Starting Over (Starting Over 1

by Kathy O'Rourke

  Adolph beats him to my side of the van and licks Cindy’s hand and puts his head on her leg. She calms right down. “Duff.”

  Michael takes over. “Come on, Cindy, we’re staying here now.” He lifts her down off my lap and takes her hand pointing at the house. “We’re gonna live here with Shelley.”

  Sniffing loudly, Cindy wipes her nose on her new shirt. “K.”

  I run up to the door and unlock it. “Welcome home, kids.”

  Michael walks in holding Cindy’s hand. He looks around and out through the French doors. “Look Cindy, we have an outside.”

  “Yes, and a garden, too.” Hank adds as he comes in followed by Gus, Leo and Adolph.

  Leo opens the doors to the backyard for Adolph. “I was thinking, Gus and I could take the bunkbeds apart and bring them over here for the kids.”

  “Great idea. Hank and I will make room in the den.” I look the kids in the eye. “Would you guys like to go for a swim?” My real objective is to get the kids clean and to calm them down after our terrible scare.

  Michael jumps in the air which causes Cindy to jump up and down and yell, “Yay!”

  I look over at Hank. “I picked up bathing suits for the kids. They’re in the back of the van.”

  “I’ll go find them.” Gus volunteers as he takes off out the door.

  “Try the pink bag.” I yell out after him.

  Hank looks a bit embarrassed. “I don’t have a suit.”

  “Wear a dark pair of jockey shorts or check one of the other houses. Can you watch the kids while I go get ready?”

  Hank nods. “I’ll show them the garden while you change.”

  When I come out dressed in my green bikini and a matching mesh cover-up, Leo and Hank’s eyes almost pop out of their heads.

  Hank lets out a wolf whistle.

  “Stop it. It’s just a bathing suit.” I feel my face starting to burn.

  “No, that’s a bikini and you look mighty hot in it.” Leo says as he shakes his hands.

  Gus holds up a pink bathing suit and a pair of blue striped board shorts as he walks in the front door. “Jesus, I had to take almost everything out of the damn van to find these.” Then looking over at me, his mouth drops open. “Lordy, Lordy. Girlfriend.”

  I wave them off. “Stop it, you jerks.” Grabbing the pink bathing suit from Gus, I take Cindy’s hand. “I’ll go get her ready. Michael, can you change, please.”

  “Sure thing.” He grabs his suit and disappears into the front bathroom.

  It takes all four of us plus several bribes to get Michael and Cindy clean in the shower, especially Cindy who didn’t want to wash her hair. I’ve decided I’m gonna find another kiddie pool to use as a bathtub for them rather that the shower. It will be much easier on them and on me.

  But, now that they’re clean, they’re splashing around in the pool with Gus and Hank.

  Leo is sitting next to me on a lounger. “I’ve been thinking of taking a trip to the library and borrowing,” he puts air quotes up as he says borrowing, “books on survival, farming, living off the grid.” He makes eye contact with me. “This fucked up thing could last the rest of our lives.”

  He’s right. It could take years to get things back, if ever. “I’ll go with you. With kids now, we have a lot more to prepare for.”

  “Yeah, but I’m real glad we found them.” Leo adds, “I hate to think what would have happened if the Car Guys found them.”

  “Me, too.”

  Then Adolph decides he’s going to swim and a silly kinda hell breaks loose.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Hank

  Basic training wasn’t as hard as helping Shelley shower the kids. Gus and Leo were stationed on the roof adding water to the solar bags while Shelley and I were down below, under the make shift showerhead, washing and scrubbing weeks of dirt off them. Michael was fine, he stood still and took it like a champ, but Cindy was like trying to clean a slippery squealing piglet.

  The worst part was hiding my hard on. A wet, soap-covered Shelley, dressed only in her tiny bikini kept bumping into me as we struggled to hold Cindy still.

  Even now my horney fight continues. She’s draped on a lounger like a living Goddess. The outside edges of her breasts are clearly visible. The three little triangles of cloth don’t hide much and let’s not forget the blue stone thingee in her pierced bellybutton. Heaven help me.

