by AJ Powers
Even though the exchange—or lack thereof—with Watson went about as poorly as it could have, his mood lightened at the sound of Kelsey’s voice.
“Clay!” she shouted as she ran across the muddy ground and into his arms. She had missed him over the winter, but seeing his face again made her realize just how much so.
Clay was thrilled to see her; he couldn’t stop smiling. They quickly decided to head out on their first trip of the season.
“Ah!” Clay said, “I have a bag full of stuff I was going to trade to Watson that I need to drop off before I could go anywhere.”
“Oh,” Kelsey said, disappointment affecting her voice.
Clay looked down at his watch. It was only 7:00, still early in the day. “But, if you are interested in meeting everyone, you could come along with me and then we could leave from there.”
Kelsey giggled, “That sounds wonderful! I would love to meet your family!”
Clay suddenly felt a tinge of apprehension with the invite, not so much about her knowing where they lived, but rather that she was going to meet everyone. Though they were not anything more than friends, the whole thing was akin to bringing a date home to meet the parents.
Kelsey ran home to grab a few things before heading out. Clay noticed Jeremy had been lingering nearby, as if to keep an eye on Clay for the remainder of his visit, so he told Kelsey he would wait for her outside the gates.
Kelsey walked out of the gate with a small backpack hanging from her shoulders and a bounce in her step. “Ready?” she asked.
The two talked almost the entire hike, quickly recapping their winter experiences—though Clay left out quite a few details about his—and then gradually transitioned to more historical talk—like what they preferred on their pizzas and classic television shows. Clay brought up Saved by the Bell, but Kelsey had no clue what that was. He tried explaining it to her but realized how dull the early 90’s television show sounded.
The building came into sight and Clay pointed it out to Kelsey.
“You live in that building?” she said.
“Yup. Been there four, almost five years now.” Clay looked over at her and saw that she was a bit winded, which was to be expected after five to six months of inactivity. Even Clay was huffing a bit.
He went through his usual OPSEC routine but was not as stringent with his path and movement as he usually was. It made sense to Kelsey after he explained why he did that, and it made her appreciate the fact she didn’t have to take such precautions whenever she went home.
It was about 11:30 when they finally entered the garage. “Ever use a Stairmaster?” Clay asked with a grin.
Kelsey’s legs were burning by the tenth floor; she was exhausted. The thought of hiking the rest of the day after the climb was daunting, but as they reached the top of the stairs, her legs weren’t bothering her as much as her stomach. The nerves Clay had been battling with all morning had now struck her as they approached the door.
The door opened, and they were greeted by Tyler who was all smiles. He skipped down the hallway yelling about Clay and Kelsey’s arrival. Erica stormed down the hall and practically jumped into Clay’s arms. She was more leery of Kelsey than Tyler, but that was just her nature.
Several of the other kids bombarded them as they reached the lobby, all eager to find out more about Clay’s friend. Kelsey was overwhelmed. She remembered Clay saying they had 10 children staying with them, but it didn’t quite resonate with her just how many that was. The noisy kids became even too much for Clay to handle, and he asked them to go back to playing. The kids scurried off in various directions like deer after a gunshot.
Just as the kids ran off, Megan came out from the kitchen, still in her pajamas with a dish towel slung over her shoulder.
“Hi there,” Megan said with a nasally voice. “I’m Megan, Clay’s older sister. Sorry, I know I must look like a train wreck. I’m feeling a bit under the weather right now, so please don’t be offended if I don’t shake your hand.”
“Not offended at all, and I don’t know what you’re talking about. You look lovely,” Kelsey warmly responded.
“I like you already,” Megan joked which got a chuckle out of the three. She turned to Clay. “Bethany has been asking for you all morning. I think she’s waking up from her nap if you want to go say hi.”
“Sure,” he said heading towards his door, “I’m gonna drop my pack off in my room real quick, and then I’ll head that way.”
