by J. B. Craig
Greg said, “You’re probably too far away for us to keep in touch by radio, but you can count on our support if you send runners. We know your signals and won’t gun anyone down if they use your code. Heck, we don’t gun anyone down unless they are hostiles.”
“Same with us, Greg. We want you to know that we think we need to band together when possible. ‘Hang together or surely hang separately’, right?”
“Agreed, Pete. We’ve got your back. These guys need to be wiped out and made an example of. There are still good people like us all around, or at least I have to hope so.” Greg Paused. “Do you have more than hope on that?”
Pete smiled. “Yep. There are some pockets of civilized folks across the Potomac, and between us and Richmond. The closer you get to the cities, the less likely it is you’ll find survivors. I can’t speak for anything west of 95, South of the James, or North of Waldorf, but these waterfront communities are holding their own.”
Greg smiled, and reached for Jennifer’s hand. “Then there’s still hope for all those of us that have people out there.” Jennifer smiled a sad smile, and Greg Squeezed her hand.
The rest of the evening was spent telling stories and laughing with the new neighbors to their South. The 3 men from Tappahannock bedded down in a corner of the community center and were escorted out at dawn to head home and pass the news to their community.
Precursor
Greg got a call on the radio just after dawn the next day. Este was calling in an intruder.
“Jefe. One woman, limping. Curvy, brown skinned Amazon beauty. Sorry, TMI, boss. What you want me to do?”
“She could be a mole, or a diversion, Este. Keep your eyes out. Let her get to the Deuce stand. You stay in the 5-Ton barn. Watch outbound, buddy, OVER.” Greg emphasized the word.
With all the civilians on the net, ‘Over’ had pretty much gone the way of the military time. No longer was it ’14 hundred hours’. It was “air force time”, or 2pm again on the radio. The military guys gave up, as it communicated the necessary information.
The woman finally made her way the last quarter mile to the Deuce and looked at it as if confused why there was an Army Truck in the middle of the road. “Help! I need help! You… Boy… come down here. Help me out. I can’t walk no more.”
Este continued to watch the road, but it was just about shift change. His relief came and tagged him in with no issue coming from the general direction of their potential threat – Inland. Este walked back to the Deuce, where a woman was chewing out Bill.
“Look Bruddah, Dey come and kill my Ohana. Dose men da kine bad. Watch youself. Hey, you got any food?”
Este came down the road as Greg came out of the mine trail. They met Bill and the new guest at the trailhead. Este had his rifle in low ready and was trying to understand the newcomer.
Greg had a good look at the newcomer. She was about 6 feet tall, and a strong, but bulky 275 lbs., after all these days of hunger. Greg wasn’t judging, as he arrived here at 6’1 and 300 lbs. She had brown skin but wasn’t Hispanic or Black. As he was half-Hawaiian himself from his Grandparents, both Pearl Harbor survivors, he trusted his gut and took a shot.
“Aloha, Seestah. What’s up?” (Hello, sister.)
The woman smiled and said “Aloha” and started spouting off in a Pidgin that was more Hawaiian than English.
“Jefe, what’s she saying?” Asked Este, as he checked out the only woman that could near his size, with a smile. It was clear to both Greg and Este that this woman’s attitude meant that wasn’t an immediate threat, but she would very likely have some intel. Greg also knew that pissing her off would be a huge mistake, as he married into a family of Hawaiian women. Be nice, you live. Be not nice, and life sucks. She also commanded respect, as many Hawaiian women do, even without trying.
“She’s Hawaiian, Este. Let’s get her inside and find out what she knows.” Based on her Muumuu, or sun-dress, in Hawaiian, she wasn’t packing any guns or explosives, as there was no place to hide them. “What’s your name, Seestah?”
I’m Leilani, I was staying at my Bruddah’s house because I needed to leave my husband in Hawai’i. Kimo – that’ my brother – lived halfway between Montross and here. He had a nice little house way up on the Nomini River. They killed him and took his wife. One man tried to tie me up, and he...” Here she shuddered, and a tear rolled down her face. “Failed. Permanently.”
