Realizing what he just said, he stopped and turned three shades of red.
Mia turned a little red but not being shy she asked with a flirtatious smile, “So you think I’m hot, huh?”
He didn’t know what to say. Finally, he responded, “Sorry, I...I….oh hell,… yeah, of course I do.”
She decided to have mercy on him and smiled, “Go on, what were you saying earlier?”
He exhaled in relief, “Well, I guess I just know him as dad, and since I arrived, I just couldn’t figure out why someone like you would love it here so much.”
She started laughing, “That’s exactly what Carmen used to …….”
She then sobered up with the realization of mentioning Carmen and a very sad look came over her face.
Paul felt bad, “I’m sorry,…. I didn’t mean to bring all this up.”
She sat there a moment, “No, this is the reality we’re going to have to face,….. and Carmen would kick my tail if she knew we were acting so depressed. She’d want these stories told because she loved it here so much.
Before Carmen came out here, she used to ask me the very same question. She just couldn’t figure out why I flew out here so much and how I could be such good friends with someone so much older than me. But once she met your dad and Kim and especially once she came out here, she completely understood and acted mad at me for not introducing them sooner.”
Paul had a huge smile on his face and was completely fascinated. He just sat there shaking his head.
“I’ve seen dad’s military side, his police side and I know he has a fun side, but he’s never, as you put it, “let his hair down” in front of me.”
“Oh, I could tell you a couple of stories,…. but I won’t.”
Paul laughed, “I probably don’t want to know.”
He then got a more serious look on his face and lowered his voice and asked, “Carmen loved dad, didn’t she?”
Mia got an odd look on her face because she wasn’t sure she wanted to tell him but finally said, “Yes, she did…. and your dad loved her as well. It was a very special kind of love that I can’t explain, but I saw it develop, and it wasn’t a threat to Kim. If it had been, I would’ve had a serious problem with it,….. but I can tell you it wasn’t.”
Paul shook his head from side to side rapidly, as though he just couldn’t understand, “And Kim didn’t have a problem with it?”
Mia smiled sweetly, “No, not at all. She trusts Vince and trusted Carmen. I know there were a couple of times that Vince was scared to death that it was bothering Kim and he was going to put some distance between him and Carmen, but Kim told him that he better not.
Kim loved Carmen, and they had a long talk together. Since she knew she could trust them both, she didn’t want to ruin what we all had together.”
“And you don’t believe anything ever happened between dad and Carmen?”
“Oh no, trust me. I’m sure a part of her wanted to, but she wouldn’t have. She knew that if they ever did do anything, it would screw up everything and she would lose it all. She couldn’t have lived with the idea that she caused any problems between them. She knew that Kim and your dad have a very special relationship and she wasn’t going to be responsible for messing that up.
Really though, she wasn’t looking for a romantic relationship. I know it probably looked that way to some, and like I said, under different circumstances, she would have pursued it, but since that wasn’t possible, she just liked being around both of them.
She trusted both of them with her heart and soul and she knew in her heart that neither one of them would ever intentionally hurt her,…. and under no circumstances would she have hurt or betrayed either one of them.
I understand how she felt because I feel the exact same way. I trust both of them completely.
With Carmen, it’s hard to put into words but she just formed a very special bond and loyalty for and with your dad.
Unless you watched how everything happened, I can see how it would be hard to understand.”
“I think you’re right. Just looking at it from the surface, it’s hard to comprehend…… Is it true that she was rich?”
Mia nodded her head, “Yep, well her family is anyway. Let me put it this way; she didn’t work because she had to make money.
Brandy’s the same way. It was the way they were raised.” She paused and asked, “Do you know that Carmen was engaged to a Dodger’s pitcher?”
“What?”
“Yep, but when his career took off, his true colors came out and he wanted her to be his trophy girlfriend. She didn’t want any part of that, so she dumped him. When he realized what he lost, he tried to get her back, but she wouldn’t have anything to do with him after that.
