Arnie Connors answered, “We can operate our military satellite imagery from our base in Tampa. We could see their lights at night. The survivors in California were able to start up a nuclear power plant. We use solar power here, and we’re not sure how the people near Boston get their power.”

  I had a request for Captain Sanchez. “Captain, Mary Higgins is a nurse who’s trying her best to take care of our medical needs. We’ve got a woman who’s just given birth to a little boy and another woman who has cancer. We were just able to get her some drugs, and I’d appreciate it if your medical officer can check them out.”

  Sanchez turned to Doctor Fleming, “Ray, please take care of any medical needs they have.”

  “Aye, aye Captain.” Jessie volunteered to take the doctor to see our patients. Arnie Connor changed the subject. “Captain, we have one more problem that’s brewing. We’ve got a group of misfits located just outside of Augusta, Georgia. They’re using Fort Gordon as their base of operations, and it looks like they’ve got access to all of the weapons in the fort’s armory. We just rescued over a dozen women who were being held as sex slaves at the fort, but we think they know we were the ones who rescued the women. I’m guessing they’ll be heading this way in a few days.”

  Sanchez asked, “How many?” “We’re guessing now, but several hundred for sure. I have a half dozen of my soldiers helping the California people eliminate a group of bad guys who’ve been killing their residents, and I’m thinking we’re going to need your help if we’re attacked.”

  Sanchez said, “It sounds like that movie The Postman with Kevin Costner about a renegade army pillaging America after an apocalyptic event.”

  Arnie said, “It is, but they’ll be using Bradley M2 Fighting Vehicles instead of riding horses.
What kind of firepower do you carry on your weapons’ platform?”

  “We’re an attack submarine; we carry torpedoes and a couple dozen cruise missiles. Why, what are you thinking?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  Sanchez said, “Americans killing Americans; who would have guessed?” Arnie answered, “Jessie knew, she talked about the country splitting up into good guys and bad guys long before things started to go to hell. She was absolutely right; there’re always a group of people who don’t want to earn their way in the world; they just want to take what others have worked hard to create. The country isn’t going to be safe until we rid the place of this scum.”

  Sanchez looked around the dining area at his men engaged in conversations with others and obviously enjoying the end of their isolation. “Jim, if you’ll let us, I think we’d like to stay a while. My men need to be absorbed back into a real society, and besides I’ve fallen in love with Beth and her blueberry pancakes.”

  Arnie interrupted, “You can’t have her Captain; she’s all mine. I might be willing to share her cooking skills for a while because your men look like they could use some good old fashioned cooking, but long term, she’s mine.”

  I laughed at their humor and then answered Sanchez, “Captain, we’d be pleased to accommodate your entire crew for as long as you’d like to stay, but we have a rule here; every ablebodied person has to work.”

  “That my friend is a rule all of my men can live by.” Hunter and Jasmine came running up to the table. They introduced themselves to all the newcomers. “Jim, when are we going to go to the reservation?”

  “Just as soon as Jessie gets back. She’s visiting Margaret and the new baby.”

  Jasmine asked, “Can we go say hello to Margaret. I know it will make her feel better.”

  “Sure, go ahead and bring Jessie back with you.”

  The kids ran off, and Ed Sanchez asked, “What was that all about?” I answered, “Jasmine and Hunter are my foster children. All of the children have foster parents. Some kids even have several. They were the only survivors at the Seminole Indian Reservation. Jessie and I are going to get married, and we promised them we would do some Indian traditions as part of the ceremony, and they said they needed to get the sacred objects at their reservation.”

  Beth came over to our table and sat down next to Arnie. He kissed her on the cheek just to annoy Ed Sanchez. “Honey, I would swim the Atlantic ocean for a stack of your blueberry pancakes.”

  Beth smiled, “Major, I don’t think you’d make it much past Everglades City before the sharks finished you off, but thanks for the compliment.”

  “Just remember my offer Beth; if you come live in Tampa I will personally get you all the gold in Fort Knox.”

  Beth answered, “I’d rather have a good pastrami sandwich. What good is the gold going to do?”

  Everyone laughed at the verbal sparring. Then Beth got serious, “Jim we’ve got more people who’ve moved in and I’m now estimating we’ll be out of flour in another four months. We can make do with cornbread if we have to, but everyone will miss all the cakes and pies.”

  “Beth, as soon as Captain Stewart and Blaine get back, we’re going to fly up to the Midwest and see if we can trade a little infrastructure for an ongoing supply of flour.”

  “Thank you Jim, I know you’re doing your best. And one more thing, I need to talk to you and Jessie about the wedding. We’ll have almost onethousand people to feed and I’ve got some ideas of what might work.”

  “How about if we meet tonight after dinner?” Beth agreed and she left to go back to her kitchen. Captain Sanchez said, “That’s one hell of a woman; I need to ask you one thing; why do you all eat in a community kitchen?”

  “To tell you the truth, I haven’t really thought too much about it, but I think the first couple of months everyone worked from sunrise to sunset putting our infrastructure back together again, and Beth volunteered to cook for everyone. In the beginning it made sense and then as our community grew, everyone just wanted the communal dining to stay. It’s a time for us all to get together and talk. I’m sure it will have to end one day but I hope not too soon. I think eating together makes us one big family.”

