G Hopf - The End

Those outside the gate did not have that luxury, and were scraping by or not at all. Many had already become victims of violence or lack of food and water. He now realized how important cooperation was in the community. Even those who disagreed with his actions, he needed them to have a successfully running community. However, Mindy had an agenda that was more personal. She had not been outside the gate; she had never had the chance to experience what was really going on. She wanted power and she wanted to humiliate Gordon. With the death of Mason, she would have her chance to publically call into question Gordon’s tactics and seek to have him replaced.

Gordon knew what was coming but didn’t care, except for the fact that every minute not focused on resupplying were opportunities lost forever.

Gordon stood up and stretched. He slowly walked into the dark closet and grabbed a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Putting on the T-shirt, he noticed the absence of the fragrant smell so typical of his clothes. The softness also was missing replaced with a stiffness in the fibers from being hung to dry outside.

When he exited he was greeted by Samantha. They exchanged the typical morning greetings. Samantha could see the weight of everything on his face and said, “Honey, come here.”

“What?” he said, not looking at her.

“Come here, give me a hug,” she said, grabbing Gordon and pulling him in close.

She just held him and kissed him.

“This is all so crazy,” Gordon said softly.

Whispering into his ear, she said, “I know, but you need to keep moving forward. We need you; we cannot afford to have you down like this.”

Gordon pulled away and looked at her.

Looking into his eyes, she could see the disappointment. She continued to console him by saying, “Gordon, I know you may have doubts because of what happened the other night. But believe me, I trust you, I believe in you. You did what was necessary to protect us and to get the medicine for Mason. It wasn’t your fault he died.”

“I could have—”

She stopped him from talking by placing her fingers on his lips and softly saying to him, “You did everything you needed to do. What happened, happened. It was not because of you.”

Gordon kept staring at her, her words of encouragement meant a lot to him. In many ways, they both shared the responsibility of being each other’s “rock.”

The tone in her voice then shifted, “I know that bitch Mindy is using this as a chance to smear you. I need you to fight back, we need you, and this community needs you. Don’t take her shit. You’re a fighter, that’s why I love you. You never give up. I know you need this time to reflect, but this afternoon you’ll need to let that go and defend yourself.”

As the words came from Samantha, they gave Gordon the confidence he needed. He brought her in close, hugged her tightly and said, “I love you, Sam.”

“I love you, too.”

A moment passed as they both just held one another, and as in many times before their intimacy was cut short by the voice of one of their children.

They both laughed. Gordon looked at her and said, “Thank you.”

Touching his face, Samantha finished their special moment by saying, “Now go put your boots on.”

The funeral was tough on Gordon, seeing his good friends go through the loss of their only child was excruciating. He could not imagine having to go through this with one of his own. He was given a brief moment to talk with Jimmy, who reassured him that he did not blame him. Jimmy really placed the blame on himself for not being more prepared. He had just assumed they had more inhalers. Simone could barely walk; Jimmy had to support her the entire time. She sobbed throughout the ceremony. Her sobs and wailing made many in attendance do the same.

They buried Mason in their back yard; the scene resembled something from the 18 thcentury. An uneven hole was dug in the earth, two shovels were sticking out of the pile of dirt that sat next to the hole and Mason was wrapped in his special Star Wars blankets that he loved so much. All who attended brought flowers with them and as they passed the open grave they tossed them in. After the last person came by, Jimmy approached the grave and grabbed one of the shovels. He gripped the handle tightly as he drove the shovel into the fresh dirt. After dumping the first shovel of dirt onto Mason he stopped. Overcome with grief he fell to his knees and began to sob. Gordon could no longer just standby idle. He stepped forward, grabbed the other shovel and began to fill the grave. Gordon couldn’t imagine the pain his friend was feeling, he fought back his own grief but held back so he could finish.

When the ceremony ended, many just left, a few went up to Jimmy and Simone and offered their condolences. There would be no food platters or drink to be offered. Simone sat in the weathered outdoor chair, staring blankly at Mason’s now covered grave. Gordon was going to walk over and say something but he felt it was time to leave; he took Samantha’s hand and graciously walked out of the house. They left the kids at home with Nelson because they felt the kids were too young to see their friend buried. They walked back to their house, holding hands. Silence was between them, no words could convey how they felt. Gordon looked at his watch; he would soon be pulled before the board and grilled about the events that night. He was ready for them; he was ready for the inquisition and spectacle that Mindy had in store for him.

The troubles of the day temporarily lifted when he and Samantha were greeted with joy by their two children. They both ran out of the house and into the arms of Gordon and Samantha. They both embraced their kids and held them close. Gordon held his little daughter and kissed her. She knew something was wrong and said to him, “I missed you, Daddy. I love you!” Those words filled Gordon with intense emotion. Hunter had heard Haley and he repeated the same thing to Samantha. Gordon looked over and Samantha looked at him. They both smiled. The love they felt for each other was present in that moment and more powerful than at any other time.

It was time for Gordon to go. Samantha grabbed his hands and looked at him. “Gordon, I love you. I’ve got it all covered here. Go and take care of this for us.”

He smiled at her and said, “I will honey. I’ll be okay.”

Gordon arrived at the community clubhouse a few minutes before the scheduled emergency board meeting. The room he was to be questioned in was also used to inventory the items his teams brought back daily. Boxes of food, water, supplies and accessories lined the walls. In the center of the room were two long tables, they had been cleared and chairs set up, a single chair faced both tables, Gordon assumed that was for him. He smiled to himself then spoke out loud, “What a joke.”

“What’s a joke?” said someone behind him.

He turned and saw it was Eric.

“Hey,” Gordon said stretching out his hand.

Eric took his hand and said, “Hi Gordon.”

“What are you doing here?” Gordon asked curiously.

“I heard about this hearing and wanted to come support you.”

Looking very surprised Gordon said, “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

Gordon hadn’t been able to discuss Eric’s new position on the security force that night because of the situation with Mason. Fortunately, Jerrod had met up with him the next day and took him out on a quick trip to the hospital where Mason had died. While Gordon had not been successful in getting the inhaler to Mason in time, the night proved successful for the community.

Gordon and Eric carried on a very casual conversation before Mindy, Dan and the board arrived. They quickly took their seats at the tables. Not taking a seat, Dan stood off to the side of the room. Mindy carried a binder along with a mallet.