by A. American
I ran through the twenty-four bottles I needed for the first lens. Once they were all ready, I had to prepare the caps before I could install them. I needed to cut the top off the caps. The caps, once open on the end, would be used to hold the bottles in place. I looked at the tools trying to find something that would be both easy and fast. I looked at the Sawzall, then the hacksaw. While both of these would get the job done, it wouldn’t be clean or easy.
Then I saw the belt sander. I had an eighty-grit belt on it and decided to give it a shot. Laying it upside down on the bench, I pulled the trigger and held a bottle, cap down, against the belt. It ground the cap off quickly, and in no time, I had all twenty-four bottles ready to mount. This whole process was going faster and smoother than I had thought it would.
With all the caps now ready, I mounted the bottles into the lens. When it was done, it looked like some kind of a middle-school science fair project. But it would work. I carried it to the house and removed the screen from a window and put the lens in and lowered the window until it rested on top of it, holding it in place with the bottles pointed outside.
Having the process down, I got to work making more. I spent the rest of the afternoon making them until I ran out of bottles. That was definitely going to be the issue. But, I figured the world was awash in old bottles; I’d just have to find more. At least, I had enough to make nine sets.
I’d lost track of time and it wasn’t until Taylor came into the shop to tell me it was almost dinner time, that I looked at my watch. “Wow, where’d the day go?”
“The time flew by today,” she replied.
I dusted ground plastic off my shirt and replied, “Yeah, it definitely helps the day move along when you’re working.”
“I’m starving and can’t wait to eat.”
“Well, let’s go get us a seat,” I replied as I grabbed two of the lenses to carry over to Danny’s.
“What are those?” She asked.
Stepping out the door I replied, “Come on and I’ll show you.”
We walked together over to Danny’s, where the front porch was crowded with people. Mike was lying on the porch with a leg hanging off, and he said, “Hey look, it’s Bill Nye the Science Guy.”
“What in the world is that Rube Goldberg-looking contraption?” Sarge asked.
“I’m hoping it will help cool the house a little.”
“How in the hell is that going to cool the house?”
I stepped up on the porch. There was a light breeze blowing, which was relief in its own right. I went over to one of the windows and removed the screen, then went inside with the lens. Inside, I put the lens in and lowered the window to hold it in place like I had done at my house. With it in place, I held my hand in front of the small opening. There was airflow coming through it and it was noticeably cooler.
Mel walked over and asked, “What are you doing?”
I took her hand and held it in front of the lens. “Hey, that’s really cool! Literally! It’s a lot cooler than the air. How does it work?”
Sarge and a couple others came in from the porch when they heard Mel. Each of them held their hand in front of the lens and all agreed it was cooler.
“How does that work?” Sarge asked.
“The air being compressed to go through the neck speeds it up and that cools it. That’s all there is to it. Simple.”
Everyone came over to check it out. While they were discussing it, I went and put another one in. Dalton was standing behind me and said, “This is interesting.”
I straightened up and replied, “Yeah. It’s pretty neat. These can actually reduce the inside temp by ten degrees. But this place is pretty big, so it probably won’t reduce the temp that much in here.”
He nodded, “But it will help. Ten degrees would be impressive.”
The statement made me laugh. “Yeah, ten degrees. Kind of funny getting excited over ten degrees. Not much of a difference with the level of heat we have here in central Florida; but it will definitely help.”
“It’s the difference between ninety and eighty.”
With mock surprise, I replied, “No shit? Wow, did you do that math in your head?”
“Bite me.”
Since Miss Kay had been busy all day sorting the food and other supplies for distribution, Bobbie had prepared supper. And with the addition of some of the food stuffs, it was amazing. She made a stew with beef from the cow and large pot of rice. We all gathered on the back porch of Danny’s house and feasted like we hadn’t in a long time. It was a perfect example of feast or famine.
We’d spent so long, going with so little, that having both the garden come in and the relief aid at the same time made for a true bounty. And knowing that tomorrow we would be passing much needed food and other items out to the people of North Lake County, only made the evening better.
We were sitting around after eating, talking about the task for the next day. Sarge was relaxing with a cup of coffee. The old man sat reclined in a chair with his feet up on a bucket. He’d actually unsnapped his pants he was so full. I smiled when I looked at him and said, “You should take your boots off too.”
“Hard to run barefoot,” he replied.
“Hard to run with your pants around your ankles too.” I replied with a smile.
“I don’t plan on running.” He replied. All I could do was shake my head.
“Are we taking that tank with us tomorrow?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yeah. I figure it’ll keep folks from getting out of hand. I’ve participated in relief efforts before, and things can go sideways quickly. We’re going in heavily armed so no one even thinks about acting up.”
“So, you’re going back to town tomorrow?” Wallner interrupted.
I looked over and nodded at him. “Yeah, why?”
He looked at the two other Guardsmen he was sitting with, then down at the plate on the table in front of him. “That means we have to go back to the armory.” He looked up and added, “We don’t want to go back to the armory.” The way he said it made me laugh.
