When It Rains

by Joel Shaw

  “We’ve had that conversation, Milt. This has to be kept secret. If word gets out that we are covering a quarry holding two million gallons of potable water, whomever is left in town will march out here and demand some of it for themselves.”

  “So, what's wrong with that?" Milton replied. He was tired of secrets; secrets complicated things. His recent readings at the library had revealed the extent to which the government (his government) had lied to and ignored the common welfare of the people for decades in the name of national security. He was beginning to believe more than ever that government representative had never shared the truth with it’s citizens.

  “I’m not sure it's a question of right and wrong, Milt. It’s a question of survival.”

  “That’s what I said, remember?” Milton took another spoonful of oats and spat a couple flakes across the table.

  “Now I’m not sure I want to survive to see what happens next. We ain’t got no first responders. There's no electricity, no water. Our city is just about empty. I expect the Chinese Army to come marching up I94 any day now looking for somebody to interrogate. You wanna' be around for that? I don’t.”

  “Calm down, Milt. Everything is going to be fine. You'll see. Eat your oatmeal.”

  “Fuck you, Harold.”

  #

  Harold pulled in behind Searles' restaurant at daybreak and killed the truck's diesel engine. The fuel gauge was hovering slightly above empty. It was time to find a more economical vehicle for his daily trips to town. A motorcycle with a side car would be great. He had noticed that the few people remaining in town were using bicycles with home-made trailers attached to transport themselves and their goods from place to place. That might be the solution for his dilemma. Leland was old enough to start riding a bicycle. At some point he could make the trip to Faye’s by himself. He helped Leland out of the shoulder high cab and gave him a pat on the rump. “You run up and knock on Aunt Faye’s door. Tell her that I'm going to dump some water in her tanks and I’ll be in shortly.”

  “OK.” Leland skipped toward the back door and banged on it with his fist. Harold noted that the door sounded different, solid, not the hollow sound that he remembered. He thought it odd that he would notice the change in tone, but it was a significant change, enough to get his attention.

  Faye, rubbing her eyes swung the door open. “You boys are up early. What’s going on?”

  “Are we?” Harold silently chastised himself for not thinking about an explanation for this abrupt change of routine. Now he would have to lie and he was a terrible liar. “Nothing special. I didn’t sleep well last night. I was up early and thought I would get started early.” He regretted saying it, but it was too late.

  “Started on what?”

  “Oh this and that, you know.”

  “No, I don’t know. That’s why I asked.” Faye could see that Harold was physically shaken by the question. She decided to change the subject. She wasn’t in the mood for lies.

  “What did you find at MaoMart? Was there anything left on the shelves?”

  Harold breathed a little easier. “Not very much. We got forty cases of BBQ beans, about three hundred pounds of rice, and a couple dozen of canned fruit cocktail and, let’s not forget...” He grinned at Milton, “ ...about a hundred pounds of oatmeal.”

  “What? No Little Debbie Snack Cakes?” Faye was grinning now.

  “Nope. You should have seen Milton we walked down the empty Snacks isle. He was really pissed. I don’t think Leland was very happy about it either, were you son?”

  “No. I did get some gum, though.” Leland pulled a pack of licorice gum from his pocket and held it up for inspection. “See.”

  “That’s There were small packaged items, sauce mixes, spices, yeast, gum, hard candy, stuff like that, spread all over the floor. We asked the manager if we could take it and she agreed. She was happy to have us clean it up. She gave us a couple brooms and a snow-shovel and we swept the floor. It took us three hours, but we filled sixteen bags full of miscellaneous items.”

  “Yeah,” Leland said, “then some guys in the parking lot tried to take it from us but Milton pulled this great big gun from his belt and told them to back the fuck off.”

  “What? Is that true?” Faye was alarmed.

  Harold too, was startled by his son’s outburst. “Leland, I asked you not to repeat that.”

  “I know dad, but it was cool. You should have been there Faye. Milton’s voice changed and everything. He was like a totally different person.”

