by AJ Rose
“I’d like Riley close by,” Charlotte said, jumping up to get Russ a red plastic cup from the stack on the counter for his OJ. “If you don’t mind. I know you haven’t seen him in a while, but I’d feel better if he was home and not dealing with crazy people freaking about the power.”
Ash was about to say he understood when Russ spoke first. “It’s not that bad out there, Char. People are just waiting for the electricity to come back. I even saw some people mowing their lawns on the way over. If Ash wants to take Riley to the store, it won’t hurt anything.”
Charlotte met Ash’s eyes and shrugged. “Okay, if it’s not bad,” she agreed half-heartedly.
“Nah,” Ash said, appeasing her. “If you’d feel better keeping him close, there’s no reason you shouldn’t. I just thought it would be something normal to do to distract him.”
“Well, it’s up to Charlotte, but I don’t think it’s a big deal at all,” Russ said, licking his fingertips of the grease from his sandwich.
“It is up to Charlotte,” Ash reminded him, not liking the insinuation that Russ had a say in any decision concerning Riley. Then again, maybe Ash was just being the asshole younger brother who didn’t think any man was good enough for his sister. “Come on, Elliot. Let’s get our shoes on. We’ll go with Riley to the park, and the store after.”
“What was that all about?” Elliot asked quietly as they went to retrieve their shoes.
“Charlotte is good at many things, one of which is picking dickheads to date. Russ is the latest moocher, and he always seems nice enough, but man, that guy rubs me the wrong way.”
“Are you taking him with us?” Elliot asked.
Ash studied him. “Not if I can help it, but I thought you were going back home. That changed?”
Elliot looked distinctly uncomfortable. “I don’t know. Depends on if I can reach my parents. Maybe they can tell us something.”
“Fair enough.” He called to Riley, who slipped into the living room with a wary glance at the kitchen.
“Is he coming, too?” Riley asked of Russ, who had decided the makings of the last sandwich belonged to him and was chewing with gusto and waxing lyrical on the ingredients that would improve the breakfast tenfold.
Ash shook his head. “Don’t worry, kid. He looks comfortable where he is.”
“Good,” Riley said sullenly, punching his hands into the pockets of his jean shorts and hanging his head. “He’s always happy to show me stuff, but whenever he does, I don’t seem to get it completely. Like I’m not doing it how he tries to teach me.”
Ash stood and ruffled Riley’s hair. “That’s not your fault, kid. A student is only as good as his teachers.” It was bullshit, though, and Ash knew it. The teachers in this Podunk town had never been able to keep up with him, and Ash’s senior year, he’d spent a good chunk of it teaching himself from books the science teacher, Mr. Libby, his favorite of them all, had ordered for him. They’d learned the concepts together, though any practical application of the experiments was out of the question. Ash suspected Mr. Libby had purchased the texts himself, though they were very expensive, but the chemicals for much of the lab work were out of the average teacher’s price range and tightly controlled substances anyway. They’d had to settle for watching YouTube videos of some of the better ones and observing the results visually.
“I just don’t like not being good enough,” Riley said in a small voice.
“You are good enough.” Ash looked up from tying his shoe. “That man’s opinion doesn’t matter. Only yours.” He grinned. “And your cool Uncle Ash’s.”
Riley nodded but gave half an eye roll at the lame humor. “Will you play baseball with me? Mom doesn’t like letting me bat because she has to run after the ball every time.”
Ash grinned. “We got enough for an infielder and an outfielder if your mom pitches, so bring your best game, big guy. See if you can handle Elliot the Golden Glove over there.”
Elliot snorted. “I don’t know about that, but I’ll try. What’s your favorite position?”
“Shortstop,” Riley answered immediately as Ash ducked out the living room to dig up his glove from the top shelf of Riley’s closet and see if he had one for Elliot to use. When he returned, his nephew had gone into a long, rambling story about every play he’d ever made at the position during his spring baseball league, his insecurity seemingly forgotten. “No game today, though. Coach went into the diner last night and told Mom if the power’s not back this morning, the game tonight’s canceled.”
