Wilson Harp - EMP

“Where is it? Is it set up already?” she asked.

“Yeah, Tom’s talking to—“

I was interrupted as she threw herself on me. She hugged me and held me tight as I tried to tell her who Tom was talking to.

“Hey sis, I think David’s hungry. What can you make him?”

Sophia let me go and spun around hugging her kids. “Lunch. We’ll fix lunch. Is there anything special I can make for you?” Tears were running down her cheeks as she laughed and jumped with her kids. Even the dogs joined in to the happy sounds and movements.

“Whatever you were planning will be fine,” I said.

She stopped and looked at me as she wiped her eyes. “Okay, but I want to make something special for this occasion.”

“Chocolate chip cookies.” The words fell out of my mouth without thinking.

“Yeah, mom. Chocolate chip cookies,” her kids repeated.

“Okay,” she said. “I still have some chips. I’ll make you a batch.”

“Can I maybe take a couple home with me? They’re my dad’s favorite.”

“Absolutely,” Sophia said. “I’ll make some we can eat tonight in celebration and then I will give you some to take to your family. Just don’t let word get out. I can’t bake cookies for the whole town.”

I smiled and found a seat in her living room as she, the kids and the dogs all paraded into the kitchen.

“You have that much of a craving for chocolate chip cookies?” Kenny asked as he sat down in a large leather chair.

“I would love one,” I said. “But really, it’s about my dad. When this all started, we talked about what we would want. I wanted to go home to Chicago, find Lexi and Emma, and figure out how and where we were going to live. His goals were simpler. He wanted to ride in a car again and feel the wind whip by. He wanted to have a reason to get dressed up. And, he wanted a chocolate chip cookie. He had the first two a couple of weeks ago at your trial, now I’ll be able to make all of his wishes come true.”

“That’s nice,” Kenny said. “I get that. Sometimes we dream so big it’s better to focus on other people’s dreams. It makes us think if we can help them along the way, then maybe someone else will come along and help us. When I was leaving New Orleans, I was stuck in Shreveport for a week or so. No money, no food, no place to sleep. But, I had a friend up in Memphis, so I just needed a ride. Took me two days, but then this guy just walked up to me and said ‘Hey, you look like you don’t belong. I’m heading out of town. Want a ride?’ I almost turned him down, but he held out a bag of burgers to me and I figured if he was crazy enough to feed me and trust me in his car, I would leave Shreveport with him.”

“Where was he heading?”

“Memphis. He told me he was going up there to tell his church what he saw down in New Orleans. They were going to buy supplies and then go down to help with the clean-up. My friend lived two blocks from his church. He gave me a ride, but to me that meant a chance at life. And I think it meant more for him, too. You are going to give your dad a cookie, but it means a dream fulfilled, and that’s powerful, David.”

“Dream fulfillment one cookie at a time,” I said.

“Powerful.”

I didn’t feel powerful, but his words showed me sometimes what I do resonates louder than I realize. I don’t get to see all of the effects because I am in the center. The radio was my big excuse for not going to get Lexi and Emma. Now the path was clear. I needed to think about my own wishes. And with all of dad’s wishes completed, mine somehow did seem more achievable. Powerful indeed.

A short while later, I sat down for a meal I would not have passed up before the event. Baked chicken with a honey and thyme glaze, carrots, green beans with bacon drippings, and water sweetened with berries. Sophia set down a small basket of drop biscuits and my mouth watered so much I feared I would drool.

We sat around the table and talked about anything and everything. The children drove the topics of conversation. They were mostly interested in their animals and when they would have more visitors. Soon, though, Sophia set them to their chores and Kenny and I sat and nibbled at the ends of the luncheon.

“Kenny.” The front door eased open as Ted called.

“In here Ted,” Kenny responded.

“Baked chicken. Any left?” Ted asked as he came in.

“Nah, David here took your portion.”

“He deserves it, getting that radio up and going. Good job,” Ted said as he walked over and sat beside me. “I was just speaking with Tom, he is getting a pretty clear picture of the situation.”

“How’s it look?” asked Kenny.

“Not good. The major cities are inaccessible and most places weren’t able to pull it together quick enough to fend off disease.”

“How much of the world was hit?” I asked.

“As far as our army friends can tell, all of it. There might have been some remote places that didn’t feel the sting, but they wouldn’t have had much to fry out in the first place.”

“So this is it? This is the starting point of rebuilding our world?” I asked.

“Yes. Kind of,” said Ted. “We do have books and knowledge of technologies, so it is reasonable to believe we can quickly move ourselves forward.”

“And you have to realize, David,” Kenny added. “Not everyone was affected. The Amish, for example, probably aren’t living too different. Low technology nations and people in remote areas may have had some luxuries taken, but their essential day to day life goes on as normal.”

“That’s true, I guess. I just can’t imagine how all areas will get everything they need to rebuild civilization,” I said.

“At least for the next several decades. Local areas will need to specialize and then trade will start again. Routes will have to be secured and kept safe. As that happens, and as laws develop, people will resettle lands that have been polluted,” Ted said.

“Polluted?” I asked. “How so?”

“Well, unless I’m mistaken, there were thousands of meltdowns at nuclear power plants all around the world. Most of them probably were localized. Radioactive dust probably created a kill zone of ten to fifteen miles downwind of them, but for the most part, we just need to avoid those areas for a couple of decades. After a time, people can start going in for short periods and recover materials.”

I had never thought of nuclear plants. Were there nuclear plants on the way to Chicago? I would need maps and more information. Maybe it was for the best I didn’t head up right away.

“What about the cities?” Kenny asked. “I mean, I figure cholera hit pretty fast, but do they know what the cities look like? Did they all burn?”

“Not sure,” Ted said. “If they have some transport, they may have had a look at Memphis or Saint Louis, but I don’t know if Tom has been specific with his questions yet.”

“Are you staying for dinner, David?” Sophia asked from the kitchen door.

“Oh, no. I should probably head back.”

“Cookies aren’t done yet, but they are about to go in the oven. You are welcome to stay if you want,” she said.

“Stay, David,” Ted told me. “I saw Anne and she said she would keep your parents company tonight. She knew it might take some time up here and if everything didn’t go right, you might not make it back this evening.”

“Okay,” I said. “If Anne is keeping an eye on them, I’ll stay for dinner.”

“Stay the night,” Sophia said from the kitchen. “Kenny will set up a room for you. Bet you would like a hot shower tomorrow.”

“You have water pressure for a shower?” I asked.

“Enjoy Shangri-La, David,” Ted said. “A night in paradise.”