The Next Ten: Beginnings Series Books 11 - 20

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Chapter Three?”

  “Why yes.” Andrea smiled. “You’re familiar?”

  “Very. It’s a story of starting over. I know it well. I know the Bible well. It went with me everywhere I went.”

  “Really?” Andrea spoke so impressed. “My husband and I used to sit and read to each other, alternating verses. It was a closeness ritual that I think I’ll miss.”

  “If you need that at all, just let me know.” Miguel saw the stunned look on her face. “I’m sorry. I meant that ... wait.” Miguel closed his eyes. “I did not mean that to be pushy.”

  Andrea shook her head with a smile. “I didn’t take it like that. No, I would love for you to read with me.”

  “I’m not a very good reader. I must warn you.”

  “Heavens.” Andrea flung out her hand. “I believe when you read the Lord’s word you never read badly.”

  “Thank you, Andrea, for being so kind to me.”

  Andrea looked oddly at him. “Why on earth wouldn’t I be?”

  Miguel slowly shrugged his big shoulders. “Most people are not. Well I have bothered you enough.”

  “You’re welcome to stay and talk if you’d like. Really.”

  “Thank you. I’ve wanted to talk to you for months.”

  Curiously, Andrea looked at him. “Why haven’t you?”

  Miguel wasn’t prepared to answer the ‘why’ part. He didn’t expect her to ask. Why did Andrea have to ask? He didn’t have an answer and just like in the eighth grade when he was in that spelling contest and he realized he didn’t know English well enough to speak it let alone spell it, Miguel freaked. With horror, he shifted his eyes to her. “Well ... well ...” He watched her nod waiting for an answer. “Well ...” Before Miguel could do what he always did, ramble fast and in Spanish, he hurried from the seat, smiled with a nervous smile, and quickly made his way back down the aisle to his own seat.

  <><><><>

  Ellen had finally fallen asleep. Dean couldn’t recall ever knowing anyone who had to take three doses of Dramamine before it affected them. Though it probably wasn’t good for the baby, neither was the airsickness Ellen had. Dean must have watched Ellen sleep for at least twenty-minutes, locked in a stare of her. Ellen’s head tilted to the side, almost resting on his shoulder. She slept peaceful looking and pouty. For as much as Dean had wanted to pull her close against him, to try to make her comfortable, he was grateful at that moment he hadn’t because he would have had to disturb her. The tops of his thighs were starting to cramp up from sitting so long and it was time to stand up and stretch his legs. Of course, Dean dreaded that also, knowing full well as soon as he stood he would feel the overwhelming physical effects of all those Cokes he nervously consumed.

  After trailing his fingers softly down Ellen’s face, Dean slid back and stood up. He shook his legs, feeling that ache slip away. He turned to walk to the back of the plane. In his stride he saw yet another reason for the peacefulness on the plane. Not only did Ellen sleep, but Robbie did too and Frank was nowhere to be seen. Dean could only hope he was in the cockpit or perhaps Frank had changed his mind mid-flight about Montana and jumped out some twenty thousand feet in the air.

  After smiling at that thought, Dean had to snap back to reality when he saw Frank hadn’t departed the plane early at all. He was just stealing a bag of peanuts from the kitchen area.

  Dean stopped in the aisle in front of Frank. There was no way, even at his small size, he would be able to squeeze by huge Frank. “Excuse me,” Dean said politely.

  Frank removed the bag of peanuts from between his teeth. With ease he looked over Dean’s head. “El sleeping?” Frank asked in a graveling, whispering voice.

  “Yes. Excuse me.”

  “Good.” Frank lowered his eyes. “We need to talk, you and I.”

  “I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to talk when we get to Montana, Frank.”

  “I want to talk now.” Frank raised his eyebrow.

  “Seeing how I’m not getting down this aisle because you’ve decided to take a big bully stand with me, go on. Talk.” Dean held out his hand.

  “What is your problem?” Frank asked.

  “My problem? How about what is yours?”

