Strange. Randy and Sarah are doing things together. They are acting like a married couple—a real marriage that works. Maybe they should move in with each other, but where? The barn? There’s no bed or a bathroom. Hmmm! How about Randy’s Buick? One would have to sleep in the front seat and the other in the back seat. On second thought, Randy would freak out if Sarah got the Buick dirty. They would have a fight. Sarah would storm out of the Buick and move in next door to her mother. Now, there would be another family feud (Sarah and Randy). Scratch this little episode! Let the courtship continue as is.
Sarah went over to the fire pit. She asked Alice for a plate of food. Sarah grabbed a little water and went over to Randy. Both of them headed over to William’s wife’s house. After knocking on the door for several minutes, Randy opened the door. He yelled out her name for several minutes; no answer. Finally, they approached her bedroom. She is curled up in a fetal position. In the clutch of her hand, she has a picture of the three of them. It was taken over a year ago. Fred, William, and his wife went to the White Mountains in New Hampshire.
Randy and Sarah just looked at each other. William’s wife is staring into the abyss. Her body is here, but the mind is in a trance. Her body is wet with perspiration. From the strong odor, it is obvious she desperately needs a bath.
“Wake up! Come on, wake up! William is not giving up on you!” Sarah said in a loud voice. “William and Fred need you! He is doing this for all of you. When he comes home, he needs his wife. Come on, you need to eat. Do it for William,” Sarah panicked.
Hearing the word William several times triggered her. It is the key word that took her out of her trance. She must have laid on the bed for most of the day completely paralyzed. It is extremely warm; the only sound is that of a fly buzzing around her head. Like someone trying to save a drowning victim, Sarah did not give up. She saw her eyes and face move every time she mentioned the word William.
With the plate of food in hand, Randy just stood there. Just like the first critical moments, when a patient enters the ER via an ambulance, the team assembles. It is the ER doctor who takes charge. Even though Randy is nervous, he is extremely impressed with Sarah. Sarah is acting quickly and with all her wits. She grabs the shoulders of William’s wife.
“You need to sit up. William is going to be fine. He needs you to be strong. Come on, time to eat,” Sarah said as she now sees that she is responding. “Come on, you can do it”
With her trance broken, William’s wife carefully looked at Sarah. Then she glanced at Randy and the plate of food. She realized her body is dirty and wet.
She felt embarrassed.
“Please eat! We are your friends. William wanted us to look after you. Henderson is preparing a bath for you,” Sarah remarked as she looked at Randy. She nodded her head. It is a signal to Randy to go outside and locate Mr. Henderson.
William’s wife sat up. Sarah started to feed her like an elderly patient who needs help. After a few bites, William’s wife took the fork from Sarah. She started to eat on her own, at a slow pace.
“I really look bad, my clothes . . . I feel—” William’s wife said as she was interrupted.
“Shush!” Sarah said as she put her two fingers on her lips. “Keep eating. Mr. Henderson is preparing a nice hot bath for you. You need some fresh clothes. You’re a beautiful woman. Let’s keep it that way. A man wants to come back to his own home and his beautiful wife,” Sarah remarked in a soft feminine voice.
It took several minutes for William’s wife to eat her plate of food. Her mind is still drifting. It is almost like shock therapy. Many times our own minds play tricks with us. There is an old Christian saying: “God never gives us more than we can handle.”
Slowly, Sarah guided William’s wife to get up. Together they went through her dresser draw. Finding clean clothes and underwear, both Sarah and William’s wife went outside. Randy and Mr. Henderson were hastily heating up the water. Randy carried the water to the tub. Mr. Henderson just kept heating a new pail of water. Good team effort. Sarah did walk her to the tub, all set for a tiptoe into paradise. William’s wife did indicate she wanted to undress in private. She only wants her husband to see her in the birthday suit.
