It happened in Church - October 19, 1962
Chapter Forty Nine - Jeopardy Jumps
Monday 05 Nov begins
Morning ritual
Brother Kevin was up first before dawn. He was back in the reins as an old war horse. There was no doubt. He was eons younger on the Canal or Iwo, but it was like yesterday. He stripped his weapon in the quiet dark, cleaned it as a thousand times before, and reassembled it. No extra parts like a cherry. The years of praying were washed away as the killer came to the fore. He’d protect ‘his’ children. He went to the Office and asked the duty officer to get first the Staff and then everyone up. It was going to be a long day. Perhaps the Longest Day in their short lives.
Fast breakfast
Anticipation was rampant. The Classmates were jubilant. This was a big step on the road to Vermont. Some secretly harbored the belief that it was all a mistake. They’d carry that until the day they died. A child-like hope. But many in the shelter had put that notion aside. All had an undercurrent of hatred for the situation. Killing would be an outlet for that frustration. A bad one, but an outlet none the less. John and Marie served breakfast, like the other Staff, and gave quiet encouragement. “Be not afraid”, “Faith”, and “Providence” were among the messages. Finally as the mob finished up. John gull wing for their attention. “Classmates, today we take another step towards Vermont. Some of us will be out for a walk and doing some chores. Others of us will be here in the Shelter. You in the Shelter have chores to do also. First, you must pray for our safety and our success. Second, you must prepare for the upcoming recoveries and trek. Third, we don’t know if we have found ALL the shelter has hidden; so you must continue to look for the hidden treasures. Let’s all have moment of silent prayer and then some ’till we meet agains’. And, then Jeopardy will form up for the jump. Let us pray.” Saint Taq’s lines were overloaded.
John sought out Sam, Brian, and June. Marie was locked at John’s side. Roy and Jody were similarly locked. John said: “OK, Sam, you have the con. Lock the door behind us and pray. We will be back as soon as we can. So until we meet again.” Sam felt the fear in the Staff. He was afraid. Without all these powerful leaders, who was he? He now felt the weight that collapsed Brother Kevin and weighed on John. How did they do it? Sam said quietly: “You better come back. I’m no leader.” “Sam, my Shelter Brother. You can lead. You may have to lead. You will lead. If we don’t come back, you can assume we were killed in going north. Wait a week. Abandon the recovery plans. And then lead our people east and then north. Forage as you go. Move as quickly and as quietly as you can with the remaining children. Steal cars. You’ll have all but two of the driving teams. Half the rifles. And most of the atlatls. You must be in Vermont in no more than a month, before the snow falls. Be not afraid. We’ll be back before you know it. We are in His Palm and are following His Plan.” Sam didn’t feel much better. But he pretended.
Jeopardy Forms
The Jeopardy team aligned at the door. To the applause of the mob, up the stairway they went. Sam followed them up and went to the OP in the back of the Church. As Sam had planned, he was joined by all the rifles in the shelter. He was planning to watch until they turned the corner. If they engaged near the Church, he would emerge from the front doors of the Church to give them a chance to retreat. If that happened, then they were in the soup anyway.
Jeopardy Jumps
From Sam’s POV, the jump began without any fanfare. Brother Kevin had the Lurp outside before he realized it. Only the gentle sound of the door quietly opening and closing echoed through out the cavernous empty dead Church. In ten minutes it was over, and Sam was straining to see out the little window like a tourist on a bus. It was going to be the longest day in Sam’s life.
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Outside at last
Lurp led off. Brother Kevin was again first thru the door! The air was refreshing. There were a few bodies on the street. At the corner, a crash. He could spend time guessing but it was a waste of time. And no diddling in a free fire zone. He knew what happened when you lost your focus. If you were lucky, it was you. If not, it was a buddy and you’d carry that for the rest of your life. Still, he did treat himself to one deep breath. He moved to and thru the line of cars parked at the curb. He signaled the L’s left and right. He pointed to his eyes and circled his finger 360. And, then to his ears. Then a five. Five minutes to observe and listen. His Paris Island DI would have been pleased he remembered the lesson.