She dated several very good looking guys. Some of them were the male models that she worked with, but none of them worked out. I know why, too. Because of the same frustration I run into.
Today, too many guys our age are so much into themselves,… especially in California and New York. The only thing they care about is money and their own self-image, which they think goes hand in hand. They dream about being rich and famous and they sacrifice everything and everyone to try and get it. They don’t care who they hurt or if they have any real long-lasting meaningful relationships. They actually have the belief that as long as their rich and famous, they’ll always have someone in their life, even though those kind of people leave whenever the money or fame disappears.
Of course, you have another type,… again, especially in California. They’re the type that lives off mommy and daddy’s money. All they do is sleep half the day and then party all night. You won’t find any of these guys serving in the military or as a police officer or firefighter. They think that should be left to “the suckers.”
Now, don’t misunderstand me, I like to go out myself, and I fell into the trap of wanting fame and fortune for quite a while. It’s a hard temptation to walk away from once you have it,…. but soon I learned it doesn’t bring you real happiness. Believe it or not, your dad and Kim helped me to realize that. Not by trying to lecture me or really even talking about it; but by watching how they live their lives. You have to admit, anymore, it's rare to find too many couples out there that are as close and trusting as they are.
Anymore, it seems like many guys that are our age don’t have a clue what it means to be a real man,… the kind of man that most women are looking for anyway. But instead of a lot of women waiting for that dream guy, they accept the wimps of today, and then they wonder why they aren’t truly happy……. Sorry, I’m getting sidetracked out of my own frustration.
Anyway, going back to Carmen,… shortly after she came out here for the first time, and then later, after your dad saved her from those goons at the casino, that’s when her feelings started to grow. You did know about that, right?”
“Yeah, I did hear that story. That sounds like dad.”
“Oh, that wasn’t the only time. When they were visiting both of us in California, we went out to eat, and there were three guys, probably 18 or 19, making fun of this boy that had autism. Your dad went over and scared the hell out of them. They got mouthy at first, but your dad put them in their place quickly. Before all was said and done, he made the three guys go over and apologize to the boy and his mother. We couldn’t hear what he said to them, but they went from having a smart ass look to a look of fear in a matter of moments. When we asked him what he said to them, he just said he convinced them that they needed to change the way they think about things.”
Paul started rolling laughing, “I’ve seen Dad do that. I remember when we lived in Olathe, Kansas and there was this druggie that use to bother everyone. We found out later that a lot of people were scared of him because he looked like a reject from the 60’s with his hair and clothes and was very aggressive. We were driving through the parking lot of this shopping center, and he walked right out in front of the car and then stopped and slapped the hood of the car and then started cus
sing at us. I started to do something and dad said to leave him alone that he was just an idiot. Then the guy started threatening me, and before I knew it, dad was out of the car and in his face. Then, dad found out somehow that the guy was a Veteran and dad really started chewing his butt out. Dad expects Veterans to act with honor. The guy then shoved dad and before you knew it, the guy was on his back and dad was on top of him, holding him by the “Adam's Apple.” I have never seen dad move so quickly before.
Anyway, a crowd came out of the restaurant that we were next to, and they were laughing their butts off, as they knew of the guy that dad was on.
When dad noticed, he said, “The only reason I don’t call the police and have you cuffed, stuffed and hauled away, is because you’re a Veteran. But if I ever hear of you doing something like this again, I’m going to find you, and this will continue.”
The guy ended up saying he was sorry, so dad let him up and then just got back in the car, and he acted like it was no big deal.”
Both Mia and Paul started laughing until Kim came around the corner to ask what was going on.
They both felt bad laughing so much, knowing that Kim was worried but since Mia knew Kim so well, she said, “Oh, nothing. I’m just filling Paul in on some of the stories of our past.”
Kim smiled, “Oh my,” and turned and went back into the kitchen.
Mia smiled at Paul, reached out and squeezed Paul’s hand and then got up to join Kim.
