Starting Over (Starting Over 1

by Kathy O'Rourke

  Adolph doesn’t move just looks up at Leo and turns his head to the side like he doesn’t understand.

  Leo looks back at us. “Let me try a different German command for search.” He kneels next to Adolph and points into the store. “Such!”

  Adolph makes a gruff sound and takes off inside, his nose to the ground. Leo quickly follows, but stops ten feet inside the door. Gus, Hank and I crowd in behind him.

  Hank asks, “What will he do if he finds someone?”

  “He’ll alert by barking. If the building is clear, he’ll come back to us.”

  Within minutes, we hear barking coming from the rear of the store.

  “Well, shit!” Gus moans and all three men pull their guns. “Let’s go find out what he’s barking at.”

  “I think we need to reclear the building since this is the first time we’ve used Adolph. Let’s make sure he did it right.” Hank says as he takes the lead. “I’ll take the right. Gus, take the left, and Leo, take the middle.” He nods back at me. “Shelley, stay here.”

  A shrill, high-pitched cry echoes through the store.

  “That’s a child’s scream. Oh my God, there’s a child in here.” I yell as I take off racing past the guys heading for the back of the store.

  “Shelley, damn it. There could be dangerous people in here.” Hank yells at me.

  I ignore him and keep running. I find Adolph sitting in front of a camping display that includes a set up pup tent. He’s wagging his tail and his tongue is hanging out of his mouth.

  Leo arrives right behind me and whispers in my ear. “In the tent. Adolph thinks they’re friendly, look at his tail.”

  At the mention of his name, Adolph whines and paws the ground as his tail slaps the tile over and over.

  I put my finger up and wave it at the guys. “I’ll take care of this.”

  Hank whispers, “The store is clear by the way.”

  Nodding that I understand, I put my attention on the tent and call out in a calm voice, “Please, don’t be scared. We won’t hurt you.”

  A young boy’s voice calls back, “Leave us alone.”

  “Are they any adults with you?”

  “No. Leave us alone.”

  I try again. “My name’s Shelley and our dog’s name’s Adolph. He’s wagging his tail. He wants you to come out and play with him.”

  The flap of the tent rustles.

  I wave with a big smile on my face. “Hi there.”

  The boy’s voice calls out. “The dog barked at us. He scared little Cindy.”

  His words have me pressing my hand against my chest and working hard to control the spontaneous tears that appear in my eyes. I look back of the guys and hold up two fingers. “Two of them! Two children!”

  Leo moves to my side, slips his arm around my shoulder and speaks to the tent. “Kids, Adolph loves children. He’s a trained dog and would never attack anyone unless I tell him to.”

  “Like a police dog.” The boy says as the tent flap opens a bit wider.

  I shake my head in agreement. “That’s right. Like a police dog, only better, because he’s ours. Why don’t you come out and see for yourself?”

  The little girl cries and screams. “I don’t wanna.”

  Adolph whines and paws the ground in response to the little girl’s cry.

  Leo adds, “Adolph’s sad. He doesn’t want you to cry. He really wants you to come play with him.”

  The boy whispers something I can’t make out.

  “Is she okay?” I ask.

  “Yeah, she’s just scared.”

  I call out a bit louder. “Cindy, sweetheart, I would never hurt a child. I’m a teacher. I love children. My friends won’t hurt you either.”

  The flap opens and an adorable boy, with skin the color of hot chocolate, sticks his head out. His Dodger cap catches on the lifted panel causing it to slip off revealing a head full of black curly hair. A bit embarrassed, he quickly shoves the cap back on. His eyes don’t meet mine when he talks. “Cindy wants the lady to come in here.”

  I start to move forward, and Hank grabs my arm shaking his head no. I smack his hand and glare at him. “Please, they’re just children.” Then tell the boy, “I’m coming.”

  When I reach the tent flap, I see the boy’s eyes up close. They’re a rich golden brown and show a great deal of wisdom for a boy so young. “What’s your name?”

  “Michael.”

  Reaching out, I cautiously place my hand on his shoulder. “I’m glad to meet you.” He smells terrible. I bet he hasn’t bathed since the beginning.