Brother Kevin was enjoying the outside. Sunny, cool but not cold, early. He half expected to see the early commuters walking to the Subway. The quiet. The city was dead. No noise. No cars, no buses, and no people noise. It was ‘worst case’. As a vet, he was used to dead bodies on the field of battle. But this was a city with civilians. He saw things he’d only read about. Flash photographed on walls where people caught outside were forever etched shadows into concrete. Windows closed with no glass. Curtains in rags out some of them. Dead in the street; cars at crazy angles. John was right. There was no evacuation; only death.
His self imposed watching and listening time over. He heard nothing. He saw nothing. He coded Isabella ‘bring them out’. The rest of Jeopardy came out she directed them to the line of parked cars and they moved down the street along the Church. Brother Kevin gave them a hundred count to get used to it. Then he led Lurp down the line. At the head, he took Lurp across the street. Heading for the first corner.
Across the street
John and Marie were a little giddy. Like young lovers out for a stroll. Very young. And no actual carnal loving had taken place. But it might as well have. They were in each others souls. Pants were just a minor step to come. It was refreshing to be out of the Shelter. The sun on their faces.
John looked at Marie. The shelter time had not been good to her. He was used to pristine Marie of school days. Scrubbed hard clean. Joyful. With child-like innocence. Those days were long gone. John could see the first of worry lines in her face. From carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. And that weight was not to be lifted any time soon. And she was dirty. Shocking for Marie. John was sure he wasn’t much better. He hoped for her sake, they’d find showers, clean clothes, and hot chow. Before she found a mirror, and discovered the true cost of the shelter time.
She must have seen the look in his face. She was almost in tears: “Do I look that bad to you? I know I’m a mess. But I hoped it wasn’t that bad to make you not love me any more.” “Marie, silly wench, we are all a little worse for wear and tear. I love you, your soul, and your goodness. We’ll get cleaned up soon and you’ll feel better. You’ll see. And, don’t’ think you can get rid of me that easy. When we’re old and gray in Vermont, you’ll see that while beauty fades, my love for you is forever.” “Liar!” she shot back; secretly pleased at his silver tongue. She felt stirrings in her hot zones and her heart. He was the devil who could charm her pants off. Vermont couldn’t come soon enough. He always seemed to say the right thing. Even better, he did it.
Brother Kevin going by, with a grimace of strain, brought John back to reality. Time for the garage. The first big step to Vermont. Remembering interval, he moved up to where Brother Kevin had crossed. He could feel Marie nested in his hip pocket. Instinctively he looked both ways before crossing as if, in the middle of destruction, a car was going to come, but old lessons are hard to shake. He led Marie across. Almost trying to step in Brother Kevin’s exact footsteps. Like a movie actor trying to avoid mines in a war movie. It made no sense. But ww3 made no sense either.
Marie was, in one part of her mind’s eye, horrified. Her city was dead. It made John’s rantings real. She began to cry. For all the dead children. For all that would die. One of her blue ribboned boards pushed to the front and wouldn’t move out of the way. “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” (Romans 8:22)” This was getting confusing. She’d never read the bible; she was a Catholic. Actually never memorized any of it. What did the verse mean? Today was the first day. She was a proverbial Eve. It did take her mind off the Valley of Death she was in. Instinctively she moved closer to her man. She remembered now she was to be looking back. This was all too frightening for words. A large part of her wanted to return to the shelter and be safe among her Classmates. But duty called and her self-image would not allow her to run.
To the Corner
Roy was the tail end Charlie. He got to watch Jody’s butt. That would be distracting. The Jeopardy team was strung out nicely. Everyone was grim faced. He had to have his head on a swivel, while not bunching up or getting lost. It would be a focus job. But that was a nice butt. He wondered if she would ever be able to release her past and create a future with him. He’d have to be gentle and patient. Time now to get his head in the game. This wasn’t an autopilot job like toilets.
