SURVIVING ABE: A Climate-Fiction Novel (15 page)

Later, in Jennifer's kitchen, Andy checked out the available provisions and started making a pot of pasta, since the pantry held a variety of both pasta and sauces.  In the refrigerator he found some bell peppers, garlic, and an onion that he chopped up to add to the sauce.  Once he found the cookware and had it on the stove, with the sauce bubbling inside, he heard the garage door going up; good timing is the essence of life he thought with a smile.

Jennifer walked in and stopped as the aroma hit about the same time she saw Andy in her kitchen.  "Something smells good.  I expected to find you taking a nap and here you are cooking," she said, as she set the bags she carried on the counter and joined Andy by the stove.

"Just some pasta.  I hope you don't mind me using your kitchen."

"That is exactly what I had planned to cook; heavens no, I don't mind.  I brought home a bottle of wine to go with pasta, so this works out great.  While you finish cooking I'll get cleaned up, see you in a few."

As he looked for the plates and eating utensils, Jennifer surprised him by coming into the kitchen with wet hair and carrying her shoes and socks, "I just got a call from Kim and she needs help.  This is actually my shift, but she wanted to work a double shift today, so she could have tomorrow off.  She told me that the computerized cash register system is locked up from the power flickering on and off.  It's bad timing with the food ready to come off the stove, I'm sorry."

"Not a problem, pasta tastes better to me when it's reheated anyway.  I'll grab my shoes and go with you, I might be able to help."

"Great, and I don't think this will take too long, so you probably won't starve."

"Actually, I've been trying to add spices to just the right amount.  That requires a fair amount of tasting, so there's no danger of me starving."

Jennifer looked over at Andy, "Really?  Is there any left for me?"

Andy laughed,  "Of course there is.  I used the biggest pot I could find in your kitchen, we'll probably have leftovers."

Jennifer was noticeably silent as she tried to see through the rain and darkness to distinguish between the wet, black pavement and areas of standing water.  The little truck swerved each time it hit pools of water.  Andy sensed her concern and kept quiet.

Crossing the first bridge, they could see how the little stream had become a torrent, with only a few feet of clearance remaining between the bridge and water, causing Andy to break his silence.  "What happens to your dad's cows in rain and flooding like this?"

"Livestock are in danger during floods, and do drown if they get caught in fast moving water and are swept away, but that's not a big concern where the farm is, it's on higher ground than we are here.  A lot of the fields and housing developments Sam talked about are down here on this lower ground we're crossing now. The hill the store is on will be full of animals if all this area floods."

"The food crops will be lost in a flood which will make food prices higher, right?"

"All roads seem to lead to food with you," Jennifer kidded.  "But you’re correct.  Whether the crops are for livestock, or for us to eat, winter storm Abe is going to make it more expensive to visit the grocery store."

"Not just me.  Anyone that engages in endurance sports such as running, walking, skiing, et cetera, thinks of food as fuel to power the body, and the tank needs to be kept full.  If my roads lead to food, where do your roads lead?"

"Mostly back and forth to the store and the farm, lately."

"All work and no play?  Where would the roads lead if you had a year off?"

"Oh, you were asking about imaginary roads, since taking a year off is inconceivable to me.  Right at this moment I'd go to a desert to dry out, then on to Alaska to soak in some coolness after all the heat we've had this summer."

"Once you visit the Pacific Northwest you will want to visit again.  Of course, free lodging and first-hand knowledge of the best restaurants are some of the many advantages available to you, with me as your host and guide."

"This free lodging wouldn't be at your storage unit, would it?"

"Let me know your ETA and I will have comfortable accommodations ready and waiting.  I have friends at a property management company and they almost always have something coming open, also my parents have a huge house.  Why, I might even have a new tent by then."

"It better be a hard-sided camper.  I'm not so crazy about tents anymore."

"Jennifer, you are always thinking, and I'm already forgetting the inherent danger a beautiful woman and a tent represent.  Maybe I won't get a tent, if you're going to be in the area."

"Seriously, it's hard to un-see something as horrible as Jeff swinging that bat at you, and you on the ground defenseless.  I'll never forget it."

"I probably won't either.  I know I'll always remember how you held that shotgun on Jeff, stopping him in the middle of his killing rage.  It made a big difference in my life expectancy."

"Okay, we're here, so let's get this done and back to the meal you cooked.  You’ve brought the conversation back to food so many times, now I’m hungry."

It didn't take long for Jennifer to finish what was needed at the store and they headed back through the continuous rain.  "So
, the reason you needed to return to the job only came down to a password, huh?" Andy asked.

"There's something else going on to cause the fault that I'm not sure about.  But yes, once I was in the ADMIN section, all I did was hit 'reset' and it cleared the fault.  Do you think the cyber attacks that have been in the news could have anything to do with it?"

"Jennifer, I'm out of the current crisis loop, so I don't know the answer to that, but the implication is scary.  I assume your cash register program is connected to the financial web in some way, and a viral attack in that sector serious enough to put a fault on your system would be a huge problem.  On the other hand it could be that this storm is straining the infrastructure of your system in some other way."

"Sounds like it’s best to wait until the weather clears before assessing any damage?"

"Yeah, it’s pretty amazing how much a
natural event
can affect our most advanced technology, just like it did our old tech.  Earlier I threw away two books I borrowed from the store because they got wet.  Tomorrow it might be computers that suffer the same fate."

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud noise and water shooting up all around the front of the compact truck when they hit a pool of water, now much deeper than it had been on their way to the store.  The engine died and the truck stopped as water came in at the bottom of the doors.