“We can practice, then,” Ash promised. He backed up a few steps to look into the kitchen. “Ready when you are, Charlotte. Slugger wants to give us a batting demonstration.”
“Yeah, if he manages to remember what I told him last time about bat speed,” Russ muttered loud enough for them to hear but not Riley.
Charlotte pointed a finger at him. “Don’t. He tries to follow your advice, but he’s ten. It’ll take some practice.”
“What?” Russ asked, the picture of manufactured innocence. “I agree he needs practice.”
“Which is why we’re going to the park,” Charlotte said. Russ moved to stand up. “Except you. Can you take a look at the van? The check engine light came on again.” It was clearly an attempt to distract Russ, but it worked.
“Good. I was hoping it would throw an error. Something keeps blowing your emissions fuse. I’ll check it out. Have you got any cash?”
Charlotte raised an eyebrow.
“Just because with the power out, my debit card won’t work to buy the parts I might need. I have about fifty bucks on me, but that might not be enough,” he said defensively.
Ash glared at him. “Figure out what’s wrong with it first, and then we can go together to get parts.” Charlotte had often groused to him over the phone how Russ never had enough cash for things and said she had more than he did because she earned tips. Whenever she pointed out that might be true, but it also meant she spent more money on their dates than he did, his response was to suggest they go out less.
“Hey, is that beer I brought over Tuesday still in the fridge?” Russ asked, moving toward the garage.
She shrugged, pulling her hair loose from its knot and redoing it in a tight bun. “If you haven’t finished it, it should be. We’ll be back later.”
“I won’t wait up.” Russ snickered at his own joke.
Charlotte moved by Ash to dig in the coat closet for Riley’s bat bag, and he followed closely, so Riley wouldn’t overhear him. “You stand up to Russ for Riley, but you don’t for yourself.”
Charlotte’s reply was somewhat muffled. “Can we not do this now?”
“It’s not okay for Riley to watch you let Russ mooch off you.”
“Ash, it’s not your place to tell me what is and isn’t okay for Riley to see,” Charlotte said, shouldering the bag and shoving her feet in sneakers without bothering to untie them. Her face pleaded for understanding. “Russ has shit going on at work. They’re afraid the dealership is going to close, and there’s no way the Ford lot will have enough openings in their service department for all of Dodge’s mechanics.”
“Why can’t he go to work and get you the parts, and pay for the orders when the power’s back on? Surely there are employee perks about fixing personal vehicles.”
“Because that would be stealing, Ash.” Charlotte leveled him with a droll look. “He’s the reason my van is still running at all, so don’t be a jerk.”
Ash backed off, knowing before long everyone would be out of a job, which only served to remind him they should be getting ready to leave for Washington, not going to the park to play. However long it takes to convince her.
“Ready to go, sport?” he asked, turning to his nephew.
“Got a ball, Mom?” Riley turned to Ash. “Last time, she forgot the dang ball. How lame is that?”
“Yes, yes, I got everything.” Charlotte banged out the front door and stopped when she spied Elliot’s car in the drive. “You blocked m
e in.”
“How’s your boytoy supposed to fix your van if you take it to the park?” Ash murmured in her ear, amused.
“Oh, duh,” she said sheepishly, smacking Ash on the shoulder with a limp backhand. “Sorry. I’m just stressed.”
“That’s okay.” Elliot gestured to Ash. “Got the keys? We can take my car.” Ash fished them out of his pocket and made to toss them over, but Elliot held up a hand and shook his head. “You can drive.”
Ash shrugged and they piled in, Charlotte whistling at the posh interior. “You sure you don’t mind? We’ll be dusty when we’re done at the park.”
“Nah,” Elliot waved her off, shutting the passenger door as Ash brought the car to life with a smooth purr. “It would be good to get it a little dirty for a change.”
