by AJ Powers
“Too excited!”
“About what?”
“I’ve never been to a store like this before.”
Clay hadn’t thought about it from Charlie’s perspective. The idea of walking into a room full of goods that were for sale could be exciting for someone who had never been to such an establishment. Over the years, Clay’s feelings had evolved. The curious thrills of what the shopkeeper might have in stock were slowly replaced with angst-filled wonder. Would they have any medicine? Or perhaps a replacement for the die that had broken two weeks ago? To someone like Charlie, it was more of looking at all the stuff somebody else had and less about finding specific items that he needed.
“Well,” Clay said followed by a long pause, “the sooner you go to sleep, the sooner morning will get here, which means the sooner you will be able to see what Vlad has.”
Earlier that day, during their travels to Liberty, Clay and Charlie had to hide from a sizeable group of men in the area. Clay had mixed feelings about running into them. On one hand, it was another teaching opportunity for Charlie. On the other hand, they had arrived at Liberty much later than expected, and Vlad had already closed up for the night.
Vlad had always offered Clay a place to stay for the night, so they let themselves in and found their way to a vacant room. There weren’t nearly as many people there as last time, so Clay found a nice two-bed room.
“I’m trying,” Charlie said. “It’s just cool, is all.”
After a few minutes of silence, Clay started doze again, only to be dragged out of his slumber with another question.
“Do you like her?”
Clay sighed, “Like who?”
“Kelsey. Do you like her?”
Clay was already regretting that he had mentioned her to Charlie. “Yes, I like her.”
“Do you love her?”
“Seriously, Charlie, go to bed.”
“You do!” the onslaught continued.
He and Kelsey had quickly grown close. Each time they met up, Clay cared for her more. They had become good friends—more than friends to Clay, but he could tell she was always a little reluctant to venture down that road. He could see that she cared for him, too, but she would always change the subject any time Clay steered the conversation that way.
The fact was, he did love her. It hadn’t even been a month since he first met her, but he couldn’t do anything to change the way he felt. The answer to Charlie’s question was yes, but he wasn’t about to talk to a 13 year old about it.
“Go to bed, Charlie,” Clay said and turned over in bed.
Charlie had more loaded questions, but decided not to rock the boat. Instead, his mind switched gears, and he thought about all the things that he might find on the shelves in the morning. After a few minutes, he started coming up with some more ideas for a story he’d been developing in his head over the last year. Clay had kept him so busy over the last few weeks he hadn’t had much time to continue writing. But he knew the long winter ahead would afford him plenty of time. He hoped to have it finished before the thaw; perhaps Vlad would sell it in his store. As he tried to think of a name for the protagonist, he drifted to sleep.
“Come on, Charlie, time to get up,” Clay said as he shook Charlie’s shoulder.
Charlie groaned and pulled the blanket over his head.
“Hey, you were the one wanting to stay up all night, gabbing away like a girl at a slumber party. This is the price you pay,” Clay said as he yanked the blanket off Charlie.
Charlie protested again, but got up and got ready anyway. They quickly collected their things and headed to Vlad’s shop.
“Clay,” Vlad greeted them as they came through the door. He then turned to Charlie, “Welcome to Vladimir’s! I will be with you in one moment.”
Vlad was already in the middle of wheeling and dealing with a local, so Clay and Charlie poked around the store. Charlie was enthralled with the inventory. Most trading posts had a specialty or focus and would pretty much stick to that. Vlad’s, however, was a mixed bag. Though he certainly had a heavy emphasis on weaponry, medicines, and other high ticket items, he never turned down a trade for an item he thought could be of any value—from clothing to children’s toys, first aid supplies to books—the latter immediately drawing Charlie in.
Clay saw Vlad shake hands with the local man who then left. “Charlie, I am gonna go talk with Vlad, I want you to pick out something for Bethany’s birthday tomorrow. Also, see what else you can find that might be helpful for us, okay?
“Okay,” he replied absent-mindedly, his gaze locked on the bookshelf.