  I’m not the only affected either. Gus is in the pool with Cindy on his shoulders playing tag with Michael, but his eyes constantly move in her direction. Leo’s even worse. He’s on the lounger next to her, chatting her up. I know I shouldn’t be jealous, but I am. Yes, I’ve only known her a few days, but I can’t help the way I feel.

  Knowing I need to up my game, I splash her. “Shell, come on in. The water’s great.”

  She squeals as the water hits her stomach and upper thighs. “Damn it, I was relaxing.”

  “It’s not cold. It’s refreshing. Get in here!” Under my breath, I say a prayer for mercy. “Please, let her come in the water, please.”

  She answers, “Okay. I’ll come in for a few minutes then go fix us an early dinner.” With a wicked smile on her face, she cannonballs into the water right next to me while screaming, “Geronimo.” The water splashes everywhere including all over Leo. She comes up laughing, “Bet you didn’t think I’d do that, did you?”

  Ever the grown-up, I dunk her. When she comes to the surface, I laugh, and repeat what she said to me. “Bet you didn’t think I’d do that, did you?”

  Then the dunking war begins. Leo jumps in and everyone except Cindy, who is sitting on the edge watching, gets in on the action.

  Leo waves his arms. “Guys, we’re being a bunch of loud idiots. Noise carries.”

  We continue, but with whispers rather than yells.

  Us guys get to work unpacking the cars while Shelley takes Cindy back home to fix dinner. We put our finds in sorted piles on the floor of Levi’s garage.

  I compare what we got to the list on Shell’s clipboard. “We did good. We got most everything we needed.”

  My mind goes to the shooting. “Leo, did you kill that guy?”

  “The bullet hit his chest. I’m pretty sure he’s dead. You guys got another one in the arm.”

  “Why do you think they really just left?” Gus asks.

  “I think they left because they didn’t want to take any more losses.” I say as I put the sorted meds down on the floor; one bag of prescription and the other of over-the-counter.

  “They’ll want revenge. We’re gonna have to be careful from now on.” Gus throws in.

  “Yeah. We should discuss this tonight after the kids are in bed.” I snort, “Kids in bed. Listen to us acting all family-like.”

  “Nothing wrong with that. We need to think of the future. Keep them safe.” Leo lifts the little fridge out of the van.

  “We can do it, too.” I say then signal to change the subject because Michael’s coming in the door with Adolph right on his heels. “Shhh, ichael…May is oming…cay.”

  Leo laughs, “Pig Latin?”

  I shrug my shoulders. “It always worked for my parents.”

  “Leo! I got Adolph to sit and stay.” Michael says with a big ass grin on his face.

  “That’s great. After dinner, you and I can walk over and feed the other dogs. I’ll teach you the commands Adolph knows, and we can work with him together.” Leo says as he gives Michael a noogie.

  Michael scratches Adolph’s head. “Did you hear that, boy, we’re gonna work together after dinner.”

  Our walkie talkies go off. “Guys. Dinner in twenty minutes. Over.”

  The smell of bacon has my mouth watering as I walk in the door at Shelley’s. “Honey, I’m home,” I call out in a Ricky Ricardo voice.

  “I’m in the garage, Mr. Comedian.”

  Cindy, dressed in cute shorts and a pink top, sticks her head through the garage door, peeks at me then pulls her head back out of sight.

  “Oh my,
is there a little girl in here? I swear I just saw one.” I work my way closer to where she’s hiding.

  She sticks her hand out, waves and giggles.

  “There is a little girl here.” I touch her hand and tickle her ear. “Hello, Sweet Pea. Are you helping Shelley make dinner?”

  She nods and runs back over to Shelley.

  It’s strange. It’s only be a few hours, but I already feel like a father. I hear myself saying and doing things my father used to do. I never thought I wanted kids. My plan was to get through school, join the FBI and live a long single life. But, being with these kids, knowing we’re now responsible for them, feels good and right.

  “Why does it smell like bacon in here?” I ask as I lean over Shelley’s shoulder and lift the cover off a large frying pan only to find rectangle shaped pieces of mystery meat. “That’s not bacon.”

