Day After Disaster, The Changing Earth Series, Uncut Edition

by Sara F. Hathaway

  The first order of business was to check on Star. Erika went over to the tent and peeked in.

  “The kids are taking a nap right now,” Joan whispered. “I told them that we were going to have a big night tonight, and it might be a good idea to get some rest before the fun begins.”

  “Good idea. Is my stuff still over in the cart?" Erika asked quietly.

  “No, we needed some of that wood to make a bench next to the fire. We put all your stuff in a section of the tent for you. Come on.” Joan led Erika into the tent and pointed to a pile on the edge that was her things. There were a lot of little piles and Erika figured out that everyone had their own pile along the edge.

  “Thanks, Joan,” Erika whispered.

  “No problem, I have to go check on the dishes for tonight. You got everything you need?” Joan asked.

  “I think so,” Erika replied.

  “Okay, I’ll see you after you change.” Joan closed the tent flap and Erika heard her steps move away from the tent.

  Erika went over to her pile. Her pile of stuff she had brought all the way from the restaurant. It seemed so long ago now. She looked over at Star, all snuggled up sleeping like a baby. Erika went over and pulled the blanket up around her more, and Star stirred a little.

  “Erika, is that you?” she said sleepily.

  “Yes, honey, it’s me. Are you doing all right?” Erika whispered to her.

  “Yeah, my leg hurts, but I’m okay,” Star moaned a little.

  “Well, I want you to get some good rest because we are going to have some fun tonight,” Erika said quietly.

  “I’m not supposed to be up out of bed yet,” Star said sadly. She looked bummed out that she would be missing the fun.

  “You are only young once, Star. I think it would be all right if you came out for just a little while to hear some music and have some fun,” Erika said, giving the girl some hope.

  “Really?” Star’s eyes were wide with anticipation of the fun to come.

  “Yeah, really, but I think you better get as much rest as possible so you have all the energy you are going to need,” Erika replied quietly, giving her nose a little rub with her finger.

  “All right.” Star rolled over and snuggled back into her blankets. Erika tucked her in some more and stared for a moment at her beautiful new daughter. Then she headed over to her pile again.

  The anxiety of seeing her family was killing her so she decided to stay focused on the task at hand. That way, time would pass faster. Erika decided to change her clothes first. She took off her soft sheet outfit and put back on the blood stained jungle pants. Then she put on her green shirt. She decided to just bring her sweatshirt with her because it was so hot out now, but later it might cool off. The end of September was always unpredictable that way. No more hot August nights. It was usually really warm in the daytime but at night, if there were no clouds to keep the heat in, it was really cold. She looked around and although she liked these people, she did not know where she would actually be sleeping tonight, so she decided to put her things together in a neat bundle. This would be time consuming, and if she decided not to sleep here tonight, it would be easy to move her things.

  Erika was at a loss because she did not have a bag or a backpack to put things into. In the end, she decided to spread out one of the blankets that she was carrying and put everything neatly in the center of it then fold in the sides and make it into a sack. She began to pack up her things. The rope that she had went on the very bottom because it was pretty dirty. Then she put one of her blankets on top of it, her bundle of clothes on that, and finally her other blanket. Erika hoped that this way, her good outfit would stay nice. She still had a first aid kit but all it had in it was some gauze, a couple of Band-Aids and some antiseptic. So, she put her two extra lighters, her four kitchen knives, and the five candles she had left in it as well. She put a lighter in her pocket as well as her three-quarter pack of Camels. She put the new pack that Greg had given her, as well as her pack of Marlboros and Marlboro Lights in the first aid kit to save for later. She put the kit, her two remaining boxes of tampons, and the bag of rice she still had on top blanket in the sack. She finished packing her two saucepans on top of that and tied the sack up at the top. Now she was ready to go if she had to.