“No, we don’t want to go back. It’s better out here,” another of the Guardsmen added.
“Why not?” Sarge asked.
“Because barracks duty sucks!” Mike shouted.
“Michael!” Kay admonished him, “watch your language!”
He whimpered, “I didn’t say anything bad.” Kay glared at him and he sank back even further into his chair.
“What’s wrong at the armory?” Sarge asked.
Wallner shrugged. “Look, the Captain is a good guy, but he’s in the reserves for a reason. He’s not active duty, never has been. Never wanted to be.”
“He’s a military hobbyist,” Sarge replied, getting a snicker out of the Guardsmen.
“He means well,” Wallner said, “But he just does not have the leadership skills to inspire the men. Morale at the armory is really low. Livingston tries…”
He was cut off by another of the Guardsmen, “In all the wrong ways.”
Wallner nodded, “Yeah. He tries to be all spit and polish military. But it just doesn’t come off right with him. I like Livingston, he’s a cool guy to talk shit with. But when he puts on his LT hat, you just can’t take him seriously.”
“He’s a dick,” the other Guardsmen added.
“Language!” Kay shouted. She stood up and shook her finger at the uniformed men, “You will watch your language! There are children here! Not to mention, I don’t want to hear it!”
In unison, they all nodded,” Yes ma’am.” Kay then looked at Mike, who looked away as he chewed on his fingernail.
I chuckled and looked at Sarge, “And she’s with you?”
“I have manners,” he replied. Then he looked to make sure Kay wasn’t looking at him and added, �
�dipshit.” I laughed out loud and Kay looked back at me. I smiled and winked at her. She looked at the old man, then back at me. She knew something was up, but didn’t say anything and sat back down.
Bobbie got up and started collecting the dishes. Mike was quickly on his feet to help her. As he was picking up bowls and plates, Bobbie looked at him and said, “Looks like you may get dessert after all.”
“Dessert?” Was echoed across the porch. Most loudly by the kids.
Little Bit stood up on the bench of the picnic table and asked, “What’s for dessert?”
Bobbie raised her eyebrows at her and said, “If you want to find out, you better sit down!” Little Bit quickly took her seat and giggled with Edie and Jace as they discussed the possibilities. They rubbed their hands in excited anticipation.
Once the dishes were cleared, Mike returned from the kitchen carrying a large pan. He smiled from ear to ear as he held it up to his face, eyes closed, inhaling deeply the aroma wafting from it. “Oh, my Lord, this is heavenly,” he said.
“Well, what is it?” Sarge asked.
Mike deposited the pan on the picnic table as Bobbie announced, “It’s peach cobbler.”
Sarge jumped to his feet, catching his pants and buttoning them up. “You don’t say?”
He stepped over to the pan where Bobbie was just digging a large spoon into it. He stretched out a finger, as if he were going to sample it. But Bobbie slapped his hand, “You will not!” She shouted.
His hand recoiled and he looked at her with a look of pain and longing. She nodded at his chair, “You just have a seat and I’ll bring you some. The old man looked down at the pan, then back at Bobbie. “Go on, sit” she said.
Mike laughed as Sarge retreated to his chair. He handed Bobbie a bowl, in which she placed a scoop. Mike was giggling and rubbing his hands together as she did so, then held his hands out in anticipation. But the bowl passed right over them and his smile vanished. Bobbie handed the bowl to Kay, who then handed it to Sarge.
Slack-jawed, Mike muttered, “Whaaaat?”
Sarge snorted at him and held his bowl up as he scooped a bite into his mouth, “You’re missing out, Mikey. This is really good, Bobbie.” Mike glared at him as he watched bowls bypassing him.
Bobbie then made several more bowls, serving the very excited kids. Once they had theirs, she then handed one to Mike. Relief washed over him and he smiled once again, quickly taking a seat. I was in no hurry and waited as everyone was served. Mel helped pass them out and eventually brought me a serving. And it was indeed good. Really good. It was such an intense sweetness, it hurt my teeth initially. But I savored every bite. It had been so long since we’d had something this sweet.
As I chewed a bite, I pointed at the kids, who were already practically vibrating in their seats, “It’s going to be fun trying to get that bunch to sleep tonight.”
Danny looked over at the kids and asked, “Hey, you guys want to sleep over at Ashley’s house tonight?”
There was an immediate, Yes, shouted back at him from all three of them. Mel was quick to reply, “Pffft, I don’t think so, Danny.”
“Awe, come on mom!” Little Bit implored.
Mel dropped her spoon into an empty bowl and replied, “Not tonight. Another time.”
“Come on, mom, we’ll be good!”
“I said no,” she replied in that mother’s voice that tells every kid the conversation is over. And it was. Little Bit returned her attention to her dessert.
I laughed, “Nice try, Danny.”
He was grinning as he chewed, “It was worth a shot.”
“Bobbie, how did you come up with this?” I asked.
“There were cans of peaches in all that stuff. Just used those and some of the flour. We had other stuff, like vanilla,” she replied.
