by T J Reeder
We spent an hour just talking, and I came to see the hunger in her for not just learning but also for a real family. Finally, I asked her straight out if she would come live with me and my family.
Her eyes got big and then filled with tears and the next thing I was holding the sobbing child in my arms. I heard the door open and in came Sandy followed by May and Beth.
I asked who was minding the babies. Beth smiled and said two big dogs and four heavily-armed old farts who will die before a hair is harmed on their sweet little heads. I asked who would change them if needed, and Sandy said, “That’s why you are leaving right now.”
I get no respect and very little understanding and had just acquired another daughter. I left.
I found the four babysitters holding my kids and drinking my hooch.
See? No respect. I got a drink and told the dogs to go lay down. Walker ignored me and never took his eyes off Harry (who had JC). I don’t think he even blinked the whole time.
I wondered how they got the kids out of their crib and asked. Ralph said Beth had handed the kids to them and told the dogs to chill out.
Harry said he would gladly give me JC to get rid of Walker. I called him a pussy and took JC and told Walker to back off. Remembering the punch in the mouth when he snapped at May, he did just that.
I put JC on the floor and he took off, followed by Walker. He didn’t crawl very well, but he gave it hell.
The girls (now numbering four) came in and took charge of the babies.
Little Sandy took JC, looked at Walker and told him to back off or she would kick the shit out of him. I swear the big brute ducked his head and tail and backed up. I wondered just what I had invited into my home. All the girls turned and smiled at me- the kid too. I just shook my head. Witches, every damn one of them.
The words of an old Marine buddy popped into my head, he said, “If it wasn’t for what they got between their legs we’d be huntin' them like wolves.” And once more I felt eyes on me and no smiles.
I said, “What?” They just shook their heads and left the room. The other cowards said not a word.
Bear and Harry were both up to speed on the chopper idea and were sure they could get things moving. They were leaving with Sam the next day in the skydiving plane and would see what they could get going. I reminded them it needed to be damn quick. When in doubt… Delegate!
They all took off and the girls came back in the living room. Each one of them hugged me and whispered ‘thank you’ in my ear. Hell, I didn’t do it, they did- once they got my eyes open.
We were faced with the problem of having two Sandys in the house, so I asked the kid what her middle name was. She said it was Ann. I asked if we could call her Ann, she thought about it a bit and said, “Well, you’ve called me Kid so long I kinda like that.”
I looked at the wives and all nodded so I reached for her and hugged her close and said, “OK, Kid it is. Welcome to our family Kid, and as of now you’re the daughter of three mothers and one old grump.”
She hugged me back and said, “You’re not a grump, dad- you’re just an old fart.” They all laughed. I smacked her lightly on the butt and said, “Do not listen to anything those two say”, pointing to ‘Them’.
I said, “Beth is the one you listen to, and by the way, stop cussing. We have tiny ears here.” That got some groans and a boo.
We showed her to her new room and watched her eyes get big. It was for sure a beautiful room and about ten times bigger than the room at the communications shack.
After that we settled into our normal routine. I sat on the stump by the edge of the ridge looking at the fishing boats heading for shore. I often wondered what they did with all the fish but figured they had found folks to trade with.
People were doing what they wanted to do, paying no taxes, owing nothing to the former Government and for the most part were very happy and comfortable- some for the first time in their lives.
I often wondered if the EMP hadn’t happened how long would it have been before the masses marched with ropes and torches on Washington DC and decorated the lamp poles with the asswipes who had become rulers instead of leaders. I would have liked to have seen that.
I was soon joined by Beth who snuggled close and said she was happy to have Kid with us. I had to admit I was too, she was a good kid and needed a home and family. Beth said Kid had asked her if she could share baby watch at night.
Beth said she could if she spent time doing it
with whoever was on watch until she learned what was needed. She said Kid was fine with that, and excited about it.
I wondered if the communications shack was gonna lose a good radioman. Beth said no, that she wanted to keep her ‘day job’, as she put it. I was really starting to love this kid.
But I was seeing that calling her Kid was gonna be a problem. We would work it out, I figured when she started turning into a ‘girl’ she would want to change that. She was gonna be fine here with us, I could see that.
Sandy and May would teach her to shoot and god knows what else (and that was scary), three of them would be more than the wounded world could handle. Thankfully, their influence didn’t rub off on Beth so much and in fact it worked the opposite- Beth tamed them a bit.
The next morning I woke to the smell of fresh coffee brewing. I reached out and counted bodies in bed and found two, meaning the baby watch had decided to make coffee.
I couldn’t take it, so I got up and got a cup, it was perfect! Strong and black. I always like the first taste to be straight, then I make it blond and sweet.
I headed out to my stump only to find it occupied; Kid had beat me to it. I asked if she made the coffee? She said yes, and was it OK? I said it was better than ‘they’ made it, which got a nice smile. We sat side beside for several minutes sipping our coffee and watching the day; not talking just sitting. I put my arm around her, pulled her over, and I heard a sigh escape. Yep, it was gonna be just fine.
