Anthony Newman - American Survivor

“Cobie don’t get your panties in a wad. Yes, I checked you out to make sure there were no others with you and that I could trust you. It would be insane not to,” Joe replied as he noticed the topic had angered her.

“So did you get an eye full? Were we naked like your tramp when you watched us,” Cobie asked as she slammed the door and walked out of the cabin?

Cloe looked at Joe then ran to her mother’s side. Cobie wouldn’t speak to Joe as he tried to calm her down, so he left to check out the other group. He couldn’t understand why she was mad or why she couldn’t understand his extreme caution. He thought about how to apologize but didn’t know he’d done anything that needed an apology.

Joe staked out the cabin for a few hours as his new friends settled down for the night and only heard regular chit chat. He felt terrific when he listened to the adults telling the kids to thank the kind man for helping them. He gave up when the lantern went out and headed back to the cabin.

Joe knocked on the cabin door before entering and saw Cloe standing in the shadows with her pistol aimed at him.

“Oh, Joe, I’m so glad you are back. Mom’s asleep. Why is she so mad at you for being cautious?

“Baby girl, I don’t know, but I would do anything to make her stop being mad at me. I’ll wait and see if she thinks it over and understands why we must be extremely cautious,” he replied as he sent her to bed.

Joe slept fitfully that night and had terrible dreams about Cobie and Cloe disappearing from his life. He woke up before dawn, as usual, to see Cobie heading to the bathroom while Cloe started a fire in the cook stove. Joe threw a couple of logs on the fireplace to warm the room up and then dressed.

“Good morning Cloe. How are you today?”

“I’m good. Did you sleep well last night?”

“Not too good. I had a lot on my mind,” he replied.

Cobie walked out of the restroom, and Joe said, “Good morning Cobie. I think this is going to be a great day.”

“What’s so good about it,” Cobie tersely replied.

“Well, for starters I think we should go over this morning to visit with our new neighbors and take some supplies with us,” he said in a gentle voice.

“So your peeping Tom trip last night was successful. I guess they met your approval so now they can be around us defenseless women,” Cobie replied sarcastically.

“Cobie that was uncalled for. I don’t know what is bothering you, but I’ve been nothing but helpful to you and Cloe. I’m sorry that your world fell apart, but you’d better get over whatever the hell is stuck in your craw,” Joe said with a red face.

“Or what. Are you going to throw us out of the cabin because it belongs to you? Well you’re not my lord and master, and you can go screw yourself,” Cobie said as tears ran down her face.

“Cobie, I’m not sorry for being cautious, and you can stay here as long as you want to stay. I’ll move back to my cabin today after I visit the neighbors. You can come along or stay here. I’m leaving in two hours,” he replied.

Joe spent the next two hours packing and gathering the items needed to make rabbit snares and some fishing gear for their new friends. Cloe came to him several times begging him to stay with them, but Joe politely said no each time. The girl went from hating Joe to loving him in a few days and was devastated that her mother made him leave their home.

Cloe went to her mom who was in their bedroom and said, “Mom, let’s go with Joe to meet these people. You and Joe should be able to get along well enough for that. Please.”

“Cloe don’t get involved in my discussion with Joe. He appears to be a nice man but has a dark side, and I don’t know if I can trust him. We were doing very well alone for the last ten years and can live alone a while longer without Mr. Harp telling us what to do or spying on us. We will go meet these people, and I hope they are nice folks,” Cobie whispered to her daughter.

Joe led the way to the cabin, and as usual, stopped a hundred yards from the cabin, and went ahead alone to make sure it was safe for them. He saw Ginny and the kids gathering firewood from the woods and waved to catch their attention. He then looked back only to see Cobie right behind him waving at the people up ahead.

“So, you don’t have time to look for danger before barging in do you?” Joe asked.

“I don’t need your permission to do anything, Mr. Harp. Now let’s meet these people.”

Cloe walked by Joe, shrugged her shoulders, and shook her head before she said, “I think she went crazy, but she’s my mom.”

They walked up to the front of the cabin where Dan sat in a chair, and the others gathered around. Joe began to introduce everyone, but Ginny said, “My goodness Joe what a great looking family you have.”

Cobie interrupted her and said, “We’re not his family, and just met him a couple of weeks ago. He has been very helpful to us.”

“Oh, my mistake. I thought Joe had a wife and kids,” Ginny replied.

Joe avoided the issue and said, “We dropped by to leave you some food and other supplies and to show you how to snare rabbits. I wanted to bring Cobie and Cloe Simms to meet you since we are all neighbors. They live about a mile and a half northeast of here,” Joe said and then introduced everyone.

Cloe went off to the side with the other kids, and Cobie talked with Ginny on the porch. Jane asked Joe, “Didn’t you say you had a daughter?”

“I told you that so you wouldn’t want all of the drugs. I did take all of them to the girls, so I’m sorry if I deceived you,” he said.

“I would have done the same. Hey, what is that chic pissed off about? Cobie was staring holes in you when Ginny thought she was your wife,” Jane said.

“I think I pissed her off because I’m a bit paranoid and overprotective. I check out anyone around me to make sure they are friendly before I trust them. She was mad because I snuck down here to check on your group last night. I’m sorry if that pisses you off, but I want to make sure no one is going to harm me or anyone I care about,” Joe said.

“Joe it’s horrible that you have to feel you have to do that, but we should all be more like you and not worry so much about feelings. I will kill to protect my kids, and I for one, want to learn anything I can from you. Thanks for helping us,” Jane said and gave Joe a hug.

Cobie saw Jane hug Joe and it upset her. Then she got mad at herself for being upset about a man she thought she didn’t care for.

Later, everyone moved to the cabin and sat on the front porch sharing stories about their lives before the lights went dark and were ready to move on to another topic when Jane said, “Joe you haven’t told us about your background. Tell us please?”

“It’s pretty boring, and I’m a private person.”

Jane took his arm and acted as if she was twisting it when he said, “Ouch if you’re going to torture me I’ll tell you my name, rank, and serial number. I’m from Murfreesboro, Tennessee and was an auto mechanic. My fiancé and best friend died in the same accident, and a few days later my Grandma died leaving me most of the land north of here. I moved here to start a new life, and here I am?”

Everyone was speechless after hearing his horrible story, but Jane probed by asking, “Joe you are smiling, so there must be more to the story because you have us in tears.”

“I’m smiling because my Grandma died at 97 and was one of my best friends. She has done many things that will help all of us survive. My girlfriend and best friend were… let’s say enjoying themselves in the back seat of my Explorer in a thunderstorm when lightning hit a tree, and it fell on them. The car was crushed, and they died in each other’s arms. Let’s just be nice and say they were much more suited to each other than she and I were. We would have had a miserable life. I was glad she was out of my life but feel guilty about laughing about how they died. That’s why I’m smiling. Now please don’t ask anymore because I’ve said all I’m going to say about that,” Joe said very solemnly.