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Op confirms away
Sam watched as Roy disappeared around the corner. They were beyond his help now. He closed and locked the window. The fire team was dismissed and sent to the shelter. Sam checked all the doors, except the sally port they left from, were locked. It was all over for Sam except the praying. He went down the steps to the shelter. Sadly. Left out of the action again.
Sam locks up
It was with tremendous sadness and trepidation that he walked down the stairs to the shelter. From the stairwell, he called the office and ordered the door locked. He walked slowly to the office and wrote in the book. “Lurp away. Pray. Code word to open is … NOT the anchoress. Alert staff One Red on any phone call.” He needed a project to keep himself busy. June had organized continuous rosary. The Firsts were praying now. The Seconds would be next. And so on. Many of the Classmates were just laying and listening. They all knew just how important and dangerous this mission was. Some even drifted off to sleep as the prayerful drone lulled them to peaceful sleep. Sam power walked the shelter and checked the doors. OCD? He stopped in the plant room and cried. It was fear. He composed himself and then went back into the shelter and encouraged the Classmates with listening and small jokes.
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Bodies and Accidents
The Jeopardy team was confronted by accidents that slowed their progress. John assumed that blinded or panicked drivers crashed their cars into parked cars, or in some cases, stores. The team wanted to hug the buildings and move carefully. Inconspicuously. Easier said than done. They were kids. Not used to the eerie silence. Some circled the crash scenes; some went up and over. The bodies were there but not in massive numbers. It was not easy to tell what killed them or when. Those two facts would answer many questions.
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June groks Decon2
Taking a break from the needs of ‘her’ children, June took a walk to Decon2. Having all those little eyes looking up to her as if she had some magic power made her nervous and strained. A break was in order. She looked at the six inch difference in the width of the wall. What could that be for? What gets stored flat? A bank of switches? She went into the Plant Room. And thought about what gets grown in a shelter. That made no sense. Maybe if they could turn out the lights in a room, they could see those hidden key holes with the red lights behind the wall. As hard as she might, she could only worry about the Jeopardy team. She went back to ‘her’ children troubled, but in a strange way refreshed.
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Fifteen minute walk
It should have been a brisk fifteen minute walk. The bob and weave the lurching forward was all taking time. If everyone was dead, they should be running. But that wasn’t the plan. John just had to calm himself. Seconds to make a mistake; lifetimes of regret. He remembered the sniper movies where it took a day to get in position for a good shot.
He took time to observe the shops they were passing. What was destroyed and what was not. He could see bodies inside. He didn’t take time to inspect but was curious how they died. Would something in these stores be worth the time to recover it? Who knew?
Marie’s grabbed
The procession began to relax and just walk. Fear was overwhelmed by routine. Dead bodies in the street began to become routine. Car wrecks at intersections weren’t quite as shocking. Wrecked store fronts, not upsetting. Just milestones to be passed.
Marie was moving leapfrogging John. A hand reached out from a doorway and grabbed her left breast. “Come on sister; let’s party.” She didn’t even think. A side kick to the man’s knee and he was down. He was no longer grabbing her breast for pleasure, but now holding on for support. She linked her hands like a mallet. The upstroke dislodged the man’s grip. The downstroke hit the bridge of his nose with devastating effect. She was readying the to-be-fatal upstroke. Brother Kevin yelled to Marie: “No! STOP!”
She was in the zone. Uncle vin’s instruction in her youth had never been lost. She thought: ‘Why do men think these are handles?’
John looked on the fellow. He smelled drunk. He’d never walk right again. What to do with him was the question? He looked at the cars. The first one he looked at was unlocked, so he opened the new ‘cell’. He dragged the varmint ‘gently’ to the car and shoved.
