Grace Lost (21 page)

“You won’t lose me, Zoe.  No
chance of it.”  He kissed my forehead.  “C’mon, let’s go get to know
everyone.”

“Ya, just what I want.  My
new best girlfriend Susan,” I mumbled sarcastically.

He stood and held a hand out for
me.  Reluctantly, I took it and stood.  I left my shoes behind and
walked downstairs with him.  Once at the bottom of the steps, he took my
hand in his and walked with me into the living room.  Wanda and Louisa had
taken seats on one of the loveseats.  Susan was sitting on the other and
smiled when she saw Boggs.  Her smile faded a bit when she saw that our
hands were joined.  Emilie and Gus had brought the four chairs in from the
kitchen table, and the two of them and Julio had settled onto three of
them.  Boggs unexpectedly lifted me off of my feet and sat in the last open
chair, setting me on his lap.  It left Susan sitting on the sofa by
herself.

“Susan, this is Zoe.  We’ve
been friends for as long as I can remember.  She knows about what happened
with us at the university.  We both know it was a mistake, all of
it.  Zoe and I are together, and I’d like to ask that you respect that.”

I was shocked by his
frankness.  Shocked, but pleased.  I looked over and saw Emilie
hiding a smile.  I dared to look at Susan, who was flushed and looked
appalled.

“Uh, well, Zoe wasn’t there when
you were screwing my brains out,” said Susan nastily.  “Was she?”

I couldn’t believe Boggs had been
with such a nasty woman.  I already despised her.

“Cool it,” Boggs said.  “No
need to be rude, Susan.”

The woman pretended to inspect her
fingernails.  “Whatever.” 

No one else spoke.

I looked at Boggs, who winked at
me.  I forced a small insincere smile at him.  I still wanted to
disappear.  I looked over and saw that Wanda, the older woman, had fallen
asleep.  Or maybe she was smart and just pretending to be. 

“Ok, kids,” said Gus.  “Let’s
move on to the important stuff.”

Julio looked up and spoke. 
“Great.  I guess our biggest question is will you all be ok with us
staying here?  It’s all of us though,” he added.  “Louisa, Wanda,
Susan, and I have been together now for awhile.  Looks like there’s some
tension here, but the four of us have to stay together.  He looked at
Louisa, who had a hand resting on her swollen belly, and smiled at her. 
He took Louisa’s other hand is his.  “I’ll see to it that Susan behaves,”
he added.

Susan glared at Julio.

Gus sighed heavily.  “We
don’t have much room, and not many supplies, but I think I can speak for my
friends when we say we won’t turn friendly survivors away.  What you see
is what you get. 
Three bedrooms upstairs, a small
attic, one bathroom, and then the kitchen and living room down here.
 
We have solar power and propane for the fireplace, oven, stove, and
refrigerator.”

“We’d be grateful for a corner, if
you feel you can spare it,” said Julio.

 I took notice that Julio
seemed mature beyond his age.  His exterior looked rough, but he seemed
like a genuinely nice guy.

“We can empty out the third
bedroom upstairs,” said Gus.  He looked over at Emilie.  “Em, you
okay with me officially moving in with you?”

She took his hand in hers and
smiled warmly. 
“Of course.”

Julio spoke up.  “That’s very
kind.  We appreciate it.  Wanda might do best down here, to avoid the
stairs.  We have a bed in the step van we can bring in if that’s ok?”

“Absolutely,” said
Boggs.   I had nestled in against him and was rather comfortable.

Susan looked up.  “You said
there’s an attic?”

Gus nodded. 
“Yes, ma’am.”

“Can I use it then?”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Gus
again.  I got the impression he wasn’t taking a liking to her either.

“We have things in the van we
should bring in,” said Julio.  “Food, blankets, water,
 
Wanda’s
bed.”

“What about a bathroom for Wanda?”
I asked.  “The only one is all the way up the stairs.”

Louisa spoke.  “We have a
commode in the van.  I’ll help her with using it.”  She had a very
soft, sweet voice.

