by Hayden James
He led Prue to the parking lot where both of them turned off their motorcycles and dismounted them. “Smell that?” Liam asked.
“Smells amazing!” Prue answered.
“I don’t think I’m cut out to ride a motorcycle,” he said, barely able to walk, waddling over to where Prue was.
“These are very raw. You would do great on a finely tuned one,” encouraged Prue.
Liam swung his arm around Prue’s shoulders while the two walk over to the outdoor grilling. “Good morning, ma’am,” said Liam as the pair walked up to the open grill. “How much for lunch?”
“I am only taking barter at this time. What do you have to offer?” the owner of the restaurant asked.
Liam pulled off his backpack and set it on the ground to rummage through it. “Let’s see, I have canned tomatoes, freeze-dried chicken, freeze-dried beef. Let’s see, I have some freeze-dried mashed potatoes, chicken flavored rice, pancakes, or Mac and Cheese. Do any of those sound appealing to you?”
The restaurant owner gave Liam a look out the side of her eyes with her mouth gaped open. “Uh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” she finally said.
“What is it?” Liam asked.
“All of that stuff sounds damn near disgusting. I don’t want any of that,” she replied.
Disappointment consumed Liam as he was looking forward to a cooked meal. He replied, “It’s all I have.”
“I’ll tell you what,” replied the restaurant owner. “I will give you some food since I’ll just be throwing away whatever we don’t sell or eat ourselves.”
“Oh, thank you,” Liam said, relieved that he would eat a hot meal.
“Only if my sons can actually cook properly. Even though I’m giving you a free meal, I’d like it to at least test good. These three boys that I have could not heat up anything properly if they stood in Hell itself. My name is Mama Bess. What are your names?”
“My names is Liam, and this is Prue.”
“I have Mason working the grill, Derek is refilling water, and Travis is washing dishes. I’m not sure if these boys can do anything right.”
Liam noticed Mama Bess and appreciated her being a strong African American woman in the south. It became clear that she did not take it from anyone and wanted her three children to rise to the occasion. She wore her hair up in a bun, and a long skirt to hide her thick curves. An apron covered her white off-the shoulder shirt. She was definitely a force to reckon with.
Despite Mama Bess being loud and boisterous, her three sons cowered in her presences and that only made Mama Bess appear to be more displeased. Liam assessed that they were scared to make a move on their own without her barking orders, but that is what she wanted them to do, to take the initiative. They dynamic was entertaining to Liam, and he enjoyed seeing a family interact.
Both him and Prue took a seat on the folding chairs and cart table that were set out in the parking lot of the restaurant. Derek brought over tow glasses of water. The water was luke warm, but Liam and Prue drank it.
After Mason finished grilling burger patties, and placing them with tomatoes, lettuce, and onions, Derek ran the food over to them.
Mama Bess came over to the table and said, “These are our last tomatoes. The next burgers will be served with canned tomatoes. And we are out of buns, but this does still make a nice, filling meal.”
Both Liam and Prue took a bite, cutting into the stack of meat and vegetables with a fork and knife. “Oh, this is fantastic!” Liam said, savoring the taste in his mouth as he chewed. “Please let the chef know that this is the best meal I have had all week.”
“Glad to know he can do something right,” replied Mama Bess. “I’ll let him know.” Mama Bess went over to observe Derek grilling burgers while allowing Liam and Prue to finish their meal.
After a few moments, Mama Bess returned. “Glad you two stayed and ate. It was a pleasure having you two. Make sure you get plenty of water and stay hydrated before you head on out,” she said.
Liam felt guilty after he enjoyed a meal, experience hospitality that he hadn’t in days, not since he left Mr. Patterson’s house. There had to be some way he could pay for his meal. “Mama Bess, I would like to pay for my meal somehow,” he said.
“I already told you, I don’t want any of that nasty food,” she replied.
“Yeah, I got that. I don’t blame you. I do know how to grill,” answered Liam.
“You do?” Mama Bess challenged.
