by A. American
Mel was under the sheet when I climbed into bed. She didn’t move, and I tucked a pillow under my head and closed my eyes. The last thing I remember was thinking about a trip I took a couple years ago to Long Beach. I’d taken Taylor with me then. We’d gone down to the beach so she could stick her feet in the water of the Pacific Ocean. I was picturing that day. But we were watching a large mushroom cloud rise into the sky out over the horizon.
I woke up in the morning when the room lightened from the rising sun. Mel was already gone. I guess she thought I needed the sleep. Getting up, I went out to the living room. The house was empty and quiet, so I took advantage of the rare moment of solitude and poured myself a glass of tea and fell onto the sofa. The only thing that could have made the moment better was being able to watch an old movie on TV. But I settled for the peace.
Back in the Before, we were losing our attention span. Everyone had to have some sort of a device in their hands, either a phone, tablet, laptop or just the TV remote. Many, hell most, were not comfortable to just be for a moment. Content to sit with themselves and their thoughts. They had to have some sort of constant stimulation. It made me wonder how those people were managing today. Of course it would be worse for the younger generations that never knew a world without internet and cell phones.
This very affliction affected my older girls. They had come to an age where they had their own phone. Little Bit, however, hadn’t made it to that age, and therefore didn’t suffer as much from the loss of the internet. She was still a kid in a purer sense, one I could relate my youth to. But I would guess that those still alive today had gotten over it by now.
Sitting there contemplating the lack of technology made me think of the phones we took off the Russians. I went to the bedroom and grabbed my pack and carried it back out to the sofa. Sitting back and propping my feet up, I dumped them out in my lap.
They were all quality phones. Two of them were Iphones, two were Samsung and one was Motorola. The Motorola caught my eye. It was a little different than the others. More rugged, Mil-Spec you might say. I looked it over and powered it up. It was kind of strange seeing the screen light up as the Motorola emblem rolled across it. Once it was on, I quickly went to the settings. Even though all the commands were in Cyrillic, the symbols were universal. I found the little airplane icon and set the phone to airplane mode, killing all signals.
Once I knew no one could hear the thing, I started going through it. First thing I did was look at the photos in the gallery. There were hundreds of pics. Some of them bothered me a bit. Pictures of a smiling man holding a small, blonde-haired smiling girl. Other pictures of a woman, several of her, and more with her and the little girl. You had to think it was the man’s family.
But I was more interested in the photos of the uniformed men. Farther back in the phone, the pics were obviously from Russia. But there was a change in them. The last one that I guessed was in Russia showed a line of smiling men standing at the back of a large transport plane. They were standing in the open ramp of the plane. In the background was a truck secured in the cargo bay. The same one, it appeared, now sitting in my front yard. There was a symbol on the bumper. It looked kind of like a E, Z and an A. But obviously Cyrillic. Seeing that, I went outside and compared it to the truck. The same symbol was there; so it was very likely the same truck.
Back inside, I sat down and looked carefully at the following pictures. The next picture I saw showed four men standing with their arms over each other’s shoulders. The truck was in the background, but it was sitting on a pallet and what must have been parachute lines trailing from a series of straps. They’d obviously just parachuted in.
Looking at the geo-tagging data on the phone, there was a location, but I couldn’t read it because it was in Russian. I needed to find a way to change the language on the phone. This was going to take some trial and error. But if I figured it out, I’d know where they landed and maybe get an idea of where they are, or were.
But that could wait. I finished my tea while going through the pics. The guys had been busy it appeared, and they really liked to take photos of what they were up to. It made me wonder about the other phones, so I turned on another. The status bar showed there was no signal, but for safety I set it to airplane mode as well. This phone, like the other, had many photos of the same guys, but this one had a picture of what must be the owners of the other phones as well.