“Louisa, you take such good care
of her,” said Julio.

Louisa looked over at Wanda and
covered her hand in her own as she slept.   “She looks so
tired.  Every day she looks a little older. 
A
little more frail.
  She reminds me of my Mama in some ways.” 
Louisa smiled at Julio.  “How could I not take care of her, J?”  I
saw tears welling in Louisa’s brown eyes.

“You’ll be such a good mom, Isa,”
he said sweetly.

I saw Susan roll her eyes.

“I do hope so,” said Louisa with a
sigh. 

It had taken the rest of the day
to rework the front door to allow for carrying in Wanda’s twin bed and other
supplies from the step van.  Once the door was finished, Emilie and I had
volunteered to do Wanda and Louisa’s share of the work for the day, allowing
them to rest in the living room.  Susan, to my relief, made herself busy
with organizing the attic.  I had a fleeting desire to lock her up there.

Julio and Boggs carried the frame
to the twin bed inside.  It was just the simple metal type, but by using
both men it kept them from the hassle of disassembling the whole thing. 
Gus carried the mattress and Emilie and I helped each other with the box
springs.  It was decided the bed would be placed next to the fire to help
keep Wanda warm.  Louisa and Julio would be using the third bedroom
upstairs.  Since the bed and frame in that room had been stripped down and
used for boarding windows and making weapons, leaving just a full sized mattress
on the floor, Emilie had suggested that she and Gus swap out their queen sized
bed and frame.   Gus was all for it, agreeing that he and Emilie
would be fine sleeping on the mattress on the floor of their room.  Susan
would stay in the attic on a camp cot they had brought with them in the
van. 

Once Wanda’s bed was set up, we
made quick trips outside to bring the rest of the supplies in.  We
discovered that the newcomers had come across the Explorer on their way in and
scavenged it.  All of our supplies had been brought to us in an odd twist
of fate, saving us the work.  Julio and Gus had discussed emergency plans,
and decided it would be wise to leave a box of dried goods and bottled water in
the step van, as well as blankets.  By the time we were finished bringing
in the rest of the provisions, the bodies in the yard had burned down to
blackened bone.  The plan was to bury what remained the next day out of
respect for
who
the creatures had once been when they
were human.  We went inside together, and secured the front door for the
night.  Louisa had put fresh sheets on Wanda’s bed and had it ready for
the woman to sleep for the night.  Susan was sitting on one of the
loveseats with her feet up, lazily reading a magazine she said she had found in
the attic.  Wanda was sitting at the kitchen table.  She looked so
tired.  Louisa was busy in the kitchen making dinner.  She had set
the counter with paper plates and plastic forks and told us it would be buffet
style since the table was too small to accommodate everyone.  She had made
spaghetti using noodles they had brought with them and jarred sauce that was in
the cabin’s kitchen.  The smell made my mouth water and my stomach growl.

“I thought it’d be nice to have a
hot dinner to celebrate new friends,” said the Latina with a smile.  “I
hope no one minds?”

Julio answered.  “Louisa,
you’re too sweet.  You sit though and let me finish, chica.”  He
walked up to her and kissed her on the cheek.  “Please, let me help. 
Go, sit next to Wanda.”

She nodded.  “Ok.”  The
pregnant girl walked to the table and sat down beside the frail older
woman.  Wanda took her hand and smiled at her.  They had a very
noticeable bond. 

I walked over to Julio to see if I
could help.  “Need a hand?” I asked. 

He smiled brightly at me. 
“Sure.  You can look for a colander to drain the noodles.”

I smiled back.  “I know just
where to find one.”  I walked to a cabinet and pulled the strainer out,
and then set it in the sink.

“It’ll be nice to not have to
climb in and out over the sink anymore,” Emilie said as she walked up behind
me.

“Oh, I don’t know,” I said. 
“It was so much fun.”  I rolled my eyes, and then smiled and giggled.

“Finally, she has a sense of
humor,” said Boggs as he walked into the room.

“Ha ha,” I said in reply.

