Working With Cedar: The Early Years, page 14
Taking Bobby’s grunt as an affirmative, James led the way to the porch, following everyone but Betty into the house.
Nash discovered Sam, James and Bobby took eating as serious business, foregoing talk in favor of shoveling food away. He was barely half through to mound of eggs and bacon, not even started on the biscuits covered with gravy, when they lay aside their eating utensils,
“You wanted us to stop by. Here we are,” James said.
Before responding, Sam stretched his arms above his head, shrugged his shoulders in obvious effort to relieve tension, and then groaned with pleasure.
“Moving hundreds of bags can sure wear a man down. Yeah, I’m glad you came by. James, your place is right on highway seventeen. I figure it won’t be long before two-legged rattlesnakes will start poaching your livestock. I’m thinking it might be a good idea to move you and them over to here. Pool our resources and guns-in-hand, otherwise you and us stand a chance of losing everything. There is no way for us to guard our holding twenty-four-seven.”
James leaned back in his chair and duplicated Sam’s stretch. “”I figured that was it. After seeing what went down at your store yesterday, I’m of the same mind as you. By the way, we drove past the supply lot. The bay doors of the warehouse are wide open and from what I could tell without stopping, the warehouse is near-about empty. Couldn’t see inside the store, but I’m willing to bet it’s been ransacked.”
Sam nodded acceptance, “No doubt.”
James asked, “How ya want to go about it? We have a small camper, but it won’t do for a long haul of time. Me and Bobby fart too much.”
Nash noticed Glenda’s annoyed expression at James’s vulgarity, but she turned back to rinsing dishes at the sink.
Sam stood, saying, “We’ll plan for the long-haul; build you a cabin when we can. How many cattle do you have?”
“Thirty-two head, all heifers but for the bull. The bull ain’t worth a damn, but—.”
Glenda’s wet dishcloth sounded with a loud whack on the stainless sink. “James Ferguson, you’ll mind your language in the house.”
James flushed with embarrassment, “I’ll be begging your pardon Miss Glenda. Men living alone get careless with words. I’ll watch my tongue.”
Turning to her work, Glenda flung back, “See that you do.”
Sam spoke into the short void. “That’s a lot of cattle to move.”
“Got more than cattle to move. I’m not leaving my new tractor to the thieves, and we’ve heirlooms… family keepsakes we ain’t parting with. Bobby’s as good a driver as he is at shooting. He can drive the cattle over and I’ll load the rest. I believe we can get everything here in three or four loads each. It’ll be full day job. Question is, where to put it all. Some things I won’t want in the weather.”
Curiosity peaked; Nash asked James, “How good can Bobby shoot?”
“Better than you, I’d wager. He can shoot a flea of a dog’s nose at fifty-feet.” James leaned to give his brother a good-natured thump on his shoulder. “Ain’t that so?”
Bobby’s blank expression didn’t change, “Not shooting that close to a dog.”
James chuckled, “I know you wouldn’t, but you could hit the flea, couldn’t you?”
“More’en likely. I like driving better’en shooting. Let’s go.”
“Hold your horses, Bobby. Me and Sam’s still got planning to do.”
Nash asked, “Is there any place around here that has moving containers? U-Haul has them for rent.”
Sam answered, “That’s not a bad idea; No U-Haul close by, but there is a place near Jewel that sells shipping containers.”
“I know the place,” James said. We’ll go there first.”
Nash didn’t want to, but he expressed his concern. “You know Betty is right about not having contact with people. Every time you do, you have a chance of getting Ebola and spreading it to us.
James didn’t take offence at Nash’s chiding. “Oh, I believe her. We’ll continue keeping our distance from this point on.
Standing to take his plate to the sink Nash heard Betty call from the front porch. “More vehicles are coming.”
Sam rose from his chair. “Probably the Andersons. Grab your weapons just in case.”
Following the others, Nash stepped through the front door as two trucks hove into view, both heavily laden with boxes and other items. It was the Andersons, with Blake in the lead pulling a camper.