Beth was next with the babies, I took one and Kid got the other…for fifteen minutes, then ‘They’ arrived and quiet departed- scuffing house shoes and May arrived followed by Sandy dragging that damn old quilt.
And now the stump was crowded, and they woke up the babies. I hate ‘em. “Do not!” I could! “Could not!” And so the day started and went to hell in one fell swoop. Beth had a baby on each breast, Kid was watching and smiling softly.
I knew right then we would need to watch her in a few more years or we would all be grandparents.
To get out from under the smothering old rag of a quilt I headed off to start breakfast. Kid came with me. She turned out to be pretty handy in the kitchen. Soon we had hot cakes, eggs and fried deer backstraps going and the girls all came in, babies full and sleeping.
Breakfast is my favorite meal, anytime of the day or night, I love breakfast. And it’s always fun around here because the two grumps are awake
and they always have us laughing. I watched the banter between all four of them and marveled how in one night Kid had become a part of our family as if she had always been there.
We all smiled when the Kid said she needed to get to work. Sandy told her they would be down in a few hours to take her to the range. She gave all of us hugs, kisses for the babies, petted Molly and growled at Walker who slunk away. I was loving this shit. Sandy sat down with him and tried to help his hurt feelers but he wasn’t buying it. I think Molly was smirking.
I asked about the shooting they had planned. May said they had found out Kid hadn’t done any shooting. I had trouble with that, all the kids were good with guns and safe with them. How she had been missed was beyond me.
I asked if we had anything that she could handle. Sandy laughed and said, “Oh, yeah!” I lost the sweet little Colt commander 9mm I ‘found’ south of the border. I had actually forgot about it since I never saw it again after they got hold of it.
I said, “Cool, if she can handle it she owns it.” With that to do, they were off rummaging in their gun room.
I have no idea what’s in there and ain’t gonna go in there, (it’s probably booby trapped). On second thought, I was sure it was and I needed to discuss that with them.
And of course Sandy walked in and said, “By the way, we took out all the booby traps now that the kids are mobile” and smirked at me. I hate her… “Do not.”
I took the Commander from Sandy, headed out and got 20 yards before they showed up- pushing me around to tell them what I was doing.
I just smiled and kept walking. Now, this is something they both hate with a passion, and it’s about the only weapon I have in my arsenal against them- I’m badly outnumbered. They stopped asking and just walked with me making comments about me. I just smiled ‘coz I was winning!...for a change.
They figured it out damn quick when I headed down the path to the leather guy; now they were babbling about needing new leather gear. I remember when most of the women I was around were into shoes, and mine are into gun leather.
Carl the boot maker was home as usual. I loved the smell of his shop. He looked up when I walked in and smiled, then he saw ‘them’ and started locking up all the guns laying around. They said he was just plain ol’ sorry and why did they even like him?
He said, “Like me? LIKE ME? You steal everything I leave laying out!” Sandy said, “Oh Carl, one time! And it was only a small thing.” I just shook my head. He was right tho, he had, (‘HAD’ being the operative word) a sweet little Colt officer’s model 1911 and of course they beat him out of it. They didn’t really steal it, they just browbeat him into parting with it.
But he learned to not leave any 1911 type weapons laying out when they came by. Hel,l I learned that the hard way too, as did everybody else in our extended family. Most of the troops just hand them over rather than be pestered to death. And they usually got paid for them with my booze.
I showed the little 9mm to Carl, who took it. Looking at ‘them’ he asked how I managed to hang on to it. I told him they took it already and gave it to my new daughter (“Our daughter John, don’t start that ‘my’ shit with the Kid”).
He raised an eyebrow, so I told him about it. He was thrilled and he said she was a great kid. Everybody loved her but she always seemed to be standoffish to everybody. I said, “Well, not anymore.”
He asked if the Commander needed new clothes for its new owner. I had to laugh and said, “Sure does, Carl- by this afternoon?” He went off on a tirade so I said, “Fine, give me something for now and make whatever you think she will like.” Now he was smiling, but still keeping an eye on ‘them’.
I had the thought of ‘Good luck, Carl’. Sandy said she should have at least 4 mag pouches and a good belt. Carl nodded and said, “Come back in three days.” I dragged them out before they wore out our welcome. Carl can be temperamental.
Next, we headed for the cooking area to see what was cooking. Makes sense, no? There was good stuff cooking! Sandy took off up the trail to get Beth and the babies, May headed for the cold room. Did I mention the earth ovens had apple pies baking? May was getting some homemade ice cream. Yes life in the new world was rough.
The girls arrived with the babies, and I used the 5 watt to call Kid to join us. I mentioned ‘pie and ice cream’ and she was standing there, just like that. Poof. Witches all.