  This was the part of a party that Erika absolutely hated, and this time, it was even worse. It was the time when you are all ready to go but no one is there yet. Usually, she would goof around with Vince before anyone else showed up, but this time he was not even there yet. She thought of his eyes and his warm embrace. He would be coming before too long, and she was absolutely ecstatic. She couldn’t take it any longer; she had to get out of the tent and back into the fresh air. When she went out, the sun was going into early evening, and she knew it couldn’t be long now. She decided she would go over and give Kit, her horse, some attention. She realized she had hardly seen him today, and he had been so faithful. He was in a little pen that was made from burnt boards crisscrossed in X patterns to form a holding pen. He nickered when he saw her and came over to the edge so she could pet him.

  “Hi, Kit, how you doing?” Erika put a hand on his head and closed her eyes.

  “I’m doing fine,” a very familiar voice said from behind her.

  Erika spun around so fast she almost fell over.

  “Vince!” She ran to him and threw her arms around him, and he hugged her. They never wanted to let go. They kissed as tears streamed down their faces. Erika looked into his eyes and soaked in their beauty. She had never thought she would look into those eyes again and then they embraced again. She smelled his smell, his manliness emanating. This was her man, her soul mate; she would have crossed the expanse of the entire world to find him if she had to.

  “Oh my God, Erika, I thought you were gone. I thought you were dead! Oh my God, I am never going to let you go again!” He hugged her with an extreme desperation. He squeezed so tight it hurt, but Erika didn’t mind. She didn’t want him to ever let her go again either. She felt whole again. She had her other half, and now they could both live again as one.

  “Mommy, Mommy,” Dexter yelled as he ran up. His golden hair shined in the setting sun and his blue eyes shone like the sky.

  Their dog, Ripper, was at his heels and ran to Erika with his tail rapidly wagging.

  “Dexter!” She picked him up, hugged him, and swung him around in the air. Then Vince grabbed them both and threw his arms around them. He hugged them, and they just stood that way for a long time. They all cried but no one moved. Except for Ripper: he danced and pranced around the family yelping in joy.

  Reality was everyone’s worst enemy, and it was only a matter of time until it broke the trance of the reunited family. There was so much to discuss. Erika wanted to know it all at once: how did they survive, who else they had been in contact with, the list went on and on. She knew that these conversations would take time, and there were much more pressing issues to discuss right now.

  “Baby, there’s someone else you have to meet,” Erika said excitedly to Vince. “It’s a very long story, but I saved a little girl named Star. Her mother and father both died. I had no choice but to take her as my own. I hope you guys will love her like I do. I want you to come and meet her.”

  Vince held Erika in his arms again and replied, “Erika, I know that whatever happened, I am just so thankful that you are home. If God returned you to me with another child to add to our family, then I say great! Let’s go meet her. What do you think, Dex?” His gorgeous gaze moved from Erika to his young son waiting at his heels.

  “Yeah, I got a new sister!” Dexter yelled in excitement.

  The whole camp was a buzz of excitement when the family returned to the Auburn River Group’s camp where Star was. All of the folks from Auburn and most of the people camped in Cool were all standing around the main fire on the hill. A column formed as the family approached the crowd. There, by the fire, was Greg with Star. Greg had known that Star would need an update with
all the commotion going on, and he was there for her immediately. He had kept her feeling welcome, and waiting a few more minutes to meet the rest of the family was no big deal. Star hopped as fast as she could over to Erika when she saw the family approach. Erika hugged her and raised her up into the air. Vince, overwhelmed with love for his wife, held the two of them tightly in his arms, and Dexter wrapped onto their legs.

  Finally, Vince backed up for a moment and looked at the little girl. He said cheerfully, “This must be Miss Star, the one who I have been hearing so much about. My name is Vince and it is very nice to meet you.”

  He had always been great with kids. He seemed to know how to communicate with them better than most adults and it was as if Star could sense that immediately.

  “This must be the Mr. Vince I have been hearing so much about. Anyone that Erika loves as much as she loves you is A-Okay in my book,” Star replied smartly.

