heard,” Dizzy answered. “That Prophet guy stopped by here for a meal on his way through and told us all about it.”
We sat quietly as a pair of cardinals chased back and forth between the pines on one side of the yard and then the other. They still had food, they managed to survive. In all honesty, they were fine. But were we?
“What happens if that Weston man and his wife come looking for food here?” Though I would have thought Lettie would have asked that particular question, if was actually Violet’s concern.
“We need to know what kind of force they have left,” I answered, making sure I sounded confident. Whether I actually did was a different story.
“You want to go see?” Marge asked, her tone as skeptical as I felt.
Shaking my head, I chuckled. “No way. If I never see that Weston woman again, I’ll be just fine.”
“Susan Weston wanted to kill us,” Violet added, though I didn’t need reminding. Her not so veiled threats to us last summer still burned in my memory.
“Maybe she’s dead too,” I added, letting hope take over, even though I knew better.
“According to old man Wilson,” Dizzy interjected, “Susan and her husband made it through the winter and spring just fine. Only her brother, that Callies fellow, died. Well, that and most of their army.”
“We’re going to have to watch the road,” Lettie warned, pushing off the lawn chair and heading for the house. She sounded depressed, not as hopeful as she always had in the past.
“What’s up with her?” I asked Marge and Dizzy.
Marge rose to chase after the woman while Dizzy took the chair next to mine, away from Violet.
“Lettie ran out of smokes this spring,” he informed. “About the same time you got shot. Claims life isn’t the same without cigarettes.”
I grinned at my friend. “You gave them up just fine.”
Scratching at his hair, Dizzy leaned back in his chair. “Well, that’s because Marge made me. Said she wouldn’t kiss a man that smoked. So I gave them up.” He sounded confident and pleased with himself.
I heard Violet huff and then get up from her spot. “That’s because he’s gross,” she said, jabbing a finger Dizzy’s direction. “And he’s a coward.” With her harsh words spent, she followed her mother into the house.
I peeked at Dizzy sheepishly. “Yeah,” he admitted. “She still ain’t taken much of a liking to me.” He smiled and slapped his legs. “At least she talks to me now, sometimes. All last winter she hardly said a word to me. So I think I’m making progress.”
Dizzy rose from his chair and meandered back in Nate’s direction. My eyes moved to the highway, some 40 feet away.
Trouble was coming, I felt. And the road would bring it. We needed to watch the road, closely.
Year 3 - early summer - WOP
I toyed with an idea for a while. It wasn’t a plan, more of a plan for a plan. While it wasn’t good, or very clear, I still considered it daily.
Violet had once asked me what I was going to do for female companionship here in No Where. I told her I didn’t need any. However, that as a lie, a huge lie.
Maybe at first I didn’t see the need. That was because I was leaving, or planning to leave. Why would I put the time and effort into getting to know someone when I’d be back with Shelly soon? I had a wife, and a family. I just needed to get back to them.
Lettie, Marge, Dizzy, Violet, and Nate helped fill the void of my missing family. And to be quite honest, they kept me alive. And in more ways than just Marge and Violet constantly patching up my gun wounds.
But with Dizzy and Marge now connected at the hip, I had no one.
Dizzy and I had spent countless hours together. We were, in all but blood, brothers. Marge’s relationship with him put all but an end to our carefree days of hunting, fishing, and general goofing around.
At one point, before the couple was a couple, I had considered Marge a possible mate. Though she was 15 years my elder, she
We sat quietly as a pair of cardinals chased back and forth between the pines on one side of the yard and then the other. They still had food, they managed to survive. In all honesty, they were fine. But were we?
“What happens if that Weston man and his wife come looking for food here?” Though I would have thought Lettie would have asked that particular question, if was actually Violet’s concern.
“We need to know what kind of force they have left,” I answered, making sure I sounded confident. Whether I actually did was a different story.
“You want to go see?” Marge asked, her tone as skeptical as I felt.
Shaking my head, I chuckled. “No way. If I never see that Weston woman again, I’ll be just fine.”
“Susan Weston wanted to kill us,” Violet added, though I didn’t need reminding. Her not so veiled threats to us last summer still burned in my memory.
“Maybe she’s dead too,” I added, letting hope take over, even though I knew better.
“According to old man Wilson,” Dizzy interjected, “Susan and her husband made it through the winter and spring just fine. Only her brother, that Callies fellow, died. Well, that and most of their army.”
“We’re going to have to watch the road,” Lettie warned, pushing off the lawn chair and heading for the house. She sounded depressed, not as hopeful as she always had in the past.
“What’s up with her?” I asked Marge and Dizzy.
Marge rose to chase after the woman while Dizzy took the chair next to mine, away from Violet.
“Lettie ran out of smokes this spring,” he informed. “About the same time you got shot. Claims life isn’t the same without cigarettes.”
I grinned at my friend. “You gave them up just fine.”
Scratching at his hair, Dizzy leaned back in his chair. “Well, that’s because Marge made me. Said she wouldn’t kiss a man that smoked. So I gave them up.” He sounded confident and pleased with himself.
I heard Violet huff and then get up from her spot. “That’s because he’s gross,” she said, jabbing a finger Dizzy’s direction. “And he’s a coward.” With her harsh words spent, she followed her mother into the house.
I peeked at Dizzy sheepishly. “Yeah,” he admitted. “She still ain’t taken much of a liking to me.” He smiled and slapped his legs. “At least she talks to me now, sometimes. All last winter she hardly said a word to me. So I think I’m making progress.”
Dizzy rose from his chair and meandered back in Nate’s direction. My eyes moved to the highway, some 40 feet away.
Trouble was coming, I felt. And the road would bring it. We needed to watch the road, closely.
Year 3 - early summer - WOP
I toyed with an idea for a while. It wasn’t a plan, more of a plan for a plan. While it wasn’t good, or very clear, I still considered it daily.
Violet had once asked me what I was going to do for female companionship here in No Where. I told her I didn’t need any. However, that as a lie, a huge lie.
Maybe at first I didn’t see the need. That was because I was leaving, or planning to leave. Why would I put the time and effort into getting to know someone when I’d be back with Shelly soon? I had a wife, and a family. I just needed to get back to them.
Lettie, Marge, Dizzy, Violet, and Nate helped fill the void of my missing family. And to be quite honest, they kept me alive. And in more ways than just Marge and Violet constantly patching up my gun wounds.
But with Dizzy and Marge now connected at the hip, I had no one.
Dizzy and I had spent countless hours together. We were, in all but blood, brothers. Marge’s relationship with him put all but an end to our carefree days of hunting, fishing, and general goofing around.
At one point, before the couple was a couple, I had considered Marge a possible mate. Though she was 15 years my elder, she
Similar Books