  “It’s bacon flavored spam.”

  “Really? Spam comes in different flavors?”

  She chuckles. “I didn’t know it either until I emptied the supermarket shelfs.”

  The cooking setup has grown. “Wow, Shell, this looks like a real kitchen in here.” She’s set up a second portable camp stove. She now has four burners to cook on.

  “Hell, I needed the extra stove with so many mouths to feed.”

  She has three pots going, one large frying pan for the spam, one filled with macaroni and cheese and another canned peas.

  She whispers, “I went with mac and cheese. Kids love it.”

  “Grown men love it, too.” I winked.

  After dinner, Gus and I get to work on setting up the bunkbeds in what used to be Shelley’s den while Leo and Michael are off feeding the dogs. Shelley and Cindy are gone too; they’re across the street searching for usable kid’s stuff.

  “You handled yourself pretty good today.” Gus says as he screws together the bottom bunk.

  “Yeah. You, too. But, where did Leo learn that stuff? He moves like a highly trained solider.”

  Gus blows out some air before answering. “That’s his story to tell, Hank. Sorry.”

  That got my curiosity up even more. “Do you think he’ll tell me?”

  “Someday, yeah. I’ll tell you this, I trust him with my life and you can too.” After picking up another board, he adds, “I hate we had that firefight in front of the kids.”

  “Me, too. Or in front of Shelley.”

  Gus wiggles his eyebrows. “Sooooooooo, tell me. You and Shelley? You hitting that?”

  Even though this is a normal man to man kinda conversation, the fact that it’s about Shelley pisses me off. I answer with a curt, “No.”

  He chuckles then adds, “You gonna?

  Fucking A. My jaw tightens, and it takes all my willpower not to make a fucking fist. “How do I answer that? Truth is I want her, and I think we’d be good together, but I’ve been giving her time. Hell, it’s only been three days,”

  He laughs, “Don’t give it too much time or you’re gonna end up with some competition.”

  I growl as I grab the lug wrench out of his hand. “You interested?”

  He shrugs his shoulders at me. “Maybe.”

  A noise at the front door distracts us. We both pull our weapons, but quickly put them away when we hear Cindy’s little voice. “Gonna sleep wif him.”

  She runs into the room with a large brown teddy bear sporting a red ribbon around its neck.

  “What you got there, Sweet pea?” I ask as I reach out to her.

  “Don’t wanna.” She whines and runs back to hide behind Shelley standing in the doorway with her hands full of clothes and toys. “Cindy, sweetie, Hank won’t hurt you. He’s gonna help take care of you. Remember? He’s gonna protect you.”

  Cindy answers with, “K” as she sneaks a look around Shell’s legs.

  “Cindy, show me your new friend?” I ask her again using a voice I remember my Dad using.

  She holds the stuffed animal out for me to see.

  “Wow. He’s a nice bear.”

  This gets me a tiny smile.

  Gus tries next. “Cindy, does he have a name?”

  “Teddy,” she answers as she places kisses on the bear’s head.

  “Good name.” I tell her while Gus gives her two thumbs-up.

  Shelley dumps everything in her arms on the desk in the corner. “We lucked out. I found pajamas, underwear, and clothes for both kids.” She picks up a bottle. “Even kiddie vitamins.”

  “Toys.” Cindy adds taking a doll off the table.

  Together, Gus and I lift the top bunk into position and tighten the last few screws. “All done.” I nod at the door. “Gonna go get the mattresses.”

  A bit later, when Shelley is reading the kids a story in their new beds, I take the time to talk to the guys. “You did hear what those assholes are after, right?”

  “Yeah, women.” Leo whispers.

  “There’s no way in hell we’re letting them take Shelley.” I growl under my breath.

  Both guys nod in agreement.

  Leo picks up a magazine off the coffee table and starts to flip through the pages. “Do you think there really is a shortage of women? Like maybe the virus killed more women than men?”

  “Listen guys, I don’t think we should jump to conclusions, but we should do everything we can to protect the woman we have.” I respond.

  Gus snorts, “Shelley and her three lovers.”

  Leo’s eyebrows raise as he smiles. “Do you think she’d go for that?”

