by A. American
“Well, if you get it made, I want some,” she replied.
“Not a problem. We got to get to town. I’ll see you guys later.” I said and picked up the bucket. Holding it up, I said, “Dillon, I’ll bring your bucket back later.”
A five-gallon bucket with a handle and no holes was a commodity to be coveted today. Sure, they used to be everywhere, and we always took them for granted when you could use one as a shopping basket at Lowes or Home Depot and take it home with you when you were done. They were left outside to fill with water and become little ecosystems, or blown out of the bed of trucks to be smashed on the highway. But not now. Now, it was very difficult to find one, as they were infinitely useful.
He waved me off. “Whenever is fine. I’ve got more.”
“Wait,” Gena said. She went into the house and came out with several small jars piled into her apron. “Here,” she said, handing the jars to Jess, “take some jelly home with you.”
Jess held one of the jars up to the light. It was a pretty light purple. “Thanks, Gena. That’s very sweet.”
“We’ve got more than we can eat.”
“I’ll say!” Dillon shouted. “Not to mention, there ain’t no toast to put it on anyway!”
Jess’s eyes rolled back. “I would give anything for a loaf of bread!”
“Maybe if we lived in Kansas,” Dillon replied.
“Well, we ain’t in Kansas, Dorothy,” I replied with a grin.
Dillon laughed uproariously. Pointing at me, he replied, “You’re funny, Morgan. But keep your day job.”
I laughed and shook my head. “I don’t know, buddy. My day job is killing me.”
Jess kicked me in the shin and scowled at me. “Don’t talk like that!”
Gena agreed with her, “That was not funny, Mister Morgan.”
“Okay, okay. It wasn’t funny.” I agreed in surrender.
Saying goodbye, we climbed back in and headed for the market in Altoona. As we rode, Fred said, “I don’t feel so good.”
Looking back, I asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just an upset tummy,” she replied and turned to look out the open side of the buggy. I looked at Aric, but he just shrugged and kept his eyes on the road.
Aric swung into the market and stopped beside Mario and Shelly’s booth. This time though, Shelly wasn’t there, and I asked Mario where she was.
“She’s back at the house with Garrett.” He nodded across the market and added, “John’s here helping me today.”
John was Mario’s lifelong best friend. Seeing me, he waved and smiled, which I returned.
“Damn,” I said. “I haven’t seen him since…” I thought for a moment, “before all this started, I guess. Where’s he been?”
“He’s been keeping an eye on our place. That and working the bees to keep us in honey.”
“I’ll have to go say hi to him.”
“Hey, Morg, me and the girls are going to walk around,” Aric said. I nodded, and they headed off to wander the day’s offerings.
“Heard about what happened to you,” Mario said. “Glad to see you up and around.”
“Me too, my friend. Thanks.”
“What are you up to today?”
“I need some honey. I’m going to try and make vinegar so we can pickle some of the crop from the garden.”
I could see he was thinking about it. “That’s a pretty good idea. But I’ve never heard of anyone using honey to make vinegar.”
“Me neither, honestly,” I replied. “But all you need is sugar, and honey is sugar.”
“That’s true,” he said as he picked up a gallon jug and held it up. “Best sugar there is.” And he held the jug out to me.
I took it and asked, “What do you want for it?”
He waved me off, saying, “Don’t worry about it. If it works, show me how you do it.”
“Thanks. I really appreciate it.”
“Just doing my part for the community,” he replied.
“It’s a lot,” I replied, smiling.
I said goodbye and carried the gallon over to the buggy. Aric was there, sitting on the front of it with his feet on the bumper. He was leaned on his knees looking at something in his hands. I dropped the jug into the back seat and leaned up beside him. He was turning a small velvet box over and over in his hands.
“You still haven’t given that to her yet?” I asked.
He shook his head before looking up at me. “Not yet. But I need to. Soon.”
I looked out across the parking lot of the market at the girls. Jess was holding a little sun dress up as though she were modeling it. Fred was laughing at her. “Soon, huh?” I asked and looked over at him.
He nodded nervously. “Yeah.”
“Why?” He shrugged and looked at the box. I smiled and asked, “How many months do you have?”
“What?” He quickly asked.
“Well. You said you needed to give it to her soon. And she wasn’t feeling good earlier. I didn’t think anything of it until you said that. But now, well, even I can do that math.”
“Please don’t say anything,” he pleaded.
I smiled and asked, “Why? What’s the big deal?”
“Well,” he hesitated, “We’re not married or anything. She doesn’t feel right about it.”
I laughed. “What the hell does that have to do with anything? So, you didn’t go to the county courthouse and buy a license. Big damn deal. You two love each other, right?” He nodded. “That’s all that matters. It’s not like you’re going to be filing your taxes married, or adding her to your health insurance. All that matters is what you two think of it. No one around here is going to think anything less of you. Hell, all those hens back at the ranch will probably be excited as hell for you!”
“You don’t think anyone will say anything?”
