by A. American
I didn’t find any breaks in the fence and by the time I got back, the cows were out and already mowing the lawn. Thad smiled when I pulled up, “Find any breaks in the fence?”
“No. Looks good.”
“Neither did I.”
I laughed, “Should have known you would have already done it.”
We left the cows to graze and headed back down the road to get the diesel. One of Janet’s hands got in the trailer and Thad passed the hose through to him. As the tank filled, we talked with Janet.
“Why don’t you all come over tomorrow afternoon,” Janet said. “We’ve got a swimming hole at the house if anyone wants to cool off. And there will be plenty of beef.”
“Kay is going to make buns for the burgers,” I offered.
“That sounds just fine,” Sarge replied. “I’m looking forward to meeting your daddy.”
Janet smiled, “You’ll like him, I think. You two should get along just fine. He’s been the force that held us all together during all this. But it’s taken a toll on him.”
“It’s taken a toll on all of us,” Sarge replied.
“Indeed,” I added.
Her mood brightening, Janet said, “All the more reason to get together. I’ll take any chance to smile now. We’ve been pretty isolated since things changed. We were basically self-sufficient and didn’t need to go to town.”
“Did you ever go?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I didn’t. But a couple of the hands went in from time to time just to see what was going on.”
“Tank’s full,” Thad said as he hung up the hose. I introduced Thad to Janet as he walked over.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she replied as she shook his hand.
“Good to meet you. You ready to go load some hogs?”
“Oh yes. I’m really looking forward to some breakfast sausage and a nice fat porkchop!”
Sarge laughed, “Sounds like you want some pig meat as bad as I want some beef!”
“You always miss what you don’t have,” she replied.
“Ain’t that the truth,” Thad added.
Thad and I walked over to the pig pen as one of Janet’s men drove the truck over. Seeing people, the pigs came running. Thad had already prepared some feed for them, more swamp cabbage and scraps from the kitchen. Using a couple of fence panels, we sectioned off the small gate the trailer backed up to. Getting in, Thad and I worked together to get the pigs sorted, so only the ones we wanted to load were inside the new makeshift pen. It required a lot of kicking, prodding and pushing, but we finally got it done. Of course, there was a lot of advice from those gathered around and watching.
By the time they were loaded, we were both breathing hard and laughing, as were all those gathered to watch. Once we had only the ones we wanted in the little pen, Thad walked into the stock trailer and dumped out the feed he’d prepared. I threw open the gate and the hogs rushed into the trailer. Thad swung the door shut and they were in.
“Hell, that was easy,” Sarge said when the gate banged shut.
I wiped the sweat running down my nose with the back of my hand and replied, “It is easy when all you’re doing is holding down that fence post.”
“I got my job and you got yours,” the old man replied.
Janet laughed and pointed at the hand that drove the truck, “You all sound like these guys.”
He shrugged, “Just the way it is, I reckon.”
I held my hand out, “I’m Morgan.”
“Travis,” he replied as he shook it.
“We’re going to head back,” Janet said. “I want to get these pigs home and into their pen before anything happens to them.”
“I hope you have good fences,” Thad said with a big smile. “We had to put in a hot wire to keep them in.”
“Oh, we have a pen,” Travis replied. “Been working on it since Morgan here made the deal.”
They said their goodbyes, with Janet adding we should come over any time after noon tomorrow. We promised we’d be there and waved as they climbed into the truck and headed down the road.
After they left, I told Sarge I wanted to go to town to talk to Cecil. I wanted him to go with us to this little cookout. “That’s a fine idea. I’ll take that ride to town with you,” Sarge replied.
I went home to tell Mel we were going into town. She replied she wanted to go too. Lee Ann said she wanted to as well. Since they were going, I asked Taylor if she wanted to go.
“No. I’ll stay here. Ashley wants to go see the cows. I’ll take her over there.”
“And then we’re going to play in the pool too!” Little Bit shouted.