“Good job on it.” Everyone agreed with me, thanking her for the effort. Because it was a real treat.
“Thanks.” She nodded at Thad, “Thad helped with it.”
He smiled, “I didn’t do nothing, Miss Bobbie.”
“You made the crust! That’s the hard part. All I did was open cans and pour them in.”
Wallner held up an empty bowl, “Another reason we don’t want to go back to the armory. We don’t get to eat like this.”
“Neither do we,” Thad replied. “Usually.”
Another of the Guardsmen snorted, “Everything we’ve had here was better than anything we’ve ever had at the armory. I mean, this is fantastic.”
“It’s been good having you fellas here,” Thad said. “We appreciate your help the last few days.”
“It was our pleasure, really,” Wallner replied.
“Do you guys do patrols out of the armory?” Sarge asked.
“It comes and goes. They’ll get full of piss and vinegar and we’ll patrol for several days. Then the fun wears off and it fades away.”
Sarge listened and nodded. “Well. There’s some changes coming.”
I looked at him, curious as to what he meant. “Such as?”
“You’ll find out tomorrow.” His reply didn’t help my concern any. “We got a big day tomorrow. Everyone should get some sleep.”
I looked at Thad and asked, “You want to take a shift at the bunker with me?”
He nodded, “Sure.”
Wallner stood up, “No, no. We’ve got this. Our way of saying thank-you for all the hospitality. You folks have been real good to us.”
“I figured we’d give you the night off before heading back tomorrow.”
Wallner shook his head. “No, that’s alright. We’ll take it.”
“If you’re sure,” I replied.
“We are. You guys get some rest.”
Mel and I collected the girls to head home. We said good night to everyone and left. Little Bit was pretty wound up from her sugar high. It was an interesting thing to see how the sugar affected her. We no longer consumed it in the quantities we used to, let alone the kids. So, getting something like a cobbler, dense with refined sugar, really spun her up.
But fortunately for Mel and me, sugar highs crashed as fast as they came on. So, I smiled watching her run around in front of us chasing a solitary lightning bug. I held Mel’s hand as we walked. Lee Ann and Taylor flanked us on each side.
“Can we go to town tomorrow to help hand out the food?” Taylor asked.
I nodded. “Sure. We’ll need the help.” Both girls lit up, excited at the thought of getting out of the neighborhood for a while. “I doubt it will take long. I’m sure we’ll be cleaned out quickly.”
“All those bags?” Lee Ann asked, “You think it won’t take long to hand them out?”
“I’ll bet it takes less than two hours.”
Mel looked at me sideways, “What?”
“People are hungry. We’re giving them things they haven’t seen in a long time. They’re going to want it. I just hope they don’t get out of hand.”
“You’re taking that tank too, aren’t you?” Lee Ann asked.
“Yeah. But it won’t be a lot of good. More of a visual deterrent.”
“I wouldn’t mess with that thing,” Taylor said. “It’s kind of scary looking.”
“Oh, I’m sure it’s nothing to be messed with,” I replied, “But hopefully we don’t have to see it in action.”
The dogs were not on the porch when we got to the house. Little Bit paused and looked back, “Where are the dogs?” She asked.
“They’re out on their nightly patrol. They run off every night,” I replied.
“Will they come back?”
I smiled and patted her head, “Of course they will. They do every day. Come on, let’s go inside and get ready for bed.”
As she pushed the door open, she replied, “But I’m not ti
red.”
I laughed, “Oh, you will be. You will be.”
Chapter 7
Everyone was up early getting ready for the day’s task of handing out the food and other supplies. While they were getting prepared, I went out to the shed to look for a pair of boots. After the raid on the Elk’s Camp, we’d taken the boots from all the dead and I had stored some of them in my shed. I’d lain in bed last night thinking about Alex’s shoes. Sure, we could give him a pair of the cheap shoes, but I thought a pair of boots would better serve him.
Don’t know why I was so concerned for him. I didn’t know Alex and would probably never see him again after today. Maybe it was getting close. It’s one thing to see someone from a distance that is suffering. But to get face to face with them gives one an entirely different perspective. Maybe that’s why I was looking for a decent pair of boots for him.
Finding a pair in his 9 ½ size, I carried them out to the porch and set them down. Going inside, I grabbed my kit and started putting it on. The girls were having breakfast, fresh biscuits and honey. Mel had the little camp oven on the Butterfly stove with a plate of biscuits sitting beside it. I love biscuits. So, I paused for a moment and cut one in half and put a dollop of honey on it and put it back together.
The sweet golden honey soaked into the fluffy biscuit, making for a delicious breakfast. I finished my biscuit as I put my gear on. The girls sat at the table, chattering away. There was an air of excitement ahead of the day’s activities. Everyone was dressed and ready to go by the time I was geared up. For this project, I actually wore long pants, just in case things got sporty.
“Alright, guys, let’s go over to Danny’s,” I announced.
“We get to give people food today!” Little Bit shouted.
“Are you going to help?” Mel asked her.