Sarah smiled. She definitely could relate to that. Closing the curtains, she gave William’s wife all the time she needed. As she exited the hot tub area, Randy approached her. There is a good three hours of sunlight left. Randy is going to Vivian’s house. He informed Sarah that he will take Steven (Mr. Henderson’s son) with him. Randy is going to do a full-court press to pressure Vivian to stay with William’s wife. Randy told Sarah to just tell William’s wife that she will be staying with her. When they finally get word from the state police, Officer Ryan will go to Ben first. It is in Vivian’s best interest to be nearby when Officer Ryan comes by.
Therapy, everyone needs therapy during these trials and tribulations. Vivian’s mom, Camille, is on the journey. Ben is slowly trying to heal with the fallout with his daughter Jessica. Then there is Steven. He has been turned down by Jessica and Sarah. They say, the third time is always the charm. For Steven, without transportation or the internet, pickings are slim. Very slim.
Steven is just happy to get out of the area. Besides, he always has a laugh with Vivian. They can both jest Randy because of his obsession with his Buick.
It’s like fishing; you get a bite from a large fish. If you pull too tight, you’ll lose the fish. If you give it too much slack, you’ll lose the fish. It has to be handled like a pro to catch the big fish. Steven and Vivian only go so far. They always end up with a compliment for Randy. It keeps his ego up.
this second day since the departure at the collaborative has been tense. Emotions have reached the breaking point.
Watching out for each other is really the true definition of a collaborative.
Many emotional wounds have been exposed. Randy and Sarah are attempting to apply the Band-Aids to soothe the hurt. When the two of them arrive at Vivian’s apartment complex, Vivian had a big smile. Like William’s wife, this is hard on Vivian. She truly feels the warmth and love of her aunt (Camille’s sister), who is staying at her apartment. There is something that Steven and Randy bring to the table. Vivian cannot put her finger on it, but it is there. Maybe because they both have a good family structure? Even though there was a feud between Ben and Jessica. Maybe because Steven and Randy are hard workers with good morals? Or maybe just maybe they are two men who have not tried to BS and use her.
It did not take a lot of persuading to have Vivian join them. Vivian let her aunt keep the 9mm gun. Her Aunt told Vivian she will be fine. As long as one person in the complex has a gun, the thugs will stay away. Instead of spraying cockroach spray, they use a gun. Got to keep the vermin out. As night fell on the collaborative, it seems the emotional fires have been brought under control.
Thunderstorms that have traveled through Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut are now in Massachusetts.
Vivian is with William’s wife. Funny how two people who are afflicted by the same wounds can comfort each other. The heavy rains and lighting are God’s way of talking to them. It is telling them the storm is just as bad for Ann’s occupants as it is for Vivian and Camille. Sooner or later, the storm will end. They need to be strong.
* * *
“To serve and protect.” It is no longer Ann’s professional code; it is personal for her. She swore to her husband and Ben that everyone will arrive safely to “Tent City. Even though Ann is very capable, she is also blessed with her passengers. Camille has lived her life in some dangerous projects. She can read evil and carries a gun. What more do you need? What about William? As the old saying goes, “Be leery of the quiet ones, they are the most dangerous. They are constantly assimilating information.”
The compass on the Humvee is pointing west. The early morning treasure hunters were at it again. Every once in a while, Ann saw a stray dog. Some countries find dog meat a delicacy. In our western culture, most of us find that repulsive.
Yet early settlers ate rattlesnake and, during desperate times, horse meat. Primitive man hunted and ate mostly animals. This really brings me to the concept of vegetarians. I believe they do it not just for health, but they believe the whole process is barbaric. What if the animals were on top of the food chain? Really, to each our own.
* * *
When I first saw the movie Planet of the Apes, I was amazed at Hollywood’s subliminal messages. I think they were letting us know that mankind had become too uncivilized. Crime, drugs, homicides, corruption, gambling, nuclear war—the list is never-ending. Now the apes are in control. It is obvious they are immensely stronger, faster, and can jump. Who says apes can’t jump? I saw very little of what they ate. I don’t think they ate humans. That would destroy the purity of Hollywood’s morality theme. The apes were civilized.