They spent a couple hours playing baseball, Ash and Riley starting up their usual routine of trash talk as soon as they set foot on the field. Elliot was awkward and gangly as he tried to keep up, but Ash watched in amusement as Riley included him in their ribbing. At first, Elliot seemed flustered and embarrassed, but he made a good catch on a line drive Ash deliberately hit in his direction, and his confidence got a boost. By the end, he was tentatively returning the jibes and even got one on Ash that was so sharp, Charlotte burst into peals of laughter and had to take a moment to catch her breath before she was strong enough to pitch again. Riley giggled and ran into the field to high-five Elliot, and Ash had to grudgingly admit he’d been told.
When baseball got boring, Riley talked them into going to the playground equipment, where Elliot and Ash played a heated game of tag with the boy, more often than not ending up “it” and going after each other. Charlotte refereed their play from a shaded bench. At one point, Ash and Elliot ganged up on Riley and made him shriek when they startled him out of hiding. Shortly after, Elliot called a time out.
“Hold on, I need something to drink.”
“Did we bring any water?” Ash turned to Charlotte and shielded his eyes from the midday sun.
“Yeah.” She dug bottles out of the bat bag while Ash and Elliot collapsed on the bench beside her, each taking one and gulping. Ash wanted to conserve his, but running around in the playground’s sand had him sweating profusely in the mild spring temperatures. With an internal “fuck it,” he chugged the water.
“You’re getting old, Uncle Ash,” Riley said, running up and falling into the grass at Charlotte’s feet, breathless and animated. “You used to be able to play with me for hours without a break.”
“Oh, harsh,” Ash said, grinning at the boy. “You’re getting old, too, sport. It’s harder to keep up with you now than it was a few years ago.”
“Elliot?” Riley asked, eyeing him carefully. “Can you come visit with Uncle Ash again sometime? He’s more fun when you’re here.”
Elliot spluttered on a swallow of water and coughed, but when he got himself under control again, he grinned at Ash. “See? Someone likes me around, and not just to take his notes while he gets to play with exploding things.”
Charlotte punched Ash in the shoulder. “So that’s how you get such good grades, Einstein. Someone else does your heavy lifting.”
He scowled playfully at them all. “What is this, Gang Up on Ash Day? Elliot can come visit with me again if he wants to. I won’t say no to driving his sweet ride.”
“So I rate just below my car, huh?” Elliot glanced at his watch, and his demeanor became more subdued. His drinking slowed to sips, and he wiped the sweat on his forehead off with the shoulder of his t-shirt more than once.
“Well, you did prove yourself entertaining this morning,” Ash relented, watching Elliot curiously as his eyes glazed over while staring at the playground. He seemed off in another world all of a sudden, very still and vacant. Ash leaned over and snapped fingers in front of his face, getting no response. “Earth to Elliot.”
All at once, Elliot came to life again and checked his watch, blinking rapidly and looking around as if not quite sure where they were. When his eyes landed on Riley, still sitting at their feet and plucking blades of grass to let them fly in the wind, his frown cleared and he seemed to relax.
“You okay?” Charlotte put a hand on his forearm.
“Yeah,” he mumbled, tentatively smiling at them. But it didn’t reach his eyes, Ash noticed, not the way it had all morning. “If it’s okay with you, do you think we could find that payphone now? I’d really like to try to reach my parents.”
“Of course. We’ll drop them back at home. Easier to do our shopping afterward.” Ash stood, feeling bad that their playtime had gone on so long when Elliot had to be worried. Just because he was with his own family and reassured of their safety didn’t mean Elliot could relax. Chiding himself for the oversight, Ash helped Riley and Charlotte up and brushed grass and sand off the boy’s clothes.
As they trooped to the car, Ash fell into step beside Elliot. “Are you sure you’re okay? I’m sorry we didn’t make that call sooner. It’s easy to get carried away playing with Riley.”
Elliot waved a hand, apparently trying for nonchalance and failing. “I’m fine. It was fun. I can’t remember the last time I ran around like a loon for no other purpose than to laugh. Even when I was a kid, I didn’t get to do it much.”
“Why?”
