by J. B. Craig
“Uncle G, this is Kelly, the love of my life. She’s also a hell of a warrior. Kelly, this is Crazy Uncle Greg.”
Kelly smiled, curtseyed, and said “I’m so glad we’re here. I couldn’t stand to hear Maria whining about her daddy any more. Nice place you have here.” Then she reached for his hand, and Greg pulled her across the gap. She threw her arms across Greg’s waist, and kissed his cheek. I’m so glad you’re here and okay. Maria, Pete and Bannon are like family to me. Now, show me around, you big hunka man.”
The trio went back up the deck, Greg gave the radio to Este who carried it with one arm and put the other arm on Maria’s shoulder. This is going to come in handy. I bet I could call home, in Mexico with it! They all walked them into the kitchen area, where Leilani was finishing up some sort of feast that smelled wonderful. Este was whispering into the young man’s ear, with an arm clamped on his shoulder and one around the radio. Annie followed them all in, tugging on the young man Pete’s sleeve.
“Hey, you - pretty boy. Do you wanna play Polly Pocket with me?”
“Hey Little one. My name is Pete. I’m a fireman. Who are you, beautiful?” The handsome young man smiled, handed his rifle to Este, and followed Annie to the screened in porch where the breeze was best. There, he sat on the floor, and played Polly Pocket make-believe games. “Polly Pocket, huh? Maria told me all about her games with Polly and her friend, Bug. Oh, is that Bug?”
His daughter was safe and home! Greg had lots of questions, but before he could get started, Maria grabbed his wrist, and said, “Outside, Now. A word, please.” He had a moment to reflect on how much she sounded like her Mom and saw her glaring daggers at Jennifer. They walked past Pete on the front porch, playing with Annie, while Bannon and Kelly unloaded gear into the garage of the house. Leilani was cooking, and Este was watching his love do the cooking.
37. Catching Up
Greg walked Maria to the bench on the front porch. She sat down next to him and said, “What the fuck, Dad?!?! You’re with that redhead, and not even worried about Mom, huh?”
“Maria, do you remember that lunch we had planned for the Wednesday after the lights went out?” She nodded stiffly. “Well, as much as you and your twin brother talk, you probably know he had lunch with Mom scheduled at the same time.” Maria nodded again. “That was to tell you that we were getting a divorce. Why do you think I was here? We were separated, and I needed to move out, so I moved some stuff here. After we talked to you both, I was going to enlist your brother to help me move more stuff here. Then Atlanta gets Nuked, the lights go out, and here we are.”
“Why did you want to divorce mom, Dad? You already had a hoochie momma on the side, huh?”
Greg looked at Maria sadly. “No, Darlin’. She was done with me. She met someone at her new job, and I guess things happened. She said I wasn’t engaged anymore, and she’s probably right. I was drinking too much and spending too much time stressing out about looking for work. I don’t blame her. We agreed to try to stay friends, so we could raise you kids together, but it broke my heart when she said she wanted to pursue new relationships.”
Maria looked down, with tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Dad. Jared said he thought Mom was spending too much time at work, with a specific guy. He said she was putting on makeup and working out more. He was worried about it but didn’t think it had gone this far.”
“Well, Darlin’. Your brother always did have a sixth sense. He’s very sensitive to things like that. You know how none of us could ever fib to him, or even give him a BS excuse for something. He could smell a lie like a fart in a car!”
Maria laughed. “I’m sorry Daddy. I doubted you, and I missed you, and I was mad seeing you with that woman. What’s her name?”
“That’s Jennifer, from across the street. You’ve met her at family parties before but may not remember. Her husband died a hero at Dahlgren, and at first, I just asked her and Annie to move in, for mutual safety, since we had to do day and night watches. One thing led to another. The good news is, we really do love each other. And don’t worry, if your Mom and brother do show up, we’ll make them welcome, but she won’t be under the same roof as I am any more. Now tell me about this Pete guy.”