Clay and Vlad chatted, mostly about the imminent freeze. Vlad also mentioned some rumors he had heard about small groups of soldiers and FEMA workers traveling around, handing out food and first aid. Clay wasn’t buying it. It had been radio silence from all government agencies for far too long for the rumor to be believable.
“Sounds like a bunch of bull, to me…Or worse…” Clay said.
“I feel same way, my friend,” Vlad replied.
Both men had encountered more than their fair share of scams in the past seven years. Most of the time, people would be out some food or supplies. Other times, however, rumors of relief efforts had more sinister motives.
Charlie walked up and put a few items down on the counter, including a small giraffe stuffed animal.
“For Bethany?” Clay asked as he picked up the slightly worn-out plush.
“Yeah, I think she’ll like it.”
In addition to the giraffe, he had also brought some bandages, a few packets of powdered drink mixes, and a bag of mixed beans and rice. Clay looked it over and thought his choices were good, but a bit conservative. He walked him back out to the shelves, and they picked up a few more items. Clay reminded him of what they brought to trade Vlad and that what Charlie had picked out was worth less than their trade goods, especially since Vlad did not have the neck sizing die. Clay stressed that Vlad, like most traders, was a tough negotiator, and that Charlie was going to have to stand his ground. That made Charlie nervous.
After looking around for a few more minutes, they returned with some more items. Most notable was a relatively new pair of shoes for Megan, who had been wearing the same sneakers since they had moved into the building. She was always on her feet and deserved shoes with a bit more cushion. They also found another fiction paperback book they were both equally excited to read.
Vlad looked over the deal and shook his head, “I am sorry, but this is not fair trade.”
Charlie looked up at Clay who nodded. The young man gulped and took a deep breath. With all the courage he could muster, he replied “You’re wrong. It’s more than a fair trade.” His squeaky voice trembled as he dove head first into the world of bartering. With Vlad taking a second look at the trade, Charlie began to list several reasons why he felt the trade was indeed reasonable.
Vlad took a step back and scratched his head as if he was pondering the deal. The fact was, Vlad and Clay had done business so many times they knew exactly what the other would view as fair and what wasn’t. Negotiations seldom happened between them, and if they did, it was usually on high ticket items.
Vlad looked over and Clay gave him a wink. Vlad knew Clay would keep the deal fair, but he was to be stubborn so that Charlie could learn to haggle. And after nearly 10 minutes of back-and-forth with quite a convincing performance by Mr. Bezrukov, the young negotiator had finally made a deal with the Russian. Clay was impressed by Charlie’s efforts, even Vlad was almost convinced to throw in something extra by his resounding arguments. Charlie and Vlad shook hands, and the goods were exchanged.
“Great job, Charlie,” Clay said to him.
Charlie smiled brightly; he felt very accomplished.
“So,” Vlad said, “you will be back before winter, yes?”
“I don’t think so, but you can never know for sure these days,” Clay said and stuck his hand out.
Vlad took his hand, “Have safe winter, my
friend. Will see you in spring.”
“You, too, Vlad. Tell that beautiful daughter of yours I said bye.”
“I told you, I never let my Olesya date a sabaka like you,” Vlad said as he chuckled. “I joke, of course.”
Clay had heard him use that word a lot, but he didn’t know what it meant.
“Yeah, well, I’d probably kill myself if I had a father-in-law like you, anyhow.” Clay quipped back.
Charlie interrupted the laughter. “Clay’s already got a girlfriend, anyway.”
“Is that so?” Vlad said curiously.
“Nope, it’s not so. Have a good winter, Vlad.” Clay turned and looked back at Charlie. “Move it,” he said as he pointed to the door. He wasn’t mad at Charlie, but he had to brace himself for a long winter with Charlie prodding about Kelsey.
They made their way through a few of the other shops, looking for opportunistic trades. There wasn’t much, though they did pick up a few packs of crackers, and they found a small amount of wheat at Short Stop before heading back home.