As Clay was walking to his room, Courtney darted across the lobby at him. Clay swept her off the ground and threw her up in the air before tickling her. Kelsey smiled at the priceless moment and saw yet another dimension to Clay. She had already witnessed his selfless demeanor on multiple occasions, but the way he interacted with the kids and the way he provided for his family…It was a quality unlike anything she had ever seen.
“He’s really good with them, isn’t he?” Kelsey commented.
“Yes, he is. The kids love him to death. And you know, I’m fond of him too…sometimes,” she quipped and tapped him on the shoulder as he walked back past them on his way to Bethany’s room.
“He’s definitely a sweet guy,” Kelsey added.
“I don’t know what we would have done without him,” Megan said.
Kelsey tilted her head.
“He didn’t tell you what happened over the winter?”
“Just that he came down with a pretty bad cold or something,” Kelsey replied.
“That’s what he told you?” Megan asked. “That’s the understatement of the century.”
“How bad?”
“Well, to put it bluntly, there was one night when I started thinking about how I was going to tell the kids…” she said, tears began to invade her eyes. “He was in really bad shape for a while. It’s nothing short of a miracle that he’s still with us.”
Kelsey covered her mouth with her hand and gasped. Her eyes also began to fill up, especially when she found out that it happened because he went out for food after winter hit. Clay’s devotion to his family, which mostly consisted of children he had not known very long, was awe-inspiring.
Clay returned to the lobby. Bethany was on his back, her arms wrapped around his neck. He introduced her to Kelsey, and as expected, she was quite shy. She immediately hid herself behind Clay’s legs as she peered out to observe the visiting stranger. Kelsey found it simply adorable. It made her miss her own daughter.
Megan went off to make lunch with what little food they had left. Clay and Kelsey joined them, though they both ate from Clay’s plate. Kelsey enjoyed watching the family interact. Though she was an only child, her mom’s family was large, and it reminded her of holiday feasts over at her grandmother’s house.
It was approaching 12:30, when Clay tapped his watch. “We gotta get moving.”
Clay went to retrieve his rifle and pack from his room, and Kelsey used the time to say goodbye to the kids. As she reached the door, Megan stood there with a smile on her face.
“Kelsey, it was so nice to finally meet you. Clay has talked so much about you. I hope to see you around here more often,” Megan said.
“I would really like that,” Kelsey said. She hugged Megan who at first tried to resist but then hugged her back. It had been a while since she had interacted with a woman that close to her own age.
“Hope I’m not contagious,” Megan said with nervous laughter.
Clay returned with his gear, said goodbye to Megan and the children, and started walking down the hall with Kelsey. As they rounded a corner, they spotted Charlie heading their way.
“Hi Charlie!” Kelsey said excitedly.
Charlie walked by and gave an emotionless nod. He was a different person from the sheepish young man she met on the ranch just before winter. His face was hardened, his eyes like stone. She knew the pain that accompanied such a transformation. She looked to Clay to ask, but decided not to.
Going down the steps was much easier on Kelsey’s legs, but she stil
l felt the burn in her quads. As they walked out of the garage, they were greeted by a crisp breeze that was almost refreshing. Clay turned around and locked the door. He spun around and almost walked right into Kelsey. She didn’t move.
“Whoa!” Clay said as he stumbled back to avoid running into her. “What’s the matter?” he asked.
She stared at him with a conflicted expression. There was so much she wanted to say, but she didn’t know where to begin, or even if she should say anything at all. Seeing Clay after months apart made her realize she couldn’t deny the feelings she had for him and watching him with the children upstairs comforted her. He had an amazing heart. Charlie’s hardened expression was a reminder of how quickly things could change and every moment she denied herself with Clay was a missed opportunity. Her thoughts were tangled and her words were lost. She kept opening her mouth to talk but didn’t speak. Concerned, Clay tried to comfort her with his hand on her shoulder, “Hey, are you—”
She grabbed his face and kissed him passionately; it was a moment Clay had dreamed about since the instant he met her. But now that the moment was here, it was inexplicably better than anything he had imagined.
