had kidney problems fared about the same as your mother. Most diabetics, too. My name’s Mackenzie Thane, by the way, and my husband there is Neil McKinnon, if he hasn’t already introduced himself.” She held out her hand to the woman, who probably wasn’t any more than twenty years old.
“I’m Lisa Johnstone, and like I said, this is Jake. His last name is Johnstone, too. His father never bothered to claim him, so I never bothered to give him his last name.”
“I wouldn’t have either. In fact, I didn’t. My daughter has my last name. Depending on what we decide here, you might be meeting her. I take it you’re not set up very well for survival at this point, if you’re looking for food.”
“Not at all. I’m still breastfeeding Jake, so he’s okay so long as I get enough food to produce milk, but I haven’t got any left. I’ve been going through houses, trying to find something, but they all ran out of food and starved long ago. It’s been something of a horror-show for me, because damn near all the houses have bodies in them. I’m just glad Jake is too young to understand what they are, because I couldn’t leave him on his own.”
“He’s awfully quiet for a baby,” Mackenzie noted.
“He never really cried a lot, but after this happened I had to use a technique from a romance novel I read one time. Every time he cried I’d blow into his face to stop him. It was a book set in the 1800s, with Native Americans and all that, and they trained their babies not to cry so their enemies couldn’t find them. I figured I’d better give it a try and see if it worked. Thankfully it did, but I have to watch to make sure he eats when he needs to, and that I change him regularly enough.”
“Huh. Wish I’d known about that when my daughter was a baby. But then, she was colicky, so it might not have worked as well.”
“Here’s a granola bar, Lisa,” Neil said, as he handed her the bar. Lisa looked at it like it was manna from heaven.
“Oh thank you!”
“We’ve got more food with us in the truck. You just need to take it a bit slow if you haven’t eaten in a little while,” he cautioned her. She tore open the foiled-paper wrapping with her teeth, and when she bit into the bar she moaned. Mac had to laugh.
“We’ve got a pretty good set-up where we are, if you’re looking for a better situation,” Mac offered. Tears filled Lisa’s eyes.
“You’re kidding me!” Her mouth was still somewhat full, so it came out muffled, but Mac got the gist of what she was saying.
“Your mother didn’t happen to be Michelle Johnstone, did she?” Mackenzie wasn’t looking forward to the answer, but she had to know.
“Yeah, she was,” Lisa said, when she’d finally swallowed the last of the granola bar. “Did you know her?”
“I went to school with her. Man, I’m really sorry. She was a very decent person. I don’t think I saw her after high school, but we were sort of friends during our public school years. I veered off with a rougher crowd, so we parted ways, but it wasn’t because I didn’t like her.” Mac was depressed. Neil came up and put his arm around her shoulders. She could tell that he wanted to do the same for Lisa, but since he didn’t know her he wasn’t comfortable offering her the gesture.
“I guess I’d better grab that last box of books. Neil, we should empty out part of that back seat so there’s room for a car seat at least. Lisa can sit on the bench with us. I’m assuming you live nearby, Lisa. Centre Street?”
“Just past the dental clinic, yeah.”
“Okay, if you want to come back to the farm with us, take Jake back to your place to pack up a few things. We’ll finish up here, and then pull the truck over. Make sure you grab anything vital, because it’s going to be a long time before we come back here. I sure hope you’re using washable diapers, because we don’t have any disposables at the farm. The youngest kid there right now is seven years
“I’m Lisa Johnstone, and like I said, this is Jake. His last name is Johnstone, too. His father never bothered to claim him, so I never bothered to give him his last name.”
“I wouldn’t have either. In fact, I didn’t. My daughter has my last name. Depending on what we decide here, you might be meeting her. I take it you’re not set up very well for survival at this point, if you’re looking for food.”
“Not at all. I’m still breastfeeding Jake, so he’s okay so long as I get enough food to produce milk, but I haven’t got any left. I’ve been going through houses, trying to find something, but they all ran out of food and starved long ago. It’s been something of a horror-show for me, because damn near all the houses have bodies in them. I’m just glad Jake is too young to understand what they are, because I couldn’t leave him on his own.”
“He’s awfully quiet for a baby,” Mackenzie noted.
“He never really cried a lot, but after this happened I had to use a technique from a romance novel I read one time. Every time he cried I’d blow into his face to stop him. It was a book set in the 1800s, with Native Americans and all that, and they trained their babies not to cry so their enemies couldn’t find them. I figured I’d better give it a try and see if it worked. Thankfully it did, but I have to watch to make sure he eats when he needs to, and that I change him regularly enough.”
“Huh. Wish I’d known about that when my daughter was a baby. But then, she was colicky, so it might not have worked as well.”
“Here’s a granola bar, Lisa,” Neil said, as he handed her the bar. Lisa looked at it like it was manna from heaven.
“Oh thank you!”
“We’ve got more food with us in the truck. You just need to take it a bit slow if you haven’t eaten in a little while,” he cautioned her. She tore open the foiled-paper wrapping with her teeth, and when she bit into the bar she moaned. Mac had to laugh.
“We’ve got a pretty good set-up where we are, if you’re looking for a better situation,” Mac offered. Tears filled Lisa’s eyes.
“You’re kidding me!” Her mouth was still somewhat full, so it came out muffled, but Mac got the gist of what she was saying.
“Your mother didn’t happen to be Michelle Johnstone, did she?” Mackenzie wasn’t looking forward to the answer, but she had to know.
“Yeah, she was,” Lisa said, when she’d finally swallowed the last of the granola bar. “Did you know her?”
“I went to school with her. Man, I’m really sorry. She was a very decent person. I don’t think I saw her after high school, but we were sort of friends during our public school years. I veered off with a rougher crowd, so we parted ways, but it wasn’t because I didn’t like her.” Mac was depressed. Neil came up and put his arm around her shoulders. She could tell that he wanted to do the same for Lisa, but since he didn’t know her he wasn’t comfortable offering her the gesture.
“I guess I’d better grab that last box of books. Neil, we should empty out part of that back seat so there’s room for a car seat at least. Lisa can sit on the bench with us. I’m assuming you live nearby, Lisa. Centre Street?”
“Just past the dental clinic, yeah.”
“Okay, if you want to come back to the farm with us, take Jake back to your place to pack up a few things. We’ll finish up here, and then pull the truck over. Make sure you grab anything vital, because it’s going to be a long time before we come back here. I sure hope you’re using washable diapers, because we don’t have any disposables at the farm. The youngest kid there right now is seven years
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