by A. American
“Just that. What difference does it make to us here, now? If there was a coup, it has no effect on us here. We still have to find food. We still have to get the power plant up and running. We still have to sniff around for Russians or Cubans. Doesn’t change anything for us.”
He stood there for a minute. Obviously, he heard what I said; he was looking right at me. But he stared at me like a man hearing one speak in a foreign language.
“The point is those two cocksuckers didn’t tell us! I don’t give a shit if there was a coup. It’s about damn time! Needed to happen a long time ago if you ask me.”
“So, you’re pissed you weren’t told? Are you fucking serious? Don’t you have your own back channel communications? You’ve got all that radio gear over at your place. Go find someone to talk to!”
It was like I slapped him in the side of the head. The old man stood there for a minute blinking. Then he spun on his heels and stomped off into Danny’s house. Ted was sitting on the porch and heard the entire exchange. “He’s pissed,” he said.
“No, he’s butt-hurt, and shouldn’t be.”
“He’s probably going to stomp Sheffield’s ass when he sees him.”
I shrugged. “Those two have been at one another since day one.”
The door flew open and the old man stomped out, coffee cup in hand and thermos tucked under his elbow. Ian was sitting on the barrel saddle and offered some conciliatory words, “Fuck ‘em, Top. We don’t need those assholes anyway.”
Sarge stopped and looked back. “Look here, you self-propelled sandbag. When I want your opinion, I’ll damn well give it to you!”
Ian laughed. “Holy shit, ain’t heard that one in a long time. But coming from a PX Ranger trench monkey, I’ll take it as a compliment.”
“PX Ranger my ass!” Sarge boomed. “I earned this tab!” He gave Ian the finger before turning and walking off.
“That should keep him occupied for the rest of the day,” I said, getting a laugh out of Ian. “Where are the rest of the guys?”
Ian nodded towards the road. “They’re up at the bunker or off in the woods jerking off I guess.”
I shook my head and laughed. I could hear the laughs of children coming from the backyard and stood up. “I’m going to see what sort of trouble those youngins are getting into back there.”
Walking around the porch, the laughing grew louder. Thad and Danny were back there with the kids. One of those old harp-style lawn sprinklers was going, slowly sweeping its arc of water into the air. Thad had little Edie on his shoulders. Danny had Jace on his, and they were running and jumping through the streams. Little Bit was running between them as they all laughed and squealed. I smiled and shook my head as I kicked off my shoes and pulled my shirt off.
“You better hurry up and get out there. That little girl needs her daddy,” I heard Kay say.
I looked over to see her relaxing on a chase lounge. She was holding a glass glistening with sweat in the heat of the day. “That’s just what I was thinking,” I replied.
Going out the screen door, I ran into the maelstrom of water and bodies and grabbed Little Bit up and swung her up onto my shoulders. She squealed with delight while I winced at the pain of my complaining ribs. But I ignored it and joined in on the fun. We formed a pinwheel as we ran after one another, jumping through the water and trying to catch the one in front of us and escape the one behind.
“We’re going to get you, Morgan!” Thad called from behind me.
“Get the Sheriff!” Jace called out.
“Run, daddy, run!” Little Bit shouted.
It went on like that for a long time. Far longer than I personally wanted, as I was sore. When Danny turned and ran into us, Edie and Little Bit grappled for a moment as they giggled. There was a small play pool set up and I headed for it, where I dumped Little Bit with a splash. It wasn’t long before the other two kids were in it as well.
I walked over to a shady spot where several folding camp chairs were set up. Thad and Danny soon joined me. We sat in the shade and relaxed, still wet from the fun. It was cool as the water dried from our bodies. We laughed as Little Bit pulled the sprinkler over to spray on the pool.
“Looks like they’re having fun,” I said.
“Oh, to be a child again,” Thad replied.
“Anything going on in town?” Danny asked.
I told them about the engineers working on the power lines and about my visit to the farm and the frenzied harvest going on there.
“It’s about time,” Thad said. “We need that food.”
“I brought some home. They made me take it.”
“Good; we should get some too.” Danny added.
“There’s more. Looks like there’s been a coup. The military took over and is trying to drag the President from whatever hole he’s hiding in.”
Neither of them thought much of it. Like me, they said it didn’t really matter who claimed to be in charge. We agreed it was up to us to take care of things. No one was coming to help.
“But it sure pissed the old man off,” I said.
Thad looked surprised. “I wouldn’t have thought he cared.”
I laughed. “He’s pissed he wasn’t told. I guess Sheffield knew about it but didn’t tell him. That’s what he’s pissed about.”
Thad smiled broadly. “I bet that did stick in his craw. What’s he doing?”
Shrugging, I replied, “He stomped off towards the house with a thermos of coffee under his arm. I’m guessing he’s burning up the radios trying to talk to someone.”
“Good,” Thad said, “He needs a way to vent all that hate he’s got in him.”
“Indeed,” I replied. Then I looked at Danny and asked, “Did you find that crock?”
Nodding in the direction of the shed, he said, “Yeah, it’s sitting over there. You find what you needed to make it?”