  He doesn’t pull away. Yes! One small victory! “Is it just the two of you here?”

  He whispers his answer. “Yeah.”

  “How old are you, Michael?”

  “Eleven almost twelve. Cindy’s three.”

  A little hand holding up three fingers appears from under a sleeping bag in the corner.

  Speaking in a soft and gentle voice, I work on gaining her trust. “I see your hand, sweetie. Thank you for showing me how old you are. Are you a big, tall three-year-old or a little tiny one?”

  She answers from under the covers. “Little.”

  “But you’re smart, aren’t you?”

  The sleeping bag moves. I can tell she’s shaking her head. “Yeah, Michael said.”

  I give Michael an okay sign. “Well then, it must be true if Michael says so.”

  Michael’s eyes shine bright at my compliment.

  “Cindy, can you come out and see me, please?”

  A head full of red curls emerges first then she flips over to her back and peeks her face out. I smile at her rosy cheeks covered with dirty smudges.

  “Come here, Sweetie. Let me see you.” I wave her over.

  She crawls out of the sleeping bag. Wearing only a long t-shirt that reaches to the ground, she flies across the tent and into my arms.

  “Well, hello.” She’s very stinky and her breath smells like chocolate which explains the brown marks on her face. I run my hand down her body; she’s stick thin and her ribs protrude.

  She whispers in my ear, “See doggie?”

  “Of course. Do you want to come too, Michael?”

  He shrugs and acts like he’s not excited. “Okay.”

  I climb out of the tent, pick Cindy up and put her on my hip. Michael follows close behind.

  Adolph starts to wiggle and whine in excitement. It’s obvious he had children in his original home. I point at Leo. “That’s Leo and he’s Adolph’s trainer.”

  Cindy crinkles her eyebrows. “Duff’s Daddy?”

  Her shortened version of Adolph’s name is adorable. Leo chuckles and I do my best not to as I try to explain it to her. “Yes, Leo is Duff’s daddy.” I know that’s not factual but it’s a relationship a three-year-old can understand.

  Leo reaches over and tickles Cindy’s toes. “I love and take care of Duff.”

  “And feed him?” She asks in her little girl voice.

  “Of course, I feed him. He’s my family.”

  Leo steps over by Adolph. “He really wants you to pet him.”

  I put Cindy down and she hides behind my legs.

  Leo kneels on the floor petting Adolph. “See, he’s very friendly and loves to be petted. Do you want to touch him?”

  Cindy peeks over at Leo and give him a timid, “Yeah.”

  “Cindy, let Leo help you.” I nudge her out from behind me.

  “I’m not gonna hurt you, sweetheart, I promise.” Leo says as he holds out his hand.

  Cindy runs the two steps from my leg to Leo. Her lips pout as she tells him, “Duff barked.”

  “He was just happy to see a little girl.” Leo tells her as he takes her hand and helps her pet Adolph.

  I turn around and put my attention on Michael. “Come on. Come meet the rest of the guys.”

  Hank offers Michael his hand. “Hi, I’m Hank.”

  Shaking Hank’s hand, he introduces himself. “I’m Michael Carver.”

  Gus points
at his chest. “I’m Gus. Gus Rossi.”

  Michael does a head bob thing. “Hey.”

  Hank jumps right in and starts with the questions. “How did you end up here alone?”

  Michael’s shoulders drop and his eyes glass over as he talks. “My parents died and then my big brother and little sister did too.” He stops and takes a deep breath and his lips tremble. “I tried to save them, but I couldn’t.”

  I can only imagine what this sweet little boy felt watching his family die one by one.

  Gus nods at Hank and me indicating that he’ll handle this. Taking a step closer to Michael, he puts his hand on his shoulder and speaks in a soothing voice. “Listen kid, there was nothing you could do to save them. I watched my whole family die, too.”

  Michael’s head snaps back and he looks up at Gus’s face. “Really?”

  “Yeah, only Leo and I didn’t get sick.”

  After a little bit of silence, I nudge him on. “So, Michael, when did you leave your house?”

