No Normal Day IV (Travelers)

by Richardson, J.

  “See,” smiled the woman, “Nice, ain't it?”

  Emily smiled back at her, “Yes, it is nice.”

  Kevin grabbed at Cissy's sleeve, “Look Cissy, we could play checkers.”

  The young girl looked back at him, a little distressed, “No...I mean, I don't know how to...what did you say, checkers?” The boy had no way of knowing, in the world that his new “sister” had lived in, there was no game playing, no fun, just trying to survive as far back as she could remember. A young girl came walking up to them, she was wearing a flower print dress and western boots, her dark hair flopped around in two ponytails with ribbon bows.

  The girl grinned and said with a loud voice, “Hey ya'll, my name is Maria. Who are you?”

  They introduced themselves and the girl grabbed for Kevin and Cissy's hands, pulling at them, she said, “C'mon, I'll play checkers and we will teach you, Sis.” The two looked up at Jeff and he gave them a nod of okay. They followed the girl to a checkers table. Girl had already charged in and made herself at home, she jumped around a wildly dappled cow dog with blue eyes, until the dog nearly snapped her little head off. She was only slightly intimidated and went to lie at Cissy's feet.

  The woman bartender said to the couple, “Okey-dokey, let's find you two something a little better than lemonade and hear your story.” She stomped back behind the bar, and one of the patrons not so politely hollered, “Mae, give me a short one.”

  Mae came out with a cloth and dusted off a table, “Sit down folks. What'll you have?”

  Jeff stole a glance behind her to the shelves, “What do you have?”

  Mae put her hands on her hips, “We got some pretty darn good home brew. Got a couple of good stills around here. There's some of that golden stuff if you are a fan of the whiskey and we have clear gin, some would rather call it vodka.” Pushing her hands down the apron, she continued, “Now, we don't have any ice, not this time of year. That water down in the river, it's cold as a witch's toes. Early in the morning we fill some of these old cooler chest with it. We keep glasses and jugs of clean water down in it. It will keep the brew from burning all the way down the gullet,” she laughed a hearty rumbling sound.

  Jeff said, “I'll have a whiskey and water. Oh wait, how much?”

  Mae looked out through the filmy window, “I already spotted your wagon, son. You and your family have what you want and we can deal, I am sure.”

  Emily said, “Do you think that I could have some of that lemonade with just a bit of clear brew?”

  She gave Emily a slap on the back that made her lurch forward, “You bet hon, I'll be back and I want to hear where you folks have come from.”

  Jeff couldn't help but burst out laughing, Emily rolled her eyes and smiled at him.

  This was the travelers introduction to Bandera. Like so many rural country areas of the US, the world changing event did not make all that much difference in the inhabitant's lives. They were strong, they had land and had not lost all their skills and instincts about living off of it. This rough and tumble little town never outgrew it's western roots and lived up to it's rich cowboy reputation.

  The family of four stayed in the town for over a month, they met the six families in the area who had survived and continued to make a life. Jeff was able to locate the person that he had a letter addressed to. This always made him feel good, he was still so disappointed that the letter from Mr. Boone had been dropped to the bottom of the bag. After their small adventure at the survivor's camp, he truly hoped that John Boone and his family never made it to that place.

  They bartered and they traded stories as well as their ideas of living in this After world. The children had a grand time, played games and rode horses on the surrounding ranches. Kevin shared his natural skill at handling the animals and some of the hunting and survival skills he had learned on the road. Cissy, more and more each day was coming out of the shell that had formed from her brutal existence. Her tinkling giggle often rang out and her intelligence was clear. It was discovered, however, in learning the games and interacting with the other children of the town, that she could read very little. Emily immediately began to work with her, she was grateful that Jeff and Kevin had accumulated so many books.

