Older men -- Fiction; Science fiction; Short stories; Tennessee -- Fiction; Villages -- Fiction; War stories
Keith Kincaid was under one of those fist-sized rocks, out in the
cemetery that wasn't a cemetery--next to his wife, June Hogan, and
their four kids. But Anna Kincaid didn't know that. Since the bomb,
Anna hadn't known much of anything except what the old people told her,
and they told her only things that would make her as happy as she could
be: that Keith was in the Army, and June was off with the kids having a
nice time in Knoxville; and that they'd all be back home in a day or so.
Anna never wondered about that "day or so"--she didn't remember much
from day to day. Joe Kincaid sometimes said that helped a little, as
much as anything could. He could tell her the same nice things every
day, and her eyes would light up all over again. He spent a lot of
time with her, doing that. He was pretty good at it, too ... Joe
Kincaid had been Doctor Joe before the bomb. He still doctored some,
when he could, but he was almost out of supplies; and what with his
patients being so old, he mostly just prayed for them.
In the kitchen, Susan had lunch ready and waiting--some chicken from
last night, green beans, boiled potatoes and a salad from the tiny
gardens the women tended off in the weedy ground and around the bases
of trees where they wouldn't be seen.
On the way in Ben had noticed that the woodbox was about empty--he'd
have to bring home another bag of charcoal from the "general
store"--which was Windy's barn, all braced up. Into it the old people
had taken every bit of clothing, canned food, hardware, anything at
all they could use in the way of housekeeping and everyday living, and
there it all stood; when somebody needed something, they went and took
it. Only the canned foods and tobacco and liquor were rationed. Every
week or so, around midnight, Fat Sam Hogan and Dan Paray went into
the big cave in Lawson's Hill, right near where the second plane had
crashed, and set up a lot of small fires, back where the light wouldn't
be seen; they made charcoal, and when it cooled they brought it down
to the "store," for cooking and such--a charcoal fire doesn't give off
much smoke.
Over coffee, Ben said, "Reckon I'll fish some this afternoon, honey.
How's a cat or two for supper sound?"
"Why, goodness, Ben, not for tonight," Susan smiled. "You know
tonight's the Social; me and Anna are fixing a big dinner--steaks and
all the trimmings."
"Mm," Ben said, draining his cup. "Forgot today was Sunday."
"We're going to have some music, and Owen Urey's going to read
Shakespeare."
Ben pursed his lips, tasting the coffee. It was rationed to two cups a
day; he always took his with his lunch, and sometimes he'd have sold
a leg to dive into a full pot. "Well ... I might as well fish anyway;
take in some fun. Fish'll keep till tomorrow, won't it?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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