“I do. I can man the grill for a few hours while you could have Derek cut more vegetables,” suggested Liam.
“You’re gonna have to prove yourself before I let you on that grill, you hear,” retorted Mama Bess.
The three walk over to the grill where Derek was feverishly cooking for the new customers. Travis cleaned up the dishes and took them to the back where he was washing the dishes.
Mama Bess said to Derek, “Let’s let this guy cook one of these here burgers for a moment.” Derek handed the metal spatula over to Liam, who took over manning the grill.
Moving the burgers from the opening flame to where the part of the grill that only received indirect heat from the flames, Liam cooked the burger patty thoroughly. Mama Bess observed this and announced, “Looks like you have a better instinct at grilling meat than Derek does. Rather than charring the outside, you’ll cook it all the way through nice and even. You got the job for a few hours.”
She then looked at Derek and Prue who were standing by the grill watching Liam cook several burgers at the time. “Prue, Derek, I have work for you two to do in the kitchen. There are vegetables that must be sliced,” commanded Mama Bess.
Derek quickly followed Mama Bess, but Prue hung back by Liam at the grill. “Prue, I don’t want to leave you alone where I can’t see you,” whispered Liam.
“I’ll be fine,” assured Prue. “I don’t want to be away from you either. But, I don’t know if I can get out of chopping vegetables.”
The line of customers grew significantly, and Liam could hardly keep up with the orders. Travis took over the bartering while Mama Bess was instructing Derek on how to cut the vegetables. Travis whispered to Liam, “If we can’t strike a deal, my mom still wants us to give away the food. She said we are earning credits in heaven that way. She always said even the worst of anyone still deserves some grace.” Liam nodded at that notion.
After hearing that, Prue said, “I’ll go help in the kitchen.” She squeezed the upper part of Liams arm before she walked over to the kitchen, going on the side of the restaurant to head to it from the back.
Manning the grill had turned into quite the production as Liam could not cook the burgers fast enough. No wonder Derek had a hard time with this, he was clearly in over his head.
While Liam found his flow for grilling his burgers, a blood-curdling scream echoed throughout the restaurant. “Oh, no!” he shouted, recognizing that scream instantly. It was Prue.
Liam took off sprinting through the restaurant’s front door, making his way to the kitchen. “Prue! Prue! Are you all right!” Liam shouted while he bursted through the kitchen door.
There he saw Prue on her knees and Mama Bess flat on her back, unconscious. “Oh, no! What happened?” Liam shouted, panic-stricken at the sight. Travis administered chest compressions based on Prue’s directions and Prue administered the rescue breaths. Prue did not have time to respond to Liam’s inquiry, only to give him a worried look.
“20..30. Ok, stop and let me blow,” directed Prue. Prue tilted Mama Bess’ chin up and pinched her nose. Then she blew steadily and firmly for one second each, monitoring that the chest rose. “Travis, continue with the compressions.” Travis resumed the compressions for another thirty seconds, counting with Prue and doing at least two compressions per second.
Just as Prue was about to administer another set of rescue blows, Mama Bess began to cough. “Mom!” Travis shouted.
Mama Bess fully regained consciousness. She did not sit up yet, “What happened?” she asked, looking vi
sibly shaken and confused.
Prue answered, “You fainted. I started CPR immediately when you had stopped breathing. I told Travis what to do, and he listened and followed my every command. He did an amazing job.”
Mama Bess slowly sat up, sweat beat down her face. “Oh dear,” she said, putting her hand to her head.
“Do you have a headache,” asked Prue.
“No, no. I feel a little dizzy, but nothing that doesn’t feel like it will wear off soon.” Mama Bess had turned pale, but color returned to her face.
Looking like she regained her wits, Mama Bess turned to Prue and said, “Baby girl, you saved my life.”
“I suppose I did,” responded Prue.
“I didn’t want to tell anyone and especially worry my sons, but I have a very bad heart condition. I would not be surprised if I just had a heart attack,” admitted Mama Bess.