  “You’re my problem, Dean.”

  “Well, then now we’re even because you’re mine. Now if you’ll excuse me.”

  Frank laid his hand on Dean’s chest, stopping him from passing by. “Look. I don’t know anything about you. And I don’t care to know anything about you, who you are, or what you do. All I know is that you came into a circle of people and wormed your way into a situation you have no right to be in.”

  “What?” Dean nearly had to laugh in ridicule. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Ellen.”

  “You think I wormed my way into being with Ellen.” Dean shook his head. “I’m not going to stand here and discuss or argue over Ellen with you. What happens between Ellen and I on a personal level isn’t really your business.”

  “Oh I beg to differ, Dean. Ellen is my business. I will watch out for her.”

  “Somehow I think this chip on your shoulder towards me goes way beyond any protective instincts you have toward her.”

  “Oh you’d better believe it.” Frank still kept his voice low. “You stepped in the middle of something you shouldn’t have. You got her pregnant. And you, Dean, are the last person, with the world like it is, that she should be with.”

  “Here we go again, right? She’s supposed to be with someone she knows.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Says who, Frank?” Dean questioned having a high edge to his voice. “Huh? As far as I’m aware there is no ‘end of the world’ rule book that states who you should or should not be with. I do not understand this obligatory notion you’ve attached to your situation with Ellen because you have been friends for many years.”

  “We were more than friends, Dean. We’ve always been more than friends.” Frank leaned closer, whispering in a hostile tone.

  “Well that says a lot for your character then Frank, because last I heard, before the world ended, you were a married man.” Dean brushed by Frank quickly.

  Frank stopped him. “Line crossed. You just started a war, little man, one that you are ill equipped to fight. You know nothing, nothing about my and El’s life and nothing about the people we were married to or our marriages. And you, Dean, know nothing about me and Ellen. If you did, you wouldn’t be standing here with that smug fuckin’ look on your face.”

  “Smug?” Dean remained calm. “It’s not smug, Frank. It’s lack of fear of you. I’m not buying into this insinuation that you have some type of hold on her, but if you do ...” Dean took a slow breath and spoke softly. “Maybe you should let her go. Put the past behind her. Let her start a new life, Frank.”

  “With you?”

  “It doesn’t matter if it’s with me or anyone. If it ends up being with me, then great. But the fact is, Frank, she needs to move on. She lost everything.”

  “So did I, Dean,” Frank blasted in a low voice. “And I’m not about to lose her either. I want her in my life, not yours. I promise you this, as long as you’re with her, I’ll be there. I’ll be in the way. If only just to make your life miserable ... I’ll be there.” Frank gave a quick raise of his eyebrow, a shitty grin, and moved away from Dean.

  Dean closed his eyes before moving onward to the restroom. It wasn’t his intention to have a verbal high altitude battle with Frank. Dean’s gut told him that the encounter with Frank, like the name and place they were going, was just the beginning and he received his proof of that when he returned to his seat to find Frank sitting there, eyes closed, and Ellen sleeping in a lean against this chest.

  CHAPTER TWO

  The Arrival - Montana

  A tractor trailer and a minibus were already waiting on the runway when the plane landed, left there weeks ago in the final preparatory stages.

  The sun was warm and bright but the
faces of those who stepped off the plane weren’t. They were tired from the flight, but more so a sense of depression hit a lot of them. They could have been standing in China, That’s how far away from their lives they felt.

  Standing on the runway, they gathered, waiting for Joe to return from his opening the cargo hatch of the plane with Miguel.

  When he set down a small bag, it hit William how well he knew his son. The strong, almost stomp Dean had to him as he stood next to his father. William stood upright, looking at the glare on Dean’s face, watching the wind whip about the hair that needed cut. “Dean? Are you all right?”

  “Yes.” Dean looked over his shoulder to Frank. “No. No, I’m not. I just don’t under ...”

  “Dean.”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you going to start bitching?”

  “Yes.”