I really wanted to figure out a way to reset the language on these things. Mainly, because there were numerous text messages that I wanted to read. These things could be a goldmine of information. But I’d wasted enough time for today. I needed to make a run to town. I was picking up Kelly today and taking him to Eustis to see what sort of business he could drum up. Not to mention, today was the day for the plant startup.
Getting dressed, I walked over to Danny’s house. He was out at the shed working on a small bicycle for the kids. The kids were all gathered around, helping. Despite that, he was oiling the chain and getting ready to put it back on its wheels.
“Looks like you’ve been busy this morning,” I said.
Danny smiled. “Yeah. We were short one bike. Now they all have one.” He flipped the bike over and set it on its wheels to several squeals and laughs. Little Edie jumped on the bike and the three kids were soon tearing across the yard. “What’ve you got planned for today?”
I sat on a stump beside the shed. “We’re supposed to try and fire the plant up today. And I’m taking a guy from Altoona down to Eustis to see if he can drum up some work.”
Danny was putting wrenches away and asked, “What’s he do?”
“Makes shoes.”
Danny looked at me. “Really? That’s a pretty good idea.”
“Yeah. They’re pretty cool. He makes them from carpet and boat-cover canvas.”
Danny laughed. “Carpet and boat canvas.” He shook his head as he wiped his hands on a rag.
“What are you up to today?” I asked.
“Jamie said the water tower over there is leaking. Thad is going to the farm, so I’m going to work on that and see if we can get the leak stopped. Then I’ll probably refill it too.”
I looked towards the house. “Any breakfast in there this morning?”
He nodded. “Yeah, Mel made a big quiche this morning. She used some sausage and sweet potato greens in it. Came out really good.”
“I wish we had more greens. Guess I need to get out in the woods and see what I can find.”
Danny laughed. “Yeah. In your spare time.”
With a chuckle, I replied, “Yeah. In my spare time. I’m going to go grab a bite.”
I went up to the house where Kay, Bobby and Mel were sitting on the porch. As I came up, Mel smiled, “About time you got up.”
Stepping up on the porch, I smiled back, “I’ve been up for a long time, actually.”
“Are you hungry?” Kay asked, “Mel made a really tasty quiche this morning.”
“I heard that,” I said. “I’d love some.”
Kay started to get up, Mel told her to stay in her seat. “I’ll get it for him.” Mel looked at me, “Come in and sit down.”
I followed her into the kitchen and sat down at the bar. She puttered around the kitchen preparing my breakfast. These days, there was no more aluminum foil or plastic wrap. I looked at the large round dish sitting on the kitchen island. It was covered with a dish towel. It made me smile and I asked, “Did Bobbie eat any of this?”
Mel removed the towel and cut a piece. Setting it on a plate, she placed it in front of me. “Of course. Why?”
Taking a bite, I pointed at the dish with my fork. “Because it’s just sitting on the counter, covered in a towel. Remember how she used to be? If anything sat out for more than an hour, as far as she was concerned, it was spoiled.”
Mel laid the towel back over the dish and smiled. “Well. As they say; times, they are a changin’.”
I laughed. “I guess they are.” Holding a forkful up, I said, �
��This is really good.”
She smiled and leaned over the bar for a quick kiss. “Thank you. It was really simple. What are you doing today?”
Finishing up the meal, I gave her the rundown on the plant and about taking Kelly to Eustis. She was just as surprised as Danny about the idea of someone making shoes. It was one of the most overlooked things that everyone wore everyday. Even clothes. I would imagine there are people all over the country wearing clothes that were less than ideal. Probably ill-fitting. It made me think of people in third-world countries that we would see on TV. Some poor guy in Haiti walking the streets with no shoes but wearing a sports coat.
She took my plate and set it in the sink. Turning to me, she leaned against the counter and asked, “So no shootouts with Russians today?”
I shook my head. “I hope not.”
She turned back to the sink to wash the dish. “Then you’ll be home for dinner?”
I got up and walked around the island. Standing behind her, I wrapped my arms around her waist. “Should be.”
