by Mark Goodwin
“Some things Tracey Reese asked me to keep an eye out for. Mostly clothes for the kids. Emma has a few years before she can start wearing Kalie’s hand-me-downs. Same thing for Kalie; it’ll be a while until she can wear things from Alisa and the girls.”
Danny kept his eyes on the road. “And Jason, he’s a growing boy. I guess the best thing to do is buy stuff that is a couple sizes too big for them.”
Dana was thin, but she didn’t have much room between the two men. She kept her arms scrunched up close to her body. “Jason will be able to wear Steven’s clothes in a few years.”
“Annie Castell can wear Emma’s clothes. They’re only a year apart.” Danny glanced at the rearview to see Gwen and Jack sitting close in the bed of the truck.
“Better keep an eye out for baby clothes while we’re there.” Dana scooted over a little closer to Antoine, which kept her knee from bumping Danny’s arm.
Danny rolled his eyes and glanced at the rearview once more. “I hope they’re smarter than that.”
“Wait.” Dana looked at Danny. “What are you talking about?”
“Jack and Gwen.”
“Seriously?”
Danny looked over at Dana. “Why, who are you talking about?”
“You.”
Danny shook his head. “Oh, no. We’re being safe.”
“Evidently not too safe.” Dana crossed her arms.
Danny’s forehead creased. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Alisa. She’s been sick the last two mornings.”
“Yeah, but . . .” Suddenly, the implication hit Danny all at once. His skin paled.
“Danny!” Dana grabbed the steering wheel. “You’re veering into the other lane!”
“Rats!” Danny quickly shifted back to the task at hand and corrected the course of the vehicle. He silently considered Alisa’s condition over the past two days. He felt an overwhelming excitement at the possibility of being a father. That emotion was quickly followed by an equal and opposite feeling of anxiety at the thought of raising a child in the worst period of human history.
He looked over at Dana. “Did Alisa tell you she’s pregnant?”
“No. She doesn’t have to say anything. It’s obvious to me.”
“I didn’t have a clue.”
Dana shrugged. “Women’s intuition, I guess.”
Danny wasn’t a hundred percent confident in Dana’s analysis of the situation, but it made sense. He figured she was most likely correct. “If you’re right, my whole world is about to change.”
“I’m right. Your world is changing.” Dana almost smiled, something Danny hadn’t seen her do since Steven died.
The three of them were quiet for the rest of the trip to the Pickens flea market. As Danny pulled into the parking lot, he noticed several horses. Some of them were hitched to wagons. Despite the lack of cars in the parking lot, it was immediately evident that the flea market had a lot of foot traffic. “Wow. This place looks busy.”
Danny drove up to the gate and rolled his window down. He called to one of the guards, “Can you call Ben and tell him Danny is here with a side of beef.”
The guard nodded and picked up his radio. He turned around so Danny couldn’t hear the conversation. This was standard operating procedure at the flea market.
Antoine pointed out the second row of fencing that surrounded the flea market. “Looks like Ben has invested in a security upgrade.”
Dana eyed the new fence. “Razor wire also. I wonder if he’s had trouble since the last time we were here.”
The guard walked up to the window. “Pull around back. Ben said you’d know where the office is.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you.” Danny held his hand up as he drove alongside the fence toward the rear of the compound.
Ben met them at the rear gate, opening it so Danny could drive through. Once the truck was inside, Ben closed the gate and replaced the lock.
Danny cut the engine and got out. “Hey. How have you been doing?”
Ben shook Danny’s hand. “Business is good. I can’t complain. I wish circumstances were better, but we have to take what the good Lord gives us.”
Danny watched as the rest of his team exited the vehicle. “We brought some things for trading.”
“Yeah. The front gate said you have a side of beef.”
Danny walked toward the back of the truck and pulled back the cardboard. “Killed it right before we left Anderson.”
Ben ran his hand across one of the sections of beef. “I’ll give you a tank of gas and twenty ounces of silver for the front quarter.”
“Sure! That’s very generous of you.” Danny felt pleased with the offer. “The last time we spoke, you were getting low on gas. Did you come into a large supply?”
