In one bedroom, the mattress and box springs were gone, presumably sucked out the missing roof.

  Back downstairs, I took a picture that fell from their fireplace mantel to the brick hearth. The glass had a diagonal crack. It was one of the two of them and their dog. I carried the picture with me. It would help keep them alive.

  Back at the cabins, I put the picture on my bunk and went to see the Popats. Sunil opened the door. He turned from me to shout, “It’s Miss Tempest without the crutch. Her head is not as ugly.”

  I heard Preeja’s exasperated chide, “Correct is; her head is better. Please move from the door so she can enter.”

  “Yeah kid, move before ugly-head eats you.”

  Not bothering to pretend mock-fright, he smiled in response, “I am glad your head is better. Father thought you would die.”

  Moving past him, I said, “I scared the heck out of your sister when I woke.”

  The thing about their cabin, though larger than mine, you didn’t have to shout to speak from any point of it. Sunia said, “Father said one day when you make another trip away that it is possible you will procure a Digital Glass player and some wafers that we can watch movies… oh, and rechargeable batteries.”

  Moving to their dining table, I replied, “Yep, I’ll do my best to procure.” Sitting, I turned to Preeja at her kitchen counter. “Do I smell coffee?”

  “Yes you do. I am preparing a cup.”

  Annette joined me at the table. “I was about to come look for you. I went to your cabin and you were gone. You should let us know when you leave the camp proper.”

  I almost said that I didn’t have to report my coming and going, but realized she was right, but I did quip, “As opposed to leaving the camp improper, perhaps naked?”

  “I can tell you’re back to normal, failing at wit is definitely your gift. Do you know what the word proper means in the context used?”

  “No smarty-pants. Why don’t you tell me?”

  “Christ, you’re such a child. The word proper in that context means a specific area, like ‘camp proper’, or ‘town proper.”

  Before I could fail at another witty comeback, Preeja set a cup of coffee in front of me. Glancing up to thank her, I saw tears streaming down her face.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It is the coffee so much Bella and John loved that I miss serving them. Now, I make it and always the coffee brings them again to my table.”

  “That’s not a reason to cry, that’s a reason to rejoice.” I raised the cup and used it to toast the chairs where they normally sat. “I love ya’ll, let’s have a cup together.”

  Startled, Preeja stared at the empty chairs. “Do you see them there?”

  “No, but I feel them there, don’t you?”

  “Yes, always.”

  “Then that makes them here. You have to love that. After a while their presence will fade, but the memories will remain.”

  Preeja fetched her cup and sat at the table. “Always,” said strong. She glanced to their chairs and said again, “Always.”

  I noticed Vikas was missing and asked where he was. Annette answered me.

  “He became consumed reading your book on mushrooms. He read that truffles can grow here and he took off with a shovel.”

  “Yeah, I read that but never looked for them. The book said truffles can be found in mixed coniferous and hardwood forests and we definitely have that.”

  “I’ve never tasted them, have you?” She asked.

  “No.”

  Preeja said, “I have, at the wedding of a rich relative’s daughter in India. The truffles, they are delicious. Hope is that he finds.”

  I used that moment to change the subject. “Speaking of finding, I’m considering if we should move.”

  Preeja said, “Why to think move when we are happy here?”

  “That’s easy. Think of more rooms. Think of central heat and air. Think of a kitchen that doesn’t extend into your living room.”

  It was easy. Preeja said, “Yes, we must think move.”

  A short time later, Vikas came in carrying a pail and a smile.

  “Yes! The truffles I have found. Look Preeja, small, but so many.”

  She looked, squealed, took the pail to her counter and poured water several times to wash away dirt. She brought a saucer holding a dozen dime-size slices of the fungus, marbled tan and white on the inside with a thin brown rim.

  Placing it on the table, she said, “A slice, first to smell, then to taste. Smell the earth and taste heaven open in your mouth. Then take another slice to prove no mistake. Come children, you must also experience.”