  “Well, aren’t you a little gem. You are going to fit right into this family.” Vince hugged her again and lifted her out of Erika’s hands and raised her high above his head. The whole crowd cheered as he spun her around and delicately returned her to the ground. He had noticed her hobble when she had run up and didn’t want her to land too hard on that leg.

  The crowd continued to cheer. The people were just happy to have something positive to cheer for, and this reunion story was just what they needed. Greg loved moments like this, and he was just the individual to take advantage of it. He suddenly jumped up on a gnarled stump that was sitting by the fire and addressed the crowd.

  “People, people,” he cried out, waving his arms in the air. It took a couple of minutes but the crowd began to hush.

  “We have all been through absolute hell!” Greg cried out.

  The people cheered in agreement and a man yelled out “Yeah we have.”

  “Now, we have something to celebrate. A family reunion for us all!” he shouted out to the crowd.

  There was more cheering and shouting.

  “Erika was returned to us from the depths of the hell that was once Sacramento, and even I don’t know how she did that.” Greg paused for a moment and gave the crowd a chance to do more shouting and cheering.

  “Well, tonight folks, we are going to hear it.” There was a huge cheer that went up from the masses.

  “And…”—Greg waited for the crowd to quiet down—“we are going to party!” The crowd erupted into a flood of sound. People were so eager to feel good; they just wanted to feel normal again and a celebration was a perfect way to vent the frustrations of lives that were spiraling out of control.

  “So let’s party, folks. Everyone, go and get ready. Let’s put together a feast to go with all that meat, bring your beverages, and don’t forget to do a little clean-up on those grubby faces.” Greg was feeling great and the crowd was a vortex of activity: cheering, laughing, and scrambling to get everything ready for tonight.

  Erika marveled at how pleasant it was to see everyone smiling and pumped up with positive feelings. She watched the crowd begin to disperse, everyone going off to their respective camps to get ready for the party. She saw some people washing themselves and their kids out of little buckets and others were cooking in salvaged pots and pans. Everyone was busy and the positive energy floated thick in the air.

  Erika and Vince were awestruck with the activity. It was a bit overwhelming to be the center of so much attention. After months of being apart, all they wanted to do was find someplace quiet and share each other’s company. Dexter and Star had hit it off immediately, and they were already deep in conversation over what they liked and didn’t like. Greg knew that whether Vince and Erika liked it or not, they were going to be the stars of the show. Unless someone organized the chaos, Vince and Erika would be bothered by folks all night, wanting to hear their stories and share in their reunion. Now he had cleared the crowd but it had a cost. Erika would have to share her story tonight. Greg jumped down off of the stump and strolled nonchalantly over to the couple.

  “Okay, guys. I got you guys a few minutes of time,” Greg said. “Where are you guys going to stay?”

  Erika and Vince looked at one another and shrugged. Neither of them had thought past finding one another.

  “I guess we’ll just stay here for now. Until we can figure out what we are going to do,” Vince replied.

  “Okay, well, I’m going to go back to my tent and get freshened up for the party. That little honey from the watch tower will be around tonight and I plan on getting me some,” Greg said slyly.

  “Same old Greg,” Erika said while rolling her eyes.

  “Cool, man,” Vince replied after chuckling at Erika for a moment. “We’ll see you later and thanks for everything, Greg,” Vince said with a hint of a tear in his eye. Greg had returned his wife to him and with her his whole life.

  “No problem bro, except she did all the work getting here. All I did was welcome her home,” Greg replied modestly.

  “Well, thanks anyway,” Vince said, choking back tears.

  Vince and Erika left to go and spend some well-earned time together in the communal tent that the Auburn group had constructed. Joan had set up another blanket that made an additional private room in the corner area. There was no one else in the tent right now but there would be later, and this addition had made the tent seem much more private and cozy. Star and Dexter decided that they wanted to play outside with Ripper, and since Tyson and Little Jimmy were outside playing as well, Erika did not have a problem with that. Erika had told Star to take it easy, but deep inside, she knew Star would have to stay strong to survive in this world. Joan had also let Erika know that she would be in the vicinity of the kids and would keep an eye on them.