Parking behind James and Bobby’s vehicles, they stepped from their trucks, Blake alone, Sandra with a young boy with curly hair the color of sand in tow. Sam called for them to stop.
“Miss Betty, take a good look at them for any signs of Ebola. I told Nash these would be the last to skip quarantine. We just aren’t set for it and we need able bodies now.”
Betty stepped to the edge of the porch. “Blake, you’re close enough. Sandra, if you and… er. Seth I think, if you would move closer.”
She waited until they were in a close group and then requested them to look straight at her.
“Okay, nothing but clear eyes. Stick out your tongues, please.” Seth enjoyed doing that, tilting his head back and forth like a schoolyard taunt. Betty studied the three for a long moment.
“Thank you.” Turning to Sam, she continued, “You realize what I did is only a superficial check. Anyone of them could be infected and it could be four days to a week before the virus manifested.”
Sam held up both hands in surrender. “This is the last time; my word on it.” He turned to the Andersons. “Sandra, Seth, come on up. I hope you all had breakfast. Glenda’s done cooking for this morning.” Walking to the porch steps, he said, “Blake, jump in your truck. We’ll put your camper in place by the barn.”
James called to Sam’s back, “Is it alright to unload our stuff temporary in the barn. Bobby and me’ll take a run over about the containers. If the price is right, I’ll see about two of em.”
Sam paused and turned to respond, “Eight would be better, the forty-footers, not the short ones.”
James and Bobby went to their trucks. Nash remained with Betty on the porch.
Betty stood from her chair. “We stand out like useless sticks.” She pointed to where Sam had just entered the barn, “Let’s go see Sam. I have a whistle in my bag. We’ll suggest it’ll be better for us to stand guard down where their drive curves. That way we’ll be out of sight and out of mind. I’ll get the whistle.”
Nash thought that an excellent idea, and after Sam heard a test blast from Betty’s whistle, he pointed to several folding chairs close to the entrance. “Grab two of those.”
Finding a spot yielding a view of the Wilkins drive and a good portion of the road it connected to, they set their chairs tucked under the shade of pine trees.
Not long after they settled in, James and Bobby drove from the farm. An hour later, the Andersons left.
The sun climbed high before Alice and Seth brought them a lunch of sandwiches and cold tea. Alice sat on the soft bed of pine needles and said, “Mama said to wait for your plates and glasses. We sure are getting a lot of people moving on the farm with us.”
“Nash replied, “You sure are,” but his attention was on Seth. Despite his earlier display of joviality, he could tell the boy felt out of place. Nash had no idea how the death of a father affected such a young person, but felt an obligation to speak to him.
“You’re Seth, is that right?”
“Yes Sir, Seth Hansard.”
“I’m glad to meet you, Seth. I’m Nash. Have you met Alice before today?”
“I saw her sometimes at the feed store. My Daddy’s dead. Missus Anderson said Daddy was a hero.”
Nash saw that speaking of his father caused Seth’s eyes start to tear. “Your father was a hero. He saved my life and the life of the lady beside me. Her name is Betty.”
“I wish you all died and he didn’t.”
Nash, taken aback by such a blunt statement, instantly realized it was simply a young child expressing a true thought.
“I’m sorry it was him that died, but he gave his life acting like he thought a man should. You father was a hero.”
Seth sniffled and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. “He killed all the bad men all by himself.”
Betty rescued Nash from a conversation gone awry. “He certainly did. What grade are you in?”
“Third.”
“That would make you eight years old. Am I right?”
“Yes’m. You all need to eat so we can get the plates, please. Missus Wilkins is going to let us look at stuff in a microscope.”
Betty laughed and said to Nash, “You heard the man. Hurry up and eat.”
Nash realized he definitely did not know how to relate to children. He took a huge bite from his ham sandwich, found he was ravenous and finished it in five huge bites. Betty handling her hunger with decorum glanced at his plate with distain. “You should chew your food, otherwise most of the nutrition is wasted.”
Nash passed his plate to Seth’s waiting hand, drained his glass of tea in a series of gulps and gave that to him. “See, she told me to hurry, but who’s the one still eating. I’m the winner.”