“Hell no! Who would have the right to say anything to you two anyway?”
“I guess you’re right. I just don’t know what to do.”
I stood up and patted him on the shoulder. “What you need to do is give her that ring. I mean, shit, you’ve had it long enough.”
He looked up and smiled. “I guess you’re right. But what about the baby? She’s kind of scared. You know, no hospital and all.”
“Don’t worry, buddy. When it’s time, it won’t matter. Babies are born all around the world every day without hospitals. Nature will take care of that. Besides, we’ve got Doc and the clinic as well. Not to mention, Miss Kay and Mel. She knows a thing or three about having babies.”
The girls were walking back towards the buggy now, without the dress. Aric gripped the little box in his fist. I saw it out of the corner of my eye and elbowed him. As Fred walked up, I said, “Go ahead. What are you waiting for?” He looked mortified, but Fred asked, “Go ahead what?”
Aric stepped down off the buggy. He looked at Fred, the box was still wrapped in his fist. “What?” Fred asked.
“Well,” he started. Then Jess squealed and cupped her hands over her mouth.
Fred looked confused and asked again, “What?”
Aric held the little box out in front of him. Before he opened it, Fred covered her mouth and took a step back. He opened the small velvet box and took the ring from its satin setting and held it out. “I’ve had this for a long time.”
Fred looked at me and I nodded. “He has. I was with him when he traded for it.”
Aric reached out and gently took Fred’s hand. “I want our child to be born to parents that are married.” He slid the ring on her finger. She held her hand up and looked at the stone in the sunlight.
After a moment, she said, “But we aren’t married.”
I smiled and asked, “Do you want to be?” She looked at Aric
and smiled, nodding her head. I shrugged and said, “Then you’re married.”
Fred let out a squeal and fell into Aric’s arms. He caught her, and they hugged one another for a long time, then kissed. Aric looked as though the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. Personally, I found the whole thing funny. People were so stuck in the old ways that even now they were worried about not being properly married. What did that really mean though?
When they finally let go of one another, Jess pulled Fred away, drawing her hand out so she could see the ring. “Oh, that is so beautiful,” she said with a tear in her eye.
Fred held her hand up again and replied, “Isn’t it, though?” Looking at Aric, she asked, “Where did you get it?”
“He went to Jarred,” I laughed.
Jess scrunched her face at my joke. Before saying, “We need to have a party for them!”
I nodded. “That’s a fine idea. We’ll have a party for you two.”
“Really?” Fred asked.
“Of course! It’s not every day two people get married,” I paused and smiled, “and we find out there’s going to be a baby.”
Fred looked at Aric in surprise. He held his hands up, “He guessed it! I didn’t say anything, I promise!”
“He didn’t tell me Fred,” I said in his defense. Then I asked, “How far along are you?”
She put her hand over her belly and said, “Five weeks, I think.”
“I say six!” Jess interjected.
“Five, six, it doesn’t matter,” I said and leaned in and hugged her, then kissed her on the cheek. “Congratulations. This is going to be big news. Everyone is going to be so excited.”
“You don’t think anyone will be mad?”
“Mad at what? No, sweetheart, no one will be mad,” I smiled.
Now, she too looked relieved, and I watched in amazement as she took on a glow that I would never have expected. She went to Aric and they stood side by side with their arms around one another. He looked happy, on top of the world even. And she was radiant. It was a moving thing to see. They’d kept it in and hidden this wonderful news from everyone as though it were something to be ashamed of. But they were two consenting adults, and I knew looking at them, they would be together for the rest of their lives.
“We got work to do first, newlyweds. We got to make this run to town then we’ll go back and tell everyone the good news. Why don’t you two sit in the back,” I said.
“You ride shotgun. I’ll drive,” Jess said.
I looked at her with raised eyebrows. “Really? You’re going to drive?”
With her hands planted on her hips, she cocked her head to the side and replied, “Yes! I can drive!”
I reached for my side and said, “I don’t know if I’m well enough for this,” trying not to smile.
She rolled her eyes. “Get in, old man.”
“Now that hurt!” I mocked her.
As she climbed into the driver’s side, she pulled herself up to look over the roll-bar at me, “Bullshit.”
I nodded. “Yeah. You’re right,” I said as I got in on the passenger side.
We left the market in Altoona behind us. Jess was getting a thrill out of driving the big war wagon and took the old saying, drive it like you stole it, to heart as she flew into Umatilla. It was mid-morning and starting to get hot already. The sky was clear and bright, and the hot air blew over us as she roared into town. As we passed the old Ace Hardware, she asked, “You want to stop at the market?”
I nodded, “Yeah. Just for a minute.”
She did manage to slow the wagon down as we got to the market. I was beginning to think she was going to come in sideways. As she shut it down, I looked over at her and said, “Good driving there, Andretti.”
She gave me a dismissive look over her shoulder, replying, “Told you I could drive.”