The kitchen was growing crowded,
but it felt good to be around other people.

Gus joined us.  He walked up
behind Emilie and wrapped his arms around her.  They were growing very
close, and I was glad they were happy. 

“If y’all don’t mind, I’d like to
sit at the table with Louisa, Wanda, and Julio,” said Gus.  “We have some
things to talk about.”

Susan had walked to the threshold
between the living room and the kitchen.  She cleared her throat then
interrupted.  “Shouldn’t we all be involved in conversations?”

Gus turned to her.  “Not this
one,” he said.

“Why not?” she
asked.
  I found her to be far too
bold.

Gus crossed his arms over his
chest.  “It involves Wanda and Louisa, and their conditions,” he answered
simply.

“Fine.
  Is dinner ready?” she asked.

Julio turned away from the
stove.  “Yes, Susan, dinner is ready.  Let me serve the ladies at the
table then you can come in and dish up your own plate.”

Susan walked back into the living
room without saying anything else.

Gus sat at the table with the two
women.  He began talking to them about his background as a nurse in the
Army.  I relieved Julio at the stove, and whispered to him to go ahead and
join the others at the table and I’d serve everyone.  He kissed the back
of my hand in thanks, and then situated himself in the fourth seat at the
table.  I turned off the stove and walked the boiling noodles to the sink,
where I poured them into the strainer to drain.  Emilie brought paper
plates over one at a time while I scooped servings of noodles and sauce, and
then she quietly took them to the table where she served Wanda first, and
Louisa next.  Boggs had left the kitchen, making me nervous that he was
with Susan.  Em served Julio next, I assumed because he was new to us, and
then Gus.  I listened half heartedly as Gus talked about planning a
scavenging trip to secure medication and medical supplies.  Wanda was very
matter of fact about her terminal condition.  I admired her emotional
strength, and wished she could stay with us for the long haul.  Emilie and
I dished up our own dinner and took it into the living room, where Susan still
lazily took up an entire loveseat.  Emilie and I sat on the other couch
together, using our laps as table substitutes.

“You can go get some food, Susan,”
suggested Emilie.

“That’s ok, I’ll wait for
Adam.  He’s taking a shower.”

“Suit
yourself
,”
said my red headed friend.  She added a noodle to her mouth and sucked it
up between her lips. 

Susan put her magazine down. 
“So, Zoe, Adam never mentioned you to me.” 

I looked up, finished chewing a
bit of food, and swallowed.  “No?  He mentioned you to me,” I
said.  I tried to keep my face void of emotion.  I took another bite
of my dinner to avoid talking.

I heard Boggs come down the
stairs, and was glad he’d be interrupting.  When he entered the room with
a plate of steaming food, Susan swung her legs off the couch.

“You can sit here, Adam,” she said
with a smile.

Emilie stood up.  “Here
Boggs, you can sit next to Zoe.  She’s been waiting for you.”

“Thanks Em,” he said.

Boggs sat next to me, and I was
glad.  Susan got up and walked to the kitchen.   Emilie was
watching the woman walk away, and I could tell my friend was peeved.

“Rude,” whispered Emilie.

“Emilie, after dinner I’ll help
Gus switch the beds around upstairs.  That’s sweet of you to give the
better one to Louisa,” said Boggs with his mouth full.

“It’s the least we could do,” she
said.  “Scoot over, Boggs?  I don’t want to sit next to her either.”

“Sure Em, you and Zoe can share
me.”  Boggs winked at her and scooted closer to me, so that he was
centered on the small couch.  Em sat down next to him, careful to not
jostle our plates.

“Thanks,” she mumbled after she
put another bite into her mouth.  “Man that was sweet of Louisa to make
dinner.”

“She seems really nice,” I
added.  “Do you think Julio’s the father?”

“Zoe!” Boggs nudged me. 
“It’s none of our business.”

“Sorry,” I muttered.

Susan came back in with a plate of
spaghetti and walked back to her seat.  “So, Adam, how have you been?” she
asked as if all was well with them.