Chapter Seven
I looked down at my watch and it was 5:15 a.m. With the sun coming up around 7:00 this time of year and it’s actually light about thirty minutes before that, I had to make my move. I could see something in the front yard of the house, but I couldn’t make out what it was. I needed something to use as concealment close to the house. I grabbed a couple of items that I planned on using out of my bag and stuck my thumb through the upper part of the sling right at the upper swivel and grasped the sling with my thumb. With the M-4 laying on top of my right arm, I started belly crawling towards the fence that was next to the road.
“Damn, this was hard enough when I was younger, but now it’s like trying to push 225 lbs of dead weight across the ground.”
It seemed like it took me forever to get to the barbed wire fence, where a lot of grass had grown up under the wire. I stopped, and I could make out what I had spotted in the front yard. It was a rose bush truss, about six or seven feet wide and whatever type of plant was growing on it had grown all the way across it, which made it one solid bush. It’d be perfect to hide behind, as it was only about twenty feet from the front porch that spread across the entire front of the house.
I crawled under the barbed wire and made sure that the bush was in between me and the front door. The only way I would be seen is if someone just happens to be looking out the window right at me but I knew that was unlikely and a chance I was going to have to take. I quietly moved to the bush and laid next to it. The bush was so thick; I had to make a peephole through the bottom of it. While I was doing so, a couple of birds flew out of it, giving me quite a fright.
“Now, for the hard part, the wait.”
The guys finally made it up even with the house. Wit set up the SAW, and the rest spread out, except for Mike that spotted the livestock tank out in the field and made his way to it. Upon his arrival, he found my bug-out bag and knew I had to be close. He called Mo on the radio, using a different pre-arranged frequency, to let them know that he was in position and had found my bag. He knew I wouldn’t have my radio on, but they had decided to use a secondary frequency, just in case. He then set up his .308 next to the old well pump pipe as well.
The sky to the east was starting to lighten up with a beautiful reddish glow. Dawn would come quickly. As I laid next to the brush, the wind picked up a bit, and I noticed a smell that had a very distinct odor. One that I’ve smelled too many times in the past. The smell of a dead body or bodies. Once you experience the odor of a body deteriorating, you never forget it. It was almost overwhelming, and it had to be within 50 yards or so but wherever it was, I’d have to find it later.
As the dawn started to break, I heard movement upstairs where one of the dimmed oil lamps were. I looked up through the vines and could see the lamp get brighter and could hear someone clearing their throat.
I thought about how everyone was going back to how it used to be. There was no television to keep us up late at night, no bars to drive to or all night stores to shop in. Most people were going to sleep shortly after sunset and would likely wake up at dawn. Probably the way it was intended for us to be. Instead of wasting hours watching the boob tube, our days were becoming more productive. Something we needed to do, just to survive. For those that were surviving, they had to get up early to start fires to cook on and warm themselves up. For many, I’m sure the day was used to find food, whether by hunting or just looking for some food source.
Thinking about this made me realize again, how blessed we were. I can’t imagine what life is like in the bigger cities. It has to be intolerable for those that survived.
Suddenly, I was awakened from my thoughts when the screen door flew open, and Avery came walking out. My first instinct was to shoot him on the spot, but I knew I needed to wait and see exactly how many were there. But at least I knew that I was on the right track, and if Avery was here, Lebowski probably was also.
Avery walked to the end of the porch, unzipped his pants and pissed off the side. He cleared his throat of his morning congestion and spit. Then he placed his finger on the side of his nose and blew out the snot from each nostril one side at a time. He was quite disgusting with all the sounds he was making. When he was done, he zipped up his pants, wiped his hands on the front of his shirt, then turned and looked around while walking back into the house.
After a few moments, I could hear kind of a clatter of pans being banged around. With the absence of all the manmade sounds of modern society, it was easy to hear things we probably wouldn’t have a couple of months earlier. Back then, probably the first thing he would have done was turn on the television. That’s what I used to do.