  Because the children of the community were of various ages, clothes were already passed around. One or two of the women did sew and Emily was able to trade some of Kevins clothes and even a few of her own, for clothes that would fit Cissy and the boy. Kevin balked at trading away his brightly printed shirt, but when it would not button in front, he relented. Being fed and cared for, Cissy had gone from wearing the smaller jeans of the boy, to the ones that he currently wore and now those were too tight. Cissy was a couple of years older than Kevin and she looked healthier and there was a pink color to her once sunken cheeks, the dark smears underneath her eyes nearly gone. She was so excited to get a dress printed with tiny roses and a mexican three tiered skirt, each tier a different bright color. She twirled around, the skirt and her wavy hair fanning out in a circle. “Do you like it Em? Can I have it?”

  “Sure, Cissy it looks beautiful. Do you think that I should have a skirt, maybe a dress?”

  The young girl's eyes sparkled, “That would be wonderful fun.”

  Many items from the assorted bags that hung on the wagon were slowly traded away and replaced with needed clothing, food items, a couple of jars of the home brew and four pairs of western boots, a pair to fit each of the traveler's feet. Even the donkeys got a new harness that was woven and made with many colors.

  Mae had become a good friend, she introduced them to the families that scattered over many acres surrounding the town. She was straight forward and kind and she had a partner that was a bit older than her but he was every bit as plain spoken. The travelers had camped by the clear and cool river. One afternoon, Mae had come to do a bit of trading. Emily had shared her biscuit recipe with her. The woman brought a bag of hand milled flour and some baking soda that she said still had it's poof power. They poked around the wagon, dug in bags and bargained. Mae peered over into the wagon, “You all four sleep in this wagon?” she said, and shook her head.

  “Well, especially if the weather is bad,” said Emily. “That's why we have all this stuff tied around the wagon, so we can have the shelter when we need it. I thought it was pretty smart of Jeff.”

  Mae rubbed her chin a bit and winked at the younger woman, “It don't offer a whole lot of pri-va-cy does it?”

  Emily blushed a pale pink, “Well, you know, I was alone for a long time. I am actually just damn grateful to have somebody next to me.”

  “Yep, it sure could be worse, I give ya that,” said the older woman. “I got an idea. That wagon is long enough. If there was a bar across the middle and we took one of them heavy quilts that the lady across the bridge makes and hung it there, you and ole handsome would have a bit of solitary. And you know, we could hang another between the boy and that sweet little gal. She is old enough to need a little separation herself.” Not giving Emily a chance to answer, she raved right on, “You could roll 'em up and tie 'em if they weren't needed. What do you think? Let's go talk to the quilt woman...take something to trade.”

  “I guess they would help with the cold, too.” Emily warmed to the idea, “What do you think she would like?”

  “You got some of those biscuits? And she likes pretty fabric, like that scarf I saw Kevin make a sling for the dog...got anything like that?”

  The children were at the kid's bar and Jeff was out helping a rancher with some repairs. The two conspirators were soon away to the home of the lady who made quilts. They carried a half dozen biscuits wrapped in a cloth, the bright scarf and a couple of other large pieces of material.

  Two nights later, the night air was very cool and the family needed to bunk inside. Emily crawled up into the tent covered wagon bed. She dropped a thick blanket between the kid's pallets that were spread out, behind the wagon seat on each side. She called the two and showed them their small approximate
three foot by five foot spaces. Cissy loved it, she sometimes liked to use a small flashlight and read a book for a while, she was so excited to be learning to really read. Kevin seemed to have an indifferent attitude, he dropped the tent flap on his side and snuggled down, saying “Good night.” The little dog who as usual did not like to make choices, stretched out, her head peeked out on Cissy's side and her stubby tail on Kevin's side.

  When the campfire was secured, Jeff climbed up and over into the wagon, placing his rifle within his reach. Emily raised to her knees and untied the heavy patchwork quilt, it dropped down, separating them from the children. He could barely see her polka dotted boxers and pale top, she slid down beside him and whispered, “What do you think?”

  His lips found hers, “Aren't you clever. You know, in the summer we wouldn't get a breath of air.”