Seth took the glass from him. “You sure ate it fast. Alice can wait for the other dishes.” With that, he took off running toward the house.
“That’s not fair,” Alice said.
Betty placed the uneaten portion of her sandwich onto her knees, handed Alice the plate, gulped her tea and said, “You won’t be that far behind. Your legs are longer. Bet you can catch him.”
In a flash of suntanned legs, Betty and Nash were alone.
Nash watched until the little girl disappeared around the driveway curve. “Let’s wait until we’re forty to have kids.”
“Considering I spent the last few nights cuddled with you and still no touchy-feely, I’m not sure you’re up to it. Oh wait, last night you cuddled to me and I don’t think that was a flashlight pressed against my ass … The one you can’t seem to keep your eyes from straying to every time you think I won’t see you.”
Knowing he was blushing, Nash said, “A couple of times do not convert to every time.”
“Jeez, lighten up, but seriously, why no come on?”
“Haven’t you noticed how easy it is to hear Sam and Glenda talking to each other when we’re in our room?”
Glenda gave him a comedic coy look. “Are you implying you’re such a lover that you’ll have me screaming?”
Nash decided that was enough teasing. “Screaming, speaking in tongues, humping back so hard the bed shakes and walks across the floor, that will be how you respond to my love making.”
Betty gazed at him in astonishment. “Lord, how many women have you been with.”
Nash wasn’t expecting that question and began a stammering reply, “I… er, Well I er, listen, that’s not—.”
Betty broke into an outright smile, “None. Oh boy, you’re a virgin.” She paused in thought and then said, “You’re handsome as heck, how it that possible? Were you saving yourself for that special someone?”
“If I was, well, I’ve found her. Now cut it out. I don’t like being teased.”
If eyes could fawn, Betty’s did. “If I’ve touched the bad side of you, I’m in for a wonderful love affair. That was a sweet way to tell me to back off.”
Nash gazed into her blue eyes. “Betty, I am in love with you. I don’t know how it happened so fast, but when I’m with you, I feel… I want to say safe, but that not the word. I feel … No, not a feeling. When I’m with you, I am at home no matter where we are.”
“What a beautiful thing—,” Betty stopped speaking and turned her attention to the road. “I hear something. Something big.”
The big something turned out to be an eighteen-wheeled flatbed truck hauling a huge shipping container. Bobby, in his pickup, waved to them as he led the container truck past their guard post. Nash noted the motorized forklift attached to the rear of the tractor-trailer.
Betty turned to Nash. “Much as I hate to say it, if Sam proves not to be serious about maintaining quarantine procedures, we’re out of here.”
Nash nodded agreement. “He said he would from this point onward. He seems to be a man of his word. I do agree he was correct that we needed more hands holding guns and we didn’t have a proper way to separate new arrivals.”
Betty said, “What we need to do, what we need to make time for is to have a meeting to make plans. You know, how many people is enough, what skills we need to look for in future members, gosh, supplies and how to get them.”
Nash agreed. “To run the, trucks, tractors, other farming equipment will take a lot of fuel, gasoline and diesel. I’ve been doing some thinking about power. We need to begin scavenging or trading for more solar panels. Heck, many of the cars stranded on the roads, especially the freeways, are electric. I bet there’s a way to use the battery packs out of them for electric storage.”
Betty said, “Nash, I can stay on guard. Go find Sam and run it past him that we have a meeting tonight… No. Everyone but us will be too tired tonight. See if you can arrange a meeting after breakfast tomorrow.”
Nash was glad to have something to do besides sit on his butt, a butt with a seriously itching wound. “If itching is healing,” he thought, resisting the urge to tear off the bandage to scratch, “I’m healing like crazy.”
Rounding the tree-lined curve, he saw the forklift was deployed and in the process of removing the container. Drawing closer he saw Sam standing with Bobby near the area.
Sam saw him and waved him over. “Burt Castle, he owns the container yard. That’s him on the lift. He, his wife and two teenage kids want to join us. He’s offered to bring ten containers. Bobby, Blake, and I will level this one while he goes for another. He says he can get three more dropped off before dark.