As the sun started climbing, the north wind picked up a bit. The smell increased significantly. There was no doubt in my mind that wherever the body was, it was close. There was a shed to the north of the house; it had to be in there or close to it anyway.
I heard Avery grunt, “Morning.” They were obviously back in the kitchen area, or some back room as the sound of his voice was muffled a bit.
“Son of a bitch! This toilet is completely full, and there's no water in the bucket to flush it.” I heard a voice yell but it wasn’t just any voice; it was Orville. Rage came over me. I knew he had to be there but hearing his voice brought all of my anger to the surface. I started to push myself up, as I felt like just running up and busting in through the front door. I think I actually started to do so, but my common sense finally kicked back in. I needed to be patient.
Mike was watching everything through his scope. He had watched Avery walk out on the porch. He had the urge to shoot him from where he was laying also but fought it off. He heard someone yelling from inside the house and then saw me start to move.
“Don’t do it, dad. Not yet.”
He continued to spot the entire house checking out all of the windows and doors for any type of movement because he knew, for now; his job was “overwatch.”
The cussing continued for a few moments, and I could hear that Lebowski’s voice was getting louder. The screen door popped open, and Orville came walking out with a partial roll of toilet paper in his hand. When he stepped out, he looked around and then looked towards the shed and got a scowl on his face.
“Hey, I thought you were going to do something about this stink. I want it taken care of today!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I could hear Avery’s muffled voice say.
“Son of a bitch! I’ve been telling you that for a couple of days.”
He looked back towards the shed and wrinkled his n
ose and walked down the steps and turned right. He wasn’t 10 feet from me. He then walked around the corner of the house, stopped and looked around the area and said, “To hell with it,” and pulled down his pants to take his morning dump. The view I saw was so nasty as Orville’s fat ass was facing right towards me and soon his bowel movement was coming out of him.
Mike was spotting him through his scope and when he saw the view thought, “Oh damn, really?”
After a few moments though, he had to start laughing as it was just hanging there out of his butt. Apparently, Lebowski was a bit constipated. Mike had to cover his mouth to prevent his laughter from being heard.
I reached into the cargo pocket on the side of my pants and pulled out the partial roll of duct tape I had brought along. I looked at the front door, and I could still hear Avery banging around in the what I assumed was the kitchen, so I decided to make my move.
I tore off about six inches of tape from the roll, and I crawled over to the edge of the house, where I laid my M-4 on the ground. I pulled out my Glock 22 and moved over to the corner of the house. I looked around the corner, and he was still in the same position and I could hear him mumbling, as obviously, he was having problems. I slipped the Glock back into the holster and basically jumped to where Orville was squatting and slapped the duct tape over his mouth. He grunted and fell over landing onto his own waste. Before he could pull the tape off of his mouth, I pulled out the Glock and had it sticking in his face.
“Don’t even think about taking that tape off,” I said barely above a whisper. It took Lebowski a moment to understand what was going on and to recognize me completely but when the realization came to him, he displayed a look of total panic.
He just stared at me for a moment until I said, “Pull up your pants.”
He stood, and as he started to do so, he started to mumble something, but I banged the side of his head with the Glock and told him to shut up.
I then spun him around, “Get down on your knees and put your hands behind your back.” When he did, I pulled out one of the zip cuffs and put them on his wrists and zipped them tight enough that he groaned a bit. I told him to stand up. Once again, he started groaning and acted as though he couldn’t, even though he wasn’t putting out any real effort. I slapped him again along the side of his head with the Glock. Not enough to knock him out but hard enough that I’m sure it gave him a headache. I reached down and pulled up his wrists, forcing him to stand due to the intense pain in his shoulders. Once he got up, I then shoved him forward keeping my left hand on the cuffs. With each attempt of resisting, I lifted his arms straight up, which I knew would cause a severe burning sensation in the main joint of the shoulders. Pain that I’d be awakened with on many nights.
Into the Apocalypse Page 9
