The Harvesting (13 page)

“
Let’s wait and make sure
the flu passes. Don’t want to risk it. Unless there is an
emergency, maybe we should just call everyone for a New Year’s
celebration. After all, we did live.”

“
That’s a good idea. We
could even get out some of the old prom gear from the school
storage, make it a party,” Ian added. He then smiled at me.
“Remember our prom?” he asked.

“
How can I forget? Poor
Grandma, bless her heart, wherever did she find that terrible
yellow prom gown? I didn’t have the heart to tell I wouldn’t wear
it.”

“
I remember they called
you Big Bird, but you looked beautiful to me,” he said and smiled.
“Hey, you still have that dress?”

“
I am not sure I want to
answer that question.”

“
You should wear it again.
Some people might get a kick out of it.”

“
Some people?”

“
Well, me.”

“
I am not sure I want to
open myself up to that kind of ridicule again.”

Ian set the cup down. He took my
hands, stroking my fingers. “That was the best night of my life,”
he whispered. We looked at one another. We both knew it was the
night we’d made love for the first time.

“
Jesus,” Jamie said as he
ambled sleepily into the living room, “why the hell is it so hot in
here?” He stopped and looked down at us.

I pulled my hands away, but I was too
late.

“
What the hell are you
doing back so late?” Jamie scolded his brother.

Ian looked puzzled.

I lowered my eyes.

“
I was all over town
today. People are getting sick. You probably need to get out there
and check on folks tomorrow.”

“
Yeah, yeah, I guess I
better do that. Doesn’t look like I’m much needed here anyway,” he
said and turned to go back to bed. “Stoke down the fire, Layla,
you’re letting it get too hot,” he called as he walked out of the
room. The edge in his voice was clear, but his meaning hit me even
harder.

“
What’s with him?” Ian
asked.

I shrugged. “Well, I’m going back to
bed now. You’re okay?” I asked and rose.

“
Good enough, I guess,” he
said. “Goodnight,” he added, gazing up at me. The look on his face
told me what he was wishing for. I had seen that look many times in
the past.

“
Goodnight,” I replied
simply and walked down the hall.

Before I went to bed, I paused in the
hallway outside the spare room. I didn’t hear Jamie
snoring.

“
Jamie?” I
whispered.

He didn’t answer me, but I knew he was
awake.

“
It wasn’t what it looked
like,” I whispered into the darkness. “I’m not—I don’t
want—Jamie?”

Still he did not reply.

Sighing, I went back to my bed and
laid down. I was just dozing off to sleep when I felt someone sit
down on the bed beside me. I worried which one had come.

I opened my eyes and tried to focus in
the dim light. I found my grandmother looking down at
me.

“
Grandma?” I said too
loudly, clambering to sit up.

She lifted her finger to her lips to
silence me and motioned for me to stay comfortable.

“
What is it?” I
whispered.

My darling,
she said to me,
be
brave, but you need be aware too. The great eye within you is open,
but you need to see. Make sure you see, Layla, really
see.

“
See what?” I
whispered.

Everything,
she said with a smile and then faded.
See everything.

Chapter 16

By Christmas Eve the flu had run
through the town and killed twelve of the elderly citizens,
including Mr. Franklin. The flu provided Jamie with a good excuse
to stay away from me. I almost never saw him, and when I did, he
pretended nothing had happened—neither the kiss nor his jealousy.
It was as if he erased the whole moment in the woods from his
memory, and we’d gone back to being friends and only friends. The
more he acted, the angrier I became. I did not want to be his
friend. I wanted him.

On Christmas Eve day, I dragged home a
small pine tree for the girls.

“
Oh, look at this!” Susan
screamed excitedly.

“
Grandma made me toss the
Christmas ornaments, but I thought we could make some decorations
ourselves,” I told the girls as I set up the tree.

The last few months had been hard on
the little girls I’d come to love so dearly. They had both lost too
much weight and many times they were sad and sulking. They had seen
too much.

We rifled around the house and found a
bunch of miscellaneous items to make decorations: empty shot-gun
shells, canning rings, and other small items. I’d unearthed some
silver paint from the barn. Frenchie put the excited children to
work painting and then pulled me into the kitchen.

“
I have nothing for them,”
she whispered, distressed.

“
I was going to head into
town really quick. I needed to run an errand. Don’t worry, I’ll
find something. Lend me your credit card?”

She laughed. “Thank you.”

I reloaded the guns and went out to
the barn and got on the snowmobile. It was bitterly cold. I had on
my heavy winter jacket and goggles. The snowmobile purred when I
started it. After securing the cabin, I headed down the
snow-covered road toward town.

It was eerie to see the town
completely deserted and covered in deep snow. If anyone else had
been around, it was not apparent. The snow had drifted everywhere.
I stopped first at the grocery store. While we had cleared the
place of food and daily living supplies, I remembered that the
owners had a claw machine full of toys.

I pulled my gun and pushed the door
open. “Anyone inside?” I called. “I don’t want to shoot you, unless
you’re already dead.”

After a moment had passed with no
answer and no movement, I went inside. The large windows of the
grocery store illuminated the space. We’d already cleared the store
out, but you could never be too careful. That was a lesson I’d
learned once too often. The shelves of the store were nearly bare.
We’d cleared the store of rotting food to ensure it didn’t become a
germ pool. Miscellaneous items littered the shelves, but the
essentials were gone. At the back of the store I found the claw
machine. Inside were numerous dolls, stuffed animals, and packs of
plastic toys. Not wanting to break the glass and get shards on the
toys, I pondered what to do. I pushed the machine from the wall
then grabbed the axe that hung by the fire extinguisher near the
back door. With a heave, I chopped the lock. After two swings the
case opened. I grabbed the nicest toys I could find and stuffed
them into my backpack.

