The Last Tribe (36 page)

“My name is Craig Dixon.  I’m from
South Carolina.”  Craig shook her hand.  He looked down as he spoke.  He was
not as bold as his younger cousin, Jay, and shied away from new people.

Bernie gave Craig her attention
until the introduction was done.  She moved to John, Solange, and Peter. 
“Hello.”  She said enthusiastically and genuinely.  “You are a sight for sore
eyes.  Please, come inside by the fire.  We don’t have much food, but what we
have we will share.”

“John Dixon, Craig’s father.”  John
said, shaking Bernie’s outstretched hand.  “Great to meet you too.”

“Solange Wright.”  Solange said, ignoring
the handshake and instead giving Bernie an informal hug. 

“Peter Reinhart.”  The last of the
new group said.  “Very pleased to meet you.”

“Bernie.”  John started.  “We are a
group of 13 people camped at 59
^th
and Fifth Avenue.  We have plenty
of food, and are cooking a hot dinner for anyone in your group that would like
to join us.  Kelly told us you were light on food, so if you would like to
invite any and all of your group, please, follow us back up.”  He paused to let
the invitation sink in.  “If that is too forward, we completely understand.  We
brought supplies to give to you as well.  No pressure, no cost, just
hospitality.  Honestly, we are survivors just like you.  We offer any
assistance, and can leave some of our supplies with you when we leave New York.”

It was a blunt start to their
relationship, but John did not want to tip toe around the facts.  Come eat with
them, or do not eat with them.  Accept their supplies, or do not accept the
supplies.  It was all done with an open and honest heart.  His cards were on
the table.

“Have you and your group eaten?” 
Bernie asked.  She looked at Craig for an answer.

“No, ma’am.  We met Ms. Kelly and
heard you were hungry, so we jumped into our truck and came down here to invite
you back.”

“Let me get our people together and
see what they want to do.  I will gladly bring the children up to the Plaza for
dinner.  I’m sure a few of the other’s would love to come.  One member of our
group has disappeared for the day, but there are 10 of us here.  I hope that’s
not too many.”

Peter stepped forward.  “We have
plenty of food, please do not feel like you have to make choices on eating or
staying.  There is more than enough for all of us and for you.”  Peter reached
into a bag he was holding and pulled out a bottled water.  “Kelly hinted that
you might enjoy some fresh water.  We have a case in the car that is all
yours.  I brought some to share immediately.”

Bernie looked at the water, at
Kelly, and back to Peter.  Tears formed in her eyes.  “Thank you Peter, thank
you for your generosity.”   She gratefully took the water, then bowed her head
and said a quick prayer.  After saying “amen,” she opened the water and took a
long taste.  Her eyes remained closed for a second after taking the swig. 
“I’ll remember that taste of water for as long as I live.” 

Bernie looked at John.  “Please
have a seat, meet our group, and we’ll get ready to follow you up to the
park.”  She waved them towards a hearth surrounding a central fireplace.  “It’s
the warmest place in Chelsea.  We have some heat in the rooms, but nothing
beats sitting next to the fireplace, when we have wood to keep the fire going
that is.” 

She gestured towards the hearth a
second time.  “Please warm yourselves by our fire.  I’ll get the kids ready.” 
She turned to Kelly.  “Kelly, could you wake Jamie?  She went to her room for a
nap.  I think the other two are playing cards upstairs or listening to music with
their headphones.”

John gave Craig a friendly shove
towards the door, and he turned to Solange and Peter.  “Not the most cohesive
group of people, huh?  Either of you need help with the waters?”

“I think we can get them.”  Peter
replied.  He patted the bag of bottled waters.  “This will make Solange and me
the favorites.  We’ll keep the water.”  He nodded to Solange. 

“Okay, I was just trying to help.” 
John said back.

“You were trying to take our
thunder.”  Solange told him.  “Peter and I get to win their hearts through
water.” 

John shook his head in defeat and
went towards the fireplace with Craig.  A fire was ablaze.  A pile of broken
chairs and other furniture sat in a pile next to the hearth waiting to become
fuel. 

John looked down the hall and saw
the three young children standing in their jackets while Bernie spoke to them. 
She waited for nods before she led them through the door.

“I apologize for not bringing the
children in earlier.  I wanted to make sure you were good people before I let
you meet them.  I hope you understand.”