She slowly pulled away, one of her hands remained on his face. Her eyes began to tear up. “I hate you,” she said doing her best to suppress a smile.
Clay’s head was swirling with an array of emotions, but her comment had him completely baffled. “Uhm, what?” he said.
“I hate you because you make it impossible for me not to love you,” she said. Her smile finally cracking.
Clay was stunned. “I’m confused. Does that mean you love me or you hate me?”
She laughed and stood up on her toes and answered his question with another kiss.
“I’ll take that to mean you don’t hate me,” he said with a smile.
“Come on,” she said as she walked up the ramp, glancing back at him over her shoulder.
Kelsey and Clay found themselves about seven miles east, close to Devil’s Canyon. Clay had spotted a couple of locations that looked promising but did not explore on his way to Ted’s. He didn’t know why. He just felt the area was ripe for the picking, and he was right. Though not as good as the score they found in the skating rink, they did find quite a few useful items for bartering. After explaining to Clay what Watson had told her the night before, they agreed that all food related items would go to Clay, all non-food items would go to Kelsey to put towards her debt.
“You know, you really should just leave. The more time I spend around the guy, the less I am liking him,” Clay said.
“I wish I could.”
“So do it!” Clay stated emphatically, “I can help.”
“It’s not that simple, Clay.”
Clay sighed with frustration. He could tell there were unpeeled layers to the situation that he knew little about. He wanted to ask why but left it alone. He hated seeing how unhappy she was. More than that, he hated that she was in bondage to this man.
He reached over and grabbed her hand, stroking her palm with his thumb. “Well, no matter how long it takes, I’ll be here every step of the way. We’ll get you out of there.”
Kelsey smiled. She didn’t understand why, after all the wrong she had done in her life, that she had been so blessed to have a man like Clay love her so much. But she no longer cared. She had revealed the skeletons of her dark past, and he still loved her. It sent a warm feeling through her body, despite the chilled air.
After Clay told her about the walk-in freezer at the sport’s bar, they decided to stop at another restaurant for the night to camp out in the freezer. It was quite a bit smaller, but that just caused their body heat to warm up the space faster. Though winter had ended, the temperatures still dipped into the 30s some nights, and it was anything but pleasant to sleep in. The freezer was quite comfortable, at points, even a little cozy. Clay slept near the door while Kelsey slept behind some empty boxes near the back. If someone were to peek in, they wouldn’t even know anyone was there at first glance.
Clay slept better than he had in years. Kelsey’s words the day before still had not fully sunk in. Though he had only known her for a shade under eight months, six of which were holed up in their homes fourteen miles apart, he knew she was the one for him. Even when she rejected him, he knew it was not a matter of if but when. Once he figured out how to get her squared away with Watson, he was going to marry her. There was a small church in Liberty that would be a perfect place for a wedding.
“Clay,” Kelsey said towering over him, her flashlight aimed at the ceiling to provide some level of light in the freezer, “it’s almost 7:00. We should get going.”
Refreshed, they got back on the road. They started heading back to Watson’s, stopping anywhere that looked promising along the way. Most places they found small, miscellaneous items that would barely make a scratch in her debt, but every proverbial penny counted.
The majority of their finds went to Kelsey’s efforts. They did find a small bag of peanuts, but Clay gave them to an older woman they came across near the highway; she looked like she was on her last leg. He had never seen someone so appreciative in his life, which made him all the more confident he made the right decision giving her the small amount of food. Based on her sickly appearance, Clay knew she wouldn’t likely last another night. But at least she wouldn’t die with a completely empty stomach.
Clay and Kelsey also found the game Twister in the attic of an abandoned house. It was still gift-wrapped with a tattered bow on top. To Shelby, Love Mom, the tag read. Kelsey insisted Clay take it back home to the kids; he didn’t argue. He knew it would be hilarious to watch the children, most of them for the first time, play a game like that.
