The Yellowstone Event: Book 6: The Aftermath

by Darrell Maloney

  Included was a man named Dean, who happened to own a Hummer.

  A Hummer will go anywhere, ash or no ash.

  Dean lived a couple of blocks from Jenn and the chitlins.

  He and Jenn worked together at a computer assembly plant.

  Both had been furloughed at half pay for six months, unable to work because the heavy ash collapsed the plant’s roof. Repairs were estimated to take half a year to complete and the plant thought it better to retain workers at half pay than to have to train a new batch of workers once the roof was fixed.

  Something else about Dean – he’d been madly in love with Jenn for years and had been trying to win her heart.

  She thought he was a nice guy and a good friend, but just didn’t feel the same affection for him.

  As men sometimes do, he tried every way he could to turn her friendship into love.

  He’d tried everything he could think of, and thought loaning her his Hummer in her time of need might do the trick.

  It probably wouldn’t, but it couldn’t hurt to try.

  At first she balked at the idea.

  “That’s very generous of you, Dean. It really is. But you’ll need a vehicle. How will you get around?”

  “Shucks, I’m a prepper, remember? I’ve got enough food and water in my basement to last for years. I don’t even need to leave my house for six months until they get the roof fixed.

  “I’m just gonna curl up on my couch, play video games and watch movies, and grow a beard down to my ass.”

  And he wondered why Jenn didn’t find him charming enough to fall in love.

  “If it makes you feel any better, leave me the keys to your car. They’ll have the roads cleared in a week or two. In a pinch I can walk over to your house and use your car.”

  She finally relented, because the need she felt to get to her mom was that strong, and because Dean kept insisting.

  To sweeten his offer Dean filled the cargo bay of the vehicle with MREs and drinking water.

  He sent them on their way, hoping against hope she’d spend a lot of time thinking about how sweet he was so he could propose to her when she got back.

  Darrell had given her the number to Rocki’s hospital room, and said until she could answer the phone herself, he’d be there to do it.

  Her plan was to call once or twice a day from her hotel rooms along the way to Kansas, but not telling him she was enroute.

  She knew he wouldn’t give her a hard time, because he loved her at least as much as anyone else on earth. But she also knew he had enough on his plate already without having to worry about a hard-headed daughter driving through an ashen-gray hell trying to get to them.

  As for the chitlins, they weren’t worried about the trip. They knew their mother was the strongest and smartest woman on earth. She’d get them there regardless of the circumstances.

  They were just happy to get out of the house, happy to start a new adventure, and happy they didn’t have to go to school for a few days.

  Chapter 52

  It was exactly one week after their first visit to the Anchorage Processing Station that Hannah and Tony went back to check their progress.

  They’d invited Gwen and Melvyn to go along, but their friends opted out.

  Gwen was just a bit under the weather, having what the locals called the “creepy crud.”

  “The crud strikes almost everyone during their first few days in Alaska,” a native told them. “It’s just a general sense of the blahs. Like medicine head and a queasy stomach at the same time. No medication seems to help. You just have to ride it out until it goes away on its own.”

  “Well, how long does it last?” Gwen anxiously asked.

  “It depends on the person. Some people will have it for just a few days. I’ve seen it last for up to a month. You’ll likely be somewhere in between.”

  “Great. Thanks for the good news.”

  “Don’t worry,” Hannah told her. We have consecutive numbers. We’ll check your status too.”

  They walked into the office hoping their numbers advanced up the food chain by a hundred, expecting no more.

  They were pleasantly surprised.

  The numbers they’d pulled a week before were 4864 and 4865. At that time the two processors were servicing the holder of number 4007.

  Today they’d made it up to number 4441.

  They were halfway there.

  That in itself would have made their day.

  But there was much more.

  The last time they were here there were two offices on one wall where the processors did their magic.

  A customer told them the reason it took so long to process applications was that there were only two full-time workers.

  That apparently was no longer the case.

  The original rooms were numbered “Room 1” and “Room 2.”

  Hannah remembered that, because she’d wondered aloud, “Is two workers enough?”

  Perhaps they heard her.

  Or perhaps the cavalry finally arrived from Washington.

  Whichever the case, a third room, with a permanent sign which said “Utility Room,” now had a handwritten piece of paper taped over the original sign.

  It said, “Room 3.”

  Hannah’s jaw must have dropped at the sight. A man watching her was a bit amused.

  Older men almost always enjoy speaking with younger women, and Hannah’s beauty made her even more approachable.

  It turned out the old man was a shameless flirt.

  He offered, “They hired another worker on Tuesday. Since then the line’s been moving a lot faster.

  “What’s your number?”

  “4865.”

  “Oh, it won’t be long for you now.

  “Where are you relocating to?”

  “To Eklutna Lake. We were out there just the other day, checking the place out. It’s simply beautiful.”

  The old man chuckled.

  “Well, coincidentally, that’s where I’m headed as well. And if you don’t mind me saying, I’m glad you’ll be joining me there. You’re way more beautiful than any of the scenery, you see, and it’ll make my last years much more enjoyable living close to a beauty like you.”