“That’s OK, Leilani, you follow me, OK. Be careful – we have landmines on this path. You just step where I do. My name’s Este, and those bad men have tried to take us before. They gave me this scar.” At that, he lifted up his shirt and showed her his bullet wound. Greg was surprised to see that he also had been growing a 6-pack under there. The originally pudgy Esteban was looking more like the wrestling and movie star “The Rock” than the “Shrek” that he was originally associated with. Then he looked down sadly. “We killed all of them but 6. I’m sorry we didn’t get them all. Trust me, we won’t make that mistake again.”
She took a minute to gather her will, and possibly to check out Este’s physique, then nodded her head, and followed Este down the path. As they exited landmine row, she saw the community and smiled. “Look at those dandelions! I hope you have the dandelion wine.”
“Dandelion wine?” Greg and Este said in Unison.
“Oh, I make you some. It is Ono!” Upon seeing their confusion, she clarified with “Good, tasty. I’ll show you soon. Hey, you got something to eat? I’m hungry.”
“Take her to the community center, Esteban. There should still be some breakfast to be had, since Ethyl keeps some snacks for those going off-duty. Based on their location, it sounds like we have a day or 2 to get ready for these sick fucks.”
“Si Jefe. I’ll take care of her and find a place that she wants to stay in.” Greg walked ahead of them, let Esther know that they had a guest, and grabbed a breakfast wrap to go. Now that they had harvested much of the winter wheat from the surrounding farms, flat-bread and tortillas were often the delivery mechanism for the rest of the meal. Esther did occasionally break out the sourbread, as she had her tricks for keeping the last of the original yeast going, but a lack of plentiful sugar only occasional milk in trade meant that leavened bread was rare treat. That said, she had friends among the local community, and was always trading for something. Her skills at putting together a good meal were, by now, legendary.
The community decided that survival was better than personal property in the last month or so, and were willing to use jewelry from their own, or salvaged houses to get those things necessary to trade for essentials.
Greg went back to the Osprey nest, spending the day keeping guard of the water approach, and watching Jennifer play with the kids in the “schoolyard” across the street. Annie would occasionally call out to Greg and show him some acrobatic trick, like a semi-cartwheel or a trick on the trampoline. That little girl was really growing on him, but still occasionally would do something that Maria or Jared did at that age and create a twinge of sorrow.
After an uneventful guard shift, Greg returned to the mess hall to find Leilani ordering around everyone except Ethyl, who was smiling at Leilani’s leadership style in the kitchen, and seemed glad to have a second-in-command. Doc had bandaged up Leilani’s foot, and pronounced her OK, with just abrasions from walking so far without any footwear. One of the laundry team produced some men’s flip flops big enough to fit her feet.
Greg liked to preserve the Hawaiian traditions in his family. His daughter’s name was changed to Maria Kai at one year old, as the tradition was for the matriarch to get to know the baby, then give them a Hawaiian middle name once they were a year old. He knew that a Hawaiian woman in the kitchen was someone to respect, and fear. The food situation was about to get a lot more interesting. Ethyl was an excellent cook and bringing in a whole new culture’s choices of food would be amazing.
Greg sat down next to Jennifer, who immediately said “You HAVE to try these oysters. What Leilani did wi
th them is fabulous! The salad has a flavor I’ve never tasted, either. She actually made Kudzo tasty, instead of just edible!” Annie endorsed her mom’s opinion of the food, with a smile and thumbs up! Her face was smeared with whatever this Ginger-flavored dressing was called.
“Where’d she get ginger, Jennifer?”
“Powdered, maybe? I don’t care, as long as she keeps it up!”
Ethyl came over, and put her hands on Greg’s shoulders, massaging them a bit. Then she leaned forward, kissed him on top of the head, and said “Bless you, son. Thanks for the help.” Before Greg could even turn around and respond, Ethyl was walking back into the kitchen, shouting orders for the dishwashers to get moving, as they were all just standing around watching the tropical storm that was Leilani.