  Not expecting much, I took a thin slice and sniffed it; smelt the earth and then the essence of the earth; the taste, first the earth again, the earthy flavor of a mushroom, then chewing more, a multitude of flavors were released. Yes, they were the flavors of heaven.”

  Preeja said, “My husband, my beloved, you have made the miracle.”

  “I dig in the root of five trees, the oaks and find none. In the roots of the pine, in ten minutes I put truffles in pail to cover bottom and more. We have the food of royals and the cost was none.”

  Annette added, “We should dig up the entire forest.” Then she said, “Only kidding. A flavor like this should be rarely sampled so it can be newly discovered each time.”

  I added to her add, “Yeah, but I’m glad he covered the bottom and more, aren’t you?”

  “Hell yeah I am,” then glancing at the children, Annette modified, “I mean, heck yeah.”

  Sunia asked, “Can we have one more slice?”

  We all turned to Preeja. She read our thoughts. Standing, “I will slice another for two more each, but that will be all. I already know the meals these will fit.”

  Annette said to Vikas, “Tempest wants to move from here.”

  Vikas frowned and looked at me, “Why? Where will you go?”

  Annette corrected, “No, I’m sorry, I meant she wants all of us to move.”

  I stepped in. “It’s past the middle of February. I’d like us to move as soon as possible in order to get the new place ready before planting season. Besides tilling the fields, we’ll have many other things to do. You want a cow, we need cows plural and a milk cow and milk goat. We’ll want chickens, maybe rabbits—.

  “Definitely we’ll need to find some guard dogs.” Annette interjected.

  “A kitten,” Sunia interjected.

  “I want a puppy,” Sunil said.

  I enumerated, “Cows, chickens, goat, dogs, puppy, kitten… What about you, Preeja, any request?”

  “Vikas knows my want.”

  I’ll admit my confusion, but first Vikas blushed and then Preeja blushed in turn and I made a guess, but Annette voiced it.

  “You want a baby.”

  “Two babies, another boy and one more girl will make this family complete. The number four is a duplet of two.”

  Annette voiced what I felt. “You want to bring more children into this mess?”

  “When is there not a mess?” Preeja asked. “The parents protect the children as they grow and the grown children protect the parents as they wither and grow old. It is the way of life.”

  To get us back on track, I said, “We’ll add a couple of human babies to the livestock we’ll need to feed. To begin with, we won’t have feed, we’ll need to ‘procure’ it from farms where the farmers have died or maybe we’ll locate an unguarded feed store.

  “If we can’t find a place with an adequate solar system, we’ll need to put acquiring panels and storage on our agenda and installation time. Add to all that, we’ll need to lay in gasoline, diesel, and propane.

  “I know there is stuff I’m forgetting, but you get the point. All of that will take time. That’s why we need to move as soon as possible.”

  Vikas, “I see you are correct in this. We are lucky to have with us the farm girl.”

  Glancing around the table as if searching for one, I said, “Farm girl? If you’re referring to me, I don’t know diddly about farming. We’re all going to be aboard the learning boat.”

  “All the more reason to move sooner,” Annette said.

  From Preeja, “Yes, and it is for the big kitchen should we move.”

  Annette brought the conversation to point by asking, “All right, that’s decided, we’re moving, the question is, to where?”

  I spoke to that. “Billy did a lot of things, sometimes he’d bush-hog for people, or go to their houses to repair an appliance, stuff like that. On some weekends in winter and very often in summer, I’d go with him. Because of that, I know of several isolated farms.

  “There are two in particular. One is in McNairy County and only five or six miles from here. The other one is here in Chester County, but it’s on the far side of the county, about twelve miles.”

  “You want to go check them?” Annette said. “I’m going with you.”

  “I’d rather you stay here to guard the Popat’s. I plan to scout the areas for any hostile elements. I may be gone overnight, maybe longer.”

  Vikas said, “Please Miss Tempest, we do not need the guard. With the shotgun and Preeja with the pistol, we will guard our family. We are not the expert to survive as you, but we must learn. Perhaps one day you or Miss Annette will be only a memory, as are John and Bella. It must be possible for us to live without you.”

