Defending Against Affliction Read online

  Amir was not quite sure how to answer that question. Finally, he said, “They went on a date.”

  That seemed to satisfy Michael, and he went back to work. Amir, however, felt a tinge of embarrassment. Obviously, both his birth and adopted parents kept certain things from him, but Amir still had picked up on a few things that adults did, things that children weren’t supposed to know about. He knew his parents were doing more than just sitting down for dinner.

  “Oh boy,” he whispered.

  Cheryl made soft crunches in the grass with her soft leather shoes as she approached the parked car. It was back in its secret space in the woods behind the library. It had been kept there amid the camouflage of branches and greenery during the occupation, having never been discovered by the NATO soldiers. That kept it free from seizure by the soldiers. If worst had come to absolute worst, it would have been available as an escape vehicle.

  This afternoon, however, it would be used for a far more benign purpose. Cheryl let out a slightly labored breath. She dressed in high-waisted blue khaki pants that were likely a size smaller than she usually wore, a small top that hugged her cleavage, and a buttoned shirt that was open around her upper collar area. A good washing of her hair and lipstick finished her look.

  As she got closer to the car, she chuckled at what Tom could be wearing—if he was wearing anything.

  She then spotted a paper taped to a tree trunk near the car. It had a big arrow pointing downward. It was made from red paint, impossible to miss.

  Cheryl looked down. A slip of paper awaited her. She bent down to get it, though it was a bit of a chore, as her belt cut slightly into her flesh. It didn’t help that the stone holding down the paper was a bit heavy. She pushed it as hard as she could until she got enough of the rock off the paper to pull it free.

  Now she could read it.

  “Roses are red, violets are blue…okay I suck as a poet so that’s all I can do. Just imagine I’m saying ‘I love you’ in something that rhymes.” Cheryl laughed before continuing.

  “Also, I don’t have a working music player, so just imagine ‘Let’s Get It On’ is playing in the car.” The space under Tom’s sentence was filled with drawn musical notes.

  Still chuckling, Cheryl flipped the page over. “P.S. Sticking the note down on the ground was not an excuse to get you to show off your ass in those amazing pants I know you’re going to wear. And yes, I am a terrible liar. Loves, kisses and…” She refused to read the last part. Instead, she tossed aside the note and marched to the passenger side car door.

  “Okay Thomas Criver, you get your ass out here right now.” She flung open the door. But there was nobody there. She only had a second to process that fact before a pair of muscled arms grabbed her from behind.

  “There we go!” Nadia took the piece of chloroplast from Charlie and Fred. The white surface was decorated with “NADIA” painted in red. “You two little dudes are awesome. You draw letters neat for guys.”

  “I would have preferred blue.” Charlie put his paintbrush in a tin of paint thinner.

  “But blue doesn’t pop.” Fred spread his hands. “Everyone can see red. It’s like a fiery color.”

  “You got that right.” Nadia brought the sign inside the library. The two boys had been painting it on the front parking lot. “Hey, you guys want to be my sign wavers? You could stand on a street corner and wave it.”

  The library was a little busier than usual because the kids had some friends over to play with them. Nearby, Jackie and Kristin were playing with two other girls, Layla and Ricki White. The White sisters were about their age, and Jackie and Kristin had gotten along very well with them.

  “So, what’s all this about again?” Terry wandered into view, looking at the stack of signs near the door.

  “Nadia’s running for president of the town,” Charlie said.

  Nadia chuckled at him. “Council. City council. I don’t have the nerve to be president, but I would take the pay and the house.” She walked down the library’s center aisle. “The council is going to be our leaders. I’m running in one area. In a couple of days, we’re going to have an election and we’ll see if I get picked.”

  “We know you’re going to get picked.” Annie jumped out of a nearby book isle and patted Nadia’s arm. “You’re awesome.”

  “Well, thanks.” Nadia hugged Annie. “I think so, too, but there’s a pretty impressive guy running against me. I think his name is Cooper.”

  “That’s interesting.” Stone strolled in from the back. “Can’t say I’ve heard of him. I had a lot of time to get know many of the men when they held us captive.”