On the way home, Clay was able to take down two rabbits with his collapsible .22 rifle he always had in his pack. When they came across another rabbit, Clay handed the rifle to Charlie. Even though Clay talked him through the shot, the inexperienced hunter still missed. He was embarrassed and upset. Clay tried to encourage him with a pun.
“You just missed him by a hare,” he said, laughing at his own joke.
Charlie was confused.
“You’ll get it later,” Clay said.
They arrived home just before sundown. It was the first time Charlie had to make such a long journey, and he still had to finish it with a 16 story climb. Just another burden that came with the job.
Everyone already had dinner, so Clay and Charlie scarfed down what Megan had set aside for them. It was cold but delicious nonetheless.
Charlie excused himself and headed for his room, the new book in hand.
“So, uhm,” Megan said as she sat down next to Clay. She stammered over her words; she was nervous. “Do you think you can get another quart or two of milk?”
Clay glared at her through squinted eyes. “What did you do?”
“I may have drunk a bit more than I realized over the last couple of days.”
Even though he had not planned on going to Watson’s in the morning, he wasn’t mad at her. Megan was the most selfless person he knew. Her sacrifices and efforts to help others were unparalleled. She almost never took time for herself or indulged in anything like that. She deserved a break every now and then.
Plus, Clay didn’t mind the opportunity to possibly see Kelsey again.
Clay sighed loudly and sarcastically, followed by a chuckle, “Yeah, I’ll take Charlie there in the morning. Should be home in time for you to get Bethany’s birthday dinner ready.
Megan leaned over and hugged him, “Thank you, Clayton.”
She stood up and walked towards the door.
“Hey, Megan,” Clay said, catching her just as she got to the doorway.
“What’s up?” she asked.
Clay grabbed his pack off the floor and flung it on to the table. He unzipped one of the pouches and said, “We picked something out for you.”
She walked back over to the table, and Clay presented her with the new tennis shoes. She stopped in her tracks and gasped. She covered her mouth with her hands, and tears began to stream down her face. She had never asked for new shoes, but desperately needed them. Some days the shin splints would cause so much pain that she would have to wrap her ankles up just to make it through the day.
She didn’t say anything; she found that she couldn’t. It was such a kind gesture—one that meant more to her than anything else in recent years. She took them from Clay and held them close to her chest. “Thank you,” she squeaked out before turning to leave.
The next morning, Clay and Charlie headed to Watson’s. Charlie was unusually quiet during their travels. Clay attributed it to the exhaustive past couple of days. He did manage to find enough energy to tease Clay about Kelsey. Clay warned that he’d be charging the battery banks all winter if he kept it up. Charlie over-dramatically gulped and stopped talking.
The gatekeeper let them through without any delay. Clay and Charlie went straight to the store. Margaret, again, was behind the counter. Clay wondered if she was the only employee at the store since she had been there every time he visited. She was pleasant to deal with, though, and not a very tough negotiator—at least compared to some of the others Clay had been up against in the past. Clay let Charlie handle the negotiations; he did quite well. Clay expected to just get two quarts of milk, but Charlie also managed to finagle a half dozen eggs out of the deal. The experience at Vlad’s was a great confidence boost for him.
Once they had the milk, they stepped outside, and Clay briefly chatted with Derrick as he passed by. Derrick had warmed up to Clay after the awkward first encounter they had at the gate. He was a good kid, though only about three years younger than Clay. Their conversation was interrupted by Jeremy, who informed Derrick he was needed at the stables.
“Yes sir, Mr. Hatfield,” Derrick replied before turning back to Clay. “Take it easy, Clay,” he said as he headed towards a field behind the little town.
Jeremy nodded at Clay before continuing about his business. Clay felt the cold shoulder from Jeremy, who didn’t try to hide it.
Clay kept his eye out for Kelsey as they were meandering back towards the gate. He didn’t want it to be too obvious he was seeking her out, though. Fortunately, he spotted her as she was coming through the gate. Clay waved to her.