  “We didn’t have a house, we lived in an apartment. I left when it got smelly. I walked to the mall because I knew there would be food and clothes and books and a fountain with water. But I couldn’t get in. All the doors were locked.”

  “Then what did you do?” Hank adds.

  “I walked back home and stayed in the lobby of our building. I broke into some of the apartments for stuff to eat.”

  Hank asks, “Why did you leave the lobby?”

  Michael shrugs his shoulders and looks down at his shoes. “I got scared. I kept hearing noises, maybe ghosts.”

  Cindy lets out a loud happy screech followed by giggles. “Duff lick toes!”

  All of us, especially Michael, smile over at her. She’s in Leo’s lap holding her toes up for Adolph to lick again.

  “How did Cindy end up with you?” I ask.

  “I was looking for a new place and heard crying. I followed the sound. I found her walking down the middle of the street.” He stops and looks over at Cindy playing with the dog. “She reminded me of Alicia, my little sister.”

  “So, you decided to take her with you?” I ask him.

  “Yeah. I couldn’t leave her alone. She’s too little.”

  I hug him. “Wow. You did the right thing. I’m proud of you.”

  He continues. “We found this place together. The door was already broken open. There’s food here.” He reaches in his pocket and hands me a Luna Nutrition Bar. “We stayed in the tent. I told her we were camping.”

  “What did you do for water?”

  He points in the far-right corner. “Sparkletts water bottles.”

  Gus pats him on the back. “You sure did a good job.”

  Michael stands straighter and puffs out his chest and beams up at Gus.

  I look over Michael’s head at Gus and Hank and plead with my eyes. They know I want to take them home with us.

  Hank kneels next to Michael. “Listen, we need a few more good people to join us. We could really use a smart guy like you. Do you want to come?”

  Michael shakes his head no. “I can’t leave Cindy here alone.”

  Gus laughs and gives him a little shove. “No man, Cindy can come too.”

  Cindy runs over and grabs Michael’s hand. In an excited voice, tells him, “Go home with Duff!”

  Our family just grew to six, seven if you count Duff, I mean Adolph.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Hank

  The look on Shelley’s face is one of relief. She’s been worried about children and the survival of the human race, and now, bam, she’s an instant mother of two.

  With Cindy attached to her hip, Shelley walks over to me wearing a smile so bright it lights up the entire room. God, she looks like a perfect mother. Placing her hand on my chest, she speaks softly. “Cindy, this is my friend, Hank.”

  I admit it. Cindy’s way cute. She reminds me of Little Orphan Annie. Her mouth forms a pout as she leans in closer to Shelley’s neck.

  “Sweetie, don’t be scared of me. I’m a good guy.” Moving slowly, I lightly pull on one of her curls and let it spring back.

  She pushes my hand away. “Don’t wanna.”

  Even though I feel a bit rejected, I tell her, “That’s okay, Sweet pea.”

  Shelley mouths the word “She’s shy.”

  Next up is Gus.

  “This is my friend, Gus.” Shelley runs her hand down his arm stopping over the tat on his wrist.

  He bends over and looks Cindy right in the eye. “Well hello, beautiful girl.” His words come out almost like a song.

  Cindy smiles at him and says Hi back.

  My face starts to burn. Why doesn’t the little girl like me? God, I’m stupid sometimes, worrying about a shy little girl liking me. Anyway, it’s time to get moving with today’s projects.

  I get things rolling. “Change of plans. With the children, we need to reconsider our security needs.”

  Nodding at Gus and Leo, I continue. “I think you two should stay and help us here then we’ll all go to your clubhouse together.”

  Shelley smiles. “Smart, Hank, thanks,” and walks the children over to the tent area. “Michael, can you stay with Cindy for a few more minutes while we pick up what we need?”

  Not looking happy about it, Michael still nods yes.

  She settles Cindy down with Michael. “Thanks, Michael.”

  I take a crowbar out of my pack and point at the “Storeroom. Employees Only” sign in the middle of a gray door. “Let’s do this.”

  Gus comes with me. “I’ll help.”

  Once we get the stockroom open, we turn on our flashlights.

  “Score!” Gus and I yell at the same time. No one has touched anything inside. It’s still fully stocked.

