Internet Kill Switch (24 page)

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By the next day, Tony had downed several more cups of tea and felt better than he had since... well, since he didn’t know when. For the first time since getting shot outside the compound, his leg didn’t feel on fire. It still hurt, but was now more of a manageable ache. And even that was reduced by some sort of root Sani made him chew on. He pulled away the bandages and looked at the stitches in his leg; the redness was a light pink, and the stitches held tight. In fact, he was sure that Sani’s needlework was significantly better than the doctor who had sewn him up at the hospital.

The rest of his body had come a similarly long way since showing up on Sani’s doorstep. The alternating chills and heat flashes were gone. The fever
had passed, and his head no longer felt the size of Nebraska. He was still weak, very weak. His arms felt like lead when he tried to move them. But that, too, was beginning to subside. Much of it had to do with the fresh vegetables from the garden, along with several platefuls of scrambled eggs he’d eaten that morning. “Hot meal can do as much as good medicine,” Sani said.

Now he sat propped up in the bed, reading his book. Scarlett read in her chair. Sani was outside, showing Rick how to milk the cow. Rick had
assumed management of the household since they’d arrived, including all the cooking and cleaning. Sani took an immediate liking to his hard-working nature.

Tony put his book down a moment and looked at Scarlett. “I think I’ll be able to travel in a few days.”

Scarlett smiled. “That’s great. Although I’ll miss Sani when we leave; I could stay here with her forever.”

“I know. She’s just about the most amazing person I’ve ever met.”

Scarlett got up and kissed Tony on the forehead, enjoying the coolness of the touch. “Me, too. After you, of course.”

Tony thrilled at the kiss, and the compliment
. He remembered their kiss back at the campsite, of course, but he’d been feeling so bad then that he couldn’t properly enjoy it. Now that the fever had left, he gloried in the touch of Scarlett’s lips on his head.

He put his hand on the back of Scarlett’s head and gently pulled her face down to his, kissing her on the mouth. She responded delightedly, pressing harder and sitting down on the bed next to h
im.

They stayed pressed together like that for a full minute, fireworks going off in their heads. Then Tony felt Scarlett’s hand touch his chest and linger there
, rubbing gently. Her hand drifted downward, onto his thigh. She rubbed there, too, then slowly slid her hand inward, getting nearer his crotch. Tony’s body stiffened, wondering if Scarlett planned to go further.

Just as he had those thoughts, the back door opened, breaking the spell. Scarlett sprang off the bed and quickly returned to her chair. She picked up her book and tried to find her place
; Tony did the same thing. In another moment, Sani entered the room and sat down in the chair next to Tony’s bed.

Unbelievable, Scarlett thought
. Interrupted every time she kissed Tony.

Tony, for his part,
was relieved that Sani had come in. He didn’t know if he was ready for what he thought Scarlett might be trying to do.

Rick’s voice came from the kitchen. “Get ready for some fresh milk
, soon as I boil it and let it cool!”

“Milk good for recovery,” Sani said to Tony. He nodded and tried to get back to his book.

Scarlett’s mind, full of things other than the book, wandered. She looked up and saw Sani staring at Tony. Then the old woman looked at her. Scarlett quickly looked down at the pages.

After a couple of minutes, Scarlett chanced another look at Sani. She was staring off out the window, a slight smile on her face, humming a tune. If Sani sensed anything about what had just happened in the room, Scarlett couldn’t see it.

59

That night they had a full-fledged chicken dinner. Rick had scoured the local area on his bike, and found a farmer selling them. He bought three, which the farmer killed for him. When he got back to the house, Sani instructed him and Scarlett in the fine art of plucking, cleaning and baking a chicken.

When the meal was ready, they prepared to take it into the bedroom. But Tony insisted that he could get up and join them in the dining room. Sani said he should try it
, if he felt well enough.

Tony got out of bed slowly, and took his time making the short walk into the dining room. He sat down carefully in a chair and relaxed, as everyone watched.

“You move slow as Sani,” the old woman said, to laughter.