“Hi, Clay!”
“Good morning, Kelsey,” Clay said with a smile. She gave him a quick hug and then looked down at Charlie, “Now who is this handsome young prince?”
Charlie blushed and looked down at the ground.
“Kelsey, this is Charlie. He’s my right-hand man these days.”
Charlie worked up enough courage to look her in the eyes and managed to say hello.
Kelsey could see the boy had a crush, and she exacerbated the issue by giving him a peck on the cheek. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Charlie.”
Charlie froze and then looked at her, “uh…uh-huh,” is all he could utter.
Clay smiled and then looked at Kelsey. “So, you coming back from a scavenge?” he asked, gesturing to her bag.
“Yeah. Unfortunately, there’s not much to show for it.”
“Well, hopefully we’ll have better luck on Thursday,” he said, his way of subtly reminding her of their recurring ‘date’.
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
After chatting for a few minutes, she gave Clay a kiss on the cheek, and they went their separate ways.
“Safe travels,” the gatekeeper said as they left.
“So,” Clay said a few minutes into the journey home, “you have any more jokes for me about Kelsey?”
Charlie looked embarrassed and didn’t say anything. After a few minutes, he spoke up, “She’s really pretty.”
“Yep.”
Clay was keenly aware of Charlie’s awkward position, and quickly dropped the matter.
About halfway home, Clay spotted some hogs across a field. It was a little late for them to be out, but with winter coming and food scarce, even the hogs seemed to be scrambling to prepare. Clay detached the M4 from the sling around his neck and handed it to Charlie.
“Remember, this ain’t the .308. Your shot needs to be perfect. Aim just behind the shoulders.”
Charlie took the rifle, and they quietly approached the hogs as they sifted through the dirt. There was no wind to speak of, and they were within 50 yards; it was an ideal shot, even for an inexperienced shooter. Charlie rested the rifle up against a tree and looked through the holographic sight. It provided no magnification, so the hog’s entire body nearly fit within the grainy red ring. After missing the rabbit yesterday, he was very nervous about another failure. He silently recited the steps Clay had taught him,
and he squeezed the trigger.
“Nailed him!” Clay shouted.
Charlie exhaled loudly and then cracked a smile. The adrenaline had kicked in and now, as if a dam of energy had burst, he had returned to his normal self. He handed the rifle back to Clay, and they made their way over to the kill. Charlie took a few moments to admire his first hunt. It was a clean shot; right through the lungs. The swine had dropped instantly.
“That’s a good, clean kill, Charlie,” Clay said.
Concerned with time, Clay field dressed the hog as quickly but efficiently as he could. He told Charlie what he was doing, but the more in-depth, hands-on session for Charlie would have to come later.
Charlie didn’t mind, actually. Of all the things he wanted to learn, butchering a pig wasn’t really one of them. He realized the importance of that knowledge, though, and would be ready to get his hands dirty when the opportunity came.
It was about an hour before sunset when home came into sight. All either of them wanted to do was get home, clean up, and go to bed, but they still had a party to attend. It wasn’t that they weren’t excited, but they had easily covered over sixty miles in the last three days, and they were exhausted beyond comprehension, especially Charlie, who hadn’t done that much walking in the last year.
Despite being so close, they still had an extra half hour of walking to do, playing cloak and dagger near the building. Clay was tempted to just ignore protocol for the night and go straight home, but he didn’t want to teach poor discipline to Charlie.
As Clay and Charlie rounded the corner of a nearby building, they were surprised by a man walking towards them. Clay quickly reacted, shouldered his rifle, and took aim. The other man had also put Clay in his sights.
“Well, this is some déjà vu,” the man spoke.
Chapter 12
Megan had everything prepared for dinner; she just needed to add the milk and throw it in the oven. Where are they? She wondered. If I don’t get this thing cooking soon, the birthday girl will fall asleep before she is able to eat her special dinner. She chided herself for overindulging on the milk Clay had brought home last time.