“Peter was a firefighter and paramedic at that fire station across the road from me.” Greg nodded his head. “He has a broken family in Oklahoma and had no place to go. I shared your warning about the Nuke plants, and he decided to come with me. He’s been a real help, and a real pain in the ass. He sunk my first sailboat! But he also saved numerous lives. He’s a really good medic.”
“Well, we’ll have to introduce him to Doc, our medic here. Maybe they can be better as a team than each other alone. Why don’t you go and save him from Annie, and get un-packed. We can move Annie into the master bedroom, and each of you, um, ‘couples’, whether that’s two girls each, or boy-girl, can take one of the guest rooms. But they’re now your rooms. You’re not leaving my sight, young lady. I missed you so much.” At that, her dad pulled her head forward with a hand on each ear, something he had done since she was a baby, and kissed her forehead. “Love you, pooh bear.”
“Love you too, Daddy. I’ll try to be nicer to Jennifer. I understand the big picture now.” Maria walked back into the house to get un-packed, and Greg heard her volunteering to help Leilani in the kitchen.
Greg sat back on the bench and blew out a good bunch of the anxiety he’d been holding in for almost half a year. As he sat there thinking about his family, Jennifer came out, and sat next to him, and put her arm over his shoulder.
“I didn’t get the stink eye when she came back in. You raised a beautiful, fair, smart daughter. But, um… ‘Hoochie Momma’, Huh?”
“Yeah, I figured you heard that with the windows open. Thanks for not snatching her bald, Jen.”
“Hell, she took it better than anyone that I know would have. She’s got a level head on her shoulders. Must have got something from her Dad. Clearly, her good looks come from her mother.”
“Bitch!” but Greg smiled, and squeezed his woman.
“But seriously, Greg. I had some time to chat with Kelly and Bannon. These kids came through hell, and still have great attitudes. It probably won’t surprise you to learn that they follow your little leader. They call her Captain! You’re both Officers, despite your best efforts not to be!” Jennifer guffawed her unique laugh. “Come on, Soldier. Get up, get clean, let’s eat!”
Dinner was a warm, rowdy affair, where everyone was asking questions and answering them. Somehow, despite 2-4 conversations going on at the same time, everyone got mostly caught up, introduced, and laughs were had by all. Esteban and Leilani hovered, and participated when needed, but they were mostly smiling to one another.
Greg heard about the three sunk boats that his daughter captained, and the crew from the sailboat heard about the two vicious battles, and lost friends, while defending the peninsula. By the end of the night, Greg was able to talk to his brother, Timmy, briefly and in code on the HAM radio. The tears on his eyes as they talked their “code talk” and got caught up was noticed and ignored by the others in the room. There had been no recent news on Reid’s adventures, other than a confirmation that “Dragon One” had checked in and was still in or around Fort McHenry in Baltimore, killing bad guys and searching for his mom.
Angel came by briefly, giving a situation report, or sitrep, that all was quiet. He was briefly introduced to all of the newcomers, and there were promises of a full welcome in the next few days. They’d meet, as usual, at the clubhouse to integrate the four young warriors into the community rituals and watch shifts. For now, Angel told Jefe to enjoy his familia, the gate was manned, the river was watched, and the food was plentiful.
As most of the parties settled in for the night, Greg, out of habit, took first watch, and Maria decided to join him in the Osprey nest, so they could have a little father-daughter time.
“So, Kiddo. How’s ‘adulting’ in this world.”
“Yeah, Yea
h, Dad, you were right, blah-blah-blah. The pistols and BOB you left me were helpful, but most importantly, I learned that you have to have people around you that you can trust enough to sleep while they have your back. You taught me that, too.”
“Speaking of people, Kiddo. Tell me about Pete.”
“Well, Dad. Pete is a hero, and a fuck-up, and funny as hell.”
“Sounds like what your mom used to say about me. Keep an eye on that boat over there. I think it’s a local fisherman, but we’ve been blindsided by sea before.”
