you to the main gate.”
He
nodded in understanding.
“ Good
luck,” the driver said and drove off.
Caden
soon stood in a long line in the lobby of the building. That gave him too much
time to think. He was sure that General Collins would talk to Governor Monroe
in the next few days. I really want to talk to the Governor first and
explain, try to explain, what’s going on between Maria and me. What is going on
between us? There was no denying that his feelings for her were growing. He
wasn’t sure he wanted her to be his wife, but he didn’t mind people thinking
she was. He needed to slow down, think things through. How do you take
things easy and slow when the world is falling apart around you? As he
thought about it he decided that the best way to explain their relationship to
the governor was the way he did with the general. Tell the truth? Maybe it
is just that simple.
Mom
and Dad always said the truth was simple. Mom and Dad! He pulled out his phone
and punched in the number. All he received in return was a rapid busy signal.
He tried several more times without success.
“ The
best time to try is late at night,” a women behind him in line said. “The phone
lines are usually busy during the day.”
That
seemed reasonable. The military and government probably had control of most
circuits and the few available for civilian use were probably swamped during
the day. He thanked her and slipped the phone back into his pocket.
The
image of his former boss, Senator Stevens, floated through his mind. Dead .
He thought of the party with his co-workers he had attended that night. How
many of them are dead?
The
bloody face and body of Adam’s mother replaced those images and lingered
momentarily until he recalled the image of his fiancée Becky on the television
and the blackness that followed the Atlanta blast. How had Becky survived?
How had she become press secretary for Michael Durant? President Michael
Durant. The thought of her working for him made him cringe.
As the
line moved slowly forward, Caden dragged his duffle bag beside him. Adam didn’t
weigh much, but after an hour in line he felt like a ton. How did Maria hold
him all day? He imagined putting the well-bundled child on the floor and
pushing him along with his foot, but quickly dismissed the notion.
Finally,
an MP once again handed Caden his unloaded pistol. He placed the weapon in his
jacket pocket and walked out of the office past two soldiers with M-4s.
Returning
to his thoughts, he recognized that he was glad that Becky was alive, but he
desperately hoped that Maria was waiting for him outside the gate. That
realization made him feel guilty, but his pace along the sidewalk quickened. As
he rounded the corner and headed toward the bus stop he was nearly running.
Wiping drops of cool rain from his face he scanned the group waiting for the bus.
Maria was not there.
Taking
shelter under a nearby tree, Caden sat on his duffle bag, turned up his collar
and re-bundled Adam in his blankets. Would Maria soon be there or had she
already been there? No, I went almost directly from the General’s office to
the gate. Maria would think to check the security building. She must be coming. He looked around, but did not see her. He wondered if she blamed him for
being arrested.
An old
school bus, painted like a tie-dyed shirt, rumbled down the lane. With a bang
the engine died and the bus rolled the last few feet to the stop. The side door
opened and out jumped a man in bib-overalls and gray hair down to his mid-back
tied in a ponytail. As he popped the hood, he called over his shoulder, “Be
just a minute and we’ll head on our way south folks.”
Caden
took a big whiff of the air. Why does everything smell like french-fries?
As the
man worked on the engine, a woman in a long, flowery dress stepped out and hung
a sign on the side of the bus. Soon she was collecting payment and allowing
people onboard.
Caden
remained seated as he read the sign. The trip
He
nodded in understanding.
“ Good
luck,” the driver said and drove off.
Caden
soon stood in a long line in the lobby of the building. That gave him too much
time to think. He was sure that General Collins would talk to Governor Monroe
in the next few days. I really want to talk to the Governor first and
explain, try to explain, what’s going on between Maria and me. What is going on
between us? There was no denying that his feelings for her were growing. He
wasn’t sure he wanted her to be his wife, but he didn’t mind people thinking
she was. He needed to slow down, think things through. How do you take
things easy and slow when the world is falling apart around you? As he
thought about it he decided that the best way to explain their relationship to
the governor was the way he did with the general. Tell the truth? Maybe it
is just that simple.
Mom
and Dad always said the truth was simple. Mom and Dad! He pulled out his phone
and punched in the number. All he received in return was a rapid busy signal.
He tried several more times without success.
“ The
best time to try is late at night,” a women behind him in line said. “The phone
lines are usually busy during the day.”
That
seemed reasonable. The military and government probably had control of most
circuits and the few available for civilian use were probably swamped during
the day. He thanked her and slipped the phone back into his pocket.
The
image of his former boss, Senator Stevens, floated through his mind. Dead .
He thought of the party with his co-workers he had attended that night. How
many of them are dead?
The
bloody face and body of Adam’s mother replaced those images and lingered
momentarily until he recalled the image of his fiancée Becky on the television
and the blackness that followed the Atlanta blast. How had Becky survived?
How had she become press secretary for Michael Durant? President Michael
Durant. The thought of her working for him made him cringe.
As the
line moved slowly forward, Caden dragged his duffle bag beside him. Adam didn’t
weigh much, but after an hour in line he felt like a ton. How did Maria hold
him all day? He imagined putting the well-bundled child on the floor and
pushing him along with his foot, but quickly dismissed the notion.
Finally,
an MP once again handed Caden his unloaded pistol. He placed the weapon in his
jacket pocket and walked out of the office past two soldiers with M-4s.
Returning
to his thoughts, he recognized that he was glad that Becky was alive, but he
desperately hoped that Maria was waiting for him outside the gate. That
realization made him feel guilty, but his pace along the sidewalk quickened. As
he rounded the corner and headed toward the bus stop he was nearly running.
Wiping drops of cool rain from his face he scanned the group waiting for the bus.
Maria was not there.
Taking
shelter under a nearby tree, Caden sat on his duffle bag, turned up his collar
and re-bundled Adam in his blankets. Would Maria soon be there or had she
already been there? No, I went almost directly from the General’s office to
the gate. Maria would think to check the security building. She must be coming. He looked around, but did not see her. He wondered if she blamed him for
being arrested.
An old
school bus, painted like a tie-dyed shirt, rumbled down the lane. With a bang
the engine died and the bus rolled the last few feet to the stop. The side door
opened and out jumped a man in bib-overalls and gray hair down to his mid-back
tied in a ponytail. As he popped the hood, he called over his shoulder, “Be
just a minute and we’ll head on our way south folks.”
Caden
took a big whiff of the air. Why does everything smell like french-fries?
As the
man worked on the engine, a woman in a long, flowery dress stepped out and hung
a sign on the side of the bus. Soon she was collecting payment and allowing
people onboard.
Caden
remained seated as he read the sign. The trip
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