surprised.
“There’s a shotgun on the counter.”
“Oh, okay,” I said, even more surprised.
“Not that I would ever use it. But it’s there. And it’s loaded. He told me not to open the door for anybody until he got back with my mother.”
“You think something could have happened to him?”
“I don’t know,” she said, her voice quivering. “I sure hope not.”
“Tell you what,” I said, “maybe we can make a deal.”
Chapter 12
The deal was simple. In exchange for a few boxes of food and water, I would take my grandma’s car and drop Naima off at her house. That way she could find out what happened to her father, which I suspected wasn’t good news. She said her house was no more than fifteen minutes away. Fair trade for thirty minutes of driving, I thought, even if some of the food was expired.
We found some empty wine boxes in the back, and she said I could fill four of them. Not just with food, with anything I wanted, so as long as I didn’t ever ever ever tell her father.
“What are you crazy?” I said. “I don’t think he likes me very much as it is.”
Naima smiled. The first smile I’d seen out of her that morning. “He’s not so bad. A little protective, but at least he’s not trying to arrange a marriage.”
“There’s always that.”
I stuffed the four boxes with as much junk as I could, three with food and water, and one with other stuff like ibuprofen, batteries, and assorted first aid supplies. I even grabbed a pack of cigarettes for Peaches. That’ll make her love me.
We carried the boxes outside and then she locked up the store. Naima agreed to help carry the stuff over to my place and then I’d take her to her house. Peaches watched us from the window the entire way across the street and then met us downstairs at the door.
“We got some stuff,” I said.
“Great,” Peaches said. She looked over at Naima. “Hi there.”
I introduced them, and then told Peaches the deal. She didn’t look too happy about staying there with my grandma while I ran off escorting Naima around. But what was she going to say? I got us food and water.
Peaches took one of the boxes, and we all went upstairs. We set the boxes down in the kitchen and then Peaches began to sort through them to see what I had picked out.
“Hold on,” I said to Naima. “I’ve got to tell my grandma that I’m gonna take the car. She won’t mind.”
I hadn’t even thought about what time it was, but it had to be pushing eight a.m.
I knocked on her door.
Then again.
Peaches looked over, concerned. I met her gaze and could tell immediately what she was thinking.
Terrible thoughts.
I pushed them away and entered grandma’s room. She was curled up in bed, on her side facing me, eyes closed, looking solemn. She wore a nightcap to bed that gave her an innocent, childlike quality.
I lightly nudged her shoulder, but she didn’t move.
I nudged her again. “Grandma, wake up.”
I could feel Peaches and Naima standing behind me in the doorway, looking on quietly.
I knelt down beside her. “No,” I whispered, continuing to lightly shake her. “No, no, no. Grandma, please, please wake up.”
I started to cry.
“Don’t leave me.”
I took her hand in mine, and as the tears ran down my face, I could feel the pulse of her heartbeat still going strong even after eighty years. But nothing I could say or do would wake her up.
Chapter 13
How long was I in the bathroom?
Five minutes?
Ten?
I was hiding out. Hiding and crying. Crying because my grandmother, the woman who practically raised me all my life, had become infected with the unexplainable plague—the virus that had crossed the planet in record time, oceans and all, and left the majority of people on earth in a coma.
The television was first to tell me the story, but it wasn’t real. The news reports showed video of abandoned cities, looted cities, destroyed cities, usually from the vantage point of a helicopter. Cities
“There’s a shotgun on the counter.”
“Oh, okay,” I said, even more surprised.
“Not that I would ever use it. But it’s there. And it’s loaded. He told me not to open the door for anybody until he got back with my mother.”
“You think something could have happened to him?”
“I don’t know,” she said, her voice quivering. “I sure hope not.”
“Tell you what,” I said, “maybe we can make a deal.”
Chapter 12
The deal was simple. In exchange for a few boxes of food and water, I would take my grandma’s car and drop Naima off at her house. That way she could find out what happened to her father, which I suspected wasn’t good news. She said her house was no more than fifteen minutes away. Fair trade for thirty minutes of driving, I thought, even if some of the food was expired.
We found some empty wine boxes in the back, and she said I could fill four of them. Not just with food, with anything I wanted, so as long as I didn’t ever ever ever tell her father.
“What are you crazy?” I said. “I don’t think he likes me very much as it is.”
Naima smiled. The first smile I’d seen out of her that morning. “He’s not so bad. A little protective, but at least he’s not trying to arrange a marriage.”
“There’s always that.”
I stuffed the four boxes with as much junk as I could, three with food and water, and one with other stuff like ibuprofen, batteries, and assorted first aid supplies. I even grabbed a pack of cigarettes for Peaches. That’ll make her love me.
We carried the boxes outside and then she locked up the store. Naima agreed to help carry the stuff over to my place and then I’d take her to her house. Peaches watched us from the window the entire way across the street and then met us downstairs at the door.
“We got some stuff,” I said.
“Great,” Peaches said. She looked over at Naima. “Hi there.”
I introduced them, and then told Peaches the deal. She didn’t look too happy about staying there with my grandma while I ran off escorting Naima around. But what was she going to say? I got us food and water.
Peaches took one of the boxes, and we all went upstairs. We set the boxes down in the kitchen and then Peaches began to sort through them to see what I had picked out.
“Hold on,” I said to Naima. “I’ve got to tell my grandma that I’m gonna take the car. She won’t mind.”
I hadn’t even thought about what time it was, but it had to be pushing eight a.m.
I knocked on her door.
Then again.
Peaches looked over, concerned. I met her gaze and could tell immediately what she was thinking.
Terrible thoughts.
I pushed them away and entered grandma’s room. She was curled up in bed, on her side facing me, eyes closed, looking solemn. She wore a nightcap to bed that gave her an innocent, childlike quality.
I lightly nudged her shoulder, but she didn’t move.
I nudged her again. “Grandma, wake up.”
I could feel Peaches and Naima standing behind me in the doorway, looking on quietly.
I knelt down beside her. “No,” I whispered, continuing to lightly shake her. “No, no, no. Grandma, please, please wake up.”
I started to cry.
“Don’t leave me.”
I took her hand in mine, and as the tears ran down my face, I could feel the pulse of her heartbeat still going strong even after eighty years. But nothing I could say or do would wake her up.
Chapter 13
How long was I in the bathroom?
Five minutes?
Ten?
I was hiding out. Hiding and crying. Crying because my grandmother, the woman who practically raised me all my life, had become infected with the unexplainable plague—the virus that had crossed the planet in record time, oceans and all, and left the majority of people on earth in a coma.
The television was first to tell me the story, but it wasn’t real. The news reports showed video of abandoned cities, looted cities, destroyed cities, usually from the vantage point of a helicopter. Cities
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