  She kissed him back, “We won't be in the wagon in the summer. We definitely won't be in hot Texas,” she said. “Anyway, it was all Mae's idea.”

  He laughed, “Why am I not surprised!” His hand found her waist under her top and he pulled her closer, “I think Mae is smarter than she acts.”

  It did not take a lot of persuasion to convince the family to stay in the hospitable cowboy town until after Thanksgiving. Just as Mae and her partner had promised, the large meal that was shared by many of the residents of Bandera, was delicious. Wild turkeys roamed the area, two of them became the main attraction on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table. They had been cooked for hours on a long outdoor bar-b-que grill, over a slow fire. Many Fall vegetables were prepared in savory dishes or just sliced and eaten raw. Pies, cakes and Emily's biscuit drizzled with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon graced the table.

  Jeff was very thankful for these nice folks, for Emily, Kevin and for the new young girl, Cissy. The girl brought more responsibility but more than made up for that with her spirit. She had been easy to love and he was so pleased to see her growing strong and healthy, he knew that Emily felt the same. He looked over at the table where the town children lined up, he saw the girl and Kevin eating heartily. They joked and talked with the others about the big hunt for the turkeys and how the river was way too cold to swim in these days. For not the first time, in the last few months, the temptation to stay here and make a home was strong. He did not doubt their welcome or that they could contribute, but just as in Unity, something pushed him to continue down the road.

  Their supplies were built up, things that they did not need traded for many necessities that they did need. The wagon was in good repair. They were all rested, even the donkeys had been well fed. After this special day, it would be time for the travelers to venture on. They would travel across the west central area of Texas and into New Mexico, stay away from high elevations for at least the next four months. Aside from the bundle of letters for the Colorado couples, Jeff only had one more letter. The letter was addressed to Lauren Greenlee, 702 Garcia Street, Sante Fe, New Mexico. That city would be located close to the center of New Mexico and would be months away for the travelers. If Jeff was able to find the addressee, the letter would have come the long way around, he had been given the envelope over two years ago, in Utah.

  Some thoughts of the last few months and miles crossed his mind that Thanksgiving evening, as he sat near the campfire beside the gurgling river. A great many things had happened across those miles, the best of course, finding Emily and Cissy. He and Kevin had never made it to the eastern coast of the United States, he felt that the rumors of cities growing back up were probably true. Even in Unity, the young people were worked on fuel and energy sources that would provide their small town with power. His opinion was that providing for a three mile square mile town was a far cry from restoring whole large cities. The America that had existed in the early part of this twenty first century still seemed like a distant dream to Jeff.

  The father had been smart, he had paid attention and he had managed to keep Kevin and now his larger family safe. There were sores on the landscape, rotten places like the government survivor's camp. Places such as that would finally disintegrate, however, he did not doubt that out there in the After world, much worse places existed. He was a basic optimist, but he knew that bad people with evil intent had a way of being strong. A person in this world, would be foolish to think that only a few spots of bad existed. You could bet that large and strong groups of bad people had grown and survived, they were out there. Jeff hoped his vigilance would keep his family out of their path. He wanted to believe that the good he had been lucky enough to encounter, the groups of survivors who were trying to build lives and communities and be self sustaining, would rise to the top and build a new strong country.

  The morning of their departure, a cold wind was blowing and the tent top of the wagon popped around. Jeff and Kevin sat on the wagon seat, with Girl perched between them. Emily and Cissy waved from the open back of the wagon to Mae and some of the other residents, until the western town faded from view. The trail once again led the travelers away from haven and into the unknown. Spring and a high country home was just a pinpoint of hope in all of their hearts and minds. Many wintry miles lay between them and that lofty destination.

  Chapter Six

  The River Trail

  Jeff had studied his map well and thought that the biggest challenge of the next several weeks would be water. The forest and numerous lakes and rivers of the eastern half of the state had disappeared and a flat dry landscape stretched across the west central area of Texas and up into New Mexico. It was not exactly a desert but it was devoid of lush vegetation and the water sources were sparse. The elevation would very slowly get higher over the approximate eight hundred miles to their Spring destination. His plan for their travel path was to move away from the Hill Country town in a westward and slightly northern direction. They should intersect the Pecos River in about two weeks. He planned to follow that river as near as possible, all the way into New Mexico, north to the town of Sante Fe where the letter was meant to go. The headwaters of the Pecos were very near that town.