Brother Kevin was speaking quietly with Marie. John came in on the end. “You may have to kill. But, to avoid the demons, don’t do it without a decision. I know how that Marine move ends. You drive the nose into the brain. It’s deadly.”
John asked “You OK?” Marie said: “Yeah, I don’t think this will leave a bruise.” “Good, don’t want the little classmates hurting in Vermont. I have plans for them.” “You’re disgusting.” She giggled. “You best let me know in advance what you plan. You might lose a knee.” Then she darkened. “Amazing my responses have changed dramatically. I couldn’t make the move when I was grabbed at the Church; here and now, the move made itself.”
Blind Man
After going a distance, three blocks tops, Brother Kevin signaled halt. Again John fumed. This time Brother Kevin pointed to himself, his eyes, held up one finger, and pointed to his rifle. An armed man ahead. Argh! Could anything else go wrong? Survivor or BG? Brother Kevin waved them forward. John and Marie closed up.
The man was feeling the stores with one hand and held a 1911 in the other. Every store he’d turn around and sweep the gun around the perimeter circle. Can’t leave armed BGs in the rear. Marie coded: ’something wrong another drunk’. John pointed to Brother Kevin and the roof line. One L was pointed forward; one back. John pointed to Marie’s eye and then himself. He then waked towards the man. From behind a car, he aimed his rifle over the man’s head and released the safety. The man tuned and did his sweep. He’d have to be blind to miss John with an M1 aimed at him from 50 feet away. Or, the Lurp, 75 feet away.
John slunk back behind the car and coded to Marie: ‘blind or stupid’. She shrugged her shoulders. He coded Brother Kevin: ‘join us’. He moved back to Marie and thought while he waited. His inclination was to bypass. A blind man was no threat to them if they were quiet. Brother Kevin and Marie were looking at him. He coded: ‘blind man. Safe to ignore and bypass’. Brother Kevin nodded yes. Marie nodded no. Argh! The woman would be the death of them yet. She coded: ‘Priest, Levite, or Samaritan, which are we? He will die if we leave him.’ ‘He will slow us down.’ John coded back. Brother Kevin just smiled and thought ‘yes, there will be lots of make up sex.’ She folded her arms, grimaced, stomped her foot, quietly, and closed her eyes. John knew when he was beat.
He poked her in the ribs. She opened her eyes. He coded: ‘Fine, but we can’t pick up every refugee we see. We have limited capacity and a schedule.’ Marie was obviously getting tired of his whining. She coded a few very bad words about an impossible act with a schedule. Brother Kevin took note that it was used exactly like any Marine would use it. He’d have to inquire where she picked up the potty mouth.
He returned to his post. Looked at Marie, she never took her eyes off him. He put up his imaginary umbrella and went ‘thumbs up’. She did too. John stood up from behind the car: “Hello there. I mean you no harm, but that pistol you’re waving about is pretty scary. Care to aim it down and we can talk?” The man swirled around and aimed the gun in several different directions. None of which were in John’s direction.
John quietly moved to the other end of the parked car. “Who’s there?” the man replied with false bravado. “My name’s John. I’m a thirteen year old Catholic grammar school student from Good Sheppard. Please point the gun down or I’ll have to protect myself and my friends.” “There’s more than one of you?” “Yes. From the way we’ve seen you acting, is something wrong?” “No, leave me alone. Go away.” “Well really, I’d like to, but you’re threatening. How do I know you won’t start shooting as we pass?” “You don’t; I will if you come closer.” “These are pretty bad times. People are going to have to work together to survive. Hot out here, you thirsty? I am. I’m going to take a swig out of my canteen. You keep that gun pointed down or my girl friend’s itchy trigger finger will ruin both our days.”