  “Is that what happened Harold?” Faye asked pulling Leland to her side.

  “I wasn’t going to mention it, but, yes, there were a few altercations inside and outside the store. There was a scuffle over the last few cases of Ramen Noodles which is why we don’t have any ourselves.

  “Yeah,” chimed in Leland. “Some of the bad guys were out in the parking lot trying to kill people and stuff.”

  Harold rolled his eyes, “That’s enough Lee, please let me tell the story to Auntie Faye.”

  “Anyway, they were successful in a few instances. Four of them approached us when we came out the door. They were nice at first, telling us that they hadn’t eaten in days and their kids were very hungry. We knew they were lying. We could see their cars from where we were standing. They were almost full of boxes of food that they had stolen from other shoppers.”

  “Were they armed?” Faye asked.

  “I didn’t see any guns, but they all had knives strapped to their thighs like pistols. After we refused to give them anything, they got ugly and started making threats. That’s when Milton pulled his gun.”

  “Yeah, it was awesome.” Leland’s face lit up again.

  “It was, wasn’t it. Milton didn’t hesitate to act. He pulled his gun and said what he said and they backed off. Actually, they left. They drove at us like they were going to try to run us over then swerved away when Milton pointed his gun at the lead car. I noticed it had California plates.”

  “Two of the cars had Nevada plates, dad.”

  “Did they? I didn’t notice.” Harold didn’t dare mention that he had been terrified by the encounter and had only noticed the California plates because he was fixated on them, paralyzed with fear, as the car bore down them. The three of them would have been squashed if Milton hadn’t pointed his gun at the lead car, causing it to turn away. Harold felt vulnerable, inadequate and ashamed. What would the outcome have been if Milton hadn’t been there? He would have given them everything they wanted. Would they have harmed Leland? Kidnapped him and held him for ransom? What would he do if someone tried to hurt Leland? What would he do differently next time he had such an encounter? Cowering in fear was not a plan. He had better come up with a plan of self-defense and, he needed a weapon. Something he could carry at all times. No. No. No. That wasn’t the solution. That meant he would have to point it at someone and pull the trigger. What if he missed? What if Leland got shot. He didn’t know how to fight. What the hell is the matter with me? His panic attack was cut short.

  “That confirms what I’ve heard on the short wave radio,” Faye said.

  Harold had lost his place in the conversation. “What are you talking about?”

  “The refugees, Harold. Well, not refugees in general, but the gangs from the West coast who are migrating to the Great Lakes Region because there is plenty of water. And money, now that Duluth has opened it’s doors to gambling. Las Vegas casinos are relocating to Duluth because there is water there. Water for fountains. Do you believe that? I heard on the radio that Duluth is now being called New Las Vegas. Like that won’t draw a crowd of criminals. That’s like an exodus of organized crime. Many of the refugees are convicted felons who have been released from prisons in states that are bankrupt and can no longer house or feed them. They opened the prison gates and pushed them out. Those guys don’t know how to live on their own. They’re savage animals looking for easy prey.”

  “I don’t think the guys that confronted us were qui
te that bad. They backed down in a hurry.” Harold’s head began to spin again as he tried to rationalize the encounter. Fear overwhelmed him. Should he carry a gun all the time?

  Faye interrupted his thoughts with an unpleasant anecdote. “That’s what I’ve heard. When the gangs left the West coast, they were well equipped with weapons and well supplied with drugs and booze. They thought they were invincible, destroying or stealing anything the so desired until they began to run out of ammunition, drugs, fuel, water, and food. At that point they became powerless, pathetic desperados. By then, thanks to ham radio operators, the word was out and they began to meet resistance from local gun owners who weren’t afraid to defend their small communities in Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, and the Dakota’s. After meeting resistance, they began to break up into small groups, avoiding towns altogether.”

  “Until they get hungry,” Harold said.

  “That’s true. In any case, it sounds like some of them have made it this far. We should be prepared to defend ourselves and our loved ones, Harold.”

