about that," Blake laughed. "Wait, that means we're not too far away from the old highway that goes to Wrangle right?” Blake supplied after studying our position on the map with renewed interest. He had recovered from the adrenaline dump and the walk in the cold air had cooled his temper enough for him to be the normally level headed guy I knew once again.
I was very familiar with the little farm community of Wrangle that he was talking about, I was also not all that interested in going anywhere near there. I knew some very good people that attended the church out that way. I was also not on such good terms with one or two of the prominent families of that church either. Unbeknownst to me, come to find out they take sides and blame you, when you and their daughter breakup after living together in sin. Thankfully, my own unfinished hole in the ground of a house now gave us a sanctuary to shoot for, besides the church.
Chapter 8
Opening the sub-basement door next to the big roll up garage door, I stood aside as the other three filed through the doorway and out of the cold. The air had been misting again and combined with the dropping temperate and setting sun, we were all happy to have a dry place to sit and rest.
“This is it. Throw your bed rolls anywhere. Bathroom is upstairs but you have to fill the tank to flush,” I told them as the backpack slipped from my shoulders to land next to a pile of moving boxes.
“I’ll be right back,” I said scooping up a set of keys from the plywood work bench I had cobbled together and went back outside.
On the opposite side of the house I had a small lean-to style carport that had already been framed in so it could be sided and roofed at the same time as the house. Three months ago I had hitched up and towed my little travel trailer out here after hearing how so many other people’s RV’s, motor homes, tent trailers and even barbeque grills had been easy targets for thieves.
Unlocking the trailer, I went in and retrieved some extra blankets, an oil lamp, and another battery powered light for us to use in the house. It was way too cold to sleep in the travel trailer right now without running a heater and I had already burned a couple of fires in the wood stove I had in the basement, so I figured that was where we would be holed up for tonight at least.
Coming back inside, Danielle took the lamps out of my arms and I tossed the blankets over to Blake and Clint.
“Hammer and nails are on the bench,” I said, continuing my whirlwind of getting the house in respectable order for guests.
As the windows didn’t have any blinds or shades to cover them, not to mention any trim either, I wanted to hang the blankets over them to keep the heat and light inside. While the others started on the windows, I again went out and brought in a few armfuls of scrap lumber to get a fire going in the wood stove. We would have to bring in some of the actual firewood later, but this would get us started.
“You do know there is a car in your living room right?” Danielle stated, finding my decorating and accommodations amusing.
“Well actually there is a living room in my garage,” I cryptically answered her back.
“Is that a convertible Polara?” Clint eyed the faded blue paint and few pieces of actual car that wasn’t covered by moving boxes, a painter’s drop cloth, or other random junk.
“Yep, a seventy with the meaner looking front end. I got it cheap from a guy that worked at the grain silos. Runs good for a stock big block, and the body’s straight. It makes a good dining room table and couch too... kind of like being at my own deserted drive in theater.”
“God you’re depressing sometimes, you know that?” Blake frowned and shook his head at me.
"I don’t mean to be rude, but how were you able to afford all this?" Danielle asked. "I mean, we did pretty well in the Army, but with the economy like it is... I'm sorry, I shouldn’t ask that," she
I was very familiar with the little farm community of Wrangle that he was talking about, I was also not all that interested in going anywhere near there. I knew some very good people that attended the church out that way. I was also not on such good terms with one or two of the prominent families of that church either. Unbeknownst to me, come to find out they take sides and blame you, when you and their daughter breakup after living together in sin. Thankfully, my own unfinished hole in the ground of a house now gave us a sanctuary to shoot for, besides the church.
Chapter 8
Opening the sub-basement door next to the big roll up garage door, I stood aside as the other three filed through the doorway and out of the cold. The air had been misting again and combined with the dropping temperate and setting sun, we were all happy to have a dry place to sit and rest.
“This is it. Throw your bed rolls anywhere. Bathroom is upstairs but you have to fill the tank to flush,” I told them as the backpack slipped from my shoulders to land next to a pile of moving boxes.
“I’ll be right back,” I said scooping up a set of keys from the plywood work bench I had cobbled together and went back outside.
On the opposite side of the house I had a small lean-to style carport that had already been framed in so it could be sided and roofed at the same time as the house. Three months ago I had hitched up and towed my little travel trailer out here after hearing how so many other people’s RV’s, motor homes, tent trailers and even barbeque grills had been easy targets for thieves.
Unlocking the trailer, I went in and retrieved some extra blankets, an oil lamp, and another battery powered light for us to use in the house. It was way too cold to sleep in the travel trailer right now without running a heater and I had already burned a couple of fires in the wood stove I had in the basement, so I figured that was where we would be holed up for tonight at least.
Coming back inside, Danielle took the lamps out of my arms and I tossed the blankets over to Blake and Clint.
“Hammer and nails are on the bench,” I said, continuing my whirlwind of getting the house in respectable order for guests.
As the windows didn’t have any blinds or shades to cover them, not to mention any trim either, I wanted to hang the blankets over them to keep the heat and light inside. While the others started on the windows, I again went out and brought in a few armfuls of scrap lumber to get a fire going in the wood stove. We would have to bring in some of the actual firewood later, but this would get us started.
“You do know there is a car in your living room right?” Danielle stated, finding my decorating and accommodations amusing.
“Well actually there is a living room in my garage,” I cryptically answered her back.
“Is that a convertible Polara?” Clint eyed the faded blue paint and few pieces of actual car that wasn’t covered by moving boxes, a painter’s drop cloth, or other random junk.
“Yep, a seventy with the meaner looking front end. I got it cheap from a guy that worked at the grain silos. Runs good for a stock big block, and the body’s straight. It makes a good dining room table and couch too... kind of like being at my own deserted drive in theater.”
“God you’re depressing sometimes, you know that?” Blake frowned and shook his head at me.
"I don’t mean to be rude, but how were you able to afford all this?" Danielle asked. "I mean, we did pretty well in the Army, but with the economy like it is... I'm sorry, I shouldn’t ask that," she
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