“I’m glad you dropped by. I need Bobby and Blake here to work with me. I want you to ride shotgun for Burt. You won’t need to worry about him and Ebola. He holed up and stayed away from other people when the word first came out the virus was loose. We’re lucky James knew where he lived.”
Nash felt obligated to agree. “Be glad to. Listen, Sam, the reason I came up here is to check if it’s possible for all of us to have a meeting tomorrow after breakfast. We need to talk long-term survival strategy”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea now that we have more people. I’ll make sure everyone knows so they’ll have time to think and throw in their two cents.”
Nash stood for a moment watching Burt maneuver the lift to move the container, and then said, “Is there anything I can do to help here?”
“Naw, not with your busted hand, besides, the way you shoot I’d rather you man a gun. We got this. I’ll tell Burt to pick you up on his way out.”
“I’ll stop by the house for a couple more magazines for my pistol and wait for him beyond the curve”
Betty saw him approaching and rose from her chair to meet him. “Let’s pace for a bit. Next time we do this, cushions for those hard seats is mandatory.
Nash said, “You lead and I’ll follow.” He fell in step with her. “Sam agreed to a meeting tomorrow morning. Oh, and I’ll be riding shotgun with the container guy. His name is Burt Castle. He and his family will be moving here. He swears they holed up when the news about Ebola was released and had no contact with anyone since.”
“That’s good. The population is growing and even a few more than the one’s Sam’s already signed on will be better. Be careful on the road. I don’t want to put anymore sutures in you.”
Nash had a rejoinder in mind, but the sound of an approaching engine on the road drew his attention.
“Vehicle coming/”
Betty pivoted and Nash bumped into her. “To the trees,” she said. They made it to the pines before the vehicle came into view.
“That’s James’s truck with a cattle trailer.” Nash said. The truck turned onto the drive and slowed to stop beside them
From his open window, James shouted, “Need to make a few more trips real fast; Scared off a coupl’a sneaks parked at my place. I don’t know what they were after, but they drove off when I pulled up. Keep ya’lls eyes peeled, there’s people scurrying the roads, most of em I’d expect up to no good.”
“We’ll keep a close watch,” Nash called back.
“Do that. I have my cattle corralled and ready to load easy enough, but I’m taking my brother with me for the rest of the trips. This ain’t the time to be out without a second set of eyes ready to put a bead on trouble.”
A half hour later, James returned, with the container truck close behind him. James stopped beside them and Sam stepped from the passenger door. Glenda slid from where she sat in the middle of the seat to join him.”
“Guy’s, I hate to do this but with your permission, I’m splitting you up. Glenda can take over here. James needs a shotgun rider and so does Burt. Betty, who do you want to ride with?”
“I know James. I’ll ride with him.” Betty left Nash’s side to climb into the truck.
Sam said to Nash, “Looks like you ride with Burt. Try to stay out of trouble.”
“You don’t need to tell me that. I’ve had enough trouble, lately. Nash waited for Burt to pull forward. “Sam, I can climb up, but you’ll need to hand me the shotgun.”
Sam shook his head in sympathy, “I know you’re sick of needing help.”
Nash settled into his seat, forgoing the restriction of a seatbelt, Burt pulled smoothly from the driveway onto the road, shifting through a series of gears without grinding.
It took a half mile before Burt ceased shifting, relaxed in his seat and spoke above the roar of his engine. “What happened to your hand?”
Nash held up his bandaged hand. “Bullet took off my ring finger.”
Burt glanced away from the road to look at it. “Damn, I bet that hurt.”
“Oh yeah.”
“Sam and Glenda speak highly of you and your fiancé… Betty is it. You did nice thing, staying to watch over their girl.”
“It was the right thing to do.”
Burt grunted and said, “There are plenty who wouldn’t know the right thing to do if it hit them in the face. Sam said your name is Nash. Nash, here’s the plan. I want to get eight containers out to Sam’s place, five before nightfall, the other three in the morning.
