Read Online Worth Saving by G.L. Snodgrass - Free Book Online

paintings were liberated from the local bank and hotels to adorn the walls.
    “Wow, this is nice. You guys do all this?”
    Claire smiled, obviously pleased. “Yes, were making it our own. We may be using other peoples stuff but it’s our place, or at least will be when we’re done,” She said, going to a small table in the corner to finish preparing dinner.
    Ellen took him into the other offices across the hall and showed him the ‘Pantry’ as Claire called it. Three walls where lined with shelves from the floor to the ceiling, straining under the weight of the food supplies. Can goods, dozens of cereal boxes, two cases of large plastic bottles of canola oil and several shelves of spices.
    “You guys must have scrounged everything within blocks,” Hector said.
    “Claire say’s it’s harder and harder to find stuff.” I said, coming up behind him. “Dinner’s ready”
    Jumping a little at the unexpected intrusion, Hector followed me and Ellen back into the dining room where Claire was serving china plates of pickles, olives, Ham slices, and some fried pita bread type things she’d made on the rooftop barbecue earlier that morning.  And some sliced granola bars for desert.
    Digging in like he was born there, Hectors asked about the Sanctuary and what our plans were.
    Without thinking, I sort of looked off into the distance as I described how we hoped to set up a place where people could live without fear. A safe haven where kids didn’t have to worry about being hassled by predators, both the four and two legged kind.  How anyone would be welcome as long as they helped with the work and didn’t cause problems. Warming to the subject, I got more and more passionate as I talked about some of my plans for growing our food instead of having to scavenge all the time. Rambling, I kept on about how we could better look out for each other, sharing and helping each other. I know I sounded sort of idealistic, but it’s how I felt at the time.
    Hector kept quiet, listening as he cleaned his plate and reached for seconds. When I was done with my long winded speech, Hector looked at the group, putting down his fork he looked directly at me, “Are you meshugenah? Loco? Or just plain nuts? You’re setting yourself up to attract every weirdo and crazy out there, they won’t have to even look for you.”
    “What does meshugah mean?” Ellen asked.
    “Crazy, swimming in a sewer and thinking it’s Jell-O type crazy, Eating acorns and tasting M&M’s crazy, walking up to the evil witch in the forest and asking her to show you her special kids size oven, crazy,” Hector said.
    “How’s your way working for you?” I asked, his face getting red. “Those dogs would be falling into a deep sleep after their Hector feast if we hadn’t been there.”
    Hanging his head, Hector slowly shook it from side to side. “Wait, you’re not thinking I should join your little paradise, are you?” he said, looking at each of us in disbelief pushing his chair slightly back and looking at the door. ‘You’re serious, aren’t you?”
    “You’d have time to work on that pump thingy you were talking about the last time we saw you.” Claire said to him. Turning to me she said “He has this idea that he could use some type of a windmill to pump water up from the river.”
    “Really, that’d be great. Wow, could you do that, how? What can we do to help?” I said, my contagious excitement prompting both Ellen and Claire to start talking about all the things they could do with running water.
    Hector sat there and listened as they tried to talk him into it until he finally gave up just to get them off his back.
    “Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be permanent, if you don’t like it, you can always leave,” I said.
    “Yeah, right” Hector mumbled under his breath.

 
     
     
    Chapter Eight
    I stood and stretched, rubbing my lower back as I looked at the three inch double braided nylon rope faked down on top of the roof,