Taylor smiled at her little sister, “Yes, then I’ll play in the pool with you.”
“Alright,” I replied. “We’ll be back later.”
I pulled my armor on and picked up my rifle. Lee Ann came out with her H&K slung over her shoulder. Mel came out of the bedroom and I looked at her. “You going to put your pistol on?”
She looked at me and cocked her head to the side. “Aren’t we just going to town?”
I nodded. “Yeah, so put your pistol on.” While she went to get her pistol, I went to the kitchen and poured myself a thermos of tea and filled an insulated mug with ice and tea. This was one luxury we had, ice, and I was thankful for it!
She went back into the bedroom and came out, lacing a belt into her jeans and threading the holster on. “Let’s go over and get some pork to take to Gina,” I said.
“That’s a great idea,” Mel replied.
We walked over to Danny’s. He was in the shed, messing with something and waved as we passed. Thad, Mary and Miss Kay were in the kitchen working on the pork. I asked for some to take to Gina.
“That’s a fine idea,” Kay replied. She took out a loaf pan and laid a couple of thick pork chops into it and packed the rest of the pan with some of the sausage that they were busy grinding. “You think that’s enough?” She asked.
“I’m sure it is,” I replied.
“They’ll be happy with it,” Mel added.
“You going to town?” Thad asked.
“Yeah, I want to go talk to Cecil. I’d like him to come with us tomorrow.”
“Oh, that’s nice, Morgan,” Kay said. “You’re always thinking of others.” She made me smile. Kay was such a gentle soul. The epitome of an iconic grandmother.
“It’s just what we have to do,” I replied with a smile. We left the house headed towards the old man’s place.
“Man, it’s hot,” Mel said as we made our way down the road.
“Tell me about it. I really, really miss air conditioning,” I replied.
“Me too,” Lee Ann added.
Sarge was sitting in the Hummer at the end of his street. Seeing us, he shouted, “You brought back up!” As we were getting in the truck, he said, “Mornin’, Mel, Lee Ann. Glad to see you two getting out.”
As Mel settled into her seat, she said, “It’s about time I started doing more. This is life now. The old one isn’t coming back.”
When I got in, Sarge looked at me with raised eyebrows. I shrugged, and he smiled and dropped the truck in gear and we headed out.
“Stop by Gina’s place. We have some pork to give them,” I said. He nodded as we pulled out onto the county road.
Gina and Dylan were sitting on the porch when we pulled up. They both got up and walked out to meet us as everyone got out. “What a surprise!” Gina said when she saw Mel.
“We brought you some pork,” Mel said, holding the pan out.
Gina took it and lifted the little towel covering the meat. “Oh, Batman is going to love this!”
“What is it?” Dylan asked as he shook Sarge’s hand, then mine.
Gina tilted the pan, so he could see in it, “Pork chops and sausage!”
Dylan clapped his hands, “Hot damn!” He shouted.
“Come inside, Mel. I’ll find something to put this in, so you can take the pan back,” Gina said as they headed towards the house.<
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“What are you up to today?” Dylan asked.
“We’re headed into town,” I replied. “How are things here? How’s Gina doing?”
“Oh, we’re fine. Gina is good. She hasn’t had an episode in a couple of weeks.”
“That’s good to hear,” Sarge replied. “You know, if you ever need anything, we’re just across the road.”
“We know, we know; and we appreciate it too.”
Mel and Gina came out of the house. They were laughing about something. “What are you two up to?” I asked with suspicion.
“Don’t you worry about it, Sheriff!” Gina shouted.
Folding my arms, I replied, “Gina, I’ve been married long enough to know when women are up to something. And you two are definitely up to something.”
Mel walked past me and smiled, “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”
Sarge looked at her, then at Gina. Then at Dylan. “Yep. They’re up to something.”
“Ya think?” Dylan asked with a laugh.
“Alright. We’re outta here before these two get into trouble,” Sarge replied.