“Some fellas from the joint military base in Charleston, who couldn’t think of anywhere better to bug out, took over the commercial ports. One of the men from town, Virgil Smith, his boy is in the Navy and was stationed in Charleston. He set us up for a regular delivery.”
“Wow. It seems like they’d need the fuel for themselves,” Danny said.
Ben chuckled. “The port has massive fuel tanks. Bigger than the ones you took out at Douglas International. That fuel won’t keep forever. They need to sell as much as they can before it goes bad.”
“How are they moving it?”
“Military tanker trucks. The base backs right up to the terminal where all the fuel tankers come in. It worked out good for those boys. Us too.”
“How long will it keep?”
“With no stabilizers, gas starts going stale after about six months, but it will still burn a year later. I’m trying to get my hands on all the fuel stabilizer I can. That might buy us another two years if I can get enough of it. But, we have to start transitioning over to horse and wagon as quickly as possible. You should consider swapping out some of your beef cattle for horses.”
“Good idea. Let me know if you run into someone willing to trade.”
“I will. But, first you have to sell this other piece of beef in your truck.” Ben pointed toward the middle of the market. “Wes has the Smoke Barrel BBQ booth right over there. He’ll take the hind quarter. He might not pay as much as me. He’s still gotta make a profit, but he’ll pay more than any of the other vendors. You might run into a shopper that’ll pay you more, but without a booth in the market, it’ll be hard to find a buyer.”
“Thanks for the info. I’ll be happy with whatever Wes gives us. Can you point me in the right direction to sell fresh produce and canned vegetables?”
“Take your fresh foods by Wes first. Then, take everything else over to Eddie’s Mercantile. Eddie has four booths right up near the entrance. He used to own Eddie’s Grocery Store in town. He’s a fair business man, but Wes will still give you a better price on any fresh produce he might need.
“Are you all just selling or are you lookin’ to buy?”
Dana spoke up. “We need some clothing items while they can still be had. Especially stuff for the kids. They’re outgrowing everything they have.”
“Yep. Kids will grow. That’s one thing they’re all good at.” The lines around Ben’s eyes reflected his smile. “Where’s Alisa? I thought she loved shopping.”
Danny answered, “She wasn’t feeling too great this morning.”
“Nor yesterday morning,” Dana added.
Antoine grinned big. “So we might need to look at some baby clothes while we’re here.”
“Oh!” Ben’s eyes grew wide. “Well, congratulations!”
Gwen stood nearby. “Wait. What did he just say?”
Danny glared at Antoine out of the sides of his eyes. “Nothing is official yet. We don’t even know for sure.”
Ben chuckled. “Well, there’s several ladies with clothing exchange booths all around. You should be able to find some things for babies, just in case.”
“One other thing,” Danny said. “Have you seen any of those old-timey canning jars with the glass
lid and the metal clamp?”
“That’s a rare item. You’ll probably pay a silver dollar for one jar. If anyone has any, Eddie will. And if you sell him your canned goods, make sure you either get an empty jar back or a silver quarter for the jar deposit. That’s the going rate on Mason jars.”
“Thanks, Ben.” Danny grabbed the crate out of the back of the truck. “Is it okay if we leave the truck here until we’re finished shopping.”
“Leave it here as long as you like. You’re my personal guests.” Ben gave them a nod.
Jack patted Danny on the shoulder. “I’ll catch up. I need to talk to Ben about something.”
Danny’s brows drew together. “Don’t bother Ben with your brother’s suicide mission.”
“I promised Chris that I’d talk to him. He can say no. That’s fine, but there’s no harm in asking. After everything we’ve been through, I’ve earned the right to ask.”
Danny took a deep breath. He couldn’t argue. Chris and Jack had both been shot while taking out Schlusser’s Greenville outpost. Their sacrifice had given Ben the security he needed to keep the flea market open. “You’re right. You’ve earned it. We’ll see you inside.” Danny followed Antoine and the girls toward the booths.