"This is not good," Jennifer said cranking the engine.

"I think trying to restart the engine is a waste of time, this truck could get washed off the road at any minute.
We need to see if we can walk to higher ground."

"Okay, I guess, but couldn’t we get swept away too?"

"If the rain continues and we stay in the truck we will lose our chance, the water will get deeper.  Jennifer, if we stick together and
go now
, I think we can make it."

"How do you want to do this?"

"We need to climb into the bed of the truck.  Without our weight the truck might be just light enough to wash over us if we get out on my side, the downstream side.  I doubt you can even open your door on the upstream side due to the water pressure."

Jennifer tried to open her door, but it remained closed, "You're right, it won't open.  We'll have to get out your side, huh?"

"I'll go first and help you into the bed."  He opened his door, stood on the threshold while grabbing a handhold, and swung a leg up and into the bed of the truck, then quickly scrambled into the back.  He reached back to help Jennifer.

Jennifer, remembering to grab her purse, scooted to the passenger side and with Andy's help soon stood in the truck bed, already dripping from the falling rain.

"I've been looking and I think we are closer to high ground in front of us than behind us," Jennifer said.

"Okay, let's go over the cab and jump off the hood.  You ready?"

"First, tell me why you’re smiling."

"I'm in the middle of high adventure with you, and there is no other place I'd rather be.  Now let's move, the truck isn't stable."

As soon as both of them were on the hood the lighter rear-end of the truck started making hop-like movements downstream.  Andy slid off the upstream side into the water, pulling Jennifer with him.  As soon as his feet touched bottom he lifted Jennifer onto his shoulder and started walking carefully toward higher ground.  Jennifer initially resisted, but soon ceased struggling and braced herself; she could feel him fighting the water for balance.  Her extra weight helped him keep his footing against the force of rapidly flowing, thigh-deep water.

At the water's edge he gently deposited her on the pavement in front of him, "We made it no problem—but your truck is gone."

"Andy, again you surprise me with what you do."  Jennifer looked back to where her truck had been just a minute ago, "Your quick thinking and action got us out of there in the nick of time."

"Think that if you want, I was just taking advantage of the situation to manhandle you.  Back to reality in the rain; how far is your house from here?"

"Not even two miles; and dinner's waiting, let's go."

~~~

Twenty-five minutes later, shivering and completely drenched they arrived at Jennifer's house, "Guess what," Jennifer said.

Andy looked at the bedraggled woman standing beside him.  "From the look on your face it isn't good.  It's got to be the keys, right?"

"I didn't think to take them out of the ignition."

"And you don't have one hidden or you would be going after it.  Any unlocked windows?"

"Not on the first floor, maybe on the second."

After walking around looking at the house Andy suggested, "I can boost you onto the garage roof, if you think one of those windows above it is unlocked."

"I'll break it if I have to.  Let's do it."

Andy stood beside the wall as Jennifer started climbing up his body while steadying herself with an occasional handhold on the wall and a gutter downspout.  Once she stood on his shoulders she could reach the roof.  He worked his hands under her feet and lifted slowly as she pulled herself onto the roof.  Moments later she crawled through the window and a light came on inside the house.

The garage door rattled open and Andy finally got inside, and out of the rain.  He stood in a growing puddle of water looking at Jennifer, "Is it tomorrow yet?  I've had about all the excitement I can handle in one day."

"You stay right there for one minute, okay?"

"Sure."

Jennifer disappeared inside the house, but quickly returned with a couple of towels, "Do you have some dry clothes around here somewhere?"

"They're in the utility room stacked on the dryer."

"She tossed him some of his clothes.  Do you mind getting dinner on the table while I make a couple of calls about my truck?  I don't want them searching for our bodies, if someone finds the truck.  Plus, we're stranded, I need to beg, borrow, or rent a vehicle."

~~~

Andy had generous portions warming for them when Jennifer joined him in the kitchen, "Let's try this again," he said, gesturing to the table.

"I'll pour the wine.  We can have as much as we want since there’s no chance of drinking and driving tonight.  Funny how my life took such a wild turn when you rode in; though I sometimes wonder if you brought trouble, or if you timed it just right to help me get through it.  More has happened to me in the last few days than the last ten years," Jennifer mused, as they sat across one another at the table.  "Apparently, I led a boring life before now."

"That brings up something that has been on my mind, can I ask you a personal question, Jennifer?"

"You need to work on your lead-in, it was weak, but since you carried me across the flood I'll let it pass.  Ask away."

"Calculating the chances of meeting a young woman as attractive as you, who’s not involved in a serious relationship by this stage in her life, is akin to winning the Powerball lottery."

"Was there a question in there?"

"Are you in a relationship?"

"No."

"Do you want to be?"

"Andy . . . I think I know where you're going with this, but I'm not sure I can answer you in a way you will understand.  So, please, don't jump to conclusions.  Okay?"

"I’ll do my best."

"Does the person who happens to be rich attract other people, or is it actually their money?  Once a person's money is spent, or their looks fade, or whatever the initial attraction was has gone, for any relationship to withstand the test of time it has to start with a solid foundation."

"A Mr. Right, with a solid enough base, hasn't come along yet?"

"Andy, there’re probably many Mr. Rights out there.  Maybe none have found me to be Miss Right.  Dad says I'm opinionated and bossy.  Mom thinks I need to eat more and add some curves.  Melissa tells me that with my looks, Mr. Right is afraid to ask me out."