by Brian Quest
Andrew turned to follow Debbie out of the room, but she already was gone. Half laughing, he hurried to the living room where she already was telling them what they had heard. “His name is Walter Johnson. He was on the radio!”
Confused, Connie asked, “Radio? What radio?”
“Dad made a radio. While you guys were playing your game, we put up the antenna and then we hooked it up. There was a man out there using a radio!”
Thomas perked up in his recliner and asked, “You actually got that old thing to work?”
“I sure did…kind of. I only was able to pick up one channel for a couple of seconds and then he was gone. I think it would be best if we all took turns at the radio. Hopefully, we will hear it again and see if he can hear us.”
“Can I take the first watch, Dad?” Debbie asked.
“Sure, I don’t see why not. Do you remember how I did it?”
“Yes,” she said and hurried to her room to get a pad of paper and a pen.
“What’s the paper for?” Andrew asked.
“Well, if I hear the voice again I will mark down the time. If he doesn’t hear me back, I will keep trying. Each time we hear him, we can mark it down so we know how often he tries.”
“Good thinking, Deb,” Andrew said, impressed with her idea. Sometimes he wondered when his daughter had become smarter than he was.
Daniel stood up and asked, “Do you mind if I come with you? I’d love to help.”
Trying hard to hide her excitement at the prospect of spending a couple of hours side by side, Debbie responded, “No, I don’t mind.” She tried to sound cool, but instead she sounded eager.
“Do you mind, sir?” Daniel asked Andrew.
“I suppose it would be fine. And please, my name is Andrew, no need to call me sir.”
“Okay, Andrew.” He turned to Debbie and said, “Lead the way!”
Andrew wondered if it was a good idea letting them be in the other room alone, but then stopped that thought because he knew Debbie never would be anything other than proper and appropriate…especially with him right in the other room. Debbie just had started to like a boy in high school before the EMP, but once the world changed, his family took him and moved away. When she had started talking about him, Debbie’s mother had explained how a proper lady behaved, and Andrew could see that she listened.
Amy and Beth took turns spying on Debbie and Daniel. They would sneak up on tippy toes and then peek through the doorway. They both giggled when they came back to the living room because Debbie was just sitting there the whole time, staring at Daniel. They dared not say anything in front of their father, but it was clear to both of them that Debbie really liked their new friend. They even made up a couple name for them, like people did with movie stars; they called the duo Debiel. That made them laugh even harder.
The rest of the night, everyone but the youngest two took turns at the radio. The voice was heard four more times, spaced out every two hours. The next morning, while at the table for breakfast, the family talked about the prospects of more people out there like them.
“So, what do we need to do to get this guy to hear us?” Keith asked. “Obviously something isn’t working right.”
Andrew replied, “I’ll have to take the radio apart and check the wiring to the microphone. It just may be that he is hearing someone trying to break into the reception, but not actually hearing our voices.”
“That’s probably it. If it were the antenna, we wouldn’t hear him so clearly,” Thomas agreed.
“After breakfast I will get to work on the radio. Can you guys check on the horses?” Andrew asked Keith and Stewart.
“Sure thing,” Stewart answered. “We’ll take a look around…just to make sure things are as they should be.”
“That would be great.”
“Dad?” Beth asked.
“What is it, Sweetie?”
“What if the man on the radio is a bad guy? Won’t he be able to find us?”
“Oh, Sweetie, no. He will not be able to find us by radio. At most it will just be another person or family we can talk to. You know, to get an idea of what is going on in other places.”
“Oh.”
“Who knows? Maybe we will hear from more people, too.”
Beth looked at her father with a very serious face and said, “Well, I hope you’re right. I sure would hate for this person to be bad and find us.”
Andrew hated that his daughters had to feel unsafe. He tried so hard each and every day to make them feel like nothing bad would happen, and ever since the EMP it seemed like all of his efforts were for nothing.
Then Beth said, “What if it is a man with a daughter my age? Could I talk to her, too?”
“I can’t imagine why you couldn’t.”
“Cool.” Instantly, Beth forgot about the bad guy who would find them by radio.
With everyone doing their own thing, Andrew had peace and quiet while he worked on the radio. He was glad he had paid attention in his high school electronics class, and even happier he had retained the information he had learned. He was able to isolate the problem, and within an hour, the radio was back together and ready for the next transmission. He pressed the button and spoke.
“This is Andrew Smith. Is anyone there? Andrew Smith calling anyone. Do you copy?”
His voice was followed by a brief moment of static and then a voice responded, “This is Walter Johnson. Am I coming in clear, Andrew Smith?”
Everyone in the house heard the man’s voice, and soon the bathroom container was full of people, waiting to hear the conversation.
“You are coming in loud and clear. I say again, I hear you loud and clear.”
“Well, it’s great to hear a friendly voice! Where are you?”
Andrew hesitated for a minute, worried about telling him exactly where he was, so he stuck to generalities, “I’m in Montana. Where are you?”
“Well, hey there, Montana! We are located in Arizona!”
Andrew couldn’t help but ask, “How’s the weather?”
“It’s already hot. We hit the 90s today. You?”
