Home Coming (The Survivalist Book 10) A. American (read after .txt) 📖

He took a deep breath and thought for a minute. Looking at his watch, he said, “We’ve got a couple of hours before supper. Why don’t you fill us in on what happened.”

“It’ll take a couple of hours,” I replied.

Mel placed the jar of broth and homemade crackers into a small basket. Kay handed her a small Altoids tin filled with butter, saying, “Take this too. She could use the fat.”

“Good idea. I know the crackers will be appreciated. They worked for me when I was pregnant.”

Kay laughed, “It was hot pastrami sandwiches and ice cream that worked for me.”

“I don’t think we’re going to find either of those,” Mel replied with a smile.

Kay paused and leaned against the counter. “Why not?”

“I don’t know how to make pastrami,” Mel started before Kay cut her off.

Waving her comment off, Kay said, “Not the pastrami. The ice cream! Think about it. We have whole milk, real whole milk. We have sugar and we have some bottles of vanilla that we brought back from the houses here, and we have ice. We have everything we need!”

“But how would we make it? We don’t have a churn.”

“Oh, honey,” Kay smiled, “there’s more than one way to skin that cat. You don’t need one of those silly little churns. We can make it with a blender.”

“I never thought of that. But I think you’re right; it could work.”

With a hearty chuckle, Kay replied, “I know it will work because I’ve done it!”

Mel was getting excited at the prospect. “Let me take this to Fred and I’ll be back so we can get started. But let’s keep it a secret; it’ll be a big surprise.”

Kay gripped Mel’s arm in a conspiratorial embrace, “That’s a fantastic idea. I say we save it for when Morgan gets home.”

“Besides,” Mel replied, “It’ll probably take a couple of days to make enough for everyone.”

“It might. Go on, take that and get back here.”

Picking up the basket, Mel replied, “Ok. I’m taking Ashley with me. Can you watch the other two?”

“Go on. I can handle those two.”

Mel went out onto the porch and called for Ash, who came running immediately. “What’s in the basket,” she asked.

“Some things for Fred. You want to walk to her house with me?”

“Yes,” Ashley replied and took Mel’s hand. “She’s going to have a baby, isn’t she?”

“She is.”

“I can’t wait. Babies are so cute!” Ashley gushed.

“They are cute. You were very cute when you were a baby. Everyone said so.”

Assuming a very upright stride, Ashley announced, “I’m still cute!”

“Yes, you are,” Mel replied with a smile.

As they rounded the corner at the end of the road, a large Lubber grasshopper was walking across the now nearly grass-covered bed of the disused road. There was so little vehicle traffic back here now that the grasses and weeds were retaking what was once theirs. Seeing the insect, Ashley shrieked with excitement and ran towards the large lumbering arthropod.

Finding a stick, she knelt down and began to try and get it to crawl up onto it. As she talked to the large bug, it suddenly started to hiss. With a scream Ashley jumped up and ran back to Mel, who was waiting for her. It was good to indulge a child’s curiosity of the natural world. Especially now that they lived so much closer to it.

“Did you remember what Daddy said about when they hiss?” Mel asked.

“Yeah! He was about to spit at me!”

Tussling Ashley’s hair, Mel replied, “That’s right. You’re a smart girl.”

The little girl looked up at her mother and added, “And cute!”

“Yes, you are indeed.”

Aric was outside cutting back some large weeds from the walkway leading to the house. He paused and wiped sweat from his forehead with a rag pulled from a pocket. “Hey, Mel, Ashley. What brings you out this way?”

Holding the basket up, Mel replied, “Bringing some things over for Fred. How’s she doing?”

Fred appeared at the top of the steps leading to the porch and replied, “I’m fine. I was just sitting in the shade up here. Too hot to be out there. Come up and sit on the swing with me.”

Looking up at Fred, Aric replied, “Yeah, too hot,” as he swung a machete.

“You hurry up and finish that and you can come sit in the shade,” Fred replied. Aric wasn’t smiling, he just shook his head and went back to chopping.

Harkening back to another era, Mel went up onto the porch and sat on the wide swing hanging from chains tied to the ceiling. Ashley preferred to help Aric with his work. “I hope she doesn’t get in his way,” Mel said.

“He needs the experience,” Fred replied. Patting her belly, she added, “He’s about to have that full time.”

Mel looked Fred over. She was wearing a simple sun dress, the type of thing a lady would just pull over. She was barefoot, and her hair was up in a ponytail. “You look comfortable at least. How are you doing?”

With both hands, Fred rubbed her protruding belly. “I’m ready to evict,” she replied with a smile.

“I can remember that. But at least you’re not having to try and work while this is going on.”

“Work? I’m lucky to be able to walk out here and sit down! I can’t imagine trying to work.” She stared at her belly as she spoke, then looked at Mel and asked, “Is it always like this? Is pregnancy always this miserable?”

“No. It’ll be easier next time.”

“Pffftttt, there won’t be a next time. Nope, one and done!”

“Yes, there will be!” Aric shouted. He was obscured by a large unruly hedge that had taken over the front of the house.

“One and done!” Fred shouted back.

Mel grinned and said, “It’ll be easier next time.”

The fire burned down enough that the rolling boil stopped. Jess used a large slotted spoon to scoop the scum from the top of the broth. Once the top was cleaned, she used a plastic pitcher to transfer the broth