  “I was just thinking about that.” Harold avoided eye contact with Faye and changed the subject. He didn’t want her to know the depth of his fear. It will be OK, he told himself. Focus on today. “Anyway, I think we got a couple hundred pounds of stuff off the floor of MaoMart. Oh, by the way. They will be closing their doors for good this weekend."

  “MaoMart?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good riddance to them.” Faye spit out the words. She had good friends, business owners, who’s livelihoods had been decimated by the arrival of Walmart stores in the 1990s When the Chinese bought them out in 2025 as part of a deal to settle the national debt with China and changed the name to MaoMart, the Chinese further damaged the local economy by subsidizing food prices forcing most of the reaming retail food outlets to close their doors. Many folks refused to shop at MaoMart. Faye was one of those. Fortunately some COOPs survived, thanks to the dedication of local organic farmers. Those were long gone now. Anyone growing food these days were hoarding it, sharing only with family and close friends.

  “Do you want any of the food we got last night?” Harold reluctantly offered to share with Faye. He was beginning to realize that he was a selfish human being. He felt obligated to some extent to share water with Faye and rationalized that bringing water to Faye on a daily basis to augment her daily water ration was sufficient payment for childcare.

  Faye studied Harold as they talked. He seemed to be a kind and sincere young man, but she suspected that he wasn't being completely honest with her. He was becoming selfish, always in a hurry and distracted by something. Time will tell, she thought. He was young, he had some maturing to do.

  “I don’t need anything right now, thanks. I’ll store your rice for you if you like. If you store it in that machine shed, rodents will ruin it before you know it.” Faye was not about to divulge the condition of her food supply, which was well stocked at this point. When rumors of food shortages were first mentioned by her vendors, she promptly tripled her usual ordered quantities of non-perishable foods and stored them in the basement until her boys left, then she proceeded to fill all the rooms on the second floor with cases of ammunition, batteries, clothes, food, and heirloom seeds. She estimated that she had enough food for five years. What she didn’t have was a reliable water source. She knew Harold would not be able to keep her storage tanks full for much longer. As soon as he ran out of diesel, the daily deliveries would cease.

  “That’s all right, Faye. We’ll manage. We have some steel drums that we can store our grains in. I wouldn’t want to have to bother you every time we needed some rice.”

  “It wouldn’t be a bother, Harold. I don’t mind visitors. They help the time go by. By the way, I’ve made a bed for Leland in my room on the third floor, just in case you can't make it back here some night.”

  “I was thinking about that on the way in. I can’t continue to drive the dump truck into town twice a day. We’re running low on fuel. It would be helpful if I could leave him with you once in a while until I figure out another mode of transportation.”

  “I don't mind if you leave Leland; he's good company. Quiet, like you.” She fussed with her hair as she smiled at Harold. He wasn't such a bad looking guy, a little too tall for her, perhaps. She would have to stand on a stool to kiss him. Harold was definitely becoming more attractive the longer she lived alone. She thought it odd that in the four years that they had know each other, they had never shared more than a handshake. She longed for the touch of a man but Harold hadn’t taken any interest in her. She was happy to have Leland for company. That would have to be enough for now. Until Harold woke up from his trance or whatever it was that possessed him.

  "Do you ever hear from Leland's mother? What's her name?"

  Remorse instantly gripped him. He shook his head. “Her name is Jade. I got a letter from her a couple years ago. She had remarried. They have a daughter, Amber. They're living somewhere in East Texas. That's all I remember.”

  That wasn't true, he read the letter frequently, sometimes daily. He wished things had worked out for them. They would have if he had been willing to move to Texas with Jade but he put the Saint Cloud park manager job before their relationship. He was hired straight out of college. It was an ideal job for him. He couldn’t let it go. Jade understood that, but she had to return to Texas to care for her ailing mother. Jade promised to return and insisted on leaving two-year old Leland with Harold, which surprised and frightened Harold beyond measure. He was a frantic father and never comfortable in his role. He second-guessed his parenting skills daily which accounted for the inconsistent behaviors being displayed by his son when they were together. He wished Jade had returned. He intended to write to Jade and plead for her return, but he was so consumed with his new job that he had only managed to write a couple of letters last year and never once mentioned his desire for her to return to St. Cloud.