“I see him, Dad, he’s checking crab traps. We’re good… Pete? Well, Daddy, I can’t say I love him yet, but he’s such a great guy. He put his own body between me and a wall when we blew up across the river. He is so cool under pressure, but then the rest of the time, he’s a goof.”
“I like him more already.”
“I know, Daddy. That’s what scares me. He’s not a soldier, and can’t even really shoot, that’s why we give him the 9mm pistol. But if someone is hurt, or if I’m in danger, then he turns into superman for about five minutes. Then he goes back to being a goof.”
“That’s how I made your mom fall in love with me, darlin’. I will pay special attention to him, but he sounds like he’s got a golden heart, and I can’t tell you how important that is. Lots of people can act all heroic, or sexy, or whatever, but this kid, the one you call goofy, always shows up when you need him, and otherwise stays out of the way, right, Captain?”
“Everyone calls me that! I spent five months just trying to get here. Why do I have to be in charge?!?!”
“That, my baby girl, is the reluctant leader. Beware assholes that want to be in charge, even though they have no business doing so. Those that grab the power, without the legitimacy of people who follow them freely will right and truly fuck stuff up.”
“But Daddy, the burden of being the one that everyone looks at when stuff blows up is not what I’m looking for. It’s intimidating.”
“Welcome to the leader’s circle, munchkin. None of us who are good at it want it, and none who want it are good at it. Go figure. The water looks clear. Let’s go walk the perimeter.”
Greg and Maria climbed down the ladder and walked to the berm protecting the peninsula. On the way, they ran into Este, who was, once again working when he should have been sleeping. Gunny was in charge of this shift and was pleased to meet Greg’s daughter. The ladies spent about 20 minutes catching up while Greg inspected the toe poppers and other obstacles into their peninsula. They saw Betto on point with the .308, and he was all smiles, too. Everyone they passed was left with a smile, as Greg was finally reunited with his daughter.
As the early watch shift ended, Greg and Maria found themselves back at the family house. Este waved good night, and Pete and Bannon woke up at the quiet noises of their arrival. Bannon approached his uncle Greg, and asked, “Hey Unc. Can you pair us with someone that won’t get us shot? We’re going to pull our weight, but we don’t know friend from foe yet.”
Greg called the watch leader on the radio, and Luis answered. He asked Luis to come to the house. Once there, Introduction were made, and Bannon and Pete left the house with Luis. Both knew decent Spanish, and Luis was getting better with his English. He promised to make introductions and would see all of the group at breakfast. Greg curled up in bed next to Jennifer, and Maria went to catch some much-needed rest in her new room. Greg’s gut told him that Pete and Bannon would represent Captain Maria’s crew well.
38. Breakfast with the Community
Greg, Annie and their new family members walked to the community center for breakfast. Jennifer was under doctors’ orders to have breakfast in bed, so a runner brought her dinner to her, even though Greg was trying to insist that he would bring it. Leilani told him to enjoy his family time, and ushered the rest of her ‘family’, minus Jennifer, to a table, and brought them some tasty breakfast food. Maria looked across the street, and saw the sunflowers growing. She said, “I hope we have some home fried Sunchokes.” Leilani looked at Maria like she was crazy. “What’s a sunchoke, sistah?”
Maria, who was a vegetarian for the last several years said, “You haven’t harvested the Sunchokes? Sunchokes are right out there, under those harvested sunflowers. Come with me, Sister. The two ladies and Pete walked across the lot to the sunflower field, and Maria started digging with her hands, starting at the base of the sunflowers stems that had been harvested for their seeds and oil. She pulled out a few roots and pointed to them. “Sunchokes, nature’s other potato. They’re high in iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium. You can eat them raw, or you can mash em, boil them, or make breakfast from them.”
Leilani smiled and pulled up a few of her own. “Show me, sister.”