  “Just thought I’d ask. Excuse me.” William picked up his bag and moved away, calling out for Joe as he did.

  Dean tossed his hands up.

  “Listen up people,” Joe called everyone’s attention. “We’re going to unload the last of the boxes now. It shouldn’t take long. Then we’re going to head down into Beginnings. I figure we’ll be too busy at first unpacking, getting settled, and pretty much taking in the new home so we’re going to meet tonight to discuss what happens next. There’s still a lot to do. Right now Jonas will explain the housing situation to all of you. Basically everyone but Henry and Ellen have been paired off with housing buddies. This isn’t by their choice. This was George’s and my choice. Just so there isn’t any wondering why they get their own places, let me explain. The pair offs left a woman and a man and we decided since those two probably would be the hardest to live with, we left them on their own. All right.” Joe clapped his hands together once. “We might as well get started.”

  “Joe.” Henry called to him, trotting up to Joe as he walked to the plane.

  “Yes, Henry?”

  “You didn’t tell me I was living by myself. I’m really not that hard of a person to live with.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “All right. John Matoose said you picked out which town house you wanted to live in. Why did you pick the one you picked? They’re all alike.”

  “Well, Joe. Energy conservation. It’s in the middle.”

  “I see.” Joe nodded. “And what did you proceed to do before you slept in the house?”

  “I sterilized everything.”

  “Why?”

  “Germs.”

  “Henry, no one’s lived in that house ever. What does that tell you about yourself?”

  Henry scratched his head. “I’m meticulous?”

  “No, you’re anal. And I for one know no one that likes living with an anal person.” Joe moved on.

  “Oh Joe, that wasn’t nice. Joe ...” Henry hurried to catch up to him despite the fact that he was being ignored.

  <><><><>

  “And I really don’t understand his reasoning,” Henry rambled in Ellen’s house, helping her put away the food rationing in the kitchen. “I’m not that hard of a person to live with.”

  “Me either, Henry.” Ellen reached up to place a canned good away.

  Henry stopped her. “You really shouldn’t reach. Here.” He took the can from her and put it away. “I really thought that you and Dean would live together. You’re having a baby.”

  “Well, even though we’re having a baby, we’re still in that getting to know each other phase. I’d hate to ruin that by finding out things about him that I can’t live with but could have easily gotten over had we’d gotten to know each other not living together during the getting to know each other phase.”

  “Oh that is such a valid point.”

  “Isn’t it?”

  “I’d better be going. I have lots of other food to distribute.”

  Ellen followed him out of the kitchen into the living room. “They certainly work you so hard, Henry.”

  “I don’t mind. What else am I going to do?”

  “True.”

  Henry opened up the door and Dean stood there, holding boxes. “Are you moving in, Dean? You’re not supposed to be moving in. Maybe Ellen should explain her theory to you.”

  The two boxes dropped with a thump from Dean’s arms. “No, I’m not moving in. These are her boxes. Are you teaching her the art of theorizing?”

  “No why? Should I?” Henry asked.

  “Could you?” Ellen requested.

  “No.” Dean answered for Henry. “One theory man is enough.”

  Henry swayed his head. “All my life I’ve been a target. I hope Beginnings is not the beginning to it starting all over again. Everyone picks on me, except for you El. You’re very nice. Did you need some help, Dean?”

  “No I got it, Henry. Thanks.”

  “O.K.” Shrugging, Henry waved to Ellen and squeezed by the door blocked by Dean and the boxes.

  With his foot, Dean nudged the boxes inside. “Want me to carry these up for you?”

  “No. I’ll get them.”

  “That man is the most hyper man I have ever met.” Dean closed the door. “He was when I met him, but then he slowed down some when everything hit.”

  “Dean, the world was dying. What did you expect him to get like? I don’t think there was a person out there jumping around and having fun.” Ellen had a cold edge to her.

  “What’s wrong?” Dean stepped closer.

  “Nothing.”

  “El.”

  “I hate it here.” Ellen let out a slow breath and folded her arms.