“It’s a cool 65 today.”
“Well, then I wish I were there!”
Andrew couldn’t believe he actually was talking to someone in another state! It made him curious as to how much technology actually was out. He knew the EMP had knocked out everything, but if they could talk on the radio, maybe there was hope of at least a little recovery.
“Do you have a family, or are you flying solo, Montana?”
“My whole family is right here. There are ten of us. How about you, Arizona?”
“It’s me, my wife and my two daughters.”
“I have four girls. Maybe soon they could talk. They’d like that.”
Andrew looked at his girls and they all had the same excited looks on their faces. It would be so great if they had other girls to talk to. He tried hard to talk about things they liked, but sometimes it was difficult because he didn’t know too much about the things they liked.
“That would be great. I have to go for lunch now.”
“Stay safe, Arizona. We will talk soon. Montana, out.”
“You too, Montana. Arizona, out.”
Andrew set down the microphone and turned to look at his family, all standing behind him with the funniest expressions on their faces. “That was incredible!” Andrew exclaimed.
“That was really neat, Daddy!” Amy said, hugging his waist.
“Hopefully, the next time you talk to him you can get a feel for what things are like down south,” Thomas said.
Andrew knew what his friend was getting at. They had talked at length about the fact that one day they may have to set out to find a new place to live. They basically had gone back to a life much like the pioneers had lived. That meant that when resources nearly were gone and life had become too hard in one place they likely would have to leave to find a better place to live. “Let’s hope it doesn’t get to that,” Andrew replied.
“Get to the point where we’d have to leave Montana,” Debbie answered. She saw the look on her father’s face when she made that statement. So she quickly followed it up with, “What? We’re not babies anymore, Dad. We have talked about what might happen.”
“You talked about leaving the ranch?”
“Yeah. We talk about a lot of stuff. We know that our supplies won’t last forever. We know that things could get really bad here. We know that we may have to leave here. We’re okay with it…as long as we all are together.”
“Well, you girls always seem to find a way to surprise me! Hopefully we won’t even have to worry about leaving here. I would rather stay here for as long as possible than head out on horseback to places we’ve never even been. For now, we are safer here.”
“I know, and we don’t WANT to leave, but if we have to, we won’t give you too hard a time.” Debbie spoke for herself and her sisters, and Andrew knew that by the way they all nodded.
“What did I do to deserve four wonderful girls like you?”
“Dad, do we have to say how you got us? Eeewww,” Amy said, once again causing the room to erupt in laughter. They loved that no matter what the mood, she was able to make them smile.
“After lunch I thought that maybe we all could make a plan to start a garden in the clearing next to the barn.”
“Like a garden garden? Or a couple of rows of vegetables?” Debbie asked.
“A garden garden. You know, tomatoes, corn, lettuce, carrots, peppers and green beans? There should be enough room to get about two rows for each. Maybe more if we plan it right. It gets just enough sun, and the spring rain should provide all the water it would need.”
“That would be amazing! Just think of all the stuff I could make if we had more in the reserves!” Debbie said.
Connie was excited at the prospect also. “Yeah! Thanks, Dad! That would be great!”
“Okay, then…after lunch we will sit at the table and put together a plan. We will map it out on paper and gather the right seeds from the storage container. Tomorrow morning, we can begin preparing the ground.”
From that point until late into the night, the new garden was the only thing the girls could talk about. They went back and forth about how many of each thing they should plant, and in what row it should be planted. They made chart after chart, and then started looking at recipes so they knew how much of everything they would need. From everything Andrew had seen in their teen magazines, gardening was not something most girls got excited about, and he wondered if their behavior was normal.
“Emma, before you go to sleep, can I ask you something?” Andrew asked.
“Sure, what is it?”
“Well, the girls are getting so excited about the garden, and I am just curious as to whether that is normal. Shouldn’t they be talking about movies and music and stuff like that?”
“At one time, sure, but things are different now. Besides, didn’t Sandra love to garden?”
“Yes.”
“Then I think it is not only normal, but absolutely, perfectly healthy. Let them enjoy it. By now, most teenagers would be going nuts from not being able to text each other. At least they are enjoying themselves, right?”
Andrew smiled softly at the woman standing before him and said, “You’re right. Thank you Emma.”
“Any time, Andrew. Your girls are wonderful, and they don’t just get that from their mother. You have done a wonderful job with them. Now I’m going to turn in. I have a busy day tomorrow. The girls have invited me to help with their new garden!”
“I don’t want you working too hard out there, you hear me?”
“Oh, don’t worry, I will see to it that they do the lion’s share of the work. Goodnight.” Emma placed her hand over his and squeezed softly and then headed off to bed. It wasn’t long before everyone was sleeping soundly…the trauma of the fire not completely gone, but the healing underway.
Chapter Eight
Over the next month, not only did Debbie manage a great garden, but she also began developing a strong friendship with Daniel. When she wasn’t working in the garden, she was hanging on Daniel’s every word. They talked about everything; movies, music, places they’ve seen, places they wish they had seen, all of their favorite things. At first, Andrew was worried they were spending a little too much time together, but since her eighteenth birthday had come and gone while living in the shelter, he figured it was about the normal time for a girl to find her first real love.