“Well. I think I have. But we’ll see.” I stood up and added, “I’m about to go find out. Hopefully, in a week or two we’ll have some vinegar.”
“That’d be good. We’ll have plenty to pickle here soon,” Thad said.
I looked at the garden. It was lush and green. “How’s the tomato crop looking?”
Smiling once again, Thad replied, “Oh we’re going to have a bumper crop. It ain’t been easy. I’ve had to check the plants twice a day and pick the horn worms off them. But we’re going to have a bunch.”
“Good. Miss Kay will be able to can a bunch and we can store fresh ones in ash.”
“I can’t believe that works,” Danny replied.
I shrugged. “I know. But it does.”
Danny looked at me and changed the subject. “You know. You’re full of ideas. You know of any way we can cool the house? Even a little? We keep the windows open and all, but it’s just so damn hot.”
I thought about it for a minute before replying. “Well, there is something I’ve been wanting to try. We’ll need a bunch of two-liter bottles and some plywood or something. No, I have a better idea. We just need the bottles. I’ll get the girls to find as many as they can and bring them here. Then we’ll build it.”
Laughing, Thad asked, “How you gonna cool a house with two-liter bottles?”
I gave him a big smile. “I’ll show you later. Well, looks like I got work to do.” Standing up, I added, “I’ll see you boys later.”
I left them to watch the kids play and made my way to the shed where I found Dalton sitting on the steps with the crock in his lap examining it.
“Don’t get any ideas. That thing is mine and I’ve got plans for it,” I said.
He looked up. “I’ve always liked these. Never had a use for them really, just always appreciated the form.” He looked at it again, turning it over. “What’s your plan for it?”
&nbs
p; “I’m going to make vinegar with it.”
“No shit? You’re still going to ruin that wine?” He stood up holding the crock. “I’ll help. What do we need to do?”
“Wait here. I’ll get the other stuff and we’ll get started.”
I went to the war wagon and got the grape skins and honey, then we walked over to the house. Stepping over the lazy-ass dogs, we went inside. The girls were lying around the living room, reading or otherwise wasting time. “Hey, you two. I’ve got a job for you.”
Lee Ann rolled over to look at me. “Awe, come on, Dad, it’s really hot out.”
“Off your butts. I need you two to go check every recycling bin in the neighborhood and bring back every two-liter bottle you find.”
Taylor was obviously confused. “What for?”
I pointed at her. “Don’t worry about that. Just go get them.” I clapped my hands, “Let’s go; on your feet!” With absolutely no enthusiasm, they got up. “And take a weapon with you too.”
“No one’s going to mess with us here,” Taylor said.
“It’s that kind of thinking that gets people killed.” Dalton replied. “You should never be more than an arm’s reach from your weapon.”
I turned my hip out and pointed to my pistol, adding, “I was just playing in the sprinkler with the kids and I had mine on. Take yours.”
Mel came out of the kitchen. “Hi, Dalton.” Then she looked at me. I know she hates unexpected visitors, even now. “What are you doing?”
I held up the bucket of grape skins and the jug of honey. “We’re going to make vinegar.”
She looked back at the kitchen. “Don’t make a mess in my kitchen.”
“I’ll make sure we clean up, Mel,” Dalton said.
Reluctantly, she replied, “Alright. I guess I’ll go over and see Bobbie.”
Mel left and we carried our ingredients into the kitchen. Dalton suddenly stopped in his tracks and exclaimed, “Holy mother of God, man! What in the blue hell is that?”
He was pointing above the sink. I looked over and smiled. “That’s my Biltong.”
Setting the crock down on the island, he walked over to the sink and inspected the meat hanging there. “What is it? Jerky?”
“Kind of. But better, I think.” I reached up and took a piece down. I bent it to test the moisture content. The meat flexed but didn’t crack. Taking out my pocket knife, I cut it in half. The outside was dry, but the inside was the consistency of taffy. I popped a piece in my mouth and chewed. “Not bad,” I said, offering the other half to Dalton.
He took it and sniffed it, then took a bite. With a very serious look, he chewed the dry meat for a long time. Once he swallowed it, he looked at me and said, “That’s the best damn jerky I’ve ever had! How the hell do you make it?”
Taking another bite, I replied, “It’s pretty easy. I soak the meat in vinegar overnight. Then I salt it with coarse salt. Add a little coriander and hang it up to dry. Wait a couple weeks and you’ve got jerky.”
He eyed the piece of meat in his hand. “This stuff has been hanging here for a couple of weeks?”
“Not quite,” I replied. “The longer you leave it, the drier it gets. I like it like this.”
He pointed at me with the piece of meat. “If this gives me the squirts, I’ll have your head.” Then he took another bite.
Laughing, I replied, “It’s the oldest preservation method there is. You’ll be fine. I promise.”
He was still chewing when he replied, “Well, if you need vinegar to make this stuff, let’s get to the chemistry!”
I washed the crock out and dumped the grape skins in. Dalton leaned over the crock and sniffed. “Smells like it’s already starting to ferment.”
