It Was 2052, High Haven (4 page)

The sun was like needles
on his squinted eyelids as he pushed open the tent flap, his jelly
filled legs took him to the rickety lawn chair.

“
It-t-lives,”
said a soft voice and the woman handed him a metal cup, the smell of
coffee steamed up from his lips to his nostrils. He doubted that
there was an inch on him that didn't ache, but he welcomed it, didn't
want to think anymore.

“
Lauren,” the
woman said.

“
Taylor.”

Taylor's
telling was interrupted once again by the grinding sound of an engine
growing slowly closer. Above the noise,
a
voice said,
“See ya
later, Sue...couple of days maybe.” The tractor's
chugging
gradually faded and left
the landscape once again
washed
in the sounds of nature. Boots clomped
across
the porch of
t
he
green cabin, where numerous dogs now lounged. The smallest with it's
head on the paw of the new
est
and largest.

“
What the hell, are you? Equine
or canine?” Kevin's hand reached for the screen door,
“Cody...Dad?” Inside, his gaze fell on the stranger
sitting at the end of the table.

Jeff stepped forward, “Son, this
is Taylor. He's a traveler.”

Cissy
gave her brother a smile, she knew that the two men, as well as she
and her mother remembered well being travelers. She assumed that her
father was giving Kevin a bit of clue about the man.
Her
brother didn't offer a hand to the man, just nodded. She wasn't
surprised, this was a stranger.
Kevin
moved over and took a seat next to Bubba on a long sofa,
c
overed
with a clean blanket,
t
he
sofa had seen plenty of use over these last years.
David
and Shawna
's two daughters
sat in chairs across from the couch.

Kevin gave Bubba a hard punch on the
shoulder as he sat down. The young man said, “We're just
hearing the stranger's story.” He raised his eyebrows at his
favored one of the girls and grinned, “I think we might be
getting to the romance part.” The girl didn't return his
smile.

The
man, Taylor,
looked around
at the many faces in the room. They had listened with apparent
interest to his story so far. Cissy waited. She knew that every one
of the family had their own stories,
still
like herself they were already intrigued. They wanted to hear what
had happened to him for the last twenty
plus
years, since his father was murdered. There was a curiosity about
life away from their sheltered community.

Cissy's
father sat down near the man at the table, “So, after your
father was killed, the woman helped you.
What
did you do then?” There was an empty chair at the opposite end
of the long table, Cissy pulled it out, tried not to stare at Taylor.

***

“
There
was never a discussion about whether Lauren would stay or go.”
A low sound of amusement came from Taylor, “She was just there,
didn't leave. There were lots of things that we
didn't
seem to need to talk
about.
She was a few years older than me and had been on her own for a long
time. God, she was tough and smart, I learned a lot from her. Lauren
and I were partners, a good team.”

He looked over toward Bubba and the
others sitting in the living area, “And yes, there was romance.
She was very loving but always guarded. There were never children
and I didn't question why.” Turning back to the others in the
room, his gaze lingered just a moment on Cissy's. She quickly broke
the eye contact and shifted a little in her hard backed chair.
Here,
too---a
guarded and tough woman.

His weary voice filled the expectant
silence of his hosts. “We continued to camp around the edge of
the city. After about three years, we moved into the city. There did
seem to be some progress being made. We lived in a one room
apartment, two bathrooms on the floor, shared with about ten units.
We had running water, never really trusted that it was clean. I
wouldn't have taken even a sip without boiling it. Outside, there was
a big yard area, always fires going there and that's where you'd cook
if you wanted hot food. Eventually there were even areas of the city
where some electricity was provided. Too expensive for most to live
there, though.”

Taylor felt exposed, didn't really
enjoy telling strangers his personal business. But he was tired, he
needed to stay put and get some rest. It was necessary for him to
make these people comfortable and to finish his story.

“
I should've taken my father's
advice and kept us away from the city. I found work here and there.
A couple of old factories were in partial operation, lots of bars and
small jobs.” He dug some silver coins out of his overall pocket
and laid them on the worn table. “Usually got paid in coins,
sometimes goods for trade. There were rumors of a strong organized
group that ran most of the city's higher paying and unsavory
operations, the drugs, the prostitutes. I was warned more than once
to just steer clear of anything to do with that group. I did just
that. I never really knew what Lauren did all day. She was quick to
tell me,
I can take care of myself.
I had to accept it, she'd
been doing that long before I came along.”

Cissy's dad walked around the table, a
little closer to the story teller, “What about law? Any kind of
government, any military or local law enforcement?”

The coins were gathered and Taylor
stuck them back in his pocket, “There was a sheriff, some
spotty enforcement of laws. You couldn't be sure who were the bad
guys and who were the good guys.” He paused, looked down, with
a quietness in his voice, said, “Hard to believe how the years
just went by.” In a stronger tone, “We had our routine
and life, a bit disconnected from each other, yet we were together.
We trusted and needed the partnership. Then, one day...it was very
late and Lauren hadn't come home. I didn't even know where to begin
to look. Finally, right after dark, she dragged in. She had a long
knife wound in her thigh and had lost a lot of blood. There was a
clinic in town and I tried to get her help. She didn't leave that
place, infection set in and she didn't survive. I never really knew
what had happened.”

Emily, Cissy's mom said, “That's
rough. It must've been very hard.”