John made some noise with the canteen. Holding away from him over the car roof. The man never looked at it. “Boy, that was good. You must be thirsty. Don’t see any gear; so, I guess your just trying to get some stuff to survive. Hard to do when you’re blind.” With that the man slunk down in the store doorway and began to cry. They were ‘my life is over’ tears. John continued: “If you put the gun down and slide it away, I’ll come over and give you water. We can chat. OK?” “Yes. You could have killed me already.” John stood up, slung the rifle, and watched. The man put the gun down and slid it a good ten feet from him. He acted like he was resigned to dying.
John waved the Lurp up and he walked to the man. “It’s me, John. Here’s a canteen of water. If you hold out your hand I’ll pass it to you.” John was concerned about being grabbed. The man stuck out a very red hand and John put the canteen in it. The man had it open in a flash and took a long drink. Marie and Lurp arrived. Brother Kevin had the girls pointed out.
John said: “Are to tell us your name, stranger.” “David DuBois” “And how did you happen to get in such a state?” “I was looking out the windows when the bombs went off. That was the last thing I ever saw. I made my way down the stairs to the basement. And, broke into the Super’s apartment. Been there until the water ran out.” “Well, we out doing a little shopping. You’re welcome to stick with us until we get to safety.” “Can I keep my 45?” “Do you really think that’s a good idea?” “Probably not.” “Well how about if I hold on to it for now?” “OK, if you wanted to hurt me, you could have already.” “Good, Brother Kevin, would you move out as soon as we’re organized. Marie, would you ask Miss Destiny if she could help our new friend David to get to the garage. David, you’re in good hands now. Just hang in there until we get to the garage at 218th street. We’ll get you some chow then. OK?” “Sure. I appreciate the ‘lift’.” “We’ll talk more tonight when we get back to our shelter.” “OK”
Baby? Baby? Mother Marie
They began to fall into a rhythm. Akin to a drunk staggering down the block. At this pace, John figured the brisk fifteen minutes to the garage was an all day trek. He was impatient; it must have showed. Marie coded ’slow is good no blunders’. As they crossed 211th street, half-way from their destination, the saw a pack of feral dogs on a car barking and trying to get in. They had to pass close by and John was concerned about being attacked after they passed. As they drew closer, Marie coded ‘hear that’. John shook his head no. The pack was sure upset about whatever was in the car. Another dog? John called a halt by the standard fist in the air. Brother Kevin coded back ‘whatsup’. John coded ‘no leave danger in rear’. Marie coded ‘I heard something in car’. John made a decision and coded: ‘kill dogs’. Brother Kevin nodded.
He had a quick confab with the girls. Isabella and the two L’s spread out and unlimbered the atlatls. John nudged Marie pointed to her rifle and pointed towards the girls. Brother Kevin was already setup to cover the girls. Isabella pointed at herself and up at the top dog. She pointed out the left and right to the L’s. Held up two darts. The L’s did the same. She pointed around; everyone was holding thumbs up.
Isabella did the ballerina move with a little twist at the end. The characteristic spit of the atlatl ended with a shriek from the dog atop the car. The dart passed from shoulder to throat with enough force to drive the now dead dog off the car a few feet. The L’s launched a fraction later with similar deadly effect but not near the power. Two more yowls. And the pack was off for safer quarry. John advanced fearlessly. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He waved Marie in and point to Brother Kevin making a circling motion raising an umbrella. He wanted cover.
As Marie arrived at the car, John butt stroked the window behind the driver’s seat. He had the door open. It was warm in the car but not hot. He passed a baby bucket to Marie who looked like she’d just won life’s lottery. Then, he pulled out a second one. She took both and said to him “recover the car; diapers; food; anything.” She went to a doorway to examine ‘her’ findings. She coded back ‘destiny taylor come to me one red’. The sevenths came at the double. She need to get water into these two as quick as possible; she had nothing to work with but God’s tools.