They reached Watson’s by night fall. They came in and headed for the shop when Jeremy stopped them. He looked disapprovingly at the couple who didn’t even realize they were holding hands. “Where have you been?” Jeremy said rather rudely.
“I can come and go as I please; I don’t need your permission.”
“As head of security for the community, I would appreciate a little heads-up if you are going to be gone all night. It’s the courteous thing to do,” he said.
“When have I ever done that?” she retorted.
“Relax, Jeremy,” Clay said, receiving an evil stare in return. “We were out scavenging, and night came faster than we had anticipated. That’s all.”
“Is that all?” he said as he glanced down at their clasped hands. “Well, I have some things to take care of. If you’re planning to go to the shop, don’t bother; Maggie closed up already,” he said and walked away towards Watson’s house.
“What’s his deal?” Clay asked.
“He’s had a thing for me ever since I got here. I’ve never felt the same way and have been quite clear about it.”
His hostility towards Clay made a little more sense after Kelsey’s explanation. Plus, after what Clay said to Watson yesterday, it probably just added to Jeremy’s resentment. The sooner Kelsey and Dakota got out of there, the better.
“Well, clearly he just wasn’t persistent enough,” Clay said with a victorious grin.
Kelsey gave him a playful slug on the shoulder followed by a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t be that guy, Clay.”
“Never,” he replied.
Daylight had escaped the sky, and Clay knew he would have to stay in town for the night. He was not comfortable with that idea given how edgy Watson and Jeremy were acting, but there was no way he would travel that late in the evening. “Are there any rooms in town I can rent for the night?” Clay asked.
“No, not really. Besides, you don’t need to rent a room. You can stay at my place for the night. Well, it’s not really my place. It’s Ms. Hawthorne’s, but she won’t mind. I’ve told her about you.”
“Ms. Hawthorne?”
“She was the only one that would put us up when we first arrived. She is the sweetest lady I’ve ever met. She watches Dakota for me while I am out, which is pretty much d
ays at a time as you know,” she gestured towards the land beyond the fence of the farm. “I am quite certain I wouldn’t have made it without her. She’s kind of like a second mom to me, and Dakota thinks she’s her grandmother.”
They walked along the dirt paths and made their way to Hawthorne’s hut. It couldn’t have been more than six hundred square feet in size. Inside was a living room/dining room/kitchen combo which had a roaring fireplace in the middle. Towards the back, there was a wall with two doors, one at each end.
“Hello there, young man,” a voice greeted him from the kitchen area. “You must be Clay. Kelsey has told me so much about you.”
“Ms. Hawthorne,” Clay said and shook her hand.
“Oh, please, call me Bev.”
Kelsey went through the door on the left to check on Dakota while Clay and Hawthorne chatted. Hawthorne used to run a halfway house for young women in San Antonio for quite a few years. She retired from the job about two years before the eruption, and lived literally just down the road from Watson’s farm. She had met Watson at a farmer’s market a few months before. Barely making it through the first winter, she knew she wouldn’t be so lucky the next time around. When she walked to Watson’s farm in an effort to trade a few measly items for some food, Watson did one better: he gave her a safe place to live. She has been there ever since.
“So, what was Watson like before all this?” Clay asked.
“Oh, he was a real peach. Always willing to lend a hand, even to a stranger like me. He’d always throw in an extra couple ounces of beef for Athena, my pitbull, every time I bought from him. He was such a genuine man.” Clay looked a bit surprised, especially considering his last interaction with him. “But,” she added, “once the supply trucks stopped coming to the stores so frequently, people started becoming more and more desperate. One night, about a year after the eruption, someone tried to steal some of their chickens, and Lenore—Jake’s wife—confronted the men,” her eyes started to glisten in the fire-lit room, “and those men shot her dead. They killed a sweet ol’ woman so they could steal her birds.” Hawthorne dabbed a handkerchief under her eyes. “And you know what’s really sad about that? Lenore was the type of woman who would have just given those chickens to someone if they truly needed it.”