Tony looked around
and smiled. “I’m starved. What’s for dinner?” The tension surrounding Tony’s recovery evaporated, and the quartet had a dinner that, after the junk food and cold snacks that had been dinner for the past week, tasted as good as anything a king ever had at a wedding feast.

As they ate, Tony asked Sani about her past. He’d never met anyone like her, and wanted to know where she came from, how she got here in this little town in east Tennessee.

“Was born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma,” Sani said. “Long time ago. My father very old when I born, about 60. My family very long-lived; mother and father both lived to more than 100. For me, I interested in medicine from young age. Liked helping people get better. Interested in what make them sick.”

She popped a piece of chicken in her mouth and slowly chewed and swallowed. Tony had gotten used to Sani’s personal rhythm by now, and didn’t mind waiting. In a way, it was nice to not be in a hurry. He always had the feeling he was rushing through his life, even when there wasn’t much going on.

“I study much healing growing up, from medicine m
en, medicine women. I even study at local university. Learn white-man healing too, add it to what I know from my people.”

Sani looked far off as she continued. “Not everyone like what I do.
“Stay with your own”, they tell me. Live most of life in Tahlequah, but I want to learn from everyone, everywhere, not just from Cherokee. I learn English, but not for many years. But if I don’t learn, I never fall in love with Harold.”

“How did you meet him?” Scarlett asked.

“Harold was traveling salesman, selling vacuums. He had heart attack in my town while showing customer how much dirt his vacuum can pick up. I work at hospital where he brought, and took care of him several days.”

Sani sighed
at the memory; her head and hands swayed slightly back and forth as she talked.

“He had long recovery, and stay in town. He very kind to me, take me to dinner, long walks.
Had sparkle in eye and strength in hands. After some time, he ask to marry me. Many try to talk me out of it, since he not Cherokee, or Indian at all. But I not listen. He love me, and I love him. What else matter?”

Scarlett teared up a bit. “That’s so romantic!” She gave Tony a look, but his head was down as he ate. She wondered for a moment if he deliberately avoided her eye.

“Was he your first husband?” Rick asked.

“First
husband, only husband,” Sani said. “Never in love before, never in love again.”

“Why did you move here?” Tony said.

“Harold from here,” Sani answered. “Ask me to move with him. I say yes. I love my home, where I grew up, but want to be with Harold more.”

“How long have you lived here?” Rick asked.

Sani tapped her finger on her chin. “Since 1981. He leave sales job and work at bank here, so he could be home with me.”

Rick looked around the room and thought of something he’d wanted to ask since their first night in the house. “I noticed you don’t have any TVs or radios, or computers.”

“No, none,” Sani said. “I never see television show, or movie, or listen to radio or go on computer.”

“Ever?” asked Scarlett
, shocked.

“No,” Sani said. “None of those around when I grow up. Never got used to them, so never need
them.”

“Bet you had a lot of free time,” Rick said.

“I stay busy,” Sani said. “I read much, think much. Used to paint, ride horses, sew and knit. Now, too old for those things; eyes can’t see well enough anymore. But Sani happy. Not miss Internet, not miss television.” She looked at Rick. “Did I miss much?”

Rick laughed. “To tell you the truth, not much, that I can see.”

Sani pushed her empty plate back. “Thank you for nice dinner, Rick.”

“My pleasure, Sani.”

Sani sat back and looked at them each in turn as she talked. “It good to have time to think. To meditate. To pray. Fewer distractions give more time to focus on important things in life. Do you ask why you are here? Do you have purpose? Is life about being born, living a few years and dying? Is there something more? People not ask questions like they used to. So many things pushed at them now from Internet. I walk here and there, and last few years I see people looking at phones rather than world. Not seeing sky or birds or stars or flowers. See people trying to get something rather than give something.”

Sani paused
a moment, as a memory stirred her. “Harold and I in park few years ago. Was sunset. He hold my hand, as always. We sit on bench. On other side of hedge between us, young man got down on knee and propose to girlfriend. As he propose, he hold out ring to her in one hand. In other hand, he hold out phone to side, to video record proposal. She say yes, and give him hug. He continue recording through hug. Harold hear man say he put video on something called “you-tube”. I watch this and cry.”