  I wasn’t going to argue against the truth. “I wouldn’t mind waiting a couple more days to be sure my balance stays with me, but I can’t count on this weather holding. Annette and I will leave tomorrow. Were you all able to recover any of the MRE’s among the barn debris?”

  Annette answered, “Christ yes, but ripped from the boxes, and scattered everywhere. We found over two hundred packets, but I doubt we got them all. A quarter-mile from the barn we were still finding some, but not enough to keep at it. Oh, and there are three full and a partial box of twelve in the shelter.”

  I did a quick calculation. “Good job. I doubt there are more than a couple of boxes worth still out there.”

  Annette said, “Let’s go to your cabin and make a list of what to pack with us.”

  “Whoa, girl, slow down. We can do that later. Vikas and I need to get the van back on its wheels and I want to check what’s under the tarps.”

  Standing from the table, Vikas said, “One thing you’ll find is water bottles full of money. There is no wind such as to move them. Also the safe with the guns was too heavy for the wind, but blown over.”

  Shaking my head, I said, “Worthless money that’s good for nothing but taking dead bodies to the bottom of a lake.”

  Annette said, “Leave it to you to put em to good use. Jesus Christ, Tempest.”

  She was right, my mindset needed to change. “Well, I reckon there might be other uses for hundreds of pounds of useless metal disks.”

  Righting the van proved easier than I thought. My idea was to throw a chain over it and then hook it to the bottom side of the top and use to tractor to pull it over.

  Vikas argued it wouldn’t tip and that all we’d do was drag it on its side. His idea was to dig a trench under the top for Billy’s floor jack and raise the van high enough to back the bush hog under it. From there the tractors hydraulics’ could do the lifting.

  To get it high enough we had to brace the van a couple of times so we could shim the jack to raise it higher. I won’t say the bush hog didn’t crunch and scrape the door-less driver’s side of the van, but it lifted the top high enough that a concerted final shove by us took it past the tipping point and it settled onto its tires.

  We sat on a couple of buckets to rest from nearly an hour of exertion. Vikas said, “There was not offense meant that I said earlier we do not need you always to guard.”

  “You didn’t offend me. I more likely offended you by thinking you can’t defend yourselves.”

  Vikas said, “When first we came with you we did not know the use of the weapons. They are easy to use, but of course, not so easy to hit what shot at. Think Tempest, If Annette were not with us, you would go to see the new farm, would you not?”

  “Yes, I’d go.”

  Vikas nodded and said, “There you have it.” and ended that line of talk. “Your bruise is still big. Are you sure you should not wait much longer in case your head is cracked. You would not want to have a return of dizzy when not here.”

  “I should wait, but I won’t. This is February. The temperatures shouldn’t be in the sixties and seventies. Exploring in shirtsleeves is better than shivering in a coat.”

  Again, Vikas said, “There you have it,” then added, “The girl in boss of herself.”

  He helped me remove and replace tarps as I checked the condition of my salvaged belongings. They had gone a good job of sorting. Without a deeper examination, it was not possible to know if any items were missing, but all the important stuff was there.

  It didn’t surprise me that Annette waited outside of the cabins to watch for our return. I had a feeling she was bored and wanted a distraction from camp life. She saw us enter the clearing and came to detach me from Vikas.

  “We have time before lunch. Do you want to—?”

  I interrupted her. “Yeah, let’s make plans,” and led her to my cabin.

  Inside, the sunlight streaming through the windows supplied ample light… also ample heat. I told Annette to leave the door open and went to raise all three windows.

  Motioning to a chair, I said, “Sit. I’m putting water to warm for coffee.”

  Annette said, “Preeja made a pot. I could—.”

  “Naw, instant will do… unless you would rather drip.”

  “No, I’m coffee’d out.”

  “Yeah, John and Bella left their mark on Vikas and Preeja.”

  Annette chuckled, “Didn’t they though… the never empty pot at the Popat’s.”

