Without law 11, p.14
Without Law 11, page 14
I found the girls with Rolly, Betty, Kimmy, Marla, and the kids. They all sat around the coffee table, and the smell of Rolly’s coffee was heavy in the air.
“Hey,” I said as I walked over and took a seat.
“Well, look who decided to get up,” Tara said with a smirk.
“Why did nobody wake me?” I asked as I rubbed my hands over my face.
“You had a long day yesterday,” Betty told me with a smile. “We figured a little extra sleep would do you some good.”
“Especially since we’re leaving again tomorrow,” Anna said.
“Plus we thought you might be a bit hungover,” Tara told me with a wink.
“Tav can handle his liquor,” Rolly chuckled, and he handed me a cup of coffee.
“I don’t know,” I laughed, “that cupcake vodka is something else.”
I took a long pull of the black liquid and let out a deep sigh. It was even better than usual that morning, and I had the urge to down the whole cup in a matter of seconds, but I restrained myself and took another drink instead.
“When will the women’s group be here?” Bailey asked Marla, who had been in charge of our communication with them.
“They said they would leave once dawn set in,” Marla answered. “It’s too dangerous to travel while it’s still dark.”
“So we have a little bit of time,” Anna said with a nod.
“A bit,” Betty agreed. “Just enough to finish up breakfast.”
“Breakfast?” I asked, and my stomach growled at the mention of the word.
“I figured breakfast should be included for a hard day’s work,” Betty said with a smile.
“I would agree with that,” I told the old woman. “Speaking of newcomers, where’s Ken and his group?”
“They went out with Donna and Jeff to check the traps,” Paige said. “They’ve become quite interested in trapping and foraging since we saw them last.”
“I could have guessed that from the dandelions we ate,” I chuckled.
“Those dandelions were delicious,” Tara snapped.
“When cooked correctly, they’re pretty good,” Marla said.
“See?” Tara said, and she stuck her tongue out at me.
“They weren’t bad,” I laughed. “It’s just weird that you like them so much.”
“Would it be weird if Bailey liked them that much?” the platinum blonde asked.
“No,” Anna and I answered in unison.
“Whatev.” Tara narrowed her eyes at us and let out of huff, but didn’t say anything else about it.
Anna and I looked at each other and shared a quick laugh before I went back to savoring my coffee.
“Is there anything we can do to help with breakfast?” I asked Betty.
“I don’t believe so,” the old woman replied. “Kimmy, Marla, and I have pretty much done all the work. It’s in there cooking right now.”
“I feel like I haven’t seen you in a while, Kimmy,” I said. “Have you been alright?”
“Fine,” she replied with a smile.
“And baby Anthony?” I asked with a gesture to the infant that slept in her arms.
“Growing every day,” she told me with the look of a proud mother.
“Oh, Marla,” I said, “I also wanted to thank you for being in charge of our communications with the women’s group. It’s been a big help.”
“Of course,” Marla replied with a smile.
“If I have a bit of time I think I’ll go catch a shower if that’s okay,” I said.
“Go ahead,” Rolly told me, “we won’t start without ya.”
“I’ll hold you to that, old man,” I chuckled and headed upstairs.
I brought my coffee with me and took a drink as I found a towel and some fresh clothes to put on after the shower. It had been a few days at least since I had last gotten one, and on a morning like this, I sure could use some hot water.
I had the bathroom all to myself, so I tossed my towel on one of the hooks and turned the water on full blast before I undressed and stepped into it.
It nearly burned my skin at first, and I had to turn it down slightly, but I eased my way back into it and savored the feel of it on my skin. Tara had been right, I was slightly hung over, but between the coffee and the shower, I was already feeling right as rain.
I scrubbed my body quickly, washed my hair, and then I stood under the water for a good five minutes and let it soothe my muscles.
By the time I stepped out I felt ready for the day ahead. I drank the last of my coffee, towelled off, then got dressed and headed downstairs.
I didn’t see anybody in the living room, but I heard voices outside, so I made my way to the courtyard and found everyone gathered around several tables full of food.
All of the civilians were there, along with the women’s group, and Ken’s group, and Betty and the girls stood behind the tables and served food as people moved through the line.
They had brought out chairs and tables from the library and gym, and there were already people sitting down with plates. The women’s group sat off to the side away from everyone else, and it looked like they all had been served first, but that was fine, I knew they had stipulations as far as working with others, especially men, and we would do whatever we could to accommodate them.
“Hey,” I said as I came up by Paige. “Do you all need any help?”
“Nope,” the brunette replied. “We got this. Betty already made a plate for you, so go have a seat.”
“Thanks,” I told her, then I gave her a kiss on the forehead and headed down to where Betty stood.
“Here you go,” she said as she handed me a plate filled with eggs, biscuits and gravy, and venison.
“Thanks,” I told the older woman. “Where’s Rolly?”
“He’s over there,” she said with a point, “there’s more coffee at his table, too.”
“Great,” I said, and I headed over to the old man and took a seat.