Antoine carried one of the baskets of fresh produce. Gwen carried the other. Their first stop was the Smoke Barrel BBQ booth.
Danny’s mouth watered as he stepped up to the booth. “Can I speak to Wes?”
The attendant called back to another man who was placing a piece of meat inside a barrel BBQ grill. “Wes, some folks want to speak to you.”
The man near the grill finished his task, wiped his hands on a towel hanging from his apron string and walked to the service table. “I’m Wes. How can I help you?”
Danny replied, “Ben said you might be interested in a hind quarter of beef.”
“Is it fresh?”
“Killed it two hours ago.”
“Hmm. No offense, but that’s what they all say.”
“Ben will vouch for me. He bought the front quarter.” Danny stuck his hands in his front pocket.
“And you wouldn’t mind if I take a look before we strike a deal?”
“Not at all.”
Wes peered into the baskets of produce. “What’s all this?”
Gwen pushed her basket toward Wes. “Tomatoes, green beans, sweet potatoes, squash, and corn.”
“I’ll give you two ounces of silver for the contents of both baskets. That’s more than anyone else will give you.”
Danny nodded. “Deal.”
Wes took the baskets and emptied the vegetables into large plastic bins behind his table. He handed the empty baskets back to Gwen and retrieved a metal cart from behind his grill. “I’ll follow you to the beef.”
“Antoine, you and the girls can take the canned goods over to Eddie’s. I’ll catch up with you at one of the booths.” Danny led the way back to the truck.
Once they arrived, Wes pushed against the meat. “It is fresh. You didn’t poach it, did you?”
“We raise cattle. You can ask Ben.”
Wes picked the beef up to feel the weight. “I’ll give you fourteen ounces of silver.”
“I was hoping for twenty.”
Wes shook his head. “I can’t do it. How about fifteen?”
“Can you do eighteen?”
“Nope. Fifteen. That’s as high as I can go.”
Danny paused as he thought. “Fifteen and throw in a meal for each of us.”
Wes looked at Danny. “Fifteen ounces of silver and four meals.”
“Five meals. Jack is in the office talking to Ben.”
Wes looked around. “Since you’re friends with the boss, I guess I’ll do it.”
Danny helped Wes put the quarter of beef in the cart. “Thank you.”
Wes pushed the cart back to his booth then settled up with Danny. “Fifteen ounces. I’ll tell Laurence to take care of you guys whenever you’re ready to eat.”
“Thanks again.” Danny counted the silver which came in a variety of one-ounce rounds and bars. Two ounces were Canadian Maple Leaves. One ounce was a Silver American Eagle. The others were from various private mints. All of it was tarnished from heavy circulation. It no longer looked like the silver coins advertised on television prior to the EMP. Danny unzipped one of the side pockets of his day pack and dropped the silver inside. He perused the booths as he looked for Antoine and the girls.
“Can I help you?” A lady behind a booth asked.
“Just looking, thanks.” Danny saw a sign which read Maternity clothes. He picked up a bright red and white striped top. He smiled as he thought about Alisa growing into it. “Short sleeves. It will be fall by the time she starts getting big.” He’d mumbled the statement to himself, but the lady must have overheard him.
“I’ve got some cute maternity sweaters.” She dug in a bin beneath the table. “And here’s a pair of corduroy pants. They’re like new. They’ll wear all winter.”
Danny touched the lines of corduroy in the fabric of the pants as he did the math in his head. “February,” he muttered. “How much?”
“A silver dollar for both.”
Danny looked at a long-sleeved maternity top. It had a soft floral pattern. He also selected a thick pair of socks. “Throw these two items in, and I’ll give you an ounce of silver, which is almost a dollar fifty in pre-1965 silver coin.”
The lady crossed her arms. “I’ll do it if you have a Maple Leaf or an Eagle, but I can’t do that deal for a privately-minted bar. Folks around here treat privately-minted ounces just like a silver dollar.”
Danny unzipped the side pocket of his backpack and scratched around for the Maple Leaf. He’d keep the Eagle since he knew the premium placed on those. “Here you go.”
