Whisper, Will and River made themselves a bowl of the delicious stew and went back to the warehouse. They had finished burying Emma and still had a slight buzz, so they opted to eat in their quarters instead of dealing with a lot of people.
Bobby and Jerry were sitting together near the stack of firewood, apparently engrossed in an intense conversation. Ray Lynn had walked over to the store to see if Kay wanted to join the others for dinner. She did. Much to her surprise, she was starving. When they made their way to the back yard, Kay sat near Roxie while Ray Lynn joined Bruce beneath the trees.
Eyes darted around from one group to the next; one person to the next. There were questioning looks, compassionate looks, sympathetic looks. Nobody said a word. However, there was something that hung in the air quite heavy.
“I’m not going to do that,” Jerry said in a somewhat loud voice, attracting the attention of most within earshot of the outburst. He stood up, eyes locked to those of his father. Sensing the eyes on him, he slowly turned his head and looked around at the faces around him. He looked back at his father intensely for a few seconds and then turned and walked away from the situation. He walked out the gate and headed toward the small patch of woods.
Arlene was one of the people who was watching him. “Go talk to him, Mama,” Lyss said. Arlene turned and looked at her daughter.
“Do it,” Victoria added. Arlene stood up and walked to the gate. She turned back to look toward her daughters again. Seeing both of them smiling at her, she opened the gate and walked through.
Taking the trail into the woods, Arlene noticed the scent of the smokehouse dancing in the air around her. That same smell was here yesterday. It was there during the invasion.
A short way down the trail was a tiny clearing that had several stumps strewn around it. Sitting on one of those stumps was Jerry; elbows on his knees and his face in the palms of his hands. He was rubbing his eyes and didn’t see her approach.
“Jerry,” Arlene said softly. “Look at me.” Slowly he raised his head until his eyes met hers. “I’m so sorry,” she said.
“What?” Jerry asked.
“I’m sorry,” she repeated.
He sat there staring at her. He couldn’t believe she was standing there, let alone that she was talking to him. And she was telling him that she was sorry?
“Let me get this right,” Jerry finally said. “The first time I met you, you saved my father’s life. Then you make me let down my guard and tell you things that I never told anybody. You renew my faith in God and open the door to mending my relationship with my Dad. You lecture me on forgiveness and force me to forgive myself. Then you turn your back on me and refuse to forgive me for something that was completely out of my control. Is that about it?”
Arlene stood there and let him talk. She deserved this. A tear filled the corner of her eye. It burned her skin. She reached up and wiped it away before it had a chance to escape.
“Look, Arlene,” Jerry continued, a bit less emphatically, “I didn’t know he was your husband. I tried to save him, I really did. I tried to save both of ‘em. But I couldn’t. Sometimes things just can’t be changed.”
Jerry bowed his head once again. His shoulders were shaking slightly. Arlene could tell that he was weeping.
“I know,” she said, stepping closer to him.
“Then why have you put me through so much hell?” Jerry asked, looking up at her again. “How could you preach forgiveness and then refuse to forgive me?” There was so much pain in his eyes.
“Oh, Jerry,” Arlene said as she reached out and lay her hand on his shoulder. “I told you that there was nothing for me to forgive you for. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Then why?” Jerry pleaded as he made eye contact once again.
Arlene took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before exhaling loudly. “I couldn’t forgive myself,” she said. More tears filled her eyes and started rolling down her cheeks. She bowed her head.
Jerry stood up and wrapped his arms around the lady standing before him. She was so beautiful but also pretty silly. What in the world would she have to forgive herself for? She was perfect.
As her head lay against the man’s broad chest, Arlene cried.
He held her.
After a couple of minutes, the sobbing subsided. Arlene placed her hands against Jerry’s pecs and gently pushed away from him. Not too far, though, since he kept his arms around her.
“I had a conversation with my daughters,” she began speaking. “They opened my eyes to a few things. Things that I refused to see. Things that I didn’t want to see.”
Arlene planted her feet firmly on the ground, covered with pine straw and holly leaves. She looked deeply into Jerry’s eyes.
“It was me that I refused to forgive,” she said. “The more time I spent around you. The more we talked. Things just kept getting worse and worse.”
Jerry loosened his grip on her and braced himself for wherever this was going.
“Jerry,” Arlene said, “I couldn’t forgive myself for betraying my husband. I couldn’t forgive myself for letting someone tear down the wall that losing Ron had built around my heart. I couldn’t forgive myself for falling in love with you.”
Jerry’s eyes popped wide open and his chin hit his chest. Did she just say what he thought he heard? The silence was palpable.
“Jerry?” Arlene asked. She wasn’t sure what he was thinking. He just stood there.
“Jerry?” she asked again concerned. He shook his head. The edges of his mouth upturned to a smile.
“Are you going to kiss me?” Arlene asked.
He did. He planted a kiss on that lady that even Princess Buttercup would have envied.
She liked it.
A lot.
Chapter 15
Dessert
So did he.
Chapter 16
Wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper, too?
After dinner, everyone made their way to their own little corner of the Landing. It was decided that Abe and his growing family would move down into the bus with Kay. The storage room off of the living area had been pretty much converted to a separate living quarters in anticipation of the baby coming.