Seeing everyone mill about reminded me of the cafeteria in the military. Betty had the right idea with feeding everyone before we put them to work for the day. Everyone worked better with some food in their bellies. And the extra coffee couldn’t hurt, either.
I poured myself another cup and clapped Rolly on the shoulder.
“You have a hell of a woman over there,” I told him with a grin.
“Don’t I know it,” he chuckled.
“This was a good idea,” I said. “I didn’t even think about making everyone breakfast.”
“You’ve been a bit preoccupied,” Rolly said with a soft smile.
“I guess I have,” I admitted. Between everything with Brody, and now the druggies, I was more stressed than I had been in a long time, and I knew it showed. “I appreciate all the work you all have put in. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You know we feel the same way,” Rolly said.
I smiled at the man and dug into my food. Even when she made enough to feed a small army, Betty didn’t sacrifice quality. Breakfast was just as good as it was every morning, and I finished my plate quickly.
People came and went to fill their cups with coffee, and they offered a small smile, or a ‘thank you’, each time. The sun was bright, though the day was still young, and the air was brisk but pleasant. It felt like a good day.
“So you all are heading off again tomorrow, huh?” Rolly asked.
“Afraid so,” I sighed. “I’d rather stay here and work the fields, but it’s too risky to leave these guys alone. They’re everywhere, and they’re too well strapped to be left to their own devices.”
“I understand,” the old man said. “We’ll take care of everything here, just go kick some ass.”
“Well, we’ll do some reconnaissance first,” I chuckled, “but we’ll definitely get to the ass kicking.”
“Don’t you always?” Rolly laughed.
After everyone had been served, Betty and the girls came and joined us at our table.
“Thank you for this,” I told Betty. “This was a great idea.”
“That’s what grandmas do,” Betty replied with a smile. “We feed everyone.”
“Where are your grandkids?” I asked as I looked out at the tables of people.
“Dan’s probably with Joe and Jeff,” Betty said. “And I imagine Jenny’s with Cathy and her daughter.”
“And Mike,” Tara said, and she raised an eyebrow.
I caught a look at the table and had to smile. Jenny sat next to Mike, and it looked like they were having a good time for sure.
“Oh, yeah,” Betty said with an eyeroll. “They’ve been flirting for a while now.”
“What?” Tara asked incredulously. “How did I miss this?”
“I’m not sure,” Betty chuckled, “maybe it’s all those missions you’ve been going on?”
“I guess that makes sense,” the platinum blonde said. “What do you think about it, Betty?”
“Oh, Mike seems like a good man,” the old woman said with a wave of her hand. “And Jenny’s a big girl. I’m not opposed to them finding a bit of comfort in one another.”
I smiled at the old woman. It was cute to see new romances blossom between members of the group, and it was bound to happen with the close quarters we kept. I was just glad that Betty seemed to approve.
“Oh, Paige,” I said, “while everyone is still eating, we should come up with zones for each of the groups.”
“One, I’m still eating,” the brunette laughed.
“Right,” I said with a frown, “sorry.”
“It’s alright,” she said, “but two, it’s already been done.”
“You all did that this morning?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Paige said. “I sat down with Marla, Rolly, and Betty, and we figured out where to put everyone and what they’ll plant. We even have the seeds ready for them in little bags.”
“Perfect,” I said. “Thank you.”
“Of course,” she replied before she shoved another bite of biscuits and gravy into her mouth.
At that point the only thing left to do was to fill up some of the tanks we had with water to moisten the ground while we planted, and then we’d be able to get everything going.
“I’m going to go fill up some water tanks to take with us,” I said.
“Alright,” Betty said. “It rained for about an hour last night, but we’ll need more moisture than that.”
“Good idea,” Rolly agreed. “I’m finished here, so I’ll give you a hand.”
“Thanks, old timer,” I told him with a grin.
Rolly and I headed over to the trucks and each hopped into one, then headed down to the cows. There were large water barrels down there that we could fill and take with us. It was a good opportunity to feed the cows while we were down there as well.
We loaded up the water barrels into the backs of the trucks, then we started to fill them with the hose while we threw the cows some hay.
“We might have to make a couple of trips for water,” Rolly said.
“I thought the same,” I agreed. “What we need to do is put in a line over to the farms. The crops will need a lot of water throughout the summer.”
“I’m on it,” Rolly said with a grin.
“It’ll be a group effort,” I assured him, “but if you can get me a list of what we’ll need, then that would be great. We can look for it while we’re out in Lebanon.”
“I don’t want you all to be distracted by looking for things out there,” Rolly said. “You have a job to do.”
“We do,” I agreed, “but if we happen to run across something we need, then it would be foolish to leave it behind.”
“Alright,” the old man chuckled, “I’m sure I can get you a list by tonight.”
“Thanks, old timer,” I told him with a clap on the shoulder.
Once the barrels were full we brought the trucks back up to the courtyard, and it looked like everyone had finished with their breakfasts, since most people were helping to put away the chairs and tables.
Rolly and I got out and helped as well, and soon everything was packed away and we were all ready to get a start on the day, but I noticed that everyone stood around for a minute.