I was on my way out, moving through
the aisles, when I heard the front door bang open.

I ducked low. I held the gun in one
hand and the axe in the other. I crept down the aisle, keeping an
eye out for feet, and listened for movement. Nothing. I made my way
to the end of the aisle.

“
Anyone alive out there?”
I called.

There was no answer. The door squeaked
on its hinges as it wagged back and forth in the bitter cold
wind.

I stepped out into the main aisle.
There was a figure at the end of the row. Startled, I shot. A
moment later I realized I was standing across from a cardboard
cut-out of Orville Redenbacher. I’d shot the popcorn aficionado
between the eyes. Not a bad shot.

The wind blew hard outside. I walked
over to the door. The only tracks leading in were mine. Blaming the
wind and jumpy nerves, I pulled the door firmly shut and used the
axe to secure the handle.

I then headed across the street to the
only boutique in town. The front door was still locked so I headed
around the back. The heavy metal back door pulled open with a
heave.

“
Customer at the back. I
need a fitting,” I called.

Nothing.

Pulling the door firmly shut behind
me, I went inside. The atmosphere of the store was a bittersweet
contrast to our new world. It was like someone had hit the pause
button on modern life. Kiki’s mother Lil had opened the small
boutique a few years back. She’d decorated the place in faux
Italian style with antiqued wall paint, gold filigree chairs, and
images of the Italian countryside on the walls. Inside I found a
mix of clothes; house gowns for the seniors, home-coming gowns for
the teens, and practical attire for men and women. I looked around
the store and considered my options. At last, I selected heavy wool
sweaters for Frenchie and Ian. I also spotted a number of prom
tiaras in a glass case. I grabbed two of them for the little
princesses. I stuffed all the items into my backpack. As I was
exiting, I caught a glimpse of myself in a full-length mirror. It
made me stop.

“
Christ, I look like Mad
Max,” I muttered. Well, a cross between Mad Max and an Eskimo. This
would never do.

I set the bag down and went to the
clothing racks. There I found a black cashmere sweater. I pulled it
off the cloth hanger. Across the room Lil had undergarments. I
pulled my coat off. Underneath I was wearing a stained and ripped
old gray sweatshirt with a white t-shirt and sports bra underneath.
I tossed them in the garbage. I stood shivering. I took a black
satin camisole from the rack and slid it on. Over that I slipped on
the soft sweater. At the counter Lil had perfume and make-up. I
picked up a brush and smoothed my hair back, pulling it into a
tight—not even a snowmobile can undo this--braid. Spraying myself
with a little perfume and putting on some lip-stick, I decided I
looked much more feminine. I pulled my heavy winter jacked back on
and headed out.

I then made my final stop, picking up
the last item I wanted from Fisherman’s Wharf, a small restaurant
that sat lakeside. After, I drove across town to Jamie’s house. It
was late afternoon. The sun was just beginning to dip toward the
horizon. Jamie’s small stone cabin was nestled into a deep lot
surrounded by white-barked Birch trees. Dim light showed through
the slats in the front window. The chimney puffed a small trail of
smoke. When he didn’t open the door when I drove up, I was not sure
what to think. Maybe Jamie was not home. Or maybe I was not
welcome.

I pulled the snowmobile up to the
front porch steps. Trudging through feet of snow, I went to the
front door. Jamie did not answer when I knocked. I peeked through
the window. He had a gas lamp burning inside. There was a book and
a plate of food sitting beside the recliner. I felt worried. I
knocked again.

“
Jamie?” I
called.

There was no answer, but I thought I
heard movement inside. Hedging my bets, I tried the door. It was
unlocked. Now I was really worried. I pushed the door open and
entered.

“
Jamie?” I called
again.

After a moment, Jamie called a weak
“here,” from the back of the house. I pulled my boots and coat off
and followed the hallway to the back. It was cold inside. I found
Jamie in the bathroom leaning over the tub. He was vomiting into a
bucket.

Every muscle on my body seized
tight.

“
It’s just the flu. I
promise,” he said.

I grabbed a towel off the shelf and
headed back to the kitchen where I had spotted some bottled water.
I went back to the bathroom, wetted the towel, and wiped Jamie’s
face. I handed him the water. “Drink a little,” I
encouraged.

He turned, his back against the tub,
knees propped, and drank.

“
How long have you been
sick?” I asked, mopping his face.

“
A few days,” he replied.
“Should be out of the woods by tomorrow.”

“
Why didn’t you tell
me?”

“
I’ll text you next time,”
he said. I could tell by his tone he was exhausted.

“
Ok, big man, let’s get
you to bed.” I offered my hands to pull him up. I put my arm around
his back, draping his arm across my shoulder, and walked him down
the hallway to his bedroom.

“
You smell beautiful,” he
whispered as we walked, “and this sweater is something else,” he
added, “so soft.”

I smiled but said nothing even though
my heart was bursting.

I helped him climb into bed then
raided his closet for more blankets. Back in the living room, I
banked up the fire. “You got more wood outside?” I
called.

“
Yeah,” he replied
weakly.

I pulled my coat and boots back on and
headed out. His wood was covered with a blue tarp at one side of
the house. I brought in several loads, enough to keep him for the
next couple of days.

By the time I was done the house was
toasty. I made a pot of broth in an old copper kettle and set it to
keep warm by the fire. I was pretty sure I couldn’t mess up broth.
I cleared the mess from his living room and bathroom, wiping down
the entire place with anti-bacterial wipes, and then headed back to
check on him. He was sleeping soundly. I pulled the covers up to
his chin and checked his forehead. No fever. He did not wake, and
he looked very peaceful. I went back to the front, grabbing more
bottled water and his oil lamp, and set them at his
bedside.