  “Me neither. He might be new.” Nadia braced her hip with her right hand. “We’ve had a couple of newcomers show up recently.”

  “Sounds like someone who wants to make a splash early on.” Stone smiled. “But the folks have come to know you a lot better. I’m sure in time he’ll make a fine contribution to the community once we’ve come to know him.”

  Nadia turned her head toward the window. “Hey, it’s starting to get dark out there. Better get everyone inside.” Then she walked a little toward Kristin and Jackie. “You two should wrap it up. Ricki and Layla’s parents will be taking them home soon.”

  “Are Mom and Dad coming back soon?” Irvin asked from behind Nadia.

  “No. Don’t you remember?” Terry walked past him. “They’re going to be out all night. Uncle Obie and Aunt Nadia are staying here tonight.”

  Irvin scratched his head. “What are Mom and Dad doing?”

  Cheryl’s arm released her husband. She lay flat on her back on the car’s rear seat, panting, sweat dripping from her pores. Lying on his side next to her, Tom stroked her cheek. Husband and wife were exhausted. Tom grabbed the blanket from behind their seat and placed it over their nude forms. Sleep was likely in their near future.

  “I wanted to do this when we were on the road,” Tom said in a soft, exhausted tone. “But we had our chaperone along…”

  Cheryl smiled. “This your idea of great romance?”

  “It’s a classic.” Tom kissed Cheryl’s cheek. “Go to the back seat.” He kissed her neck. “Start exploring…” He then gave her a squeeze under the covers that elicited a giggle from the redhead. “Does make it exciting, doesn’t it?”

  “You got that right.” Cheryl then rubbed the part of Tom’s face by his left eye socket. The skin was red. “That, and the part where I hit you.”

  “I can’t believe you hit me.”

  “Well, I’m sorry.” Cheryl laughed. “But approaching a soldier from behind is not a good idea.”

  “But it was just me!”

  “And how was I supposed to know that? I thought you were in the car! I didn’t know you were hiding in the woods waiting for me.” Cheryl kept on laughing. “And I certainly didn’t know you were…you know…”

  “Yeah there was nothing between my…” Tom looked down under the covers at a certain part of his anatomy. “…and your knee.”

  Cheryl puckered her lips. “Aww, does it still hurt?”

  “Not after your tender loving care.” He kissed her lips. “Everything we do seems to be wild and crazy.”

  Cheryl nodded. “Do you ever think about what it’d be like, if the world never fell apart, and we still met? What do you think it’d be like if we got married and lived in that old world where we still had everything, our cars, phones, the internet, even those annoying telemarketing calls that make you want to smash the receiver?”

  Tom almost responded that he never had thought about it, but he had, once. It was when they were on the road, searching for Amir and The Coach. The pair finally had surrendered to their passions and made love inside their camping tent. That night, Tom had enjoyed the first peaceful slumber he had in a long time, and he had dreamed of Cheryl and Amir in a seeming idyllic life in the pre-EMP world. But it was just an expression of relief. He hadn’t thought of such an existence since. And frankly, having experienced a much different k
ind of life for the past year, it now was almost impossible, even ludicrous, to imagine Cheryl inside a cozy suburban home.

  “You mean you in the kitchen, handling our baby, while I run out to my car, headed to work every day?”

  Cheryl laughed. “Yeah.”

  “Oh Lord, I don’t think that image works. Ordinary suburban housewife does not fit you.”

  The pair laid there for a little longer. “Tom?” Cheryl finally broke the silence. “We’ve been together for almost a year. Do you think it’s strange that I’ve never become pregnant?”

  “No, no. Sometimes it takes a while.”

  “If I could ask, do you know how long it took for your first wife to become pregnant? I mean, you know...” Cheryl grimaced. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, that’s fine.” Tom closed his eyes. “Well, she got pregnant about four weeks after we got married. But we had gotten to know each other real well before the wedding, if you know what I mean.”

  Cheryl chuckled. “Let me guess. Car?”