Charlton Heston starred in the original Planet of the Apes. With his wit and determination, he tried to reason with the apes. My two main takeaways: first, both Heston and Hollywood had to show the Statue of Liberty destroyed—it is the symbol of a free mankind; second, Charlton was determined to show off his chest. It’s his way of saying, “Look at me, aren’t I sexy.” Now he can demand the big bucks and have a whole cackle of female groupies swooning over him.
Now we fast-forward to today. There are females serving in combat roles, even a female who was a temporary NFL coach. So now it is proper to have a female take the lead role in the remake of Planet of the Apes.
So for argument’s sake, they release the film first on Redbox. Just stay with me, folks. The man of the house is coming home from a tough week at work. They are a typical middle-class family: husband, wife, one boy, and one girl. You know, the dwindling middle class: overworked and overtaxed.
He tells his wife he will pick up a movie. He checks Redbox. “Hmmm. My dad watched the original. It is harmless. Everyone will be happy. Planet of the Apes remake, thought the caring husband.
He comes home, both he and his wife unwind. The little boy asks if he and his sister can start the movie? With a smile, the dad says, “Why not?” They start the movie. The wife is preparing supper, and the husband is taking off his suit. Next, he is thumbing through the bills.
After twenty minutes, the little girl screams, “Mommy! Mommy!
The wife runs in to see what is wrong. There on the TV, the lead female actress, a Linda Carter–wannabe has her top off. She’s doing the same thing as Charlton Heston. The little boy is in awe; he still watches. The little girl runs to Mommy. She holds on tight and buries her head into her mommy’s waist.
Just then the dad runs in. “How could you?” the wife screams. The little boy keeps watching. The husband is speechless and is totally stunned.
The wife says, “Come on, children. We’ll watch something in the master bedroom.”
“No, I want to stay with daddy,” the little boy said.
At this point, the wife unplugs the TV, grabs the little boy, and drags him unwillingly to the master bedroom. She slams the door hard. Damn, thought the husband. Doesn’t the accused at least have a say?
After a few moments of being a deer in the headlights, the husband looks around. He grabs his laptop. Like Inspector Clouseau, in The Pink Panther, he quietly tiptoes to dark parts of the house, a place where even housemaids won’t venture into. There the husband opens his laptop. With much anticipation, he googles an interesting video. It’s obvious he will be sleeping on the sofa tonight.
A B-rated flick: Debbie Enters South Chicago. With a pounding heart, he clicks on the video. He then reads, “Sorry, this video has been deleted because of massive gunfire.”
“What?” screams the frustrated husband.
I guess the actors’ guild ran out of Debbie’s. The production manager is tearing out the last strands of hair on his bald head. “How can a guy make a living?” an angry production manager proclaims.
When a vampire looks in the mirror, he sees nothing. I wonder what the production manager would see.
With the decline of our morality and the rise of violence, Moses has been summoned from the vault. A little shaken, he brushes off the cobwebs and dust. Forty years roaming the desert without a McDonald’s or Holiday Inn can affect your state of mind. He is instructed to climb Mt. Arafat. There he can do a quick overview of the world. He scours the world, his eyes become fixated on Hollywood. He is especially shocked at the section that produces those B-rated movies.
“What? Forty days and nights of rain and you still don’t get the message?”
Moses stated with a loud roar.
With his statuesque body, he raises his right hand. His index finger releases a massive bolt of energy. He fires at the decadent Hollywood producers. A direct hit would send them to the lower bowels of the earth. Hopefully, there will be no collateral damage to the innocent. From halfway across the world, the bolt of energy barely misses and hits the Pacific Ocean. A thunderous explosion causes a seismic wave felt all the way to Antarctica.
This aroused the aliens living under the ice cap. Quickly, the aliens climbed up their frozen steps and sat in their makeshift bleacher. They immediately understood what Moses was doing. Soon they gave him a standing ovation. A second bolt is shot off; this one is even closer. Still, though, it landed just off shore, in the ocean. The aliens are ecstatic; they start doing the wave. They bought up their organic munchies.