“Just be careful today.”
I kissed her neck and replied, “I will.”
Slapping her ass, I said goodbye and headed out the door. Danny was on the porch talking to Thad and Mary. Mary held a basket full of green leaves. Looking into the basket, I was surprised to see a tomato. “Oh man. A tomato!” I said.
Thad smiled. “Yeah. Just the beginning. Them plants is full of them. We’re going to have loads of them soon.”
From her rocker, Kay chimed in. “Oh good! There is so much we can do with them. I’ll make some sauce and we’ll can it.”
“That’s good, Miss Kay.” Thad said, “We have so many that we’ll need to find a way to store them.”
“We’ll store them fresh,” I said.
Kay and Thad both looked at me. “And just how will we do that?” Thad asked.
“Well, you’re probably not going to believe me. But if we store them in a bucket with wood ash, they’ll last for many weeks.” Thad didn’t reply immediately. The look on his face told me he didn’t believe me. “I’m serious. I’ve never done it, but I’ve read about it.”
“I’ve certainly never heard of that,” Kay said.
“Me neither.” Thad replied. Giving me a suspicious look, he added, “But we’ll try it and see if it works.”
“It’ll work. You’ll see. Are there a bunch of green tomatoes hanging out there?” I asked.
Mary smiled. “Bunches.”
I looked at Kay. “I love fried green tomatoes.”
With a sudden look of shock, she replied, “I can’t believe we haven’t done that yet!”
With a laugh, I replied, “No time like the present!”
Kay rose to her feet. “We’re having them for supper tonight!”
Mary took Kay’s hand. “Come on, Miss Kay. I’ll help.”
Thad smiled at the two. “I’ll be back later. We’re headed to town.”
Mary turned and looked back, waving at him. Thad and I walked out towards the old war wagon. It was becoming the primary transportation. In this summer heat, its open design made it more comfortable, unless it rained of course. Plus, it was more fuel efficient.
Looking at Thad, I asked, “You wanna drive?”
With that signature smile, he said, “Sure.”
I climbed into the passenger side. We headed out the gate and down the road. Ian and Jamie were at the bunker. The morning was already getting hot and they were standing under the tarp when we stopped.
“How’s it hanging?” I asked.
“It’s friggin hot,” Jamie complained.
Thad looked up into the blazing sky. “It’s gonna get hotter too.”
“Y’all be careful,” Ian said.
I looked out towards the road. “This shouldn’t be a big deal.”
“We’ll be here, trying to move as little as possible.” Jamie said.
With a laugh, I said, “Good idea.”
“You know what we should do?” Ian said. “We should go back to that park where we had the pig roast. I’d like to take a swim in the lake. Cool off.”
I looked at Thad. He nodded and said, “I’d like that too.”
“Sounds like a plan. Let’s get a day set aside and do it,” I said.
We told them we’d be back later and headed out. As we passed Thad’s road, we saw Danny and the girls working on the water tower. He turned and drove down to them. Danny was on a ladder cutting a PVC pipe.
“You got that sorted out?” Thad asked.
Danny set the hacksaw on the top of the ladder. “Yeah. I think this will fix it.”
I was happy to see Taylor there as well. While Thad and Danny talked, I was watching her and Lee Ann as they laughed with Jess and Fred. The girls were talking and carrying on while they sat on the top board of a fence. It made me feel good. Taylor was back to her old self now and even had her H&K slung over her shoulder. I was brought back to the present by Aric asking me a question.
“You headed to the plant?” He asked.
Shaking off the mental fog, I said, “Yeah. We’re on our way there now. Got to swing through Eustis as well.”
Aric stepped up on the buggy and climbed in. “I’ll go with you.”
“Cool,” I said.
Aric looked over at Fred and shouted, “I’m going with Morgan!”
Fred looked over and waved. “Be careful! Bring him back in one piece, Morgan!”
I laughed and asked, “I gotta bring him back?”
