on—let me—beat—thing.”
There was a brief moment of silence then when Burke returned, he sounded crystal clear. “There.” He said. “Better. Just had to fuckin beat it a little more.” He let out a heavy breath that caused a distortion sound. “Now. Where were we?”
“You were bitching about Jo.” Craig replied. "She’s not with me. But she’s listening from her house.”
“Oh, really?” Burke asked with sarcasm. “Is that so? Hey Jo? Jo! Jo. Pick up the microphone. Jo. Jo!”
Sam extended the microphone to me. “Wanna talk?”
There was no debate, nor hesitation on my part on what to do. “No.” I shook my head at it. “I’ll just ... I’ll just listen.”
8. Awaiting Burke
Burke didn’t follow the rules. Not one bit. He was insistent to talk to me, and after an hour of continuous bantering, calling my name, telling childhood secrets over the airwaves in some sort of blackmail attempt, I gave in. But not without bartering first. Burke was trapped in his basement, something blocked his escape and only someone from outside could help dig him out. I told him I would only send over Sam, if he promised not to yell. Burke promised. Sam left.
“Stay on this radio until I know he’s here,” Burke told me, still sounding agitated.
“I’m not understanding this hostility, Burke. It’s not my fault you got the dejected radio.”
“No. It’s not. I apologize.”
Somehow I didn’t buy his sincerity, but I acted as if I did. “Thank you. Now, why the anger? Maybe you’re just worried about Hebba.”
Silence.
“Burke? Burke you there?”
“I’m here.”
“You didn’t say anything.”
“What do you want me to say? Of course I’m fuckin’ worried, but that’s not why I’m pissed off. I’m hungry, Jo. I’ve been living off of a can of spaghetti and a bottle of Jack for five days.”
“So you’re drunk.”
“What? No! I said I was hungry.”
“Burke, that’s not my fault.”
“You don’t think?”
“Um ... hardly.” I chuckled. “How is it my fault? You bought and made rations.”
Burke growled. He literally growled. “Jo! I bought those cases of beef jerky and canned meat because you and I made a pact. We were gonna split up our rations.”
“Yeah, and I told you I’d give you dehydrated fruit and split pea soup. That was one of the reasons I made so much split pea soup. What’s the problem?”
“Where are my rations?”
“Here.”
“Exactly. I have no goddamn rations in my basement!”
Thinking, ‘shit’, I tried to cover. “But still, Burke. You live five blocks away. I taught you enough to know after a couple of days you could have made it over here.”
Burke sounded eerily calm. “Yes, I could have.” Then he lost it. “If I wasn’t trapped!”
“You know!” I barked, “I’m turning this off. I’m not gonna waste my battery energy to listen to you bitch.”
“You’re right. You’re right. I’ll wait until I get there.”
“Thank you.” I took a moment to calm down. “Burke, you of all people surprise me that you didn’t hear the warning. You’re always watching television or listening to the radio.”
“I know. I was watching TV in the game room too. But I worked night turn and fell asleep right on the couch. I didn’t know it happened until I woke up and half my house had crumbled down around me.”
“You ... you slept through a nuclear explosion?”
“Yeah. How do you like that? Don’t it figure though? I always was a heavy sleeper.”
Unable to help it, I laughed. It was something funny that I needed to hear. More than he knew, Burke’s voice was also something I needed to hear. Despite how much he griped at me, I gained an incredible extra sense of security knowing that Burke was still alive and would be with us soon.
‘SOS’ was the only thing that Davy knew how to send. He got his Morse code contraption up and running, and sent signals out in fifteen-minute intervals. SOS. SOS. I was impressed
There was a brief moment of silence then when Burke returned, he sounded crystal clear. “There.” He said. “Better. Just had to fuckin beat it a little more.” He let out a heavy breath that caused a distortion sound. “Now. Where were we?”
“You were bitching about Jo.” Craig replied. "She’s not with me. But she’s listening from her house.”
“Oh, really?” Burke asked with sarcasm. “Is that so? Hey Jo? Jo! Jo. Pick up the microphone. Jo. Jo!”
Sam extended the microphone to me. “Wanna talk?”
There was no debate, nor hesitation on my part on what to do. “No.” I shook my head at it. “I’ll just ... I’ll just listen.”
8. Awaiting Burke
Burke didn’t follow the rules. Not one bit. He was insistent to talk to me, and after an hour of continuous bantering, calling my name, telling childhood secrets over the airwaves in some sort of blackmail attempt, I gave in. But not without bartering first. Burke was trapped in his basement, something blocked his escape and only someone from outside could help dig him out. I told him I would only send over Sam, if he promised not to yell. Burke promised. Sam left.
“Stay on this radio until I know he’s here,” Burke told me, still sounding agitated.
“I’m not understanding this hostility, Burke. It’s not my fault you got the dejected radio.”
“No. It’s not. I apologize.”
Somehow I didn’t buy his sincerity, but I acted as if I did. “Thank you. Now, why the anger? Maybe you’re just worried about Hebba.”
Silence.
“Burke? Burke you there?”
“I’m here.”
“You didn’t say anything.”
“What do you want me to say? Of course I’m fuckin’ worried, but that’s not why I’m pissed off. I’m hungry, Jo. I’ve been living off of a can of spaghetti and a bottle of Jack for five days.”
“So you’re drunk.”
“What? No! I said I was hungry.”
“Burke, that’s not my fault.”
“You don’t think?”
“Um ... hardly.” I chuckled. “How is it my fault? You bought and made rations.”
Burke growled. He literally growled. “Jo! I bought those cases of beef jerky and canned meat because you and I made a pact. We were gonna split up our rations.”
“Yeah, and I told you I’d give you dehydrated fruit and split pea soup. That was one of the reasons I made so much split pea soup. What’s the problem?”
“Where are my rations?”
“Here.”
“Exactly. I have no goddamn rations in my basement!”
Thinking, ‘shit’, I tried to cover. “But still, Burke. You live five blocks away. I taught you enough to know after a couple of days you could have made it over here.”
Burke sounded eerily calm. “Yes, I could have.” Then he lost it. “If I wasn’t trapped!”
“You know!” I barked, “I’m turning this off. I’m not gonna waste my battery energy to listen to you bitch.”
“You’re right. You’re right. I’ll wait until I get there.”
“Thank you.” I took a moment to calm down. “Burke, you of all people surprise me that you didn’t hear the warning. You’re always watching television or listening to the radio.”
“I know. I was watching TV in the game room too. But I worked night turn and fell asleep right on the couch. I didn’t know it happened until I woke up and half my house had crumbled down around me.”
“You ... you slept through a nuclear explosion?”
“Yeah. How do you like that? Don’t it figure though? I always was a heavy sleeper.”
Unable to help it, I laughed. It was something funny that I needed to hear. More than he knew, Burke’s voice was also something I needed to hear. Despite how much he griped at me, I gained an incredible extra sense of security knowing that Burke was still alive and would be with us soon.
‘SOS’ was the only thing that Davy knew how to send. He got his Morse code contraption up and running, and sent signals out in fifteen-minute intervals. SOS. SOS. I was impressed
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