The head alien texted Al Gore on his intergalactic cell phone. Al was in Antarctica last year. He received the Universe Peace Prize. A real prestigious award for his fine work. He was given a ceremonial key to a planet that the Aliens neutralized with extreme prejudice. Al also received the hottest beta release of the new `Inter-apple` galactic cell phone. It is one of a Limited edition it runs on— a “Dura Anti Matter” power pack, guaranteed to last an eternity—at least until the Earth is vaporized by their expanding sun.
Al was so choked up with emotion, he offered the aliens some of his expensive caviar. The aliens said thanks, but no thanks; they were on a diet. They can’t afford to add more weight to their large heads. Al understood and climbed into his large jet and left for home.
At home next to his large pool, Al is with his financial adviser. He didn’t hear the four-tone text message from the aliens.
“You’ve done well for yourself, Al, with this gig. You have amassed millions in your account,” the financial advisor said in a cheerful note.
“I know, I know. I still feel insecure. I need a few more million for my aging years,” Al retorted.
“Hmmm. How about solar panels on this fine large house of yours?” the financial adviser replied.
Al just waves his hand at the idea. It’s a no go.
“What about downsizing your jet? Or maybe fly economy class?” the financial advisor said.
“Are you kidding? My time and my privacy are important to me. Come on, I pay you mega bucks. Come up with something,” Al replied with a little anger.
“I got it! Why not raise your speaking fees?” the financial advisor said with excitement.
“Bingo! You’re the man. I know why I hired you. Would you like some of my expensive caviar?” Al said.
“No thanks, I am here for the mega bucks,” the financial adviser proclaimed.
“I can relate to that!” Al answered as they ended their meeting.
Moses is loosening up. The third bolt should be the charm. The aliens were crossing their fingers. They see the earth as a ship without a rudder. They know Moses is going to right the ship.
Looking at his target, Moses releases his third bolt. This should be dead-on. Just before impact, there is a divine intervention. The bolt is disintegrated and falls harmless to the earth.
“Now, Moses, I wanted a report. You are trying to interfere with mankind’s free will. You’re a good man, just have a seat,” said the higher power.
A disgruntled Moses sat down. The aliens went back under the ice cap, but not before they cleaned up their mess. Al told them to keep the environment clean. Sitting down, Mos
es looked at his carved-out stone with the Ten Commandments. Next, he glanced at the B-rated Hollywood producers.
Frustration has reached its limits. Moses picked up the large stone and started to chisel in an eleventh commandment: Thou shall not partake in any B-rated Hollywood productions.
Zap! A higher power took the large stone tablet from Moses. Quickly, the eleventh commandment is undone.
“Moses, thanks for your assistance. Time for you to go back to from whence you came.”
Reluctantly, Moses climbed down Mt. Arafat, mumbling all the way. “I had this. Really, I did.”
* * *
It’s been several hours of driving for Ann. They are a number of miles into Ohio. After a lunchbreak, Ann stopped to refuel the Humvee. At the side of the road, they came upon another military vehicle. After a short break, its driver told Ann that the tent city is really southwest of here. After thanking him, she drove off looking for the next exit. The hot payment was amplifying an already warm day. Taking the next exit, she looked at her compass. Southwest, it is. At least when they stop, they can find a shady tree. The drawback, more cars littered the road. Ann is also on the lookout for debris. Too hot to try and change tires.
After driving the back roads, many people came out to greet the Humvee. It seems there is a real nasty biker gang terrorizing the neighborhood. Seeing the sign Military Patrol, most people felt they are now saved. Camille and William had their rifles at the ready. In a way, they do look official, as long as they don’t get out of the Humvee. Fred, with his khaki pants and Western cowboy boots, would burst their bubble. Maybe it could be a new kind of army—you know, from Flintstone Valley.
All we have to do is rename Camille to Wilma.
It really seemed like a decent suburb. If there was a way to cut the grass and remove the stalled cars, this neighborhood would be ready to go.
After driving on for a few minutes, they came upon two middle-aged men. One had a hunting rifle and the other a baseball bat.
“How are you doing?” Camille said as Ann stopped the Humvee.
EMP Causality Page 18