  "Now that the postal service has quit making deliveries outside metropolitan areas, I don't think I'll ever hear from her again. It's sad, really. I miss her. I'm sure she misses Leland." He looked at Faye. She was sitting on a stool near the double-ovens, holding Leland in her lap.

  Faye sensed that Harold was still in love with Jade. That would explain his standoffish behavior. She gave Leland a hug.

  “I miss my sons, Harold. Sometimes I regret letting them go with my mom and dad to Ashland. I convinced myself that they would be better off over there. Safer I mean. I still feel that way. As you said, now that mail delivery has stopped I am totally out of touch with them. I'll make the trip over there sometime. Maybe next winter. Right now, I want to secure this property as best I can so there is something remaining for them to come home to. What you experienced in the MaoMart parking lot is a red flag. Things could get pretty bad around here, I want to be ready if they do.”

  “I think you should try to make your restaurant look abandoned. Board up the windows take down your sign. If that sign is out there, it will act as an invitation. I agree with you, there is going to be trouble. Not only from the roving gangs, but from the water police, too.”

  “I’m doing what I can. I have been dragging ten foot sheets of corrugated roofing over here every night. I think I have enough to cover all of my windows on the first and second floors. I got lucky. I have ten foot ceilings, so I don’t have to cut the roofing to fit. I’m going to leave the third floor open. I don't want to live in a dungeon. I could use Leland's help if you don't mind.”

  "What do you think, son. Can you help Aunt Faye with that?"

  "Sure. I've been helping her drag that stuff over here. It's not very heavy." He looked up at Faye. "I'm a good helper, aren't I?"

  Faye hugged him as if he were her own flesh and blood. "You sure are, honey. You have been a big help to me, and if your daddy says it’s OK, Auntie Faye wants you to spend a few nights with her."

  “Can I dad?” They both looked at Harold, waiting for his approval.

  Har
old laughed. "You two have become pretty tight, haven't you? Well, it’s OK with me. Just be careful with that metal. There are no doctors remaining in town to patch you if you get cut. Hey, that reminds me. Do you have any kind of medical reference books around?"

  Faye nodded. ”Yes, I have a Mayo Clinic Family Health Book. Why?"

  “Oh, umm... nothing. I just wanted to look up something. Umm... Nothing serious."

  “Do you want to borrow it?”

  “Umm... sure. That would be great.”

  “Hang on a sec, I’ll get it.” Faye returned shortly with the large book in hand. “Here you go. I hope it helps. I was an LPN before I got married, Harold. Let me know if you need any help with terminology or anything. And, please return it.”

  “Thanks, I will. I’d umm... better get going.” Harold held out his arms toward Leland who responded by running to his dad for a hug. “See you later, son.”

  “See you dad.”

  “See you later, Faye. Thanks for umm... helping out.” Harold turned to leave.

  “You’re welcome. Wait a sec. Before you go, I would like to know what it is that’s keeping you and Milton so busy?”

  Harold had been waiting for the day when she would ask that question; he hoped his rehearsed answer would sound plausible and satisfy her curiosity.

  "We're pumping water out of the shallow quarries into the two largest quarries. The water in the small quarries is evaporating or draining through faults in the bedrock. My records show that water levels in quarries 1 and 2 fluctuate according to annual amounts of precipitation. Which leads me to believe that the quarries are not affected by the fault zones in the park. Actually...”

  Faye cut him off. “That’s enough Harold. I don’t need a full explanation. I just wanted to know, basically, what you two are doing and where to find you if I need to.”

  “Umm ... I was about to tell you...”

  “That’s enough; really. You can fill me in on the details when the job is done. How does that sound?”