John nodded.  “Bernie, if you had
brought the children out before sizing us up, I would have thought less of
you.”  The kids were young, below the age of 6.  There were two little girls
and a young boy. 

Casey was going to be excited to
have playmates.

Craig walked to them.  “Hi.  I’m
Craig, I’m 10.”  Children liked to establish ages in their greetings.  “This is
my dad, John.”  Craig pointed to John, “and my friends Solange and Peter.”

The children looked at Bernie.  She
nodded and smiled.  “It’s okay, they are good people, you can say hello.”  The
kids were scared despite the ‘okay’ from Bernie.  They were gaunt, dirty, and
their hair was tangled and messy. 

Solange stepped forward.  She was
the least intimidating of the three new adults.  She pulled juice boxes from
her satchel.  “Would any of you like some juice or water?” 

The little girl with red hair
raised her hand meekly.

“My name is Solange.”  She handed a
juice to the girl.  The girl took a small sip and handed the box to one of the
other children.  “No.”  Solange said gently.  “You each get your own.  You do
not have to share.”  The other two children suddenly put their hands in the
air.  “Good, here are the juices.”  Solange pulled the straw off the side and
poked it into the hole for the youngest boy. 

“I know how to do it.”  He said,
smiling when he took a sip of the juice.  “Thank you.”

She handed an extra juice to each
child.

John could tell the kids were weak
and malnourished.  They had no energy.  He turned to Bernie.  “Do you have a
car?  Maybe Kelly could take the kids with Peter or Solange back to our camp
and get them dinner right away.  Craig and I can stay with you.”

Kelly shook her head.  “I already
ate.  You go, Bernie.  Take the children, get some food.  I can wait for the
rest of the group.  Jamie should only be a second, she can go with you.” 

Bernie nodded.  “You’re right. 
Let’s get them some food.”  She turned them.  “Okay kids, let’s take a car
ride.  Who wants some hot food?”

The children nodded excitedly
without removing the juice box straws from their lips. 

An older woman with long white hair
pulled into a tight ponytail walked into the room.  She was shorter than Bernie
and frighteningly thin.  She had tired green eyes.  She managed a weak smile. 
“Hello everyone, my name is Jamie, Jamie Norse.”  She paused and held on to the
back of a couch for support.  “I am very glad to meet you.  I’m just not
feeling all that strong today.  Please forgive me if I don’t seem more
excited.”

Peter stepped forward and put his
arm around the woman.  She was as thin as a piece of paper when he gripped
her.  He noticed she wore at least four layers to keep warm.  “Us old people
have to stick together, let me help you.  My name is Peter Reinhart.  This is
Solange, John, and young Craig.”  He handed her the water he had in his hand,
the cap already twisted off.  “Have a swig of water, and let’s get you in the
car we are taking to dinner.”

The older woman looked over at
Bernie and Kelly.  Bernie nodded, “We’ve been invited up to the Plaza for a
nice dinner with their group.  They have supplies and hot food.”

Jamie looked up at Peter.  “Bless
you sir.  I will take your arm to get to the car, if you don’t mind, though I
don’t know who you are calling old.”  Jamie let out a small chuckle.

A man stepped into the hallway from
the stairway door at the end of the hall.  He walked with authority towards
John.  He was dressed well in khaki pants and a flannel shirt.  He wore
expensive walking shoes that were dark brown to match his belt.  His hair was
combed, and he did not have the dirty appearance of the rest of the group.  He
wiped his face before coming down to meet the new people.  Despite his put
together look, his cheeks were sunken, and his pants hung off his hips.  The flannel
shirt gave the appearance of weight, but the man was a bag of bones.

He strode up to John with his hand
out.  “Ahmed Cook.”  He shook John’s hand firmly.  “I was an M.D. at Morgan
before all this started.  Very nice to meet you.”

John did not drop his gaze from the
man’s eyes.  He shook Ahmed’s hand firmly and said one of the funniest things
Peter Reinhart had ever heard.  “John Dixon, I’m the guy with an RV, food, and
supplies AFTER all this started.  Very nice to meet you, Ahmed.”

Ahmed’s mouth opened a bit in an
“oh” gesture.  He was stunned by John’s reply, but accepted the bluntness. 
John did not care about Ahmed’s former life.