“Tav,” Anna said, and she raised an eyebrow at me.
“What’s up?” I asked.
The redhead looked at me, then nodded her head at the crowd.
“Oh,” I said, “right.” I hopped up on the hood of one of the military trucks, then turned to address the small crowd. “Good morning, everyone.”
I was greeted back with several good mornings and smiles, which were contagious.
“I hope everyone enjoyed their breakfasts this morning,” I said, and the crowd cheered. “Let’s give Betty, Marla, and Kimmy a round of applause for putting that together for us, and my girls here for helping serve.”
The crowd clapped and cheered, and even the women’s group partook, and I caught a few smiles in Marla’s direction.
“I just want to say thank you all so much for being here,” I continued. “We really appreciate it, and we know that we wouldn’t be able to do any of this without you. We’re going to have some long days ahead of us, but we’ll make sure that there’s plenty of water bottles for when we’re working, and that you have a hot meal when we’re done. We all need this harvest to survive this next winter. The world isn’t what it was once before, but this group of people coming together is a great sign of what we can do if we help out one another.”
The crowd cheered and caught me off guard, so I let out a small laugh and continued. “Paige, Marla, and Betty have your assignments for the day. We’ll go over them once we get to the farms, but until then let’s all find a truck to pile into so we can get there quickly. And thank you all once again. Let’s get going.”
The crowd cheered, then headed for the trucks, and I was happy to see that almost everybody was all smiles.
“Good speech,” Anna told me, and she nudged me with her elbow.
“Thanks,” I laughed. “I really didn’t know what to say, but it seemed like they were waiting for something.”
“You did good,” the redhead repeated, then she headed for the trucks.
Between the jeeps and the military trucks that we had, we were able to squeeze everybody in, even with the water barrels we had in the back of some of them, and soon we were headed down our new driveway out to the road.
I was careful to go slow so as not to slosh the water in the tanks in the back, especially since there were some civilians piled back there as well, and I didn’t want to inadvertently get anybody wet.
Once we were on the main road I accelerated a bit more. The sun was high in the sky by then, but we still had plenty of time to get some work done.
“You proud of that speech?” Tara asked, which pulled me out of my thoughts.
“What?” I chuckled.
“You just look really chipper over there,” the platinum blonde laughed.
“I guess I am,” I said with a smile. “Everyone was in such a good mood before we left.”
“Betty’s breakfasts will do that to you,” Paige said.
“I thought your speech was really good,” Bailey told me.
“Thanks, Bail,” I said.
Once we reached Betty’s driveway, I led the caravan up it carefully. I made sure we all went slow. Winter had not been kind to the dirt and gravel driveway, and it desperately needed a plow to even it out. It dipped and tilted as we drove, but I just kept a slow pace until we reached the top, then I parked by the house and hopped out while everyone else made their way up.
The field had some new grass on it from the spring, but not much else, and I figured it would be easy for the tractor to pull that up when Rolly went over it.
“Looks good, doesn’t it,” Betty said as she came up beside me.
“It does,” I said with a smile. “Though, I’ll trust your opinion on it more since I don’t know a whole lot about large scale farming.”
“Trust me, then,” she laughed, “it looks good. It’s nice and ready to be tilled and planted. Normally I’d wait a couple weeks after I till before I plant, but we need to get these seeds in the ground, and I’ve learned a few tricks in my time.”
“And the tractor?” I asked Rolly, who stood beside his lady.
“Ready to go,” he assured me. “And I topped off the gas yesterday.”
“You’re a miracle worker,” I told him.
“More like a halfway decent mechanic,” the old man chuckled.
“What about the pesticides?” I asked Betty. “When will we need those?”
“Not right away,” she assured me. “But we should bring the cows out soon. We can collect the manure and use it for fertilizer.”
“Alright,” I agreed. “We’ll get on that when the girls and I get back.
“Roger that,” the old woman said with a smile.
It was a beautiful day, and the air smelled fresh as I stood and stared at the open fields around us. Soon they’d all be planted, and we’d have one hell of a harvest coming our way.
Once everyone piled out of the trucks, Paige put everyone into groups and assigned them zones and a specific plant. Each group was given a bag of seeds to plant, and instructions on how to plant them.
Rolly fired up the tractor and got to tilling, and after he did an area Paige went out and put little flags in squares with premade signs as to what crop would go there.
I had to admit, the ladies had this covered pretty well, and I was confident that when we left Betty and Marla could handle the whole thing pretty easily. There was a lot of area to plant, and they said it would take several days, so I hoped we’d be back before they had finished, but I couldn’t guarantee that, not based on our previous experiences with the druggies.
After a couple of squares, Betty and Marla took over for Paige, and the groups began to work in their assigned quadrants.
“Go get things ready for tomorrow,” Betty told us. “We have things covered here.”
“Thanks,” I told the old woman with a smile.
We took one of the jeeps since they didn’t have any water in the back still and headed back toward the campus. I was confident that everything would go well in our absence, especially since we were leaving real farmers in charge.