“Indeed,” I added. “Say, tomorrow we’re going to a little get together with some folks we met. They’re putting on a cookout. Would you like to come?”
“Cookout?” Dylan asked. “What are they cooking?”
“Steak.”
“Steak?” Gina asked in surprise.
“They have cattle,” Sarge added.
“Well, we wouldn’t want to intrude,” Dylan replied, looking at Gina.
“You wouldn’t be. You’re more than welcome,” I said.
Dylan looked at Gina, “It sure would be nice to get away. Not to mention eating some steak.”
Gina looked at me, “We’d love to come. If it’s no trouble.”
“We’ll swing by and pick you up on our way,” Sarge said.
We waved goodbye and got on the road towards Eustis. But we didn’t go far. When we came to the market in Altoona, there was a crowd gathered and it was obvious from the road something was up.
“Better go check on this,” I said to Sarge. Even though he was already turning into the market.
A throng of people was gathered into a tight knot. There were shouts and objects being thrown. I looked over at Mario, who was in his usual spot and he smiled and nodded at the crowd. We got out and Sarge and I waded into the crowd, pushing people out of the way. When we got to the center of the mass of people, two men were on the ground. They were both bloodied and bruised from the hail of kicks and punches raining down on them.
Sarge and I tried to pull the people back, shoving, cussing and in a couple of cases, having to punch them in the face. But we just couldn’t get the crowd off the two men. Just when I was thinking of drawing my pistol, a shot rang out. The crowd froze. I looked at Sarge, expecting to see a pistol in his hand. But he had some long-haired bearded man in a headlock and was looking at me. Then two more shots rang out and the crowd began to flee.
I looked back to see Mel holding her pistol above her head. “That’s about enough of that shit!” She shouted. Lee Ann was standing beside her, the H&K at her shoulder as she eyed the crowd with a look that said, make my day. I was stunned.
Sarge’s voice brought me back around. “What in the hell is going on here?” He demanded.
The man he had in the headlock pointed to the two men now cowering on the ground. He managed to choke out, “Them sons of bitches are stealing!”
“From who?” I asked.
“From everybody!” A voice called out as the crowd began to close in again.
I looked at the people, then back at Mel and Lee Ann and said, “You better keep your distance unless you want those ladies to smoke your ass.”
Many of the people in the crowd made a gesture of half raising their hands in submission. Sarge released the man he had ahold of and asked, “Now, just what in the hell is going on here?”
We were finally able to work out what was happening. The two men worked together to shoplift, for lack of a better term. It was an old tactic. One would distract the trader and the other would pocket the goods.
“They been doing it for a long time,” one of the traders shouted. “But we caught their asses today!” Several trade goods were held out as evidence of the crime.
I looked down at them and asked, “Is that true? You two stealing from these folks?”
One of the men sat up. “We only take a little bit. What else are we supposed to do? We need to eat as well.”
“You don’t steal, asshole!” Sarge shouted and the crowd joined in with shouts of approval.
I kicked one in the ass, “Get on your feet.” Then I told Sarge to keep an eye on them.
“Where the hell you going?” He asked,
“To talk to Mario.”
I walked over to Mario, who was laughing as I came up. “Glad you enjoyed the show.”
“That’s the best thing I’ve seen in a long time!”
“Yeah, yeah. So, were they stealing?”
“Yeah they were,” Shelly answered. “They were busted red-handed.”
I looked back at the two men and Mario asked, “What are you going to go with them?”
“I don’t know. We don’t have a jail now. I’ll have to figure something out.”
I walked back over to Sarge. “I don’t know what to do with them. We don’t have a jail.”
“You’re the Sheriff, so you say!” Someone shouted. “You need to do something!”
“And we will!” I shouted back. Looking at Lee Ann, I asked, “You mind hanging around here for a while?”
“Sure.”
“Alright. Let’s take them over there. I’ve got some cuffs. We’ll secure them for now. We’ll run to town and get Mitch and bring him out here to settle this today.”