The word had spread like wildfire and all the worthless bums started arriving, crowding in to hog all the goodies. Beth patted me on the chest and said, “Don’t worry, love. I’ll take care of you.”
Kid beat her to it! She showed up with a bowl filled with hot pie and cold ice cream. Of course I had to guard against ‘them’, but for once I got it all.
Well, all but the bits I fed the babies. They had discovered ice cream recently and were experts at getting to it. The apples in the pie? Not so much.
Kid sat on my knee and we enjoyed the treat together. When we were done she washed the bowls in the hot water by the fire and dried them for the next person in need. Good kid.
Joe and Willy drifted in and took a seat. Kid grabbed them each a bowl of pie and ice cream. Joe looked at the bowl, then her, and said, “You didn’t spit in it did you?” She reached to take it back, but he laughed and said, “Hey- I hear you moved up to the rock pile?” She smiled and said, “Yes I did, and ‘bout damn time, too.”
Everybody laughed and looking around I got nods and winks from everybody. I sat there wondering if everybody but me knew it was gonna happen? “Yes John, everybody but you. But you’re slower than most so…”
I looked at them but both were stuffing their faces. Beth was smiling and I swear even Sam was smiling but it may have been an ice cream happy smile. JC was just being busy eating his. My son for sure.
Joe asked if I had heard from The Texans about the choppers. I said, “Hell, they only just left. Give them a week or so.”
Right then Kid cocked her head, took off to the communications shed and came trotting back with a smile but said nothing. Ten minutes later a Hummer drove into the parking area and shortly Charley and Old Woman came walking in. I was thrilled, the girls jumped up and ran to hug her.
She walked up to me and said, “Oh sure, white folk have hot apple pie and ice cream and do they invite their red brothers ? Oh hell, no. Yer sorry, John!”
I didn’t know what to say but then Kid was there holding out a bowl filled with the good stuff. I gave her my seat and she went to work. Charley got the next bowl and a seat. I looked at Kid who smiled at me and shrugged. I had to laugh; she was a nice surprise for all of us.
Charley stopped eating to ask if the Texans had got the choppers yet. Now I was getting tired of this shit. Did everybody in the whole southwest know my plans? Old Woman said, “Well yeah, mostly” all to laughs from everybody. Right then V showed up with the squirrel on her head. Weird woman, but useful, and her and doc…well, never mind, not my business. Kinda scary, too.
I asked where Col. Chang was. Charley said he was in the hills with a shaman or whatever it is they call them. I think ‘Shaman’ is for us white
eyes since we all knew that word. anyway, Col. Chang was going thru some kind of something that none of us would ever understand.
Charley said it was kind of a cleansing ceremony thing that was the beginning steps in becoming a human, meaning a member of the People.
I had to raise my eyebrows at that! He was gonna become one of the People? Charley said, “Yes, kind of. I guess he really didn’t want to be a part of the bunch coming against us.”
The following few days just kind of drifted past, nothing going on but lots of brain fiber being burned, (not that I had any to spare).
Charley and Old Woman stayed with us. Old Woman took over the baby watch room as well as night mom duties along with Kid. I think she would wake one or both of the babies just so she could hold them and rock them back to sleep. I guess she needed it.
Charley and I spent hours trying to plan for something that hadn’t even started. The enemy’s ships hadn’t left when Col. Chang did; their plan was to follow in a couple of months. Chang was to come up thru Mexico using the former drug cartel people and move north gathering information as he went.
Charley had disrupted that when he stumbled onto them and things went to shit. He fought a running battle with them almost the entire time he was down there. Chang’s people weren’t first line combat troops but the cartel people working with them more than made up for any lack of experience.
How Charley managed to win his small war was thru sheer grit and determination mixed with a love of a good fight and pride.
This upcoming battle was going to test us as never before. I had no doubt we would prevail because we were here; it was our homeland, we didn’t have to depend on a supply line following us…and right there was when the light bulb came on.
Supply line! Where was this army planning to re-supply? Simple! They intended to forage as they went. And this was their Achilles heel! Hell, we didn’t have to fight them, we could simply starve them to death!
&
nbsp; We would simply use a scorched earth policy by moving ahead of the invaders burning or moving any and all supplies that might be of any use to them, all the while keeping up guerrilla warfare on their rear and flanks.
According to Col. Chang, the troops we would be facing were what had been regular army troops but the officers were bottom of the barrel (so to speak).
Well, I now had a plan, or at least a thought of a plan. Time would tell, but I knew this wasn’t gonna be a fair fight. Well, none of our fights are ‘fair’, fair is for fools.
Col. Chang had told us the enemy wasn’t going to try to land at any of the major harbors to avoid being tied up in fighting just to get out of the city. He also said they had no interest in our cities- at this point they were after the heartland for some reason.
I’d think taking a place like Seattle would be a major advantage. Also, there was nothing in the heartland but open country- farm land…and a lot of blades of grass with those rifles behind them.