Whisper and River helped carry a few things down into the bus while Allie held the baby. Funny how that worked out, huh Allie? Once things were settled in, Abe went to the Main House and got Jake and the kids so they could join in on a little family pow-wow.
“Can you go and look in the fridge and get one for everybody?” Kay asked Abe when he walked back into the room.
“One of what?” Abe asked.
“You’ll see,” Kay answered. Abe walked into the kitchen area of the bus and opened the fridge door, finding gold inside. He returned to the living area a minute later carrying a handful of cold can Dr. Peppers with him. He handed one to each person in the room, having to go back for three more before everybody had one. The last can was placed on the shelf next to the dvd’s.
“This is the last of Harold’s stash,” Kay said. “I figured we could all enjoy one in his memory.” Everyone was silent for a moment until a “psssssst” echoed through the bus.
“I’ll drink to that,” Jake said and held up his opened can. “There was a barrage of carbonation escaping through tiny holes until all the cans were raised and held together. All but one.
“Crap,” Jake said as he reached over and grabbed the canned drink from Kay’s hand. He popped it open and gave it back to her. She raised her arm, lifting the can high. Jake clicked her can with his. Everyone else joined in and clinked their cans onto those close to them and then took a small sip.
For the next hour the family sat together and talked about the good memories they had of Harold. It was bittersweet. Some of the stories were funny, others were sad. Most of them, however, were simple stories of a lesson they had learned from this or that incident in their life.
At one time there was a lull in the conversation. Allie softly said,” You can’
t always get what you want,” and the bus erupted with laughter. This was the one thing they all could relate to. Jake was in his mid-30’s. Abe and Whisper were in their early 20’s. Ryder and Marie were less than 10-years-old. All of them could hear Harold saying the same line because that was what he always said when you wanted something you couldn’t have.
Speaking of Ryder, when all the Dr. Pepper was gone, and the conversations were coming to a gradual end, he threw another wrench into the conversation when he suddenly sat up and looked at Kay. Everyone had thought he was asleep.
“Maw Maw?” he asked, “Where do your farts go in here?” The innocent child then looked around the confined space.
Everyone laughed again. Kay’s face turned beet red. She laughed, too.
“Where do you think the flavor for those chocolate chip cookies comes from?” Kay asked.
Ryder was not amused.
And just for the record: I don’t have a fart fetish or a potty sense of humor. It just happens so much that it is part of the story.
All in all, the evening in the bus was needed by everyone t0here. When they entered their hearts were heavy, but once the good memories started being shared spirits were lifted.
Outside it was growing dark. Jake realized that it was his turn to be second-watch and stood up to stretch before helping Allie get off the couch. The kids were a little reluctant to leave the bus but became excited once Jake mentioned that they would have to climb the ladder.
Abe and Sierra retreated to their new bedroom where they could be alone with their baby. It was feeding time.
When it was just Kay, Whisper and River left in the living area of the bus, Kay motioned Whisper closer. As she leaned over, Kay reached beside her leg and pulled out the baggie of buds that she had been holding there.
“This was your dad’s stash,” she said as she held it out toward Whisper. “I know that you smoked with him more than anyone else. You deserve this.”
Whisper took the pot and shoved it in her pocket. “Thank you,” she said. “We’ll smoke every bowl in his honor.” She smiled a bittersweet smile and leaned down to give Kay a hug. “And I’ll share it with Jake.”
“That would be good,” Kay said. “Harold owes him a little anyway.”
As Whisper ended the embrace and stood up there was a rustling at the rear of the bus, near the entrance. It was Roxie. When she saw people start leaving the bus, she came down to help Kay get ready for bed. When she walked into the room, the first thing she saw was the Dr. Pepper sitting on the dvd shelf. Condensation was leaving a ring on the bare wood.
“Is that one mine?” she asked.
“Nope,” said Kay. “That one’s Harold’s.”
Roxie snapped her head around and glared at Kay. “I don’t get a Dr. Pepper?” she asked.
“Look in the fridge in the bedroom,” Kay said. “There’s one in a bottle in there for you.” Roxie smiled. “Like I’d leave you out. Geez.”
Roxie hurried into the bedroom. She didn’t turn the bed clothes back but went right to the mini-fridge and opened it. There was a bottled Dr. Pepper in there! She opened the top and had a tastegasm right there.
After she came back to her senses. Roxie realized that she had come into the dungeon (as she felt the bus was) for a purpose and prepared the bed. She wasn’t surprised that she had been distracted by the sight of a Dr. Pepper. That was one thing she and Harold had in common; their love of the delicious nectar.
Turning the bottle up, Roxie took a long drink. She knew that this would probably be her last soda water for a while, but she couldn’t just sip it. Dr. Pepper was meant to be drank, not sipped.
Kay rolled into the room and smiled as she watched her friend drain the last of the soft drink from the bottle. “I was gonna’ ask if you wanted to watch a movie while you drank your Dr. Pepper, but I guess it’s too late for that,” she said with a smile on her face.