  “This house?”

  “No this place. I don’t want to be here. I wanna go home.”

  Dean was shocked. “El? We all agreed to do this, right?”

  “Yeah.” Ellen’s head hung low.

  “Did you talk to Joe about this?”

  “Joe doesn’t care.”

  “Yes he does.”

  “O.K., yeah, he does. But he’ll just tell me ‘tough, deal with it.’”

  “El.” Dean stepped closer to her. “Can I do anything to help?”

  Ellen sadly shook her head. “I think ... I think right now I need to be alone.”

  “I can do that.” Dean, a little apprehensive stepped to her and kissed her on the cheek. “Can I check back later?”

  “I’d like that.”

  “All right.” Dean smiled and moved to the door. “El, you can say no, but can we have dinner tonight together? Before or after Joe’s meeting, you name it.”

  “Before?”

  “Great. I’ll be back in a couple hours.” Dean opened the door and smiled at her. “El, everything will be all right. If you need me, just pound on the wall. I’m right next door.”

  Ellen slowly nodded as Dean left then as the door shut, Ellen turned around and looked upon the first floor of her new house. And it would always be just a house to her. It would never be home. Besides the lack of pictures and knick-knacks that gave the place that ‘lived in’ look, it lacked the feel of memories that Ellen so desperately needed to see at the turn of every corner, memories that would never be there because they were still at her home in Ashtonville. A place that to Ellen was a million miles away.

  <><><><>

  Robbie closed the bottom dresser drawer with his foot, bent down and picked up his empty duffle bag. “It makes no sense to me, Frank.” Robbie turned to Frank who had three boxes on a bed and a duffle bag. “It doesn’t. All of this housing and I have to stay with you and Johnny.”

  “Dad says they’re conserving energy. There’s no reason why you can’t live here.” Frank stared at the boxes as if he were waiting for them to unpack themselves.

  “But Henry gets a house.”

  “You heard what Dad said,” Frank spoke as if in a daze.

  “I could live with Henry. I don’t see what the problem is.”

  “He doesn’t think you’d get along.”

  “Please.” Robbie fluttered his lips in sarcasm. “Who
don’t I get along with?” He moved closer to the bed. “Maybe I should live with Ellen.”

  Frank quickly snapped his views to Robbie then turned away.

  Robbie held up his hand. “Maybe not. How about ... maybe Ellen should live here and I ...” He shut up when Frank, again, quickly looked with a glare then returned to his box staring. “Maybe not. Frank? What is it?”

  “I can’t do this.” He backed up. “Not yet.”

  “What do you mean?” Robbie asked as Frank bolted across the room. “Are you tired?”

  “No. I can’t bring myself to unpack. Unpacking is starting over, forgetting about everything. I can’t do that. Am I the only one who feels that way? I must be because everyone seems to be really fuckin’ enjoying this new start. And I hate it ... I hate it.” Rambling something un-interpretable, Frank charged from the room

  Robbie tossed his hand up. “All right. And he wonders why I’m wondering why I’m living with him.” He scratched his head. “Or maybe not.”

  <><><><>

  The first row of townhouses on the left and the right was where everyone resided. A street ran between the first two rows and it wrapped around the empty center town. Joe walked with Miguel. They met up when they both walked from their homes at the same time. Together they decided to just walk around and talk.

  “You’re a big man, Miguel,” Joe stated. “I really hate to lose your size when we unpack and stock the warehouses but you have a level head. I need you to learn farming from our farmers.”

  “I have no problem with that. I can even help in the evening with unloading if like you wish.”

  “I might like to wish. Yes,” Joe stated and hunched when he heard the slamming of a screen door. It was followed by a soft sweet humming and Joe looked up to see Andrea stepping of her porch.

  Andrea brightly smiled and waved when she saw the two men approaching.

  But Miguel froze. His mouth opened and shut and he tried to wave his arm but he really couldn’t lift it so, not wanting to appear rude, without saying anything, Miguel spun and took off running back to his house.