S Ison - Russian Doomsday

She didn’t like the way she was feeling with all the talk Pike had done. It bothered her constantly. And That really made her angry. She liked her life with Rusty. It was comfortable, enjoyable. Now all she could do was think about that Russian weapon. There wasn’t anything Pike could do, and there was definitely nothing she could do. She had a big choice to make: she could live in perpetual fear, or she could go on, living her life as she pleased.

Leaving the office, she walked to her car. She might as well live each day as though it were her last. She didn’t think she wanted to live in a world that had gone to hell, that was nothing but a pile of rubble and ash. What the hell. Celebrate now, for tomorrow I might be dead. To hell with Pike and his ilk, and Johnny too. Blustering know-nothings, the lot of them. Her time was too precious to waste it worrying.

Feeling infinitely better, she started her car and drove to the nearest restaurant, intending to dine well and enjoy each forkful.

Harley was riding the tractor, the lawn-mowing attachment on it. Jackson was in his lap and Jacob was behind, his small hands on Harley’s shoulders. The boys always enjoyed helping him mow the fields. He saw Christy coming across with a tray carrying a large pitcher of lemonade and some cups. He slowed down and cut the engine. Both boys abandoned ship.

Christy laughed as the boys ran to her. The dogs were running the field, looking for wayward mice. Harley got off the tractor and took off his straw hat, wiped his face with his arm. He looked around. There were clouds rolling in. It would rain tonight.

“Thought you boys could use some refreshments,” Christy laughed.

Harley came up to her and kissed her on the head. “Thanks honey, it is hot out here. The boys don’t help it much, hanging onto me like that.” He laughed and took a long drink of the lemonade. Both watched as the boys ran after the dogs, calling and laughing. He and his wife stood in silence and watched them.

“When does school start again?”

“Soon enough.” She laughed, “I’ll take them back in with me. They need to collect eggs and do another milking.”

“I expect you’ll be lonesome when they do go back to school.”

“I expect I’ll have peace and quiet.” She laughed and kissed his cheek.

“When do you want me to harvest the corn? It’s looking like it’s done.” He grinned.

“That’s for the chickens, so we’ll leave it to dry. I’ve already picked what I want and canned it,” she said, taking a sip of cool liquid.

“And the pumpkins?”

“Those will sit until late September or October. Once you finish cutting, can you bale the grass for me?”

“Sure can. You know I love playing with machinery.” He grinned. The baler was small, perfect for their needs. He’d pull it on the back of the tractor. This would be for the cows, for winter. He had to admit, Christy kept this place going, and they rarely had out of pocket expenses. They also leased the north field, which brought in revenue.

“All right, farmboy, I’m heading back in the house.” Turning, she yelled at the boys and they followed her back, the three dogs following in their wake. He smiled at his family. He’d be lonesome without them.

He grinned and watched her rear aspect. Since their talk about the world’s events, he’d started paying attention to the news and reading articles. He’d found articles about Russian weapons, North Korea blustering, China and its viruses, and on and on.

He supposed she was right. Between hurricanes and tornados that caused havoc, there were the threats from outside the country. He was glad his wife was taking steps to ensure they had full stomachs. He turned the tractor back on, and settled back to enjoy the rest of the mowing.

Margo sat beside him, looking at a magazine. He was pretending to look at a magazine. They were at the realtor’s office, waiting for word from the seller. He was so nervous. They’d been told that the seller’s agent was talking to someone else who’d looked at the property. Pike hoped it wouldn’t go into a bidding war.

“I’m going to go outside and walk around. I’m too nervous to sit still,” he murmured to Margo, and stood up. When Margo looked at him, he saw she was just as nervous.

“Okay. When they come back, I’ll let you know.”

“Thanks. I’ve just got to get some of this nervous energy out.”

He walked out of the office and went outside. He’d tried not to be too fidgety, but this was so important to them.

He’d taken a part time job at a local hardware store, to tide him over until his realtor’s license came in. He enjoyed working there and had picked up a lot of tips for household projects and building things. He’d never been good with his hands and had absolutely no clue about tools, but he was learning now. He thought perhaps he’d stay on and use the job as a way to learn more. There were a couple of old-timers working there, Ned Graham and Blake Holter. They were knowledgeable and knew a lot of history with regards to building things, like how stuff was done before all the power tools and gadgets. They seemed to like that Pike was always asking their advice, and they’d taken Pike under their wings.

“Yah see, Pike,” Ned would say, “there is an art ta building and using the right tools.” The old man would rub his hands together, gearing up for a long speech.

Blake would then chime in, “You don’t need all those fancy tools. Back when I was a boy, my grandpappy used to teach me how to build furniture. We didn’t have electric saws and gadgets back then.”

“Blake’s right. It takes practice,” Ned would nod, “but I guarantee, you put in the time and effort, you’ll come out with a good product.”

“Thanks, I really appreciate you teaching me this. My dad was in the military. He didn’t really do this kind of stuff,” he’d told them.

“Well, he done enough for his country, I expect,” Ned had said, and patted Pike on his shoulder.

“We’ll start you off with some basic homecare tools. You know, hammer, wrenches, screwdrivers, and that kind of thing. Little by little, you’ll get a nice toolkit going,” Blake had assured him.

Pike had thanked both men. It was good that he was gaining experience. With this knowledge, he hoped he’d be able to repair or build anything. At least, that was the plan.

Feeling calmer, Pike stepped back into the building and looked into the office. Margo looked up and smiled at him but shook her head. He smiled and shrugged, then went back out.

A few minutes later, she came out. “You sure you’re okay, Pike?”

“Yeah, I am not used to being on the other side of the table, I guess.” He laughed.

She grinned and patted him on the back.

“I’m going to head to Lincoln tomorrow, to meet Sayer. I got a text from him this morning, it’s kindof a last-minute thing. Do you want to go? I don’t know what your work schedule is like.”

“No, thanks. I have to work all day tomorrow because I took time off for today. You’ll have to let me know what you think of him.”

It had been a kind of wonderful hell living with Margo. They were becoming closer, though he never overstepped his boundaries. If he made a move and she gave him a horrified look, he thought he would die a thousand deaths.

How could he live in close proximity to her if she rejected him? They’d always have that awkwardness between them. It wasn’t worth their friendship. He’d wait for her to make the first move if there was going to be anything more than friendship. He didn’t want to ruin what they had now. He also needed to keep focused on why he was here. Their lives depended on getting this thing right. He tried not to think too much about what was at risk.