Liam interrupted, “Shouldn’t we get you to a doctor?”
“Uh, no! I have a restaurant to run and to make sure my sons know how to run this restaurant in case something happens to me. I don’t have time for doctors.”
Mama Bess turned to Prue and put her hand on her shoulder, “Baby girl, thank you for saving my life. I must give you something to repay you,” she said. “You can have whatever I have and I’ve gotten a lot with these bartering.”
Prue hesitated, and then said, “I can’t take anything. It was my duty to help you when you needed it.”
Liam interrupted, “We could use some camping gear.”
Mama Bess said to Travis, “Travis, go see if we have any camping gear in the storage closet. Make sure they get everything that they want.”
Travis went to the storage closet and then came back to tell his mother what type of gear they had in the storage closet. “Mom, we have some sleeping bags and a tent.”
“Those are yours,” Mama Bess turned to Prue and said.
Prue got up from where she knelt next to Mama Bess and followed Travis to the storage closet. She brought back two sleeping bags, handing one over to Liam. Travis then handed the tent over to Liam as well.
Standing next to Liam, Prue whispered, “I can’t leave her. She’s far too fragile. She was not breathing and barely had a pulse when I saw her hit the ground.”
“I know this is tough,” affirmed Liam. “But her sons can take care of her. Travis knows how to do CPR now. Not to mention, the National Guard is only a few miles away. I’m sure there’s a doctor nearby as well. These guys are doing a good business, they have plenty of resources and they are known throughout the town. They will be fine.”
Liam could sense the hesitation in Prue’s voice as she said, “I don’t want to leave, but I can see she will be fine with her sons looking out for her.”
The pair walked back to their motorcycles. Liam dreaded getting back on the bike. Prue helped him strap the tent and sleeping bag to the side of his bike before strapping her sleeping bag to her bike. With a few kicks, both of them had their engines reeving.
The deafening sounds could be heard throughout of the town as the rode, stopping at the checkpoint that led to Route 40, heading east to Townsend.
Day Seven
Chapter Nine
Rachel Conner
Victoriaville, Indiana
6:14 AM
“Morning, mom,” said Maddy as she awoke in the camper van.
“Good morning, hon. Be quiet, everyone else is still sleeping,” warned Rachel as she looked around the van. Natasha, William, and Addison were still dead asleep. Dr. Tate, Vince, and Gary all slept with Eric in his house in the main living room. Rachel was glad to have the majority of her family under one roof and for it to only be them, even if it was only for one night.
Rachel, looking forward to a hot cup of instant coffee wanted to spend this moment alone with her daughter. “Come with me to the campfire,” whispered Rachel. The two made their way over to the fire pit in Eric’s backyard, taking the instant coffee crystals, two mugs, and a kettle full of water with them.
The morning was peaceful as the sun peeked over the horizon. Rachel gathered some firewood, a sticker, and lighter fluid, and before she even realized, she had a small fire going.
She placed the kettle on the grate of the metal fire pit and enjoyed the morning with her daughter. “I know it’s your birthday next week,” started Rachel. “What would you like, but please know we don’t have much, and we will not be able to celebrate until we find your brother and get to Dwight’s house?”
“That’s what I want,” replied Maddy. “I want us to find Liam.”
Rachel’s heart broke after she realized that the twin girls longed for their older brother, their hero. “Then that’s what you and Addy will get,” assured Rachel as she poured her and Maddy hot water from the kettle, watching the instant crystals dissolve to make an aromatic cup of coffee. Rachel took a moment to enjoy the cup of coffee with her daughter before Eric, Vince and Gary came out of the back door of the house.
“Morning, Rachel. How did you sleep?” Eric asked.
“We slept well,” she replied. Rachel noted that when Madison saw Gary, she perked up.
Shortly after, William, Natasha, and Addy came from the front of the house. William carried with him a pot of oats to make porridge. “That looks good,” announced Eric as he watched the oats some up the water. “I think I have some cinnamon and nutmeg and maybe a few walnuts. I’ll go get them and some bowls,” he said as he went back into his house.