“Good call,” Sarge said. “Law and order.”
“I’ll stay here too,” Mel said.
“You sure.” I asked.
“Why not? That way, nothing happens to them. Plus, I can talk to Shelly, I haven’t seen her in a long time.”
“Sounds like this is settled,” Sarge said. Then he added, “Leave them your radio, Morgan.”
“Good idea. But just to make sure there isn’t any trouble,” I keyed the mic on my radio. “Hey, Jamie.”
Go ahead.
“I need some people at the market in Altoona for security.”
We’re on our way.
I handed the radio to Mel. “Here. You’ve got some help coming too. Don’t let these people try anything. We’ll be back later.”
“We don’t need the help,” Mel replied, insulted.
“Babe, you always need the help. Just like I needed it from you earlier.”
“Always stack the odds in your favor, Mel,” Sarge added. “You want it to be as unfair, on your side, as you can get it.”
She nodded, “I see your point.”
I leaned in and kissed her, “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”
“We got this,” Lee Ann offered.
Sarge and I secured the two men to a U-shaped bollard at the gas pumps with two sets of cuffs, chaining the two men together. As I clicked the cuffs closed, I whispered to them, “Now, if you guys are thinking of fucking with those two, understand that they will kill you where you stand, understand? They’re here to protect you from them,” I said and nodded at the still fuming traders discussing what they would like to do to the two men.
Sarge and I left the market and headed towards town. As he pulled out of the parking lot, he looked over and asked, “What the hell happened to your bride? That’s not the same Mel I know.”
“I have no idea,” I answered honestly. “I think the day she spent working at the gym with the wounded from the attack really hit her hard.”
“I knew something was up earlier when she made that statement about having to do more. I knew something had clicked in her.”
“Yeah, I could tell something was different,” I replied and looked
over, “in a good way.”
Slapping the steering wheel, Sarge shouted, “In a damn good way!”
“Yeah, I kinda like it.”
Sarge glanced over at me. “You better watch yourself now. It’s looking to me like Mel is getting ready to kick some ass.”
I laughed. “Yeah, but you’re on deck. She still ain’t got over you showing your ass in the front yard.”
The old man’s face soured. “Now why you gotta go being an asshole? Here we were having a perfectly good conversation and you had to go and fuck it all up!”
Shrugging, I replied, “I wasn’t the one dropping my trou…”
“Kiss my ass!”
Now, I laughed. “Pick a spot, old man.”
We found Cecil at the first place we stopped to look, the cornfield. Cecil seemed to like spending time there. Maybe because it was so far away no one would walk out there, and he could be left alone. Maybe he just liked to watch the corn grow. Either way, he was sitting in the shade of the oak tree when we rolled up.
“What kind of trouble are you two up to?” He asked as we got out.
“Come looking for you,” Sarge replied.
I was carrying my thermos of tea with me and sat down beside Cecil on an old wire reel. I held it out and asked, “Want some?”
He waved it off, “It’s too damn hot for coffee.”
Sarge snorted, “Nonsense! It’s never too hot for coffee. That’s like saying it’s too hot for air!”
Cecil sipped water from a plastic cup and replied, “It is too hot for air today.”
“This is ice tea. Some of us ain’t bat shit crazy,” I said.
Cecil pitched the water out of his cup and held it out. “Now, that I’ll take.” I poured his cup full and after taking a long drink of the cold tea, he asked, “What do you want with me?”
“We’re going to a little get-together tomorrow with some folks Morgan found. Wanted you to come along,” Sarge replied.
Cecil looked at me, “Where’d you find ‘em?”
“In a cow pasture.”
The old man laughed, showing his long teeth. “You mean a pasture, ain’t no more cows.”
“That’s the thing, Cecil. They got cows too. Lots of them. They’re going to give one to the town to help with the injured at the gym. And we also traded for two cows. Tomorrow, they’re putting on a feed, all the steak you can eat.”