Wilson Harp - EMP

Tom cleared his throat and edged his way over to the entrance of their compound.

“I’ll take that as my signal to, uhm, be somewhere else. You have a safe trip back to town. It was nice to meet you David, look forward to you bringing us a working radio.”

I waved goodbye to the old man and sat down on one of the plastic bins.

“I am sorry about kicking you, David. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Better get used to that question. I bruised up your face pretty bad. It’s swollen and you might have a black eye tomorrow morning.”

“Well you rang my bell pretty good,” I said. My face did feel a little puffy and numb.

Anne handed me a canteen. “I didn’t see you bring any water with you. That’s a bad habit, you know. You need to find some canteens if you expect to make it to Chicago in one piece.”

“How did you know I was thinking about Chicago?”

“You need Lexi and Emma back. You need to take care of them. Your parents shouldn’t be who you need to care for, they have each other.”

She was right. Sometimes I felt like I was speaking out loud when I had private thoughts. What if other people can read my mind? Is that how she knows what I am thinking.

“I do need to get to them. It’s been almost three months, though. Did I miss the chance to help them? That question haunts me every day.”

“You couldn’t have reached them without waiting, David. If you had gone haring off after them, you wouldn’t have made it far. Now you are stronger, more resilient. Now you would have a chance of making it to Chicago.”

“Maybe you’re right. I don’t know,” I said. I looked up at the sky, more to avoid looking at Anne and digging deeper into this conversation than anything else. It wasn’t anyone’s business when I was going back to find my family. And yet, it stabbed at me every day I stayed in Kenton.

“What’s up there?” Ted asked as he joined us by Bonnie. “Vultures back?”

“Vultures?” I asked. “We have vultures around here?”

“On occasion.”

“Let’s get this gift back to town. We will probably be able to get them to the cooks in time to season tonight’s food,” Anne said. “That will give the town something better to think about than Kenny.”

“Why did you leave?” I asked Ted as we lashed the bins to Bonnie’s saddle.

“I am too good a friend of Kenny. Not enough objectivity. The council wants to pick a group of men to act as a jury and they didn’t want me there to influence them.”

“Did you get a read of what they were thinking?” asked Anne.

Ted shook his head. “No. One of the reasons I picked the men I did was they were calm and collected in the face of panic. They also had wide social circles and were connected to many different aspects of the town. The one thing none of them had, however, was any personal relationship with either Talley or Kenny.”

“They were right to ask you to leave,” I said.

“I agree,” Ted responded. “I don’t like leaving him there like that, but I need to stay out of it. Otherwise it will break down the trust the town has for the council.”

We started back to town, a small caravan of three bringing gifts from a not so distant land. Trade goods packed in plastic. A gift from children who wanted to bring some happiness in a land of long sorrow.

Those same children were probably being told by their mother that one of the men who protected and took care of them was in some trouble and wouldn’t be home for a while. I hoped it would just be for a while. I hoped Kenny hadn’t left his home for the last time.

We walked along in silence, each of us mulling over the issues of the day.

“Ted, when do you think David should go to Chicago?” Anne asked.

“I’m not sure, I would expect he is ready to go now.”

“I’m not planning anything like that,” I said. I could hear the defensiveness in my own voice. “This is something Anne brought up. I haven’t been thinking about it.”

Ted’s eyes narrowed as he looked at me. “For someone who doesn’t say much and observes others, you are a bad liar.”

“I’m not lying,” I protested.

“Maybe not to me, but then to yourself for sure. You need to go, and soon, David. It’s gnawing away at you.”

“I’ve got to get the radio fixed first.”

“Every time someone brings up the radio, David, you insist you don’t know if you can fix it,” Anne said. Her voice was like a blade on fire, it cut and burned all at once. “So now you can’t go find your family until after you finish a job you didn’t want and don’t know if you can accomplish? It’s an excuse, David, and you know it.”

“I still have to think about my parents.”

Ted shook his head. “No, you don’t. Think if you had decided to postpone your trip by a week. Your parents would be down here and you up in Chicago. Would you have made the trip down here to find and take care of your parents? No. You would have prayed for them and hoped they would find friends and neighbors to help take care of them. You are not moving because of fear, David. And it’s eating at you.”

I felt more than a little attacked at this point. It seemed like they were ganging up on me.

“Did you plan to bring this up with me on this trip?” I asked Anne.

“Not really, we had talked about this, though, and felt you needed to hear it.”

“Who has been talking about this?” I asked. I was furious and I could hear it in my voice.

“No one,” Anne answered. She seemed to realize maybe she had gone too far. “Just me and Ted, and Kenny. And your dad. And Luke. And Missus Marsh.”

“What?”

Ted laughed. “You were right, Anne. Get him a little off guard and he really opens up.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means I can hear your real voice. You have a fire in you, David. I’ve seen it a few times, but you keep yourself too controlled. You are afraid of yourself.”

I snapped my mouth closed. My jaw was so tight it hurt, but I wasn’t going to rise to their bait.

Ted sighed and looked over at Anne. “If you haven’t given it much thought, then I’ll believe it. Just start thinking about it, okay?”

“And talk to your dad. He’s worried about you and I know he wants Lexi and Emma safe.”

I swallowed and told myself they just cared about me and wanted what was best. I didn’t like them getting involved in my life, but at least I knew I could trust them.

“I will. I promise.”

“Good,” said Ted. “Let’s get these spices delivered, then we can meet up at the library and see what is going on with Kenny.”

The expressions of gratitude for the herbs and spices ranged from a mild look of surprise to a giddy joy at being able to provide new flavors for the daily meals. A few people asked what it was like up at Ted’s place. I didn’t provide many details, but told them I understood how Ted and his people were prepared to live through an event like this.

When I only had two empty bins to carry, I went home to check on my parents before I headed back into town. When I entered the front door, I saw mom and Rose on the couch. Mom was working her cross stitch while Rose was busy with her knitting needles.

“Hi Mom, Missus Johnson,” I said. “Sophia and her kids sent a bunch of herbs and spices down from their place. So, the meals should taste much better.”

“That’s wonderful,” Mom said. “Oh, that was so kind of her.”

“Why are you over here Missus Johnson? Just need a change of scenery?” I asked.

She wore a smile I knew held a lot of sadness and more than a little pity.

“Your father asked me to come over and keep your mother company while he is gone this evening?”