She put out her blanket, broke open her crat, and pulled out her canteen. She sat down in the center of the doorway and took off her jacket. She peeled her blouse. Slid her slip and bra off her shoulders. Rolled her slip to her waist and took off her bra. Her classmates were out and ready for action. Destiny and Taylor were shocked. Probably more than dead bodies; Miss Marie was out in the street naked from the waist up. Scandalous. She grabbed the salt packet and the sugar. She put salt on each babies’ tongue. She presented each baby to a breast. “Pour the water on each very slowly.” The babes latched on and began to suckle. They were getting water. Not a lot but some. More than anything they were getting reassurance. “Put some sugar on each nipple when they release.” First one twin yawned, and Destiny sprinkled some sugar. More water. And twin number one latched back on and nursed with vigor. They repeated the process on the other one when it took a break. Destiny and Taylor used their canteens. The three gals were in their glory. Marie had never felt such stimulation. She’d become Mother Bear instead of Queen Witch. She felt sensations of completeness that she’d never felt before. The babies tickled on a very sensitive part of her body; made her giggle.
John walked up with the diaper bag, and was floored by the show. “Hey Marie, when’s my turn?” “John, you’re crude. Tell me you never seen breasts in use before.” The honest answer was ‘no’. But he said, “Not yours!” Marie was busy with her new charges. “Well you could give a girl a little privacy! We’re only betrothed.” “Betrotheds aren’t usually nursing babes.” “John, go get everything from the car. And, figure out a new plan. I’ll be here about a half hour. Deal with it.” D and T were in the diaper bag in a flash, and changing the babes while they were tight on Marie’s chest. It was like they did it every day. Later John would find out that Destiny was the oldest of the ’steps and stairs of Catholic birth control’ family — she had six younger siblings -and could change a diaper in her sleep. John walked off. He had to admit the girl had … … ’stones’, ‘huevos’, or big brass ones! In the middle of the aftermath of an atomic bomb, she can calmly sit down and save some babies. That’s stones. Bigger than I have. He went and visited Brother Kevin; maybe they could come up with something. He was worried if the dogs came back. Marie was defenseless. Again he underestimated the Queen Bee.
He walked to Brother Kevin. “We are going to be here a half hour. You’ve got guard duty. I’ll get some help from the mob. Marie has had babies. Now every girl will be loopy until the novelty wears off.” Brother Kevin was a good mud marine; nothing surprised him. John went to the rear and deployed DT1 slightly forward of the nest, DT2 slightly back, and Recovery1 across the street. “Dogs and intruders are not permitted past you at all costs.” The Rear Guard was similarly instructed, but they really didn’t have a role other than to prevent a sneak up the other side of the street. He returned his attention to the car.
The glove box had the registration. Hopefully it was the poor woman’s car. It looked OK. So he presumed she succumbed to radiation. There was no food or water in the car. Forced out of shelter too early by lack of supplies? He was guessing. Hard to listen to your babies cry as they die of dehydration or starve to death. He promised the silent corpse, that her babies would be well taken care of; Marie would see to that. The ignition yielded keys; keys opened the trunk. The trunk yielded two small suitcases and tire iron / jack combo. A real tool finally. He brought the suitcases to the nest. He could see the D and T team busily working on blankets between water pouring. Turning around, he walked backwards to the nest: “Here’s everything from the car.”
“Turn around you fool.” As ordered, Marie, a much more top heavy one, was attired in her school shirt covering her frontally with the babies obviously under her shirt. John wondered how they made that fit? “We split the back for the shirt if your wondering. Add a new shirt to you list of things you need to provide.” The water was being drizzled inside. She was glowing. “We can move in ten minutes. We need formula with baby bottles asap; these two are only going to be fooled so long. Not baby food. Men are such dolts. The liquid baby formula. It may be in a powder. Bring me what you find. The children are about a month old. I’ll be moving slower with the added load; you’ll have to protect us and provide for us. You never imagined having babies was this easy. Told you that kissing was risky. You knew I was ‘fert tile’ right?” The three women started giggling. Like he said, they’d all lost their collective minds. But he’d play along. “Queen B, I thought there was more involved - you know - some nudity, some sweating, some praying, like ‘oh my God’, some nasty things we only have heard about?” “Silly men, we’ve got a better way now. No rutting needed.” And more girlish glee. He was beaten. He did his parade rest outside the nest. The girlish chatter was unintelligible, but not inaudible. For some reason, he felt he was the joke’s butt.