Elliot shrugged. “We traveled a lot, and my mom always warned me to have good manners in other countries and not to make a spectacle of myself. Most of our trips were for my dad’s business, so we had to look like the perfect family. Scraped knees and dirt on my clothes did not fly.”
“That was so much fun!” Riley crowed ahead of them as he turned to walk backward, reminding them of the many times he’d sent them racing after a ball he’d hit, reliving the morning play by play until they reached the car. Elliot seemed happy for the change in subject, so Ash left it alone. “Elliot? Will you play Mario Kart with me when we get back home? I have a Nintendo 3DS and an older DS, and we can connect and play on the same team.”
“After I get back from shopping with Uncle Ash and if it’s okay with your mom.”
Charlotte waved her hand. “Your battery is going to die, kiddo, if you don’t watch it.”
“Just for a few minutes. One round. Then we can save the battery for later. Maybe the power’s already back anyway.”
The confidence in Riley’s voice made Ash uneasy, and he knew Charlotte hadn’t told the kid any of his concerns. They really needed to get their provisions in order as quickly as possible, before the townspeople got restless. Russ had reassured Ash’s nerves with his observations of the neighbors, but how long would that last? And what of the prison? Ash made a mental note to ask around at the grocery if anyone had heard how things were going with the town’s most restless population.
“We’ll see what happens after we get back from the store, okay, buddy?” Ash said tightly, climbing behind the wheel of the car and pulling away from the curb when everyone was settled in.
“I think you should bring home popsicles.”
“You do, huh? Where are we going to keep popsicles?” Charlotte asked, amused.
“In our bellies. Duh,” Riley said with a wide grin, rubbing his stomach in anticipation.
* * *
* * *
The grocery store had blue shoe polish on the windows, proclaiming in enormous letters: CLOSED. Someone had wedged the electric doors open. There were, as far as Elliot could tell, people milling about, and a manager at the door barked orders at someone inside.
Ash drove as close to the sidewalk as possible. “You really closed?” he hollered.
“Cash only,” the manager answered, looking frazzled.
Ash zoomed into the nearest parking spot, and he and Elliot emerged into the bright spring sun.
“I don’t see a payphone here,” Elliot said, disappointed as he shielded his eyes and squinted at the building.
“We’ll ask someone, okay?” Ash promised. “Don’t worry about it. I don’t want to be here long, anyway.”
> They ambled into the store, dark but for the employees standing at intervals with flashlights pointed up to illuminate as wide an area as possible. Elliot estimated maybe thirty people moving in and out of aisles, some of them using their cellphones as flashlights. The reminder made him miss his phone, which had connected him to his music library at a moment’s notice. Its absence was a profound emptiness.
The manager shoved a piece of paper and a nub of a pencil at them. “Write down the prices of what you get, and we’ll check you out quicker.”
Ash snorted. “You actually trust people with this?”
The manager shrugged, running his forearm across a sweaty forehead. “Best we got, so don’t be a jerk and stiff us. Most people are honest. If you get freezer, dairy, or butcher counter items, they’re half off, but eat it at your own risk.”
Elliot obediently took the paper and pencil. Ash strode with purpose to the middle of the store, where canned goods lined entire aisles. Most people were going for the sale items, and it honestly wasn’t such a bad idea, Elliot mused. If they cooked it right away and covered it with foil or plastic wrap, it could survive at least a few hours at room temps.
Ash didn’t appear to be taking chances, choosing cans of Vienna sausages, spam, chicken and tuna, and vegetables. He didn’t grab as much as Elliot expected him to, only about five cans of each, but as Elliot wrote down prices in the little light he could find, he understood why. There wasn’t a lot on the shelves to begin with. It seemed people weren’t leaving as much to chance as Russ had predicted. As they moved from canned goods into the snacks aisle, Elliot wondered if chips were all that great an idea since they took up a lot of space and held no nutritional value, but Ash bypassed all of that and tossed into the cart mixed nuts and a couple small jars of macadamias, as well as a big bag of pistachios. Pretzels followed, as did a bulk-weight bag of trail mix. And Ash cleaned them out of beef jerky in all flavors.
