Living Beyond the Day - a P&P Story
Chapter 4

Copyright© 2015 by radio_guy

We finished our coffee and piled into my Liberty to look at the other houses. The middle house was the biggest with four bedrooms and three baths. It also had the best layout. We had cleared all three when we claimed the valley but both the other two were dusty now. Since power was hydro-electric, we had powered both of them when we left the grid. Moving would be pretty easy

We decided to move to it. Dad and I had been tempted before because it had the best barn and other facilities. It took a day to move our things. Dad took one master bedroom and I motioned for Pat to take the other which gave her a private bathroom. She didn't argue much and quit totally when Dad suggested that maybe she would like his better if that one didn't suit her. We finished moving and Pat cooked an excellent supper that evening. Our new house had a better set of porches. I admitted to myself that we should have been here all along.

Dad went to bed early that night and Pat and I stayed up watching a movie. Dad and I had liberated a lot of VCR and DVD movies when scavenging. I let her pick what we watched. To my surprise, she picked the first Lord of the Rings VCR. It turned out that she was a fan of Tolkien, too. We could both quote passages from the books. We had a lively discussion of the parts of the first book that weren't in the movie. We headed to bed after it was over.

We had turned the lights off and were walking down the hall toward our rooms. Pat reached over and grabbed me into a fierce hug. She was holding me tightly and said in a choking voice, "Mark, thank you for letting me be with you and your dad. You saved my life." She kissed my cheek and, just as suddenly, released me to go into her room. She closed the door but I don't think she locked it. It didn't matter because I had no intention of going in there uninvited.

I went to my room and pushed the door closed but not latched. I stripped down, put on a clean set of boxers and slipped into bed under a sheet. I slept the night through with a happy, warm spot on my cheek. I woke early and showered. No one else was up so I started coffee in the kitchen. As soon as it was ready, I poured my cup and went to the back porch and sat on the swing to gently rock as I listened to the birds and such.

I had finished half my cup when I heard noises in the kitchen. Moments later, Pat came out with her cup of coffee. There were plenty of places to sit in the porch but she chose to sit beside me on the swing. I liked that.

Dad came out with his coffee and found us sitting together with my arm loosely around her shoulders. He said nothing but smiled at us. Pat blushed but made no attempt to move or to move my arm. We sat together in companionable silence for over five minutes. We finished our coffees and Pat said, "Mister Dan, Mark is going to help me cook breakfast. Don't linger too long or it will be cold."

I wasn't sure how much cooking she expected from me. The answer was none. She wanted to talk and for me to listen and answer questions. She was starting the meal with quick, practiced motions and said, "Mark, what's the program? I'm talking about us not generally."

"Pat, I'm not totally sure. We are both free without even considering the virus' affect on life.

"I liked and respected you in high school but, even if I had broken up with Cathy back then, I could not have gone out with you. It wouldn't have been, well, appropriate."

She responded, "I knew that then. This is now. Like you said, 'We are both free.' I want to know where I stand with you now, in this new world."

"I'll go back to my original answer. Neither of us has much in the way of options right now. We might bump into some people tomorrow or next week and you will find someone more satisfactory."

"The same could be said for you, Mark."

"Not likely. I've always liked you. You're one of the best looking girls I have ever met. You're smart as a whip. You have a great sense of humor. You're a great cook. What more could a guy want in a girl?"

"There is a lot more you could want. Except for the cooking, the same can be said for you." She grinned at me and I grinned back.

She continued, "The only reason I didn't try to date you in high school was Cathy. At UNC, you were my standard of comparison for any potential date. Mark, it would be very easy for me to care about you and I don't mean as a friend."

"I understand and agree. Pat, let's just let things ride. If we work out, I won't be sorry. If we don't, I would like to part friends or live in the same community as friends." I smiled at her. "Deal?"

"Deal." She had been working on cooking ham. "I need some paper towels on a platter for the meat." I quickly found a platter and covered it with a double thickness of paper towel. She flipped the ham out of the frying pan and started on a package of fried potatoes. She had them cooking and went after eggs. I busied myself in locating platters and plates to set the table.

Shortly, she said, "Get your dad. It's time to eat. I want more coffee."

I went to the door and called Dad in. I took the pot and poured all three of us fresh coffee to go with our breakfast.

While we were eating, Dad talked about a training schedule for Pat. He arranged for me to perform most of her training. After he finished, he asked if we were okay with the schedule. I nodded. Pat looked at me and grinned before nodding at Dad. I had the feeling that Dad was giving us a chance at romance. I didn't mind.

That schedule started after I finished the dishes. All three of us went to the road and worked out a method of blocking it better that looked more natural but that we could penetrate though with some difficulty. We finished and Dad said, "Please humor me my paranoia. I want to take a Liberty and hide it over that hill. If there was ever a determined invasion, I want to be able to run. It could be a life saver for us." We nodded. We went back and loaded my Liberty with some food and blankets along with a couple of rifles and ammunition. Dad said, "Tomorrow, we will seek out a place. The walking will do us good." Pat looked enthused. I was resigned.

 
There is more of this chapter...
The source of this story is Storiesonline

To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account (Why register?)

Get No-Registration Temporary Access*

* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.

Close
 

WARNING! ADULT CONTENT...

Storiesonline is for adult entertainment only. By accessing this site you declare that you are of legal age and that you agree with our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.