Este moved Leilani into the house next to Greg and Jennifer. Les had moved out some time ago, and into the mansion. Greg didn’t know if it was to hear the community “porn radio” that was Gunny and Manuel, or if he was just lonely. He did like to take his turn on the Ma Deuce in the Eagle’s nest, but even then, his M-1 never left his side.
Leilani said that the mansion was too crowded, and she wanted to have quick access to the dock at that house, which did indeed stick out farthest in to the Harbor. She asked about some fishing gear, which Greg provided from the family boat house. Properly armed for fishing, she promised more culinary delights. She was disappointed that there wasn’t squid or octopus in the harbor, but Greg told her that the Skate, or Rays could be caught, and their wing meat was a lot like calamari.
“I’m a little worried about a stranger not being supervised.” Greg whispered to Jennifer once they were lying in bed, after another amazing night of some more vigorous exercise between them. “My gut tells me we can trust her, but trusting the community to an unsupervised stranger?”
“I trust her, too. A woman’s intuition is rarely wrong. Don’t worry, though, I’ll keep an eye on her when I can. Jen got up, stretched, and Greg was treated to her sexy silhouette against the screen sliding door. She walked over and looked out. “Right now, she’s got 3 fishing rods in the water. She’s dancing some hula or something at the end of the dock. It’s beautiful. I think we’re good.”
Curious, Greg got up and walked to the screen. Mostly, he wanted to put his hands on Jen’s body again, but he also wanted to see what was going on. “I’ve seen that dance at the Hawaiian State Society Luau. I don’t remember what it’s for, but they did it every year. It could be mourning, or a fishing dance, or whatever, but damn, she’s graceful. Well smack my ass and call me stupid – that brings back memories.”
Jen moved as fast as a cat and was behind him. She smacked his ass, and whispered in his ear, “Take me again, Stupid.”
Greg could take orders as well as give them. The hour, though not hours tonight – Greg remembered Top’s warning – passed in happiness. She proposed, through the positioning of her body – words weren’t necessary – a new position that they hadn’t tried. This ended up with both on their side. To open herself to him, she lifted her top leg, with her knee up and hooked around his knees, as he was behind her. He liked this position, as his hand was under her waist, and the free one on top could find interesting places on the front of her to caress, tickle, and otherwise massage. Once again, all ‘4 types of orgasm’ were achieved, even if not 6 times. Then he slept a few hours. Getting out of bed, with Jen there, covered only partially by a sheet in this summertime heat, was one of the more difficult things he ever had to do. But he was a leader, and duty called.
Convo on the dock
Greg stretched, and got up. Time to spend some free time in the Osprey nest. He walked to the window and looked around, and saw Leilani still fishing. He got dressed in Gym shorts and an Army t-shirt, then walked out on the dock. At the sound of the sliding screen door, she startled, and looked his way. “It’s just me”, he whispered. He opened a rain cistern in the corner and splashed water on his face. “I have some bottled water inside; do you want a drink?”
“No, your sweet friend Esteban made sure I had some supplies. Sound like you had a good night so far. You with dat pretty girl from dinner? You know sound travels far on the water here.”
Greg blushed, “Yes, I’m lucky enough that Jennifer loves me. Her daughter Annie does too.”
“Her daughter?”
“Yes, her husband died and my ex-wife and kids are probably dead. While she’s not my ex-wife yet, she and my son Jared were in Atlanta, which was Nuked. My daughter, Maria Kai, is in Philadelphia. I can’t say “was” because I have hope that she’ll get here. That home,” he pointed at the Osprey Nest, is the Chambers Family Ohana home. This is where we are all supposed to come if bad things happen, and they haven’t got here yet.”