  “Elevator. After hours.”

  Cheryl exhaled loudly. “Then maybe it is me.”

  “C’mon. You’re perfect. There’s nothing wrong with you.” He then pulled the cover off Cheryl’s body, revealing the lady in her full glory. “See? Total perfection.”

  Cheryl giggled. “Thanks.” She then looked down at herself, not feeling as confident as her husband was. “Then you’re not disappointed?”

  “I never could be disappointed in you. I’m more worried about how you feel.”

  The redhead looked into his chest. “When I came home from overseas, I wanted to have the family I was missing out on. I wanted to know what it felt like to be pregnant, have a baby, nurse it…” She looked up him. “Maybe I wasn’t fated to have that.”

  “Well, maybe not right now. But you never know.”

  Cheryl’s smile grew. “But even if it never works out with a baby, I have more children then I could have dreamed of. I couldn’t be happier to have them.”

  Tom leaned down and kissed his wife on the lips. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to keep trying.” His hands crawled down, below Cheryl’s stomach. “…real hard…”

  Cheryl then laughed loudly. “Tom…”

  The rest of the night returned to the couple’s former state of bliss, followed by a good night’s sleep. Tom was the first to awaken, prompted by the sunlight streaming through the windows.

  Before Cheryl stirred, he had some time to reflect. He had arranged this night of romance for more than just making up for some missed opportunity on the road. Change was coming. The house was speeding toward completion. Soon he would have to oversee the big move to their new home. There wouldn’t be time for another evening of intimacy. They’d likely be so exhausted they’d drop off to sleep.

  But there was more change to come. In two days, the town finally would begin selecting its new leadership. Tom was eager to see who the people would choose for their new council.

  Chapter Four

  Bridget Tanner raised the paper to her face. “And the votes are in.”

  The crowd of about eighty grew silent as they waited for the young woman to read the results. They had gathered around the town’s fishing shop, which had been the center of town life for a while, as the town was so small it actually had no real town hall. Tom and Cheryl stood behind their wall of thirteen kids, all eager to hear the results.

  “District at large, Sarah Shelton, unopposed,” Bridget read.

  The crowd broke out in cheers. Nearby, Sarah smiled and waved. That wasn’t unexpected. No one wanted to run against the widow of the first victim of the uprising against the NATO army. Besides, Sarah was well liked.

  Bridget read the next name on the list. “District one, Lauren Whitaker, unopposed.” Again, no surprise. Lauren was the town’s most experienced doctor and had bound up a lot of the wounded men after they had successfully taken back the town.

  The next winner was read. “District two. Nadia Daniels.”

  Cheryl shook with excitement. Tom watched her expression. Seeing Nadia win would be a big deal for her.

  “Thirteen votes. Jamie Cooper, thirty-five votes. Cooper is the winner.”

  The crowd broke out in cheers and claps, while Cheryl’s expression suddenly collapsed. “Damn.” But she quickly joined in with the applause, along with Tom and the kids.

  Tom was particularly stunned. How did Nadia lose? She was as strong a leader as Sarah and Lauren. And who was Jamie Cooper? Granted, Tom didn’t know everyone in town, but he felt strange not knowing someone who was running for their town leadership.

  The former policewoman walked by, clapping and smiling. “Hey, the street’s where I belong anyway.” Cheryl rushed over to her and hugged her anyway.

  Jackie tugged Tom’s arm. “Why did Aunt Nadia lose?”

  “Yeah, that was stupid,” Terry said, “They should make them do it over.”

  “That’s not the way it works.” Tom leaned over his confused and disappointed kids. “It’s called democracy. We all run in a fair election and the person who gets the most votes wins. We all must respect the voters’ choice.”

  Nadia strolled up to them, apparently overhearing their conversation. “Look, it’s on me. Jamie was the big idea man. Hell, I almost voted for him.”

  “District three,” Bridget announced, “Simon Terrell, sixteen votes. Karen Edwards, fifteen votes.”

  Tom turned to Cheryl and mouthed “Karen?” She was just as surprised to hear that woman’s name being called.

