Countdown to Armageddon (12 page)

     “We’ll walk over the whole property, and everywhere there is a significant puddle of standing water, we’ll put a stake into the ground at what appears to be the deepest part of the puddle.

     “Then, a couple of days later…”

    
Jordan held up his hand to stop his father.

     “Wait. I think I’ve got it. A couple of days later after the ground isn’t quite so muddy, we take the chunk of concrete to where the stake is, and we drag the concrete from there to the fishing pond.”

     “Exactly. The concrete won’t make a very deep rut. Maybe six to eight inches. But it will give the puddle a channel to run off to after the next rainfall. And it’ll probably take several big rainfalls to get the runoffs just right. But eventually, all the rain that doesn’t soak into the ground within half an hour to an hour will be channeled toward the pond.”

     “Okay. So tell me again how I’m going to dig out the pond without drowning in the water that’s already there.”

     “Simple. You use the Bobcat to dig a second pond. It will be adjacent to the existing pond, but they won’t be connected. We’ll leave maybe twelve to fifteen feet of space between them. After the deeper part is dug, we’ll divert the stream to fill it up, and the two will join to become one big pond.”

     “I’ve been meaning to ask you, Dad, are there any fish in the pond now?”

     “Oh, yeah. Joyce and I went fishing down there a few weeks ago while you were in school. We caught a freshwater perch and a couple of good sized catfish. I’m going to bring in some live crawdads too, and I’m thinking the stream we’re going to divert probably has some trout in it too.”

     “Dad, can I ask you something? Man to man?”

     “Sure, son. What is it?”

     “This big blackout thing. Are you positive it’s going to happen? I mean, you’re going through an awful lot of work to get this place ready. What if it never happens?”

     “Well, the answer to your first question is yes. I’m pretty positive it’s going to happen. I just don’t know when, but I think it’s going to be fairly soon. But I would love to be wrong. And if I am wrong… if it never happens, then there’s not a lot of harm done. One of you, either you or Zach, will have a hell of a vacation home to spend your weekends. Of course, y’all can duke it out amongst yourselves after I’m gone to see who gets it.

     “Because even if I am wrong, I plan to live here anyway for the rest of my days.”

-19
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     It was about nine p.m. the following Monday when Scott pulled into Linda’s driveway to pick up the boys.

     He knew immediately that something was wrong. He didn’t even get a chance to turn off the ignition when the boys came bounding out of the house. That was unusual, because they were never ready to go when he showed up.

     In addition, they were sullen and quiet. Zachary didn’t even respond when Scott said hello.

     Scott looked at the front of the house, expecting to see Linda standing there, as she always was when they left, waving goodbye to them.

     Instead, the front door was closed and Linda was nowhere in sight.

     He looked at
Jordan, sitting in the front seat beside him.

     “
Jordan, what in hell is going on?”

    
Jordan looked down. He hesitated, and said, “I’m not allowed to say.”

     Scott looked in the back seat at Zachary. Zachary looked down also. Both boys hated keeping secrets from their father. But they were sworn to secrecy.

     Scott turned off the ignition and stepped out of the truck, leaving his boys behind.

     Zachary asked his brother, “What do you think he’ll do?”

     Jordan answered, “I don’t know, Zach. I just hope he doesn’t have his gun in the glove box.”

     Scott rang the bell, but no one answered. He tried the door and it was unlocked.
Jordan had left it that way on purpose. He knew his father well.

     Scott went through the house calling Linda’s name, and finally found her lying in bed, badly beaten.

     He flew into a sudden rage.

     “Where is that son of a bitch? I’ll kill him, I swear to God!”

     “Scott, no! It wasn’t his fault, I swear it wasn’t. I brought it on myself.”

     He tenderly touched her face. And as gentle as his touch was, she still winced from the pain. Both of her eyes were blackened. One was almost swollen closed. She had a cut across the bridge of her nose, and her upper lip was badly swollen. Her left cheek sported a nasty bruise.

     “Tell me what happened.”

     “Scott, it was my fault, I swear. I sassed him. I shouldn’t have, I know. I know how he gets when he’s drunk. I should have held my tongue. But I sassed him by asking him where he’d been. It was my fault, not his.”

     “When is he coming back?”

     “Probably not until morning.”

     “Is the rest of your body beaten too?”

     “Some. But nothing’s broken, near as I can tell.”

     “Okay. I’m going to send the boys back in here to pack your things. You’re getting out of here.”

     “But Scott, how is he going to get by without me to cook and do things for him? He can’t live without me around.”

     “That’s the plan.”

     “But…”

     “But nothing. You need to get away from that animal before he goes too far and kills you some night. Is that what you want?”

     “No. You know I don’t. But you don’t understand. He gets frustrated, you know? It’s hard for him to find work, with his record and all. And when he does find a job, they ride him without mercy until he has to quit or says something that gets him fired. And then he gets drunk to drown his sorrows.”

     “Jesus Christ! He got fired
again?
”

     “Yes. But it wasn’t his fault. Where will I go?”

