keep blowing us up?”
“ Terrorists,” Carl growled, willing to argue with her for once. “The people felt different.”
Jessie realized she had hit a sore spot with him and she knew he wouldn’t back down. She knew what she had seen though, what she had experienced. “I interviewed people, okay? Soldiers and civilians. They had high hopes, but you can’t honestly tell me you think the Iranians wanted us over there? If they did, why didn’t we go all the way?”
“ Iran?” Carl asked. “You that young?”
Jessie’s eyes narrowed. “I’m 28, old man. Check your calendar, they pulled the troops out 4 years ago.”
“ Why?”
Everybody turned to stare at Dusty, who had voiced the question. “Why’d they pull out? I mean, that’s who came over here, right?”
“ Ain’t that easy kid,” Carl grumbled.
“ They nuked us, we should have turned ‘em into a fucking parking lot,” Jessie spat out nastily.
“ You been outside lately?” Carl asked her, his temper flaring again at her ignorance. “That’s what happens when you use nukes. Fucks up more than the people you bomb.”
“ Better them than us,” she said defiantly.
“ Yeah,” Dustin agreed, nodding his head.
“ You got a lot of growing up to do,” Carl said. “Both of you!”
He turned and headed for the door, grabbing his coat and his rifle on the way. He turned and pointed at another door in the back. “That door’s the way to the outhouse. Stay out of the other shack, it’s locked and it’ll blow you to hell if you try to get in.”
“ Wait a damn minute!” Jessie said, jumping up. “You can’t tell me I’m full of shit and then storm off! Were you in Iran or not?”
He stared at her until she dropped her gaze, then he admitted, “I came back here in 06.” He turned and was out the door then, leaving her looking up, surprised, then smug.
“ Twelve years, you see!” Jessie said triumphantly, grinning as she looked from Dustin to Tanya. Dusty smiled back, but Tanya just rolled her eyes and looked away.
“” He’s old, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Spent too much time by himself out here,” she asserted. “Poor guy’s probably gone a little crazy.”
Dustin looked torn by her words. He wanted to defend Carl, but he didn’t want a confrontation with Jessie. He just stared at her, at a loss, until suddenly he brightened up as a thought hit him. “How’re you feeling?”
She looked at him, surprised, then smiled. “Still like shit, but better, thanks.”
“ I was right,” she added, “you are a good looking kid. I’m glad I saved you – even if maybe that wasn’t what I was after in the first place.”
Tanya coughed and headed stiffly towards the door in the back. She opened it and exited, heading presumably to the outhouse. Jessie turned to look at Dustin, wondering what she could say to get him on her side more.
“ You’re sister hates me,” she said.
He shrugged. “She hates a lot of things,” he offered. “She’s a real control freak. Her accident ended her life and scarred her. She’s been fighting ever since to get better and compete again.”
“ Now that mom’s gone,” he added, his voice softening. He turned away, forcing himself to breathe and ignore the pain that threatened to overwhelm him. There was no way he was going to let Jessie see him cry. She was a movie star. No way she’d think he was some whiny little kid!
“ Well, she’s worried she’ll never get back into it,” he finished a moment later.
Jessie nodded and laid an understanding hand on Dustin’s thigh. He jumped a little, grimaced at the pain in his ribs, and found his eyes burning into the hand on his leg. He followed her arm up to her shoulder and then face and saw that she was talking.
“ It’s okay, I mean,” she said. “I had it rough as a kid, but there was somebody who helped. Somebody who took care of me. I know how it hurts when you lose that somebody special.”
He nodded
“ Terrorists,” Carl growled, willing to argue with her for once. “The people felt different.”
Jessie realized she had hit a sore spot with him and she knew he wouldn’t back down. She knew what she had seen though, what she had experienced. “I interviewed people, okay? Soldiers and civilians. They had high hopes, but you can’t honestly tell me you think the Iranians wanted us over there? If they did, why didn’t we go all the way?”
“ Iran?” Carl asked. “You that young?”
Jessie’s eyes narrowed. “I’m 28, old man. Check your calendar, they pulled the troops out 4 years ago.”
“ Why?”
Everybody turned to stare at Dusty, who had voiced the question. “Why’d they pull out? I mean, that’s who came over here, right?”
“ Ain’t that easy kid,” Carl grumbled.
“ They nuked us, we should have turned ‘em into a fucking parking lot,” Jessie spat out nastily.
“ You been outside lately?” Carl asked her, his temper flaring again at her ignorance. “That’s what happens when you use nukes. Fucks up more than the people you bomb.”
“ Better them than us,” she said defiantly.
“ Yeah,” Dustin agreed, nodding his head.
“ You got a lot of growing up to do,” Carl said. “Both of you!”
He turned and headed for the door, grabbing his coat and his rifle on the way. He turned and pointed at another door in the back. “That door’s the way to the outhouse. Stay out of the other shack, it’s locked and it’ll blow you to hell if you try to get in.”
“ Wait a damn minute!” Jessie said, jumping up. “You can’t tell me I’m full of shit and then storm off! Were you in Iran or not?”
He stared at her until she dropped her gaze, then he admitted, “I came back here in 06.” He turned and was out the door then, leaving her looking up, surprised, then smug.
“ Twelve years, you see!” Jessie said triumphantly, grinning as she looked from Dustin to Tanya. Dusty smiled back, but Tanya just rolled her eyes and looked away.
“” He’s old, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Spent too much time by himself out here,” she asserted. “Poor guy’s probably gone a little crazy.”
Dustin looked torn by her words. He wanted to defend Carl, but he didn’t want a confrontation with Jessie. He just stared at her, at a loss, until suddenly he brightened up as a thought hit him. “How’re you feeling?”
She looked at him, surprised, then smiled. “Still like shit, but better, thanks.”
“ I was right,” she added, “you are a good looking kid. I’m glad I saved you – even if maybe that wasn’t what I was after in the first place.”
Tanya coughed and headed stiffly towards the door in the back. She opened it and exited, heading presumably to the outhouse. Jessie turned to look at Dustin, wondering what she could say to get him on her side more.
“ You’re sister hates me,” she said.
He shrugged. “She hates a lot of things,” he offered. “She’s a real control freak. Her accident ended her life and scarred her. She’s been fighting ever since to get better and compete again.”
“ Now that mom’s gone,” he added, his voice softening. He turned away, forcing himself to breathe and ignore the pain that threatened to overwhelm him. There was no way he was going to let Jessie see him cry. She was a movie star. No way she’d think he was some whiny little kid!
“ Well, she’s worried she’ll never get back into it,” he finished a moment later.
Jessie nodded and laid an understanding hand on Dustin’s thigh. He jumped a little, grimaced at the pain in his ribs, and found his eyes burning into the hand on his leg. He followed her arm up to her shoulder and then face and saw that she was talking.
“ It’s okay, I mean,” she said. “I had it rough as a kid, but there was somebody who helped. Somebody who took care of me. I know how it hurts when you lose that somebody special.”
He nodded
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