The lady folded the clothes and handed them to Danny. “Are you the father?”
Danny smiled. “Yes.”
“Then congratulations.”
Danny placed the clothes in his pack. “Thank you. Have a nice day.” Being at the flea market and bartering with pleasant folks gave him a sense of normalcy that he hadn’t felt in a long time. It felt good to know that if Alisa was pregnant, his child would be coming into a world that still had some pockets of civility.
Gwen tapped him on the shoulder from behind. “Have you seen Jack?”
“No. He’s probably still with Ben. How did you guys do on the canned goods?”
“Fifty cents each. Plus a quarter for the deposit.” Gwen handed him a small plastic baggy containing silver quarters, dimes, and a couple of half dollars.
Danny stuck the money in the pocket of his jeans. “Thanks. Did you see any canning jars?”
“They had plenty of the regular jars, but only four or five of the metal clamp type. He offered to give me jars instead of the deposit, but I wasn’t sure which ones you’d want.”
“Okay, I’ll go check it out.” Danny turned to Antoine, who had walked over with Dana. “Did you find any clothes your size?”
“Not yet. I saw some things for Tracey’s kids.”
Danny nodded and dug a few ounces of silver out of the pocket of his bag. “Great. Here’s five ounces. Use two ounces to get something for yourself. And don’t be afraid to negotiate. Anyone with clothes that will fit you is unlikely to find another buyer.”
“Thanks, Danny.” Antoine took the coins.
Danny handed two ounces to Gwen and two ounces to Dana. “You guys get yourselves something, and see if you can find anything for Melissa and Annie Castell.”
“What about Chris?” Dana asked.
“Besides Antoine, the men all have plenty of clothes.” A pang of guilt hit Danny as he thought about why the guys had so many clothes. Nick, Steven, Kory Reese, Clay, and Rocky had no need for their belongings in this world. Most of their clothing had been distributed among the survivors.
“Right.” Dana seemed to quickly remember. A look of sorrow crossed her face.
Danny put his arm around Dana to com
fort her. “Girls, you two stay together. The rest of us will split up, get what we need, and meet back at the truck. Afterward, we’ll go to the BBQ booth for lunch. The guy threw in a meal for all of us.”
Antoine’s eyes lit up. “Good job, Danny.”
“See you all in a bit.” Danny walked toward the mercantile booth. Once there, he quickly located the canning jars.
“Can I help you, sir?” A well-mannered, tall and thin man approached him.
“Yes, please. Do you have any other clamp-style jars?”
“Just the ones you see here.”
“Okay, I’ll take them and twenty regular jars. Do you have new lids?”
“Yes, sir. Three for a quarter. We’ve got reconditioned lids six for a quarter and used lids twelve for a quarter.”
Danny winced at the price of lids. At eight cents each, he was only clearing forty-two cents on each quart of can goods he’d sold. “Reconditioned?”
“Yes, sir.” The man gave Danny a lid to inspect. “They’ve had a new rubber seal added. A fella in town figured it out. It’s a thicker seal than the factory one. He claims you can use them up to three times before they need to be reconditioned again.”
Danny looked at the seal on the bottom of the lid. It was certainly smoother than the lids Catfish had tried to reuse. “Then why are they cheaper than new lids?”
The man stuck his hand in the pocket of his apron. “Won’t be no more factory lids; ever. Some folks don’t trust the reconditioned lids.”
“What about you? Do you trust them?”
The man looked at the canned goods on the shelves behind him. “Thirty percent of my goods have them. I check the seal on each jar when it comes in. If anyone gets sick from something I’ve sold, that’ll be the end of the mercantile. You might say I’ve staked my business on those lids.”
“Then I guess I’ll try some. Can I have two dozen reconditioned lids and a dozen new lids?”
The man continued talking as he counted out the lids for Danny. “Sure thing. The fella who came up with the reconditioning process said to make sure you tighten the heck out the rings when you first pull the jar out of the canner. And you can expect about one out of twenty to not seal. You should always check your seals after your jars cool. Most folks just eat the contents of any jars that don’t seal properly.”