Emma encouraged Andrew to let the young couple continue growing their friendship and see where it took them. It was a journey that Andrew kept a close eye on, and secretly enjoyed watching. They were sweet together, laughing and smiling and discussing things as if they had known each other for years. Whenever the girls would go out to work in the garden, Daniel took it upon himself to keep watch over them so nothing bad would happen. He also never went to bed until he knew they all were tucked in and fast asleep.
One night, after the girls had gone to bed, Andrew asked Daniel into the kitchen so they could talk, “Hey, Daniel?”
“What’s up?”
“Let’s sit and talk.” Andrew poured them both a cup of decaf. “I’ve noticed you and Debbie have become quite close.”
Looking a little nervous, he responded, “Yes. I really like her a lot. She’s so smart and kind and funny.”
“Yes she is. And, she’s also my daughter. As her father, I feel it’s my job to make sure she doesn’t get her heart broken.”
“I understand.”
“So, I have to let you know that if you break her heart, I’ll break your neck.”
Eyes wide, Daniel answered, “Yes, sir. I understand. I never would do anything to hurt her. I care too much about her.”
“I’m glad you feel that way. You know, I had imagined that one day she would graduate college, get a great job, get married and eventually have a family. Debbie, on the other hand, dreaded the thought of going to college. Her ideal life simply was working the ranch and raising a family in the way she was raised. Either way, I had imagined it would happen later in her life. She’s young, and I just want to make sure you understand that.”
“I completely understand, sir. I always will look out for her and do what’s right for her. You don’t have to worry.”
“That’s the thing…I do worry.”
“Well, think about it this way: I live under your roof. We are always within earshot or eyesight. How much harm could I really cause?”
Andrew thought about the question for only a second and chuckled. “I guess you’re right there.”
“If you wouldn’t mind, I would like it very much if Debbie and I could have a picnic tomorrow. Nothing crazy, just some lunch in the garden. We could call it a working date?”
“I’m sure she’d like that very much.”
“Thank you.”
“You can thank me by remembering what I said.”
“Yes, sir.” Daniel stood to go and then turned back. “Goodnight, sir.”
“Goodnight, Son.”
Andrew felt good after having that conversation; he was able to get his point across without being mean or forceful, and when all was said and done, he felt comfortable knowing Daniel would take care of his daughter and not let anything happen to her. He went to bed, and slept soundly, hoping his daughter would be okay and happy. He couldn’t wait to see her face when she asked for permission to go on her picnic date…he dreamt of it.
When the lights came on, Debbie went through her regular routine of making coffee first and then breakfast. Unlike most days, she decided to make cinnamon rolls to go along with breakfast, but when Andrew came into the kitchen he told her she may want to wrap them up as soon as they cooled off.
“Why?” Debbie asked, confused.
“We can save them to have with lunch. We have a busy morning ahead of us since the weather is nice. So a small breakfast will be better.” He didn’t
want to tip her off that Daniel was going to ask her on a “date.”
Debbie was a little suspicious of her father but went along with what he was saying. “Okay.” She felt like he was up to something, but knew it was best to just let it unfold and not ask a million questions.
During breakfast, Daniel shakily asked, “Hey, Debbie, I was wondering if you’d like to go on a picnic today?”
Debbie looked at her father and when she saw him nod, she turned back to Daniel and said, “I would like that. I made some cinnamon rolls; maybe we could bring a couple?”
“That would be nice.”
It was at that moment that Debbie realized what her father had been up to just a short time before. “Where do you want to have the picnic?”
“I was thinking we could have it right here in the garden. We will be out there anyway, and I know it’s one of your favorite spots.”
She smiled, knowing the picnic would be close so her father could keep an eye on things. “I’d like that very much, Daniel. Thank you for asking.” She turned and looked at her father and saw the familiar look on his face…the look of concern and being pleased at the same time.
For the next couple of weeks, the afternoons went much the same; picnic lunches in the garden followed by an afternoon of caring for the plants and horses and chickens. The couple laughed and joked around and played practical jokes on the entire group. Things were so good for Debbie and Daniel that they all but forgot there had been an EMP or that her house had burned to the ground, or even that they lived in a giant underground bunker. Maybe they had become a little too complacent.
“Andrew, come here!” Thomas whispered as loudly as he could.
Andrew ran to the barn and went inside where he saw Thomas, squatting down under one of the windows. “What in the world are you doing?” Andrew asked, a little too loud for Thomas’ liking.
“Shhh. Look,” he said, pointing north out of the barn. “I heard something, so I came to take a peek. Someone is out there.”
“Is it Debbie and Daniel?”
“No, they are right there in the garden.”
“Crap, we need to get them inside.”
Andrew quietly ushered everyone inside the shelter, making sure to cover the entrance once they all were underground. Then he stayed low and hurried back to the barn. Together, Thomas and Andrew watched from the window as two men on horses rode one of the trails that skirted the shelter compound. “It doesn’t look like they even are aware of our barn,” Thomas whispered.