  The old man didn’t seem to notice, or more likely didn’t care, that Hannah’s husband was standing right next to her.

  As for Tony, he didn’t pay the old man much attention. He wasn’t threatened in the least.

  The old woman seated next to the man rolled her eyes and shoved an elbow in his ribs. She told Hannah, “Don’t pay attention to Jackson. He’s a crazy old coot. He’s been a widower for ten years now, and thinks it’s permissible to flirt with every pretty girl who comes along.”

  Hannah said, “Oh. I’m sorry. I just assumed you were his…”

  “Wife? No, I’m his sister. Never married. Never found a man I liked enough to spend my whole life with. We decided to take on this adventure together, me and my little brother. He’s a scoundrel and a cad, but he’s the only family I have left.

  “Oh, by the way, I’m Wanda Benedict.”

  “Hannah. Hannah Carson. This is my husband Tony.”

  Chapter 53

  The old man reached out his hand, not to Hannah, but to Tony.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Tony. And I certainly meant no offense, flirting with your lovely wife.”

  Tony took the offered hand and replied, “None taken, sir.”

  Jackson laughed.

  “Ah, you’re already well versed in the fine art of verbal dueling. You know that the best way to make an adversary feel old and to put him in his place is simply to call him ‘sir.’ Well played, young man.”

  Tony smiled.

  Jackson went on.

  “When you’re old, like me, you’ll learn that a young man flirting with a pretty young woman who belongs to someone else is a good means of courting disaster.

  “However, an old man can get away with flirting with the very same woman. That’s because no one ta
kes an old flirt seriously. Everyone knows that an old man has forgotten how to have his way with a young and vibrant woman, or is no longer able to due to… ahem… physical restrictions.

  “So they take what he says with a grain of salt. They pay him no mind. They consider him full of just so much hogwash.”

  Tony stole a glance at Hannah, wondering as she was whether there was a point to his banter.

  Jackson continued, “But I warn you, my new friend, that from time to time a man comes along who appears to be ancient, who appears to have one foot in the grave and the other on the edge.

  “This man, when he comes along, appears to be very old, but indeed is not old at all. He is well seasoned, to be sure, but there is a distinct difference between the two.

  “When such a seasoned man comes along and flirts with the young and beautiful maiden, he should be viewed as a threat.

  “For indeed, despite his appearance, he is both willing and capable of stealing the maiden away from her man. For not only is his body still working, but he also has the experience and the wherewithal to whisk her away. To show her a paradise she’s yet to experience.”

  He locked his steely eyes on Tony’s and said, “Now I ask you, my friend, to assess my qualities carefully. Then I bid you decide, which am I… a foolhardy cad, or a worthy adversary?”

  While Tony stared at him, unsure how to respond, Jackson took Hannah’s hand in his own and kissed it.

  He looked up at her and winked.

  Tony didn’t miss a beat.

  “Is there a third option, sir? Perhaps a windbag long on hopes and short on chance?”

  Jackson stopped short, stood tall and studied Tony for several seconds.

  Perhaps he was waiting for Tony to crack a smile.

  Perhaps he was waiting for Tony to throw a punch.

  Tony did neither.

  Tony continued to stare, never wavering, never even blinking.

  It was Jackson who broke first, with a huge belly laugh.

  “It appears I’ve finally met my match.”

  He bowed to Tony at the waist and said, “Allow me to commend you, sir. You are a more than formidable opponent.”

  He turned back to Hannah and said, “He is an honorable man and deserving of your heart, delightful lady. I will abandon any desires of taking you away and making you my own.”

  A flustered Hannah stammered, “Thank you. I think.”

  Door number 2 opened and a young couple stepped out with happy faces.

  A harried government official followed them and addressed those waiting.

  “Number 4442. Now serving number 4442.”

  Wanda said, “Okay, Jackson. No more foolishness. You’re up.”

  Jackson smiled and bowed to Hannah and Tony. He said, “Until we meet again…”

  He followed the woman back into her office.

  Wanda held her ground and called behind him, “You behave yourself in there, you old coot.”

  Hannah was a bit surprised Wanda didn’t follow her brother in.

  “I’m sorry. I thought the two of you were together.”

  “Oh, he’s my brother, sure. But I could never actually share a house with him. You spoke with him for five minutes and probably wanted to kill him. Can you imagine seeing him every day of your life? I’d kill him within a month, for sure.

  “That was the stipulation to us coming up here together to homestead.

  “I can only tolerate him in short doses, you see. Too much of him and he really grates on my nerves.

  “I came up here under the stipulation that we got two separate homesteads.

  “Our plots will be side by side. I’ll help him build his, he’ll help me build mine.

  “We’ll help each other grow old. One of us will watch the other die and will make sure they are properly buried. At some point the one will follow the other.

  “I kind of like the fact that we’ll end our lives the way we began it. The two of us watching out for each other and enjoying one another’s company.

  “Now then, dear. You said you’ll be settling at the lake. Have you picked out your site yet?”