The quick surprise on her face was replaced by a smile. “Chambers. Yes, I know the name. My brother always talked about Tony and Evelyn, and I even knew some of the family back on the big island. Adam was her brother, no? I look forward to joining your Ohana, too – some day, if you think it’s OK. Mine is all gone.” She said sadly. “I look forward to meeting Jared and Maria Kai. Then we won’t be the only ones here with Hawaiian blood in our veins.” She smiled brightly at Greg, and he saw that she seemed CERTAIN that she would meet Maria Kai one day. Tears flowed freely from his eyes.
Looking to change the subject, Greg changed the subject. “Any luck fishing? I usually don’t have much luck this close to the docks – especially at low tide.”
“Yeah, not much luck for me either. I only got 1 bucket full of catfish, she frowned. I tried calling them, but they are Haole fish. They don’t speak Hawaiian” She laughed.
“One buck…!” Greg spluttered. “One bucket of fish? It’s low tide! I need to introduce you to Sam.”
“Oh, yes, I met Samuel. I’m going fishing with him at high tide. He says that’s the best fishing. I can’t wait for high tide! Only shy catfish in here at low tide.”
“Please, Leilani, be gentle with him. You caught many fish at low tide. He will say that’s not possible. Try not to break him! You called the fish Haole. My Grandma used to call me Haole Greg, or the ‘white Greg’, because of my Scottish background. Are you saying the fish are white?”
“No, the fish just don’t speak Hawaiian,” she laughed. “You don’t either… or barely. Kimo was my brother, and he could talk Pidgin. I think he would like you anyway, though. You have a hero’s heart. Kimo died well, like a hero – and he made it so I could get away. He took many with him.” A tear rolling down her cheek caught the moonlight.
“A good death is all the rest of us can hope for. I hope to give my enemies bad deaths, and when my time comes, meet whoever is our maker with pride.” Said Greg.
“Me too. I gave a man bad death day before yesterday. He shit himself. Good riddance.”, Leilani cried quietly.
“I’m going to go up on the Osprey Nest to keep watch. If you need me, just toss a pebble from the landscaping up on the roof.”
I think I can sleep now, Greg. Thank you for the talk. She moved the fish, head down, into a bucket she made with holes in with a kitchen knife. She half-submerged it in the water, tied to the dock so that the fish were under water, but the top was at the high tide line. They thrashed a little, but couldn’t get out. If you still up in a few hours, lift the bucket up a few inches for me. If not, I think they still Ok. Catfish are hard to kill. I will drop ‘em off at kitchen before breakfast. Good night, Gregory. Then, Leilani embraced him in a hug that almost, he would never admit if she did, squeezed the breath out of him. Then she bent down and kissed him on the forehead, probably the only woman on the peninsula tall enough to do that, and went up the stairs to sleep in her new home.
Greg watched her go. He saw the classic Hawaiian beauty in her. Este was already smitten. Greg wondered how long it would take for Este to realize it. That said, Leilani would very likely tell Este, as the Hawaiian society was Matriarchal. Women didn’t typically wait for a shy guy to make a move. Greg recalled that, although
only a little Hawaiian ran in his wife’s blood, Leigh’s twin sister proposed to him for Leigh. Sitting on that very table there under the ladder, Greg recalled, as he walked to the ladder, Leigh’s twin, Sabrina had pulled out her appointment book and asked “So, when’s the wedding?”
On the way home, Leigh and Greg were silent for a long time. Finally, Greg said “I guess we’re getting married. Let’s pick a date!” Leigh let out a deep breath, grabbed Greg’s hand, and said. Let’s not. Let’s just elope when the time feels right. They did just that and were very happily married for most of 24 years when the lights went out. She didn’t make fun of him for his crazy prepper stuff, and he didn’t mind her compulsive sweepstakes entries. After all, she had won many trips and other valuable prizes. His hobby only proved valuable at the time of the lights going out, and he didn’t even have the supplies when he needed them! At least he hoped Leigh and Jared knew, if only briefly, that he was right about TEOTWAWKI. Best case, the supplies he left at home helped them survive for as long as she wanted to. She always said she just needed one bullet if the lights go out. She didn’t want to live in a world without hot baths and air conditioning.