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Brian’s Kabuki
Brian sat at the table to organize his thoughts. ‘What do Firsts learn?’ He asked his staff. Circles and letters. So he had to design an encryption scheme that was easy. It had to be believable. Alpha substitution would be at the heart. Two strips of paper; lower one A-Z, upper one two rows: A-Z and Z-A. Given a known setting. A first message could be easily encoded using the lower A-Z with the cipher text on the top row. The next message would use the upper Z-A of the two alphabets. PI or 22/7 would have to be the key for a next message shift. 3.14159 26535 +3 -1 +4 -1 +5 -9 +2 -6 +5 -3 +5. It would drive any amateur nuts. And, the pros would have to kick the squirrel in the computer room.
He wrote: “Kabuki is a deliberate attempt to deceive the audio intelligence forces in Vermont to help, or at least not obstruct, our trek to Vermont. We will engage in overt communications designed to covertly identify ourselves, our destination, and our identities. Using plausible activities, we will slip under their suspicions. Coders will compete for one of twelve spots. Marie will train using her FFT paper’s overview. Finally John will write a letter to their boss. Our encryption will be a simple alphabetic substitution, which will shift keys with every new line of a message. Alternate alphabets by message. Shifting key every message.”
He showed June and she began teaching the Classmates the encryption scheme. It absorbed their minds, and became a game for them.
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Candy bars
Well, John, now had a project. The next corner grocery store they past would have to be recovered. He wanted to dispatch baby supplies with Marie when they left for the depot. He really didn’t have a good tool other than the jack from the car. He took it. If nothing else he could heave it thru a window. Was anything going to go according to plan? He knew his neighborhood. There was a corner store about two blocks from the garage. If he could! He knew from his grandfather that most locks were always too hard to cut, but the hasps they were locked to were usually rusty or improperly tack welded. He seen trailer hitches that his grandfather was asked to opine on, literally twist off in his grandfather’s hands. He always said: “twist it off, boy”. That better be right!
He coded Lurp ‘rest at the store’. Another unanticipated stop. The grate was down. He looked at the padlocks. They looked good. But the hasps they were locking were rusty. So he took the tire iron and slipped it thru the hasp. He brought it to tension and got his foot on it. He laid on the ground and put his leg into it. The hasp broke like an egg. He went to the other side and he tried the same attack. It was not as rusty. He tried another approach. He set the jack under the hasp and started jacking. After two missteps, he got it snuggled in right. The jack did what he couldn’t twist. It didn’t break it off but he moved it good half inch. He went back to the twist attack and then it gave up its treasure. He rolled up the gate. Forced the door and he was in. Couldn’t find the light switch but it was pretty bright outside. Diapers and formula. What did he know? He pulled a dozen things that he’d have called ‘baby food’, and brought them to the queen for her approval. She shook her head in disgust at his stupidity, but picked four out as preferred. She said “Two weeks, two kids, six meals a day, I need at least 168 meals. And, the same amount of diapers. Chop, chop, boy. Show me you can provide for me, should I deign to go thru with a marriage. Impress me!” She was teasing. He’d already shown her his virtues. She knew he’d bust a gut for anything she wanted.
First thing he spotted was the two two-wheel grocery carts. That brought back memories of a simpler time and place. John used to hustle old ladies for quarters by carrying their groceries home. He had his own grocery cart and would stand outside the supermarket with the other entrepreneurs. Little old ladies would come out of the store with bags of groceries and engage a strong back / weak mind to do the carrying. At the end of the trek was a quarter or two, which could mean the movies for oneself and the honey of your choice. Or some guys, if you were loveless. John had a secret suspicion, that some of the old gals just did it for the company.