“Yes, please!” Fred shouted back.
“Only cause you asked!” I replied.
Aric kicked the back of my seat. “I see how you are.”
Danny came down off the ladder and leaned on the buggy and said, “Soon as we’re done here, I’ll refill it too.”
“I appreciate that,” Thad replied. “Wish we could find some way of keeping the water colder. It gets hot in that tank.”
“At least you ain’t got to take cold showers,” I added to the conversation.
“I guess that’s true. But some cool water would be nice.”
“Well, we’re going to go to the lake soon. You’ll be able to cool off there.”
“What?” Danny asked. “The lake?”
“Yeah. Ian and Jamie suggested we go to the lake for a swim. Thought it was a good idea.”
“Lake Dorr?” Danny asked.
I nodded. “Yep.”
“Oh, hell yeah. That would be fun. The kids would have a blast.” Danny said.
“The little ones will have a ball,” Thad said.
“I think we all will,” I said. “We could use some fun.”
“When are we going?” Danny asked.
“I think we should wait until Sarge and the guys get back.”
Thad agreed with me. “That’s probably a good idea. In case anything happens, we’re here to help them.”
“Not to mention, the old man would probably kick our ass if we went without them,” I added.
Danny stepped back and clapped his hands. “Cool. This’ll be a lot of fun.”
“We’ll be back later,” I said and nodded at Thad.
He looked at Danny and smiled. “We’ll see you later.” Then he backed and turned us around and headed for town.
We pulled into the Kangaroo to pick up Kelly. Mario and Shelly were there with their table set up. When Thad stopped, I saw Kelly. He waved as he picked up the little box he’d built for his mobile work. He picked it up and started towards us. I turned to talk to Mario and Shelly.
“Morning, Mario, Shelly,” I said as I walked up. “What’s new?”
Shelly’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I’ve got something for you.” She said as she picked up a small jar. Spinning the lid off, she said, “You’ve got to try this.”
“What is it?” I asked, peering into the jar of light brown stuff.
“Try it. You’ll like it,” Mario said with a broad smile. “It’s our new product.”
I stuck my finger into it and licked
it. My eyes went wide when the sweet creamy flavor hit my tongue. “Is that honey butter?”
Shelly laughed. “Yep. What do you think?”
“It’s delicious!” I replied.
Thad stepped up beside me. “Did I hear you say honey butter?”
I held the jar up. “Yes you did. But you don’t want none. Tastes like soap.”
“Soap my ass!” Shelly shouted.
Thad reached over. “Give me that jar.” He took it and stuck his finger in and licked it. He closed his eyes and his head rocked back as he savored the flavor. After a moment, he said, “Oh my lord, Miss Shelly. That is so good.” He looked at the jar again and brought it up to his nose. Closing his eyes, once again he inhaled deeply. “This smells just like the honey butter my Momma made.” Spinning the lid back on the jar, he added, “That brings back some very good memories for me. Thank you.” He held the jar out to Shelly.
She waved him off. “That’s for you. Keep it.”
Thad smiled broadly as he looked at the jar as a small child would a shiny quarter or surprise toy. “Thank you, Miss Shelly. Thank you very much.”
“So you and the milkman over there got together and came up with this?” I asked.
Mario smiled and wagged a finger at me. “Oh no. This was all my idea.”
Shelly rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. He just won’t stop with that, it was my idea thing.”
Pleading his case, Mario said, “But it was my idea!”
“I don’t care whose idea it was,” I said as I reached for the jar, “it’s delicious!”
Thad pulled the jar away. “Get your own. This one is mine.”
“What? I had it first!”
Thad nodded at Shelly. “Miss Shelly gave it to me. Not you.”
She laughed and picked up another jar. “Here, Morgan, this one’s for you.”
Taking the jar, I said, “Thank you, Shelly.” Looking at Thad, I added, “That’s very nice of you, unlike some people around here.”