John continued.  “We invite
everyone up to our camp at 59
^th
and 5
^th
.  We open our
kitchen to you.  Bernie, Jamie, and the kids are headed up to eat. ”

Ahmed turned to Bernie, “Bernie,
are you comfortable going up there?  Maybe I should come with you.” 

Bernie knew how hungry Ahmed was,
how many meals he skipped so the children could eat.  He used the offer of
protection as an excuse to salvage his pride in front of John.  Ahmed was not a
man who typically accepted handouts.  “I’d appreciate that Ahmed.  It would be
great if you could help with the children.”

“Don’t even ask twice, I’m always
here to help.”  He nodded to her and back at John.  “Thank you for your
generosity.”

No one noticed the two girls
standing the other side of the room.  “May we come to dinner too?  We’re
starved.”  The girls looked like sisters with long hair combed neatly and
flowing over their shoulders.  They wore clean coordinated clothes.  “We can
share the dinner if we need to.”

Craig stood by the fire.  He was
overwhelmed by all of the new people.  He watched as Solange moved from the
young children to the two older girls.  She introduced herself and said they
would not need to share.  The girls nodded, walking around to meet John and
Peter before stopping in front of Craig.  He was nervous, and the exchange was
painful.  The girls were attractive, and one was close to his age.  Craig
managed a weak, ‘hi,’ never picking his head up to look them in the eyes.

“Do you have a vehicle to get
everyone up there?”  John asked.  Bernie nodded and mentioned a church van. 
“We’ll unload the supplies we brought for you.  Craig can go with Peter and the
rest of you to our camp.  Solange and I will stay here with Kelly to meet the
last people.”

“I don’t know when Sal will be
back.  He sometimes goes away for a few days, and he walked out at lunch.” 
Bernie turned to Kelly.  “Did you see Antonio?  He was upstairs the last time I
checked.”

The older girl near Solange, Avery,
responded.  “He’s up there.  He said he was busy.”  She rolled her eyes.

Ahmed stood next to Bernie.  “Are
you sure you don’t want me to stay?  I don’t have to go up with the group.”

Bernie turned to him, pinching his
waist.  “Ahmed, you need food more than most of us.  Come, I need your help with
the kids.”

John stepped in.  “Ahmed, Bernie is
right, go with her.   I can wait, as long as Kelly doesn’t need more food.”  He
turned to her.

“I’m good for a day after that
chili and cornbread.”  She gave Jamie a look and nodded.  “Real food Jamie.  I
swear one of them is a chef.”

Jamie turned to Peter.  “Well let’s
get me up there.  I haven’t eaten in two days.”  Peter nodded and they made
their way to the coat room exit.  Peter was practically carrying the thin
woman.

 “My dear, if you had not told me
your name was Jamie, I would have guessed it was Flat Stanley.”  They went
through the door, and he helped her put on a coat.  The two continued outside
and made their way to a green van.

John turned to the children and the
two girls.  “You can get in when you’re ready.”  He motioned for everyone to
get going. 

Ahmed stepped forward and took the
two little girls’ hands.  “Come on kids, let’s get some food!”  The little boy
grabbed Ahmed’s shirttail, and they made an airplane noise.  It was a formation
he used before.  John smiled and reformed his opinion of the ‘Managing
Director.’

John turned to the older girl. 
“Avery is it?”  He asked her.

“Yes.”  She said.

“Can you help us unload some
supplies from the back of the SUV?  Solange and I will carry them in here, but
your help to get them onto the curb would be appreciated.”  He handed her a
bottled water as he asked.

“Sure.  I can stay to help if you
need me, but please let Meredith get some dinner.”  The girl took the water and
began to drink it.  After two gulps she offered it to the younger girl. 

“Here, please take your own.”  John
handed the younger girl a bottle before responding to Avery.  “You know what? 
Forget about helping, it was wrong of me to ask.  You need to eat too.  I just
wanted some help with the supplies right now.”  He turned to Solange.  “I’m
going to go see about this Antonio.  Why don’t you get the truck unloaded on
the sidewalk.”

“Okay.”  Solange replied.  She
turned to the girls.  “I love your hair.”  She said to both of them.  “I have
tried to grow mine that long, but it never looks good.”  The girls instantly
started talking about hair techniques as they followed Solange towards the coat
room.