  “Go for what?” Shelley asks as she turns the corner into the living room.

  I rush to cover up our boy talk. “Would you go for us finding and setting up another house outside of the valley in case we need to get away from the Car Guys.”

  “After today, yes, I totally agree. Let’s find someplace near the ocean where it’s cooler. Maybe with solar panels on the roof and near pools for water.”

  “Leo and I can go find one. We’ll take our bikes. Head out at night and go over Topanga and down into Malibu.” Gus says.

  Th idea of making Shelley leave her home, garden, preps sends a chill down my back. “On second thought, let’s wait at least a week, maybe things will smooth out. Give the Car Guys a chance to cool down. I think we need to stay out of sight, no car trips for a while or at least not during the day.”

  We all agree.

  “Gonna go get some shut-eye.” Leo says as he stands and stretches.

  Gus heads for the door, too. “Night, see you in the morning.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Shelley

  As the guys leave for the night, I say my good nights and head for my room. I need a few minutes alone. After changing into my pajamas and brushing my teeth, I climb into bed and log onto my laptop.

  Journal Entry

  Tonight, I overheard the guys talking. The comment was, ‘Shelley and her three lovers’. Now I know it’s just boy talk but still… what if I am the only women left? Would it be fair of me to only be with one man? Could I handle more than one lover?

  Closing my computer, I snuggle under the covers, but sleep eludes me. The talk of lovers has my body ramped up with urges and needs. The pictures running nonstop in my mind has my fingers creeping inside my panties. It only makes the longings worse.

  Sitting up, I throw my legs off the bed. “Maybe if I read for a while.” I head for the bookshelf in the living room. I’m not alone. Hank is standing at the window with the curtains pulled back looking out into the dark night.

  “Hank?”

  “Yes, it’ me. Sorry if I woke you.”

  “You didn’t, I couldn’t sleep.” I walk over and place my hand on his back. His body is warm to the touch “What are you doing?”

  “Thinking.”

  “About what?”

  “You. The kids. You. Keeping everyone safe. You. The Car Guys.” He sighs and leans back into me. “But mostly you.”

  “What about me?” I press my hardened nipples into his back.

  “Today, when the
Car Guys showed up, the only thing I thought about was keeping you safe.” He stops, takes a deep breath and leans his head against the glass. “Life is different now. In just a few days we’ve created an instant family so why not instant feelings?”

  “Feelings?”

  “I’m not saying I’m in love with you…,” he hesitates then adds, “yet.” His muscles flex under my hand. “But, you are my number one priority now.”

  Oh God, he’s feeling it too. Our connection. “About those instant feelings…” I slide my arms around him and lean my head on his back. He smells like the Irish Spring soap I put in his bathroom. “I have them, too.”

  He puts his hands over my arms drawing me in tight against his back.

  I whisper, “I was terrified today. I kept praying you’d be okay. I was scared I would lose you.”

  “You didn’t.” He tightens his grip on my arms.

  We stand in silence for a minute. Running my hands up over his chest, I break the ice and boldly tell him, “Come to bed.”

  “You sure, Shelley? Because if I come to your bed tonight, it won’t be to cuddle.”

  I place a kiss on his back. “Yeah. I’m sure.”

  As soon as we shut my bedroom door, Hank growls and pushes me up against the wall. He kisses me, prodding at my lips until I open them for him. Slipping his tongue in, he proceeds to explore every millimeter of my mouth. Breathing hard, he puts his lips on my cheek and speaks against my skin, “I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment I met you.”

  His kiss has me craving more. “Do it again, please.”

  And he does.

  I swear I feel his kisses all the way through my body as it heats up for him. Being in his arms feels damn good and oh so right.

  He whispers in my ear, “Why don’t you light some candles in here.”

  “Okay.” I step away and immediately miss his heat. “I’ll be right back.”

  Soon the room is full of candlelight and shadows. A trail of cinnamon and vanilla wafts through the air.

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, he speaks in a deep voice. “Shelley, strip for me. Show me your pretty body.”

  His command reminds me of the way an officer would speak. I answer with, “Yes, sir.”