  “Things are freaking crazy, aren’t they?” Vince stated with awe in his voice.

  “You’re telling me,” Erika countered with a chuckle.

  They sat down on the blanket in their little room and laid their heads back to take a much needed rest in the arms of one another.

  “Oh, baby, it’s so good to see you. I really thought you were gone. That lasted for about one whole minute,” Vince said sarcastically with a laugh.

  “Why do you laugh? I thought I was going to be a goner once or twice myself,” Erika answered back.

  “Oh, Erika, I don’t mean it like that. I just meant I always knew you weren’t gone. I could just… just feel it. I dreamt about you. The dreams were so real and so vivid I knew you were here. So much time went by and everyone said I was crazy to think that somehow you would make it home, but I knew. I knew you were coming home, and I could almost feel you getting closer somehow,” Vince retorted with absolute dedication to the one he loved in his eyes.

  “I knew you guys were here too. One family I met along the way really wanted me to stay with them. But, I knew you would be waiting for me. I wondered how long you would wait, but I knew you would wait,” Erika said, her eyes full of love.

  “You wondered how long I would wait? There you go worrying about everything you shouldn’t be again. Baby, I would have waited forever. I love you.” Vince had tears in his eyes again.

  The two embraced and shared a long kiss. Vince put his hands on Erika’s head and ran his fingers through her soft brown hair. He put his hands on her neck and felt for her earlobe as he had done so many times before, but he quickly pulled his hand away as if he had touched acid. Erika was horrified. She knew why he had withdrawn; he had felt her new scars and pulled away.

  “Oh my gosh, baby, what happened?” Vince was shocked by the amount of scars she had acquired and was more concerned than ever about her. The reality of her journey was smacking him across the face; she really had almost died. The love of his life had been out there all alone and he had been absolutely powerless to help. He would have done anything to have been there helping her and saving her from this pain, and the fact that he had been totally unable to do anything frustrated him greatly.

  Erika saw the anger in his eyes and thought it was directed
at her. Would he still love her even though her body was so mangled? He had only touched the scars on her neck. He hadn’t even seen the worst of it.

  “I told you that you almost lost me,” Erika said rather irritated. “It’s just some scars. I’m still me.”

  Vince saw her defensive side surface and had to reach out to her now. “I know, baby. Don’t be embarrassed. I am just so frustrated that I couldn’t help you, or stop all the pain you must have gone through. I love you.” He turned her head toward him and looked deep into her soul, “And I will always love you.” He reached back up to her with his hands and ran his fingers from her ears down her neck, feeling every new crook and cranny of the woman he loved.

  “I love you too, Vince. I have just been so worried about what you would think of all these scars,” she admitted, trying to pull away from his touch.

  “And there you go again, worrying about ridiculous things that you should not be worrying about at all,” he said, trying to stifle these feelings she was having.

  Erika smiled and Vince began to undress her. He wanted to view his woman and look at the extent of her scarring. He would love her always, no matter what happened to her body, and she needed to know that right now so their love could glow brightly long into the future.

  “Well, at least I’m still here, right?” Erika said sarcastically. It was her way of covering the pain of having to bare all of these new scars.

  “ Darn right! Now get over here, woman, and let me hug you all over.” Vince grabbed ahold of her without restraint and wrapped her up in his passionate embrace. He kissed her all over, familiarizing himself with her and relearning all her beautiful curves and embracing the new ones. They made passionate love, quietly, and restrained. They were both modest people. The thought of so many people hovering around in such a close proximity to them made them nervous, but they could not contain their passion for one another. Once their sweet lovemaking was done, they relaxed in the warmth of their love.