  My star finds are comfortable boots, moisture wicking t-shirts and Ka-Bar knifes. I picked out a boot knife and a super primo limited-edition Spartan dagger. I also got a set of knives for everyone, but there was only one Spartan, and it’s mine.

  Gus is walking around like a movie star in a pair of three-hundred-dollar sunglasses. “Gotta take care of our eyes.” He tells us as he gets us each a pair, even Michael and Cindy.

  Leo yells, “Bingo,” and waves several packages in the air. “Walkie Talkies.”

  “Perfect, let’s take a minute and set them up.” Shelley claps her hands and walks over to help.

  “Here’s the charging unit.” He hands Shelley a box. “It’s set up to run off solar, too.”

  Leo reads the directions aloud as Shelley activates them. When done, they hand one to everyone except Cindy. Leo teaches us all the basics.

  Shelley, our resident planner, then gets to work checking off her list as she puts things in a neat pile by the tent. Once done, she disappears into the kid’s section with Cindy and Michael.

  The next time I see them, Cindy is dressed in a bright pink t-shirt with stars on it, jeans and pink running shoes. Michael also has new clothes; a black t-shirt with Smokey the Bear on it, jeans and grey running shoes. Shelley’s arms are full of extras of everything for the kids.

  I pat Cindy on the head. “You sure look pretty in your new clothes.” Nodding at Michael, I tell him “You look good, too, Little dude.”

  He just shrugs.

  “Pink.” Cindy tells me and holds up her foot for me to see.

  “They look great. Those are running shoes. Do they work?”

  She smiles up at me then takes off running down the aisle and back. “Fast.”

  “They work great.” I tell her.

  By the time we leave, the back of the van is full to the brim including what Shelley is calling her find of the century; a top-of-the-line off grid power storage station with two extra sets of solar panels that link together for more power.

  Next stop the Satan’s Best clubhouse.

  It takes ten minutes of side street driving to get there from the camping store. At first glance, it looks like a deserted nursing home or live-in facility. Gus, who’s driving the Caddie, leads
us down a long driveway to the back of the building.

  Expecting a business-like parking lot, I’m surprised at what’s back here. Yes, there’s a parking lot, but also a large green area with picnic tables, brick barbeque, a Bocce court even a wooden jungle gym. In the way back, up against the fence, there’s a row of dirt mounds with handmade crosses on them. As I climb out of the car, I watch Gus and Leo looking up at the graves with sadness in their eyes. Gus grabs Leo by the neck and shakes him in an act of manly comfort. I remember doing the same thing to my fellow Marines after the loss of a team mate. It’s funny how men show love and comfort.

  As soon as we’re out of the cars, Shelley grabs Cindy’s hand. “You guys go ahead and get everything. I’m gonna take Cindy over there.” She points at the play area, “She can run around and play.” She looks at Michael. “You want to come with us or go with the guys?”

  Michael takes a step closer to me. “The guys. I wanna help.”

  I grab him by the neck and do the man shaking thing. “Sure thing, he can help us inside. Come on.”

  Gus opens the backdoor with his keys. “I don’t think we need to clear the building, it doesn’t look broken into.”

  “I’ll send Adolph through anyway. It’s good practice for him.” Leo says as he takes the leash off Adolph, kneels, and points in the door. “Such.”

  Adolph bounds forward with a quick bark.

  “You speak German to Adolph?” Michael asks.

  The three of us are surprised by this. I ask, “You speak German, Michael?”

  He nods. “A little, we lived in Germany. My dad was in the army.”

  Leo adds, “Adolph only understands commands in German. Maybe you can be my assistant.”

  The smile on the kid’s face grew until it went from ear to ear. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

  Within two minutes, Adolph’s back sitting in front of Leo. “Guter hund.”

  Michael pats Leo’s head. “Braver hund.”

  Adolph proudly wags his tail as Leo slips Michael a dog treat. “Give that to him and praise him.”

  “Guter hund.” Michael says proudly.

  The inside of the clubhouse is what I expected except that it is immaculately clean. Maybe I’ve seen too much TV, but I expected to find cigarette butts, beer bottles and garbage everywhere. There’s none.