  “I sure miss em; John and Bella.”

  Annette changed the subject. “Why can’t we use the truck or ATV? It would beat walking. Sooner or later we’ll use em, especially when we make the big move.”

  “I’m worried about noise until we know who all’s out there.”

  “I understand, but wouldn’t it be better to flush em out in the open before we move?”

  “Maybe, but picture what you’re saying. Yeah, we can flush em, but if they’re the wrong element, are you ready and willing to kill if we need to?”

  Sitting in a chair across the bench from her to wait for water to boil, I saw Annette nod. “Since we lost Bella and John, I realize how precious life is. I think about the people the gang killed and it sickens me. I have no doubt they took good people’s lives. The men were out every day.”

  I said, “Yeah, they killed good people. They couldn’t go into stores because of the chance they’d catch the plague. They stole from the homes, killing whoever was in them.”

  Annette said, “Anyway, yes, I’ll kill if the need comes.”

  “Okay; Truck or four-wheeler? If it’s the truck you’ll need to ride in the back to have an open field of fire.”

  Annette shuddered. “Riding alone it the back of the truck is creepy scary.”

  “It’s the Four-wheeler then.” Okay, find paper and pencil while I make a cup. I have no sugar or creamer, but are you sure you don’t want one?”

  “What the heck? Sure.”

  I made the two cups of instant. Sitting with them, I said, “First thing on list; jerry-can of gasoline.”

  She wrote and then looked at me. “Even if it’s warm tomorrow we should bring clothing for in case the temperature swings lower.”

  “Yeah, I don’t see how this weather can hold much longer. Add a dozen or so MRE’s. Water; we’ll need enough for three days, drinking only.”

  Writing, Annette said, “There’re some gallon jugs under the tarps; How many?”

  “Three should be plenty. For weapons, let’s take AR’s and nine’s, that way we’ll only need two calibers of ammunition.”

  Annette had spoken brave about shooting, but I noticed her shudder when I mentioned weapons. I let it pass.

  While writing, she said, “Bath supplies,” as a question. Then she said, “We could bathe this afternoon and skip bathing.”

  “You just want to see me naked again,”

  She answered with, “No, not until your weight is normal. Do you know you’ve put on weight since we met? Have you seen yourself in a mirror?”

  I’d expected her to mock my figure, with that realization I knew what I’d done was open myself to an insult so I’d have a reason to be mad at her. Weirdly, part of me wanted a friend and another part wanted to drive her away.

  “No. I don’t have a mirror.” Then I added, “You want me to have a better figure to look at?”

  “No silly, I want you to be healthy. If it weren’t for your bruised head, you’d be surprised at how your features have filled out. The bruise spread from your temple to halfway across your forehead. It’s healing and fading, but still distracting.”

  Without thought, my hand touched my temple and then sought the gouge on my neck. After all the time that had passed since I got the wound, it still had a thin line of scab.

  Annette noticed. “The bruise on your temple will heal and you’ll never know it was there. The bullet wound on your neck will barely leave a scar.”

  “I don’t care if it does.”

  “Oh Tempest. Yes you do. Stop fighting the fact that you’re a girl, soon to be a woman. Accept who you are. Being feminine won’t rob you of your strength or resolve. You know what I think happened; your friend Billy was your only friend and you wanted to be like him, independent and tough. You took on his ways; his mannerisms.”

  I’d already considered that. “Yeah, well it serves for me. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s not a great time to be a girl.”

  She countered, “If you haven’t noticed, it’s not a good time for anyone.”

  I did something I wasn’t expecting to do. “I don’t know who I am. I don’t feel like a girl and I don’t feel like I’m a boy. I don’t feel like I belong among people. I don’t know how to act. I want a friend, but not one that I would miss when they’re not around, but life isn’t that. Feelings creep in and mess everything up. Billy was easy, he didn’t give a flip about anything and he certainly wasn’t trying to get in my underwear. I want to trust you, but you’re more complicated than him.”

 

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