As it was high summer, there were a few things coming into season in the Florida wilds for those that knew where to look. One thing, that most anyone could find, was blackberries. Florida blackberries are not like their northern kin. They are smaller, usually tarter and heavy with seed. But they were still good. I’d been keeping my eye out for the patches I knew of, and marking their progress. Waiting to see the bushes go from the bright red of young fruit to the nearly black that would signal ripe fruit. Even when passing at speed down the highway, they were easy to spot.
So, I wasn’t too surprised to see fruit in a couple of the stalls at the market. It reminded me to look in Altoona next time to see if there were any there. But one stall caught my eye. Sitting on the table were two large glass jugs of black liquid. I walked over and picked one up, “Is this what I think it is?” I asked.
The man behind the table was thin and bearded. He wore overalls with no shirt and only one strap buckled. “Blackberry wine,” he nodded.
I held the jug up to the light and asked, “How’d you get wine already?”
He pointed at the jug and said, “That’s from last year. I been savin’ it. Now that I can get more berries, I figured I’d trade it.”
“What’cha trading for it?” I asked. It was the standard question and was met with the most common reply, “What’cha got?”
I reached into the pocket on my vest where I kept a few silver dollars and pulled a couple out and held them up. He eyed them, then shook his head. “Naw. Them ain’t gonna do me any good.”
“What are you looking for, then?”
“Something to eat!”
I nodded and walked back over to the buggy. We kept a case of MREs in the back for those times we may be caught away from home unexpectedly. They were starting to become scarce and I assumed that with Tampa now out of the picture, the chance of us receiving any more was slim. But I also figured that a wedding party would be better with a little blackberry wine too!
I took four meals out and carried them back over to the table and laid them out. The old man looked at each one, reading the menu printed on the front.
“Chili Mac,” he said as he rubbed his chin. “I ain’t had nothing like that in a long time.”
“It’s one of the better ones too.”
Still scratching at the scruff on his face, he started to nod his head and reached out for the meals, “Alright. You got a deal.”
I put my hand on top of his, pressing it to the table. He looked up and I smiled and said, “First. I gotta sample it. Could be anything in that jug.”
He smiled a toothy grin, “Sheriff, you ain’t gonna find no better wine, I promise you that. Besides, what fool would try and cheat the damn Sheriff?”
I unscrewed the cap and said, “A damn fool.” And with a smile, I took a quick sip. It was an explosion of flavor unlike anything I’d tasted in a long time. I slowly capped the jug as I savored the elixir.
“We got a deal?”
“Oh, we got a deal. That is damn fine wine. As a matter of fact, I want the other one too. I’ll be right back.” I went to the buggy and got four more meals and carried them back to the table. The old man collected them up and turned to leave.
“Where you going?” I asked.
“I’m done for the day. I’m going home to eat!”
Aric walked up and leaned over my shoulder, asking, “What’s that?”
I looked at the two jugs and replied, “Oh. Just a little something for a party.”
He reached out for one of the jugs and I slapped his hand, “You will have to wait.”
He looked at me, then at the jugs. “But what is it?”
I smiled. “You’ll see at the party.” Picking the jugs up, I headed back towards the buggy. “But what is it?” He called out as I walked away. I just laughed and shook my head.
The market was uneventful aside from my dealing in liquor, and we left and headed
for Eustis. I was sitting in the passenger seat as Jess pulled out onto 19. Aric leaned forward and asked, “You want to put those back here?” Inquiring about the jugs sitting in my lap.
“Nope. I’m good.” He lingered for a minute. I could feel him wanting to ask. “You’ll see soon enough!” I shouted, and he slumped back into his seat. It was killing him, and I was loving it.
Jess was headed to Eustis when I called for her to pull over at a most unexpected sight. A bucket truck was sitting on the side of the road with its bucket up in the air and a man in it. As we got closer, I could see it was Scott, one of the engineers. We rolled to a stop beside the truck and I got out to a smiling Baker.
“Like my new truck?” She asked.
I was slack-jawed and nodding. “Where did you find it?”
“Cecil actually found it. I think it belonged to the city of Eustis. It took the mechanics over at the armory about an hour to get it running.”
“No shit? That’s going to make the job of getting power back up so much easier.”
She looked up at Scott working in the bucket and nodded. “You like this better than climbing those poles?” She shouted.
He looked down. “Hell yes! We’ve already done more work today than we did in three days prior.”
I looked at the lines they were working on. “What are you doing? Cutting the side lines?”
Baker nodded. “Yeah. We’re just trying to get a solid line into town. We can always come back and add sidelines in later.”
“Good call. This is awesome. Is there anything going on in town? I don’t really want to go in there if I don’t have to.”
She shook her head. “No. Shane is doing a pretty good job. Between him and Mitch, they keep everything under control. That, and it’s so damn hot, no one is doing anything. During the day, the town is virtually deserted.”
“Good. That’s how I like it. I guess we’ll drive by the farm for a minute before heading back home.”
“They’re pretty busy over there right now,” Baker said. “Crops are coming in and they’re trying to harvest it as fast as they can.”