“Good,” I said as I turned to the cabinet and took out a precious jar of Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar. It was the only one around, that I knew of anyway. Opening the bottle, I dumped about half of it in.
“What’s that for, mother?” Dalton asked.
Nodding, I replied, “Yeah, we don’t have a mother, but this will add the necessary bacteria to get it started. We really need juice, but don’t have any, so we’re going with this. I’ll just add water and mash it around a bit to make a juice of sorts.”
“Then what?”
“Well, we cover it with a cloth and wait. After I mix this up, if it isn’t sweet enough, I’ll add the honey. I was thinking about distilling it as well. Just depends on how it comes out. This won’t be like your normal white vinegar. That shit’s actually made from natural gas in some cases.”
“Natural gas?”
I nodded. “The beauty of having the FDA in bed with the food industry.”
I took a large wooden spoon and stirred and mashed the skins. We took turns on it, working it for a long time. We mashed and stirred for what seemed like forever, stopping from time to time to taste it.
“I don’t think it’s going to get any sweeter,” Dalton said after sampling it.
“Me neither.”
“You think it’s sweet enough?”
“It’s not real sweet. Let’s add the honey.” I poured about a quart of honey into the crock and thoroughly stirred it in. This dramatically increased the sugar levels. “I think this is better.”
Dalton tried it. “That’s not half bad. The vinegar adds an interesting note to it.”
I laughed. “Didn’t know you were a sommelier.”
He shrugged. “I was young and needed the money.”
Since the sliding glass door had been shot out and replaced with plywood, the dining room was very dark. I carried the crock over to the corner beside the now defunct door and set it down. Then, I covered the top with cheese cloth, securing it with a big rubber band I’d made by looping several together. Standing up, I looked down and said, “Now we wait.”
“How long?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll check it after a week and see what it’s like.”
“I want in on that. I want to see how this all works.”
“Cool. We’ll keep an eye on it then.”
Dalton looked at his watch. “I have duty here in a bit. I’ll catch you later.”
He left and I wandered into the living room and fell onto the couch. It was nearly supper time and I wanted to enjoy the quiet for a while. The house was hot though, really hot. Even with all the windows open, it was probably ninety degrees inside. But you kind of get used to it. At least in the way that your mind accepts that this is the reality and there isn’t much you can about it. But now that I was thinking about cooling houses, I sat for a while thinking about the project to do just that. While noodling on this idea, I came up with a better way to do it. It would require a trip to the Save-a-Lot.
I looked at my watch and got up to head to Danny’s. I smiled, thinking about the response from everyone when Aric and Fred made their announcement. If it made me smile, I’m sure it was going to bring joy to everyone else. Thinking of this, I headed out the door. It felt cooler outside than it did in the house. Jamie and Perez were on the front porch when I walked up. Naturally, Perez was smoking. I just can’t imagine how he still had any, but he did.
“How’s tricks?” I asked.
“It’s hotter’n the Devil’s ball sack,” Jamie replied.
“Muy caliente,” Perez added.
I laughed. “That’s weird. A Spanish echo.” Perez took a drag off his cigarette and shrugged.
Looking around, I asked, “You seen Aric and Fred?”
Jamie shook her head. “No. Why?”
“Oh, no reason.” I went inside. Mel, Bobbie, Miss Kay and Mary were all in the kitchen. A warm scent filled the house. I don’t know how they did it, but they always managed to cook something that smelled amazing.
“You didn’t mess up m
y kitchen, did you?” Mel asked.
“Nope. It’s clean.” I just didn’t mention the vinegar flies that were sure to arrive in a few days.
“Did you get your vinegar started?” Kay asked.
“Sure did. Shouldn’t take too long. Vinegar likes heat.”
She mopped her brow with the bottom of her apron. “Well, Lord knows we’ve got plenty of that!”
“What’s for supper?” I asked.
“You just go out there on the porch. You’ll find out soon enough,” Kay replied.
I did as instructed and went out to the porch. The kids were all sitting at one table with towels wrapped around them, their hair still wet. I went over to Little Bit and ran my hand through her wet hair.
“Did you have fun out there?”
She looked up, smiling. “Yeah, we did! The little pool was really fun!”
“So was the sprinkre!” Little Edie tried to say.
I patted all of them on the head and took a seat at a table with Thad. He was working on a large pot of snap beans, stringing them. I reached into the pot and pulled out a handful and went to work. “This is quite the haul,” I said.
“This ain’t nothing,” he replied.
“This is really good to see, these beans.”
Thad smiled as he snapped a bean in several pieces. “The summer has its blessings as well as its tribulations.”
“Well, this heat is damn sure a test.”
“You come up with a way to cool the house off?”
Reaching for another handful, I replied, “I think I have.”
“Well, anything’ll help.”
“I need to go up to Save-a-Lot for some materials.”
Taking another handful, Thad replied, “I’ll go with you.”
“You seen the old man?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No. Not since this morning.”
“I guess he’s off stewing someplace.”
Thad reached for another handful and replied, “I think he is.”