A tear dropped down her cheek again
at the memory. “I know then that I not miss anything with no computer, no Internet.”

Silence filled the room.
The story hit too close to home for all of them, who had some similar memories.

“You got married late in life,” Scarlett said
, thinking about how long ago 1980 was.

“Yes, but it OK. Not find right man until then. I get married at
99 years old.” Sani said it simply, matter-of-factly.

“What?” said Rick, no so matter-of-factly. “
Ninety-nine?”

“Yes.”

Scarlett gasped. Tony gasped. Rick dropped his fork, which clattered on the table.

“
You were born in... in... 1881?” Scarlett said.

“Yes, 1881.”

Tony stammered. “But that would make you...” he tried to calculate, but crossing two centuries took some time to add up.

She looked at Tony. “Sani
132 years old.”

60

“That’s impossible!” Rick exclaimed.
“Nobody’s that old!” The trio stayed up talking long after Sani had gone to sleep. The news of her age acted like a jolt from 10 shots of espresso.

“I don’t see any reason to doubt her,” Scarlett said. “We knew from the moment we met her that she was ancient.”

“Yeah, but, but...” Rick trailed off. “I mean, 132? That would make her, like, the oldest person in the world.”

“This is when we need the Internet,” Tony said. “Max could find out in a second.”

“Unfortunately, Max continues to be out of commission,” Max said. “Max is as useless as an appendix, and as dumb as Siri. That does seem nearly unheard-of, though.”

“Why would she lie?” Scarlett said.

“I didn’t say she’s lying,” Rick said. “But there’s no doubt she’s really, really, really old. She could easily have forgotten when her birthday was. People that old forget stuff all the time.”

“But she had no trouble remembering the year
she was born, the year she was married,” Tony said. “She didn’t hesitate. She’s still as sharp as anyone, from what I can tell. Her mind doesn’t seem to have gone.”

Rick
agreed with that. “That’s true. And one thing’s for sure: not having the Internet or TV or movies hasn’t hurt her any.”

Scarlett nodded
. “I really envy her. She doesn’t need to be entertained to be happy. She entertains herself, in her mind, with her hands, her humming. I was falling apart after two days without Facebook,” she said sheepishly.

“Not just you,” Tony said. “We all missed that stuff. Look what’s happened to people; they’re going crazy.
All because we can’t connect online. Look at...” he stopped short of saying “Abby,” forgetting for a moment how raw it still was for Scarlett.

Scarlett looked at him, hurt in her eyes; but not hurt from what he said. “You’re right, Tony. S
ani doesn’t need constant updates to feel fulfilled. It seems like... life, just life, fills her up. She knows who she is and why she’s here. That’s a lot more than I know.”

“At that age, you’d better know yourself,” Max said. “You’ve had a lot of time to do self-exams.”

Tony, who liked philosophical discussions, considered that. “I’m not so sure everyone looks deep inside themselves, no matter how old they are. I worked last summer as a caddy at a golf course. I regularly saw old men acting like children. One guy, who hit his ball into a lake, smashed his club into the metal roof of the golf cart I was standing next to. Dented it so bad they had to replace it. And the stuff those guys say. It’s not like I have virgin ears or anything, but man, did they go crazy sometimes.”

Rick yawned. “I’m gettin’ tired. I was thinking I might ride into Knoxville tomorrow for supplies, before we start off again. We n
eed to get back on the road soon, you know?”

Tony felt his leg
, which didn’t hurt anymore. The stitches were doing their work, and his wound looked better every day, the skin re-forming. He was a bit wary of undoing all that healing. On the other hand, he knew they needed to get back on track to Maryland and try and end this.

“That’s a good idea. I think another couple of days, and I’ll be ready to try it again.” He looked at Scarlett, who pursed her lips in apprehension as he caught her eye
, but said nothing.