In the quietness of the morning, Madison interrupted, “So, Addy and I would like to stay here rather than go with mom to the gas station.”
“Oh?” William asked. “You don’t want to help your mother?”
Addison chimed in, “We were thinking that we could help here since we are waiting on you guys to finish the root cellar and fence. That way we can get to Nashville sooner. Plus mom doesn’t need us, she can run the shop by herself.”
“Oh, I can?” Rachel chuckled at the adolescent’s logic. Rachel knew why the twins wanted to stay behind, as her suspicions were confirmed when she saw glances from Maddy and Addy to Gary and Vince. Thankfully, neither of the brothers were given them any encouragement. Rachel did not worry too much since her discussion with the brothers seemed to change their behavior. Plus, she would have William overseeing everything, and she knew that Papa Bear was already on high alert. The last thing that he wanted was for anyone to take advantage of these daughters.
Eric returned with the spices and bowls, and everyone enjoyed a filling breakfast. Rachel appreciated the simplicity in her life. She no longer was worried about how many loads of laundry she needed to get in for the day, the client emails, working on campaigns, making sure that each child was passing their classes. The only thing she had to worry about was finding her son. Once she did that, her life would be complete.
When everything returned to normal, she vowed that she would adopt the simpler way of life. If she could get William to hold down a steady job, she would consider quitting her marketing position. However, she figured with the twins soon off to college could allow William and her to sell their current house and downsize to a smaller house. That would be less upkeep and less of a mortgage. Rachel liked the thought of that.
“Hon, I’ll give you and Natasha a ride over to the station,” interrupted William. “Dr. Tate is not feeling well, she is going to stay in the house.”
“Oh, all right,” responded Rachel, not wanting to leave her daydream of a simpler life once this whole disaster was behind them.
“On second thought, we will not need the car. Why don’t you take the van? That way I don’t have to drive back and forth to get you,” suggested William.
“Oh thanks, I wouldn’t want to burden you,” jested Rachel. She got Natasha ready and William walked her to the car to show her how to hot-wire it.
“All right, thanks hon. I’ll be back just before dark,” she said as she kissed William good bye. Rachel started the vehicle, noticing how the engine turned over when
she connected the two wires below the dash. She waved at her twins and William as she pulled out of the driveway and headed to the station.
Eric rode his motorbike over to the gas station to unlock the counter and garage for her. “I’m going to keep the keys, but when it’s time to go, just turn the lock before you shut the door and close it behind you. Before you do that, pull the bay a door shut and latch it. Then go through the convince store area,” explained Eric. “Ill make a sign with some spray paint and plywood for the front, letting everyone know that we don’t have any gas.”
Eric left to make the sign and then head back to the house to help with the digging and fence building while Natasha and Rachel sat at the cash register of the convenience store.
Right after Eric left, several cars lined up, asking about repairs for their cars. Rachel and Natasha stood outside in the blazing sun, speaking to the customers who shouted from their open car windows. “Ma’am I need a new transmission,” a driver of an old silver Buick said.
“I will make a note for that. Stop by tomorrow when the mechanic is back, and he’ll see if it is something he can do,” responded Rachel.
Another vintage car pulled up. “Have any gas today?”
“I’m sorry, we are out,” answered Rachel. “I wish I could give you better news.” Rachel did not want anyone to know that they were not out of gas, but that the gas that was left in the station was for them. The driver of the car in an angry fit squealed off of the curb at the answer Rachel gave. “Wouldn’t give you any, even if I had some,” muttered Rachel to herself while watching the car peel away.
A few hours later, the station calmed down and became quiet. Rachel took a few moments to look around the convenience store while Natasha sat at the counter next to the cash register. Nearly everything had been sold from the store since the shelves were barren. The only thing she found on the shelves was a package of white powered doughnuts. “Split these with you,” Rachel said, holding up the last package to Natasha who sat on a stool, looking out the window.