His back straightened, he was nearly
through this telling, a rough hand pushed against closed eyelids and
he said, “Thanks--- it wasn't my first painful loss. I stayed
on for about three years in the city, new rumors started drifting in.
Crazy stories about the organized group, how they were up to a lot
more than typical no good, how they had plans to take over America.
It was said that they were growing in all the bigger cities. I talked
to this man that I met while working at the bar. He came from Dallas,
down in Texas. He said the United States military had defeated a
branch of the organization in that city, waging a pretty big battle.
The tale was the military is re-building, growing stronger and there
will be more battles in cities across the country. Some stories, I
really didn't quite understand. Talk of the bad group breeding super
soldiers and that their rule wouldn't mean anything good for the
citizens, predictions of forced labor and slavery.”

The younger men were very
interested now. Kevin and Bubba moved toward the kitchen table,
where the elders of the family were seated. Kevin said, “Do
you think these rumors are true? Did you see any military in the
city?”

“
I didn't see any
visible military where I was. If there's any government soldiers,
they're not making their presence known. I wonder about Colorado
Springs, where my father was in the army. That was a huge base and
there was also an underground disaster bunker in that area. I had
nearly made a decision to move north, in that direction.” He
paused and looked out through the screen door, “I really don't
know what changed my mind. One day, I just gathered some supplies,
Peaches and I begin to walk south. I remembered how my father and I
hunted at the base of the mountains and his advice to get away from
the cities.”

Nearly to herself, Cissy
said, “How strange that you ended up here.”

Taylor once again gave
her just a fleeting glance.

Kevin took an opportunity
and slid into a vacant chair near the stranger. He began to pelt him
with questions about the city he came from and the story of battles.

Wasn't long before Emily
spoke up, “Kevin, shut up now. You can talk to the man later.
He is exhausted and I think...” she looked to her husband and
to Cody and the other elders of the family.

“
Yes, we've heard
his story,” said Cody and stuck out his hand toward Taylor, who
now stood. “I believe that you need some food and rest. We'll
offer you that. No offense, but I'll keep the gun for now.”

“
I appreciate
that.” He looked out through the screen door to the big dog and
gave a slight smile, the first time since he walked in the cabin
door, “I'll eventually have to do some hunting. Peaches has a
lot bigger appetite than I do. I don't expect you to feed him.”

The women immediately
began to discuss a meal and where they could bed down the traveler.
It was decided that the biggest house was the home of Jeff and
Emily's family. The room that had been designated years ago as the
community library had an old sofa and Taylor would be bunked there.

Taylor felt like he could
finally relax a little.
Where would he go from here?
He
didn't know, but he would definitely accept their hospitality for the
time being.

***

About two-thirds of the
day had been consumed with the arrival of the man from the city, the
afternoon sun shot shards of light through the rows of books that
covered much of the library window. One other window was uncovered
and a long table with benches stretched in front of it. The room
wasn't warm but comfortable and as soon as Taylor stretched out on
the shabby sofa and pulled the quilt up, his eyes closed. Cissy
couldn't help but smile as her mother eased the door shut. Peaches,
all angles and taut skin, stretched out beside the temporary bed of
his master. With his large head rested on extended front legs, the
canine was close to the length of the sofa.

Emily said in a quiet
voice, “I've got a couple of things to do, then think I'll rest
a bit myself before supper.”

“
You need any
help?” said Cissy.

“
No, I'm good.
Later, then.”

Cissy looked down at the
book in her hand. The wind in this valley at the foot of the
mountains blew strong and often, today only an occasional breeze
stirred the tall grasses.
Think I'll find a sunny spot and read
for a bit.
Reaching the same rock she had started her day
perched on, she did a quick scan of the ground, remembering the
morning's slithery encounter. Her body easily lowered, lean legs
folded up and crossed. She pushed a fluttering strand of hair away
and opened the book. A tanned hand rested on the open book, her mind
distracted. Up the hill, at the green cabin, she saw her brother and
Bubba part company.
Guess Bubba got tired of trying to impress
the girls.
Kevin ambled down the hill and over to her rock
seat, he dropped down and stretched out, his hands behind his head.

“
Interesting
morning, huh?”

She closed the book.
Cissy liked time to think about a situation, sort through things.
She was still analyzing the rare intrusion into their small world,
wasn't ready to discuss the stranger and his interesting story. A
smile crept onto her face as she turned to her brother, “So-o,
how are things at the Bailey's? Lots of work, I guess---you seem to
be there a lot.”

“
Yeah, the barn is
in pretty bad repair.”

A mocking lilt carried
Cissy's voice, “And it's way-y around the bend, too far to make
it home sometimes. I'm sure the charming Suzanne takes pity and
welcomes you to stay.”

Kevin raised on his
elbow, “Look, girl! Suzanne is a nice lady and I like her. Her
father ain't so young, he needs my help...it's work.”

“
Uh-huh,” the
smile turned to laughter.

“
Quit changing the
subject, you honery old maid. At least, I don't snap and growl at
anyone that comes sniffing around me,” Kevin spat out.

Cissy's laugh had
stopped, but she still smiled. She had a tough hide, the two of them
gave no slack in their interactions. “Well, asinine bow-legged
guys in heat, just don't do it for me, Kev.”