  George said, “It will probably all end once we get televisions back up and running.” Jessie returned from our makeshift hospital with the kids dragging her along. I stood up and excused myself after Manny volunteered to set all of Captain Sanchez’s crew up with their accommodations.

  We took one of the U-Haul vans to make sure we had enough room for everything the kids wanted to bring back. Jessie and I rode in front and Hunter and Jasmine sat in the back.

  Chapter 55

  We headed east on Alligator Alley and eventually turned north on Route 1280. Ten minutes later we entered the Big Cypress Indian Reservation. Both kids were screaming at us, so I stopped the truck. Jasmine squeezed in between Jessie and me, and Hunter sat on Jessie’s lap. We slowed almost to a crawl. The kids hadn’t been here since Blaine found them, and I could see the sense of past tragedy and personal sorrow etched into their young faces. None of us spoke a word until Jasmine told us to turn right onto Henry Osceola Road.

  We stopped the car alongside a small cemetery. A lone backhoe stood guard over a long eightfoot wide trench dug into the sandy soil. The front part of the trench had been filled in with fresh soil. Both kids walked slowly up to the filled in area and knelt down on the grass. Jessie and I sat down on the grass behind both kids and just let them work their way through their difficult moment. There was no need for words of understanding because we had all lost loved ones, and we both understood the grief the kids were going through.

  Jasmine finally ran to us and fell into my arms. Hunter did the same with Jessie. We just sat there holding each other for several minutes. Finally Jasmine said. “We were once a happy family, and then all of our loved ones died, but just like the mythical Phoenix bird in Indian culture, Hunter and I rose up and found a new family. We love you both very much.”

  We finally walked back to the U-Haul and continued driving slowly through the complex. I had never been to the reservation, and I really didn’t know what to expect, but I was certainly shocked to see dozens of million dollar homes spread out along the road. Casino money had certainly been able to work its magic in this community. Jasmine told us her house was the big rose – colored stucco house just up ahead.

  Jessie said, “Come on Jasmine, show us your home. I want to see everything about how you lived. Jasmine bolted out of the car and dragged us both through the front door. The tour of the house lasted a good ten minutes.

  Jessie and I held hands as we watched Jasmine collect her most prized possessions from her room, and she created a neat grouping of dolls on her bed. A large brown teddy bear came out of hiding and joined the dolls.

  Jessie asked, “What are you going to wear to the wedding?” Jasmine ran to the closet and took out a beautiful long flowing dress made with multicolored layered cloth with a great deal of embroidery and small colorful beads. “My grandmother made this for my mother, and she gave it to me. I think it will still fit.”

  Jasmine added light brown moccasins she said were to be worn with the dress.

  I hugged Jasmine. “Oh, this is a gorgeous dress. You’ll look beautiful at the wedding.”

  Hunter said, “Come on, let’s go to my house.” We gathered all of Jasmine’s things and packed them into one large suitcase. Then Hunter directed us to his home which was located only a few blocks away.

  I parked the car in the driveway and Hunter dashed inside his house and into his bedroom. Before we arrived in his room, he had already made a pile of his baseball glove and other sports equipment. He showed me his most prized possession, a complete set of Pokémon trading cards. Jessie asked him what he was going to wear to the wedding, and he walked into his closet and took out a multi-colored tunic, black leather pants and a pair of bright yellow boots. He also took out a red turban-like hat with a single long white feath
er sticking out the side.

  Jessie said, “Both of you will make us so proud at our wedding.” Jasmine said, “We need to drive to the AhTah-Ki Museum to get the rest of the things for the ceremony.”

  We packed up all of their special memories and then drove over to the Seminole Indian Museum. The two kids walked us through the museum that was in fact a history of their tribe. We finally came to an exhibit Jasmine said showed the sacred wedding ceremony. There was a ceremonial fire in the center of a circle of people. Hunter said, “The bride and groom walk around the fire and stop seven times to exchange gifts representing their vows to each other.”

  Together, we collected all of the sacred ceremonial items and placed them carefully in the back of the van. We would return them to the museum after the wedding.

  Now it was time to head back to the campus, and the kids taught us a special chant we would sing as we walked around the fire. At first it seemed strange we had agreed to have an Indian wedding ceremony, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how important this would be to our foster children.

  Back at the campus we found Paul, Mary, Phyllis and Doctor Fleming taking a break. Baby Richard was doing fine and Margaret had decided to spend the day sitting in a chair near her bed. Ray said, “Your people have done a wonderful job here. I’m excited about the animal surgery; it’s the right approach to practicing for the real thing.”

  Mary said, “While Ray’s here, he’s agreed to give a lecture each day to our oldest students and anyone else who wants to attend on a variety of medical topics.”

  Jessie said, “That’s wonderful Ray. Why don’t you go AWOL and stay here? Mary and the team are doing great things, but we sure could use a real doctor.”

  Ray Fleming’s expression turned into a mischievous grin, “You know Jessie, I just might do that.”

  I changed the topic of discussion. “Paul, can Jessie and I spend a couple of minutes with you?”