“We can still watch a movie,” Roxie answered. “Kenneth already went to bed and is probably snoring away right now.” She walked over to Kay and pushed her back into the living room. In just a minute they had agreed on Princess Bride and had the dvd in the player.
Somewhere near the scene when the Dread Pirate Robert was climbing the rocky bluff, Roxie finally broke the silence between the two women. “I’ve heard people talkin’ ‘bout leavin’ the Landing,” she said. “Some of ‘em wanna’ split things up an’ go their separate ways.”
Kay kept her eyes on the screen, but said, “I don’t guess there’s anything we can do to stop them. How many are planning on leaving?”
“I ain’t sure,” Roxie answered honestly. “I’m hopin’ it’s just talk. It’s been a pretty stressful couple of days. Some folks are confused and feelin’ lost. Our little happy hill ain’t so happy anymore.”
“Are you leaving?” Kay asked.
“Heck no,” Roxie shot right back. “How could you even think that? Me and Kenneth are here for as long as we need to be. We like it here.”
“I couldn’t make it without you, Rox,” Kay said, turning to look into her friend’s eyes. “I need you now more than ever.”
“Well stop frettin’ ‘bout it,” Roxie said with a faint smile. “You ain’t getting’ rid of me that easy.”
They held each other’s hand as they returned to watching the movie.
The Dread Pirate Robert stopped at the top of a hill to speak with Princess Buttercup. “I could have sworn I seen you talkin’ to Harold in the store today,” she said. “It was weird.”
Kay looked at Roxie. “It was,” she said. Roxie turned to look at Kay.
There was a moment of silence.
“He told me that he was a figment of my imagination,” Kay admitted.
“Dang,” Roxie said. “You sure have a good imagination. Weren’t you scared?”
“Clank!” The sound of the can Dr. Pepper that had been sitting on the shelf rang out as it hit the floor, landing upright as if it had been placed there. Both women jerked around and saw it sitting in its new place.
“Nope,” Kay said.
“Aaaaaas yooooou wwwiiiiiiiish,” Wesley shouted as he tumbled down the hill.
“Me either,” Roxie said.
Both women knew they were textbook crazy. They were so happy that they weren’t crazy alone. They watched the rest of the movie in silence, holding hands the entire time.
During the final scene of the movie, Kay asked, “You think we should try and get Arlene and Jerry together? They’re both good people and are obviously both lonely.”
“I don’t think we have to worry about that,” Roxie answered with a smile. “I seen ‘em sneekin’ into the woods together while I was on my way back here. I think they found each other on their own.”
The two women looked at each other and giggled.
When Roxie stood up and started pushing Kay to the bedroom, the sound of a baby crying on the other side of the wall could be heard. That meant it was probably feeding time. The sound was actually comforting as Roxie laid Kay on the bed and undressed her. She then leaned over and kissed her friend on the forehead.
“I’ll see you in the mornin’ with a cup of coffee,” Roxie said as she turned to walk out of the room. “I love you, Kay.”
“More,” Kay answered.
Chapter 17
First Watch
Beetle and Squirrel were walking quietly around the perimeter of the property for the first time of the night. They had first-watch tonight and were both pretty relieved to be able to be away from the crowd for a while. Given all that had gone on, a little peace and quiet was good.
There was a waxing crescent moon, so there really wasn’t much natural light. That would make it easier to miss something moving around, but it also made it harder for any intruders to see them. They had the advantage because they had become very familiar with their surroundings and had already discovered natural hiding places if they were ever needed.
The girl scouts walked out behind the garden and over to the
pasture area. They stopped near a small grove of oak trees to take a short break and get a drink of water. The location provided a bit of cover while allowing a good view of the fence line along the west side of the property. The cows kept the grass from growing too high on their side of the fence and frequent controlled burns kept the growth on other side of the fence under control.
Beetle took a drink from the canteen and passed it to Squirrel. She took a sip, before handing it back. Two pairs of eyes scanned the area. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, the two girls stood up and made their way toward the south to check out the area near the pipeline.
As they made their way through a small stand of trees at the edge of the pipeline, Squirrel heard a sound that caused her to hold her arm out in a signal to stop. They did stop walking. They listened. It sounded like a large animal coming up the pipeline from the west.
Beetle crouched and walked toward a group of tallow trees at the edge of the pipeline while Squirrel walked about 50-yard to the east and hid behind a large pine tree. There was a pig trail between the two girls.
As the sound grew closer, Beetle quietly climbed up onto the trees for a better vantage point. Squirrel looked around. She needed to see if there were other threats than the one headed their way. Although there was very little natural light, the glass of the windshield of the plane carcass shined in the distance.
In just a minute, a horse and rider came into view. They were on this side of the clearing of the pipeline and headed toward the Landing. Beetle couldn’t make out who it was, but she was going to make sure that they didn’t cause any harm. From her position she could see that Squirrel also saw the horse and was making her way back toward the pig trail.
The horse approached within a few feet of the tallow trees. Beetle crouched and then sprang into action; jumping from the tree, wrapping her arms around the rider’s head and her legs around his torso. She was small, but the momentum she had and the surprise in her actions caused the rider to tumble off the horse. Both she and the rider hit the ground hard, startling the horse at the same time.
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