  The quilts that Mae from Bandera had helped Emily hang inside the wagon became a very welcome addition over the next couple of weeks. In this open country, the wind blew hard and now in mid December, it blew cold. The days were reasonably warm in the Texas sun but many nights the four huddled under their blankets, thankful for the tent around them as the wind howled. It was the strong wind that Jeff said was in a big hurry to get somewhere and he wished it would get there. An old Interstate highway took them towards their river junction. Interstate highways were usually something to avoid but they had not seen a single soul since leaving the western town. This country was not a very hospitable place to survive in and obviously no one had. The familiar dead autos scattered along the desolate stretch of road. They even spotted a couple of skeletons in a car and one more set of bleached bones that appeared to be human, on the side of the road.

  It had been nearly three weeks and the family stood on a rocky bluff and looked out over the brownish green river that rushed along with frothy haste. Jeff had pushed back the limbs of some scrubby trees and they stepped to the edge above the flowing water. “Well, that should be the Pecos,” he said, “It will be our guide for a lot of miles.” There were two times of the year when the long river was prone to be over full, even flooding it's banks as it flowed down to the Rio Grande and eventually into the sea. In the Spring and again in the Fall months of October and November, it raged. There had been a history of low water flow but now with no irrigation of vast crops to deplete it, the river maintained it's natural levels. They were relieved to reach the river, they moved north near the banks for a little longer that afternoon, reaching an area where an old truss bridge spanned the river and the shoreline was low. They made camp for the night.

  There were some signs that a community had been on the opposite side of the bridge, beyond the river. Kevin and Cissy stood staring out at a rusted metal object that looked like a giant hammer on a pivot. In the distance, several m
ore of the strange shapes could be seen, in various angles of up and down. “What's that?” she said to Kevin. She slipped her hand into Kevin's, this had become her habit when she was unsure, didn't understand or recognize something.

  “I don't know,” replied the boy, “Let's go ask Dad.”

  They walked back to the campsite. Cissy only stood four or five inches above Kevin. Not only had she become healthier the last few weeks but the daily activity and work that the family shared each day, had exposed her natural agility. When a stream or fence or an obstacle needed to be cleared, she seemed to bound over with even more ease than the young boy. They had taught her to handle the guns and she was an accurate shot and improving. Even in her youth, it was also obvious that she would be a real beauty someday. She usually requested that Emily braid her wavy hair into one long braid, she did not like her hair in her way. They both wore jackets, jeans and the newly acquired boots. This was a terrain of lots of prickly things.

  Jeff walked with the two, the short distance from the camp. Kevin pointed out the giant hammers. “See, Dad, what are those?”

  The father rarely gave his son and now Cissy, a short answer. He knew that there was only one way in this world for them to learn or know about the world. “You know all those automobiles we see? Those and so much more, trucks and all kinds of transportation...there used to be planes that flew through the skies...all of those required fuel, precisely they needed gasoline. If you dig down deep enough in this ground, there is a thick black liquid called oil. Gasoline was refined, made from that oil. Once the oil was located and a pipe drilled down to it, those giant hammers pumped the oil up to the surface. You see those hammers used to swing slowly up and down.”

  Jeff knew that the children were far from grasping the whole picture. The two still stood and looked out at the pumpers. He continued, “It is really complicated, but the people of our country and most of the world had become very dependent on having the oil to make the gasoline and on being mobile. Think about it, with a car we could have traveled all this distance that we have covered since we met Cissy, in one day. Food that was grown hundreds of miles away could be hauled to other locations before it ruined. People could get jobs and work much farther away from home. It was so completely different from the world today, it is really hard for me to explain to you.”