  Tony took a folded paper from his pocket and said, “We saw two blocks we really liked. The 5400 block and the 6500 block.”

  “Jackson and I will live side by side at 6402 and 6404. Please feel free to stop and visit us anytime. I promise that Jackson is a good man, and once you get to know him you’ll both like him. He’s not always an ornery old goat.

  “Jackson was once Governor of Georgia and a great friend of Jimmy Carter, though Mr. Carter might well deny it now. He served as an ambassador to Italy and has traveled the world. He has led a rich and fascinating life and he’s got a lot of great stories to tell.”

  Hannah said, “We’re looking forward to it, and we will most certainly drop by.”

  The second office door opened and Wanda was called.

  On their way out Tony picked up two brochures from a display rack which wasn’t there the first time they visited the office.

  The sign above the rack said,

  New residents:

  Don’t Forget to Sign Up for YOUR SHARE

  of the Alaska Permanent Fund.

  Here’s How:

  Neither had a clue what the Alaska Permanent Fund was or how it worked. But if they had a share, as the sign implied, they certainly wanted to find out about it.

  Chapter 54

  Once back on the joint base Tony and Hannah met up with Gwen and Melvyn.

  Melvyn seemed disappointed that they’d returned so quickly.

  “The baby’s been sound asleep since you left,” he explained. “I was hoping he’d wake up for a bit so we could play.”

  Hannah smiled and said, “Oh, that’s not a problem. He’s been very fussy lately. We can leave him here with you for days if you want.”

  She looked at Tony, who nodded his agreement and said, “Yes. Days. Many, many days…”

  Melvyn rethought his words.

  “Well, maybe it would be better to wait on our play time until he’s in a better mood.”

  Gwen asked, “So, what did you find out? Please tell us we’ve moved up on the list a bit.”

  Hannah bubbled, “Quite a bit, actually. More than halfway!”

  “Really? You’re not kidding, are you? That would be cruel.”

  “No, really. Apparently they hired a third person to help them with their backlog.

  “I think we should start going every couple of days until our numbers come up. It would be a terrible shame if we missed our calls and had to start all over again.”

  “Agreed. Why don’t we take turns driving up there each morning? When we’re within a hundred we can start camping out there.”

  Tony changed the subject.

  “Say, have either of you ever heard about something called the Alaska Permanent Fund?”

  Melvyn said, “Yes, as a matter of fact I overheard a conversation the other day at the visitor’s center. One of the advisors was telling another applicant about it.

  “It’s a superfund set up to share part of the proceeds of the oil boom with all Alaska residents.

  “Well, not all. For what they call “permanent residents… meaning those who have been here for at least a year and plan to stay here for the rest of their lives.”

  “Apparently the homesteaders qualify after they’ve been here for a year, and you can register ahead of time, once you have a mailing address.”

  “How do we get a mailing address?”

  “We’ll get one when we get assigned our plot. The advisor said we won’t get mail delivery, at least not right now. We’ll get a post office box at a Postal Service Center, or PSC, they’re building near the lake’s entrance.

  “Our address will be PSC 1, a box number that’ll match our site number, Eklutna Lake, Alaska.

  “And I suppose it’ll have a zip code too, but the advisor didn’t say what it was.”

  “And you said this fund was for all permanent resident
s? But why would the government just give out money?”

  “Apparently it was to make sure that the revenue generated by the oil boom wasn’t just enjoyed by those who were alive at the time.

  “They decided it would be fair to let future generations share in the wealth, long after the oil was gone, so they didn’t get left in the cold.”

  “How often do they pay?”

  “It’s an annual dividend, paid on the same date every year.”

  “Is it worth anything? I mean, if the government sends us a check for forty five cents I’ll probably never cash it. It’s not worth the trouble.”

  “The advisor said the amount fluctuates from year to year based on several factors. For example, lately the state legislature has tended to reduce it to make it last longer.

  “But she said it’s almost always over a thousand dollars per person.”

  “Really? So it’ll buy a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread.”

  “Oh, stop it, Tony. It’s not that expensive up here.”

  “I know. I’m teasing.”

  “That thousand dollars could buy us a milk cow, and then we wouldn’t have to worry about buying milk anymore.”

  “True…”

  “And if a thousand dollar check isn’t worth your trouble to cash, just sign it over to me. I’ll take care of it for you. No problem…”

  “So how do we sign up for it?”

  He pulled the brochures from his back pocket and handed one to Gwen, the other to Melvyn.

  “I got these at the processing center.

  “Apparently we can apply on-line, once we get our mailbox addresses. And we’ll get those once we inprocess.”

  The baby started to stir and to let everyone know he was hungry.

  “Why don’t you let me take him home and feed him?” Hannah said. “It’s early for him to wake up, so if he’s in his own bed he might go back to sleep once his tummy is full.

  “We can talk more later.

  “And, oh, don’t forget to ask me about some people we met at the processing center. A fascinating couple…”

  Things were looking up for the Lupsons and the Carsons.

  Within a week they’d still be living in their RVs, but those RVs would be parked on their homesites.