     “Right. It’s never his fault. You’re coming up to the compound. You’re going to stay there from now on. And I hope you didn’t tell him where it’s at. Because if he so much as steps one foot on my property I swear I’ll blow him into a hundred pieces.”

     With that, he stormed out of the room and went out to the boys.

     “Go back in and help your mother pack, boys. We’re moving her the hell away from here.”

     The gloom and doom on his sons’ faces disappeared.
Jordan said, “Hoo-rah!” and gave his younger brother a high five.

     Scott pulled out his cell phone to make a phone call he didn’t expect to be much fun. How was he going to tell his present girlfriend that he was moving his ex-wife in with them?

     He dialed Joyce’s number with the dread of a condemned man being strapped into Old Sparky.

-20
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     As it turned out, Joyce was pleased as punch to hear that Linda was moving into the compound. Scott had underestimated her.

     “I think it’s a great idea, Scott. I mean, we were planning on bringing her in when the blackout hit anyway. This way it’ll give us a chance to ease into it without being rushed.”

     “I didn’t think you’d want her invading your territory any sooner than she had to.”

     “Damn, Scott. You know me better than that. I am not threatened by any woman. And I’m not jealous of any woman either. Unless you say you’re bringing her into our bedroom, I have no qualms with her being at the compound. And by the way, if you do ever invite her into our bedroom, we’ll have the sweetest tomatoes in ten counties and you’ll be the fertilizer. Understand?”

     He smiled. He liked Joyce’s feisty side.

     “Understand.”

     “And besides, honey, I’ve been beaten by men before too. I know what she’s going through. You were right in pulling her out of there. Some women just don’t have the gumption to make that move on their own. They have to be pushed.”

     Late that night, close to midnight, Scott pulled his truck into the compound.
Jordan followed behind them in his mother’s car.

     They went inside and showed Linda to the guest room.

     “Make yourself at home. Since it’s late, I’m going to let the boys stay here for the night. Whatever you need, let them get it for you. You need to stay in bed until you recover and the soreness goes away.”

     “But how will I get to and from work once I’m healed?”

     “Tomorrow I’ll draw you a map to get back to the highway. Once you’re back on Highway 83, getting back to the interstate is easy. All you have to do is leave forty five minutes earlier than you’re used to.”

     “Can I at least call Glen and tell him I’m okay and not to worry about me?”

     “You can call anyone you want. I don’t understand why you’re so worried about him, though. He obviously doesn’t give a damn about you.”

     “You just don’t know him like I do, Scott. You don’t understand him.”

     “You’re right. I don’t understand any man who would beat a woman. Just remember one thing, Linda. I meant what I said. If he dares to show his face up here I will rip him to shreds, so help me God.”

     Linda decided not to call Glen. She’d warned him enough times over the previous few months that she would leave him if he didn’t change his ways. By morning she was finally feeling strong enough to survive without him.

     Joyce arrived early the following morning, and she and Linda had a long heart to heart. About men, about the situation at the compound, about a thousand other things. By the time Scott and the boys got out of bed, the ladies had had a good chance to bond.

     It turned out that any fears of drama Scott had were unfounded. The two women had many more things in common than they had differences. And they were becoming fast friends.

     Scott stood at the kitchen stove, cracking oily eggs into a frying pan, and asked Linda how she felt.

     “Sore. But somehow, despite the bruises, I slept better here last night than I would have at home. I don’t know why, but I did.”

     “I know exactly why,” Joyce added. “Because deep down inside you knew you were safe here. So your body was able to relax. You didn’t have to worry about whether you’d be his punching bag again when you woke up in the morning.”

     “Yes, you’re probably right.”

     Scott asked, “So, what did you two talk about before I got here?”

     “Oh, anything and everything. Girl stuff mostly.”

     Joyce winked at Linda and continued, “And we compared notes. You know, all of your shortcomings in bed. That kind of thing.”

     Scott turned and glared and Linda laughed out loud. Then she winced when she found out too late that laughing hurt her swollen lip.

     “She’s just kidding, goober. Actually, we were talking about putting in the garden out back. Turns out we both love to garden. So we’re going seed shopping while you he-men are doing all the he-man stuff around here today.”

     “Yeah, well I don’t know how much work I’ll get out of the other he-men. They told me they were up until 3 a.m. playing video games.”

     “I was wondering why they haven’t come downstairs yet.”

     “If they went back to bed I’m going to go up there with a spray bottle full of ice water.”

     “Well, that’ll certainly get their attention.”

     “Scott, how much of the front part of the compound did you plan for our vegetable garden?

     The western half. Actually, it can creep over into the eastern half if you want. Just don’t crowd it out too much. We’ll still need to get vehicles in and out of there, to get hay and feed and stuff to the barns.

     And I’m going to order another Butler building and have it delivered next week.

     “Really? How come? We’ve got places for all the tools and feed and stuff now.”

     “It’s for Jordan. He gave me the old ‘Dad, I will be an adult soon, I will need to move out on my own’ speech the other day.”