TomT was recovering the store. John grabbed a box of plastic grocery sacks. The Recovery team found all of the preferred baby items. And bagged them in the brown paper bags. One cart was filled with the diapers. The other with food. TomT came to him and said: “Can we take some candy for the shelter?” “Sure” Each cart then had a large box of candy. John noticed that everyone’s pockets were bulging. John took a Hershey’s bar for the Queen. He looked around and spotted some baby bottles, some pacifiers, and stuffed toys. He grabbed them.
Having looted the joint, he went back outside. Everyone was nibbling on cookies and warm soda. He passed the bag to Mother Bear; made a special presentation to the chocolate bar. She said “I’m impressed for the time being. But you’ll have to do more and better.” A small venial sin of lust was committed when he thought of what he wanted to more of. He’d do that better too with more practice. He gave the wind it up signal. And, everyone got their acts back together. The pushed off in that weird gait. At least they were moving again. He thought: ‘What’s next? An insurance salesman, a cop to charge them with theft, or a Bravo Golf.’ He sighed with the weight of the world.
At the Garage
They finally made the garage. It wasn’t high noon, but he figured it took them three hours to make a fifteen or thirty minute walk. They’d have to work fast to make up lost time. Marie looked radiant. But a little resemblance to a squirrel with stuffed cheeks. Except her stuffings were chest high. She seemed energized.
John found the key right where it was supposed to be. He pinned the doors back and clicked the light switch. Fortunately, it worked. John went down in the garage. Luck was breaking their way. First car, he went after was that new station wagon. He pulled it out and it had three quarters of a tank. He put Driving Team #2 (i.e., Miss Sarah, Miss Julia, and Miss Olivia under the direction of Miss Destiny) with chipmunk Marie, Roy, Boy Scout James, and their new friend David. The baby supplies were in the back. Marie would have time to do stuff while she was waiting. He gave her a chaste kiss and sent her to their destiny; he could only pray to see her safely at the end of the day. He was afraid for her safety.
Lurp goes to Pawn.
Next chore was to dispatch the Lurp. Brother Kevin, Isabella, Lisa, and Linda had swept the outside area as best they could. It was time for them to move on and establish surveillance of the Pawn shop. He said to Brother Kevin: “Time for you to move. We’ll take our chances. See you in an hour hopefully. Via Con Dios!” Brother Kevin was off in a heartbeat. It was only four blocks up Broadway and two over. John went over with Miss Jody and Miss Destiny how they needed to be alert and listen for rifle fire. They were both well aware that they only had Jody and John as riflemen. John gave his rifle to Miss Destiny to hold while he was running around. Jody showed her some of the finer points of aiming and shooting.
TomT & team recover the garage.
John next moved his Grandfather’s prized 57 Ford up the ramp and out into the street. At the very least, they now had wheels. As he was walking around the car. Gramp’s had instilled in him that he should look carefully at any car he drove. It was his Grandfather’s procedure to walk around the car before he locked up the garage. Gramps had added a trailer hitch. Or, was this the first time he noticed it? He took the keys with him. Waved and gave thumbs up to DT#1 and Recovery#1 as he went back down.
John quickly looked at each car in the garage from the ramp. There was Mister O’Hara’s beautiful cream caddy. Too gas guzzling. A smattering of Fords and Chevys. But he saw the largest car in the garage was someone’s VW wagon. He went and started that up and brought it around to the bottom of the ramp. Opened up all the doors and took the keys. And bounded up the ramp. Time for Recovery#1 to get to work.
John waived TomT over. “OK. TomT, it’s your time to shine. Recover the garage please. Line up all the stuff by the van and we’ll decide what we are taking.” TomT was ten feet tall. He waved his folks down and they were in heaven.
John went over to the side of the door and did a parade rest. He may have even taken a nap.
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