The ladies went into Esther’s kitchen with about a half-dozen sunchokes, and Maria asked for a knife, a little oil and salt. Greg hung back at the door – the sacred line that men could not cross in THIS kitchen (even though he usually cooked amazing dinners back in Atlanta) – and watched his daughter school the experts with a smile. They had some bacon due to slaughtering one of the nearby farmer’s hogs after the last invasion. While not vegetarian, it worked for the job, and Maria clearly understood that menu fussiness wasn’t a luxury these days, as her dad recalled her fussiness years before. Maria sautéed the bacon while peeling the sunchoke, then rinsed, dried, and sautéed the sliced sunchokes in the fat. She added salt and random herbs, allowing the root vegetable to brown.
After the sunchokes were cooked, Leilani paraded them into the buffet area, and set them down. At first, a few people got up for a refill of breakfast. Then, words like “Home Fries” and “potatoes!” were drifting through the meeting house. After both shifts each took a reasonable heaping tablespoon full, because they all shared everything, they looked at Maria like she was the second coming of Christ. Many went back for seconds, once everyone was fed.
“They’re not Potatoes, folks. You’ve had them under your sunflowers forever. They’re called Sunchokes, and yes, they’re tasty. Enjoy! I know about eight ways to prepare them, and I’ll share those recipes with Leilani and her team.”
Willy, the fire chief, stood up and yelled “Sunchoke hash! Hip Hip, Hooray!” and the rest of the community joined in for the second and third verses. Maria smiled and nodded at the community members. Greg looked at his daughter, with pride swelling his heart, and smiled. She was going to get along here just fine.
Then, Greg looked over at Peter, who was looking at Maria with a look that he could only call adoration. Greg leaned over and put his arm around Pete’s shoulder. “Don’t fuck it up, Son. She is THAT damn good. Her mom taught her almost everything she knows. I just taught her how to survive and kill.”
Pete looked at Greg, sincerely. He said “Yes, sir.” When Greg saw the tear go down Pete’s face, he knew his daughter had picked well. This kid was going to be okay.
Greg told Pete that he would be on night shift with him for the first couple Days. He assigned Bannon and Kelly to day shift, under Gunny and Angel’s watchful eye. Bannon was immediately hitting it off with these 2. He and Kelly moved to their table as soon as they were assigned to them. After a few jokes, and Kelly bragging on her man, he got serious, and at Gunny’s request, or order, based on how she held her hand out, showed them his knife. He was talking about something that made the skin on his forehead wrinkle. Gunny put her hand on Bannon’s arm while Kelly put her hand on his other arm, and Angel seemed to share some profound words, as evidenced by the way Bannon’s eyes cleared up with determination, and a head nod.
Greg told Pete to leave Maria with the ladies, basking in her glory, and he signed to her that he and Pete were headed home, with just a few signs like ‘we – go – home – you – stay.’ Maria knew the signs from hanging out with her deaf grandparents during some summers, looked at Pete, smiled and nodded to Greg. Then she did the universal ‘Shoo!’ sign and turned back to Leilani and Ethyl to talk more about kitchen things. Seeing her in a normal settin
g knocked down some of the anxiety that Greg was feeling about his daughter being all alone for so long. It was hard knowing that his baby had to kill, and was wounded on her journey. He took a moment to wonder about his son, Jared, and if he had a chance to survive the nuclear blast at Atlanta’s Airport.
As Pete and Greg walked back the few hundred yards to the family home, Greg said, “Pete, be sure to get some sleep before 6pm, that’s when we’re on duty. You pulled the night shift already, so you know some of the guys. It’s been relatively quiet in the weeks since we turned the last attack. I can usually tell by the sound of gunshots coming across the water. Sound travels funny that way.”
“Did you get time to chat with Doc last night, or at breakfast?”
“Yes, Sir. He introduced himself before breakfast, he took me to his shop, and I showed him what I brought. We swapped out a few things between our kits, so we had fairly equal loads, and he said he’s got day shift now.” Pete smiled. “I guess I’m the Rookie at the bottom of the totem pole, Sir.”
“Stop calling me ‘Sir’, Pete, or you’ll be on your girlfriend’s Dad’s bad side, and I don’t want to be that kind of ‘In Law’.”