  “Daryl Dunn, fourteen votes. Leland Lake, three votes.”

  A few in the crowd laughed. A bedraggled man raised his hands, giving both a thumbs-up. “Looney Leland” had decided to run for office. Tom smiled, but didn’t laugh. Leland may be a little off, but he had smelled the dark intentions of the NATO troops. Tom even witnessed the troops harassing him.

  “The winner is Simon Terrell,” Bridget finished.

  The crowd applauded. Simon’s a good pick, Tom thought. Both Daryl and Simon were veterans of the war with the NATO troops. Tom personally fought beside both of them and was sure one of them would win. While it did happen, he was stunned Simon only beat out Karen Edwards by just one vote.

  He leaned next to Cheryl. “Karen was running?”

  “She didn’t tell me!” Cheryl looked utterly shocked.

  “She didn’t,” Nadia said, “It was all a write-in campaign. It was all sympathy. A bunch of the women in that district got together. She kept telling them she didn’t want it, but they didn’t listen.”

  Tom and Cheryl exchanged worried glances. Karen was well known as one of the victims of the NATO soldiers’ brutality. She was kidnapped and brutally beaten and raped by the soldiers. The road to recovery had been slow, yet the physical wounds, by outward appearances, finally had healed. But Karen herself never was the same. Her outgoing personality had faded. She was more withdrawn, staying to herself, accepting the help of Cheryl and a few others. Cheryl particularly took a great interest in helping Karen heal psychologically. She understood from her mother’s experience what horrors a man could inflict on a woman.

  Bridget then read off the winner for the last council seat, a man named Brian Jenkins, another veteran of the uprising against the NATO troops who Tom had come to know.

  “Everyone!” Bridget raised the list. “I give you your town council!”

  The cheering was by far the loudest. At last, the town had completed its first successful election. They had planned to put together an election to select their official leaders, but the NATO occupation had scuttled such plans. After they were liberated, Tom and the other leaders of the resistance put together a new plan, with help from Tom’s son Michael, to divide the town into three districts. This first election wouldn’t be too fancy. It was like building the frame of a house. Someday, there would be an even bigger council and an actual mayor.

  “I’m surprised Obie didn’t run,” Tom said.

  “I’m shocked
you two didn’t jump in,” Nadia added, “You two could be king and queen if you wanted.”

  Cheryl shook her head. “We just want to be Mr. and Mrs. Criver living on Elmwood Street.”

  At that moment, Sarah came by and hugged Bridget. The newly elected councilwoman at large then spoke up. “And now, for the first time in our new town, let’s raise the flag!”

  The crowd cheered and hollered as a large American flag was raised on the roof of the fishing shop. Cheers turned to shouts of “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!”

  Then another figure approached the two women. He was a tall man, bald, with ebony skin, a thin build, and blue eyes. The chants morphed back to applause. This newcomer must be Jamie Cooper, as Tom knew everyone else who had been elected.

  “Thank you, thank you,” Cooper said, “I am very honored and humbled to be elected to serve you. I am very grateful to this town for taking me in, when I was without a home and starving on the road.”

  He must have arrived recently, Tom thought. That would make sense. He knew he never saw Cooper during the NATO war.

  “I have spent much of my life on two continents, this one and Europe. If I was to choose one, it would be North America and, specifically, the United States.”

  More applause. Cooper wasn’t a perfect speaker, but he had their attention.

  “Now, let us recite the Pledge of Allegiance.” Cooper turned to the flag.

  Everyone turned to the flag and put their hand on their heart. Some of the kids were a bit confused. “What are we doing?” Terry asked.

  “Pledge of Allegiance,” Charlie said.

  “Put your hand on your heart,” Fred added.

  The crowd recited the pledge, though some of the kids had to repeat it a few seconds later. Tom bristled at the thought that some of his children didn’t even know the pledge.

  They’ll learn, Tom reassured himself. In fact, this whole event was an affirmation of basic American values. At times, he feared they’d fade into the morass of anarchy caused by the EMP. Today, they took a step toward preserving those values.