Chapter 23

The next morning turned out to be sunny and clear. The heavy storm of the night before had left a lot of debris from the trees and bushes. There didn't seem to be any flooding and Pat and Anna decided to start back for the others.

"We should find the commissary and see if we can get some clothes." Pat said, "I just can't put on those muddy clothes for the ride back."

Anna agreed and they drove to the commissary in the robes from the officer's swimming pool. At the commissary they found clothes that would fit them and, after dressing in the new clothes they started back to the others.

Anna looked over at Pat as he was driving, "Thank you."

Pat looked at her, trying to figure out what she was talking about.

She saw his confusion, "I've always avoided any contact with men. I always was afraid of men and I thought that sex was filthy and something that was a curse for women. You made it a beautiful experience."

Pat reached over and took her hand and held it.

"I can't and I won't hide what we did from Pauline," she continued, "If we are to succeed and survive we can't live by having secrets and deceiving others."

"I understand," he agreed.

They spoke about what they needed for the rest of the trip to where they were going to settle down and work on their survival. Anna was worried about continuing the girl's education and Pat told her that that would have to be her duty as she had much more experience in education than he did. He could see that Anna was pleased that he was agreeing to let her be the head of education for the group.

It took them several hours to get back to the motel where the others waited because of the downed tree limbs and wrecked cars and trucks.

When they pulled into the parking lot they saw Sarah and Pauline standing in front of the motel talking. Pat parked the truck and got out and he and Anna walked toward the other two.

Pat and Anna discussed what they had found at the Air Force base and Sarah was visibly distressed that they hadn't found anyone that had survived in the underground rooms at the base. Pat put his arm around her and asked her if she'd fix him something to eat.

As Sarah went into the kitchen and began to fix Pat a sandwich he turned and looked to where Anna and Pauline were standing. Anna was doing most of the talking. He watched as both women began hugging each other and they were both trying to talk and laugh at the same time. They both had tears running down their cheeks. They hugged each other for a long time and laughed and cried.

"Here's your sandwich," Sarah said.

Sarah looked at the pair hugging each other, "I wonder what that's all about?"

Pat just shrugged.

Anna and Pauline began to walk around the grounds of the motel and it was almost dark before they came into the motel. Pauline walked over to Pat and threw her arms around him. Several of the girls were close and they began to make say woooo loudly and to laugh and clap.

Pauline began to blush and she took Pat's hand and led him down the hall to the room she had slept in the night before. They went in and she closed the door and went to him and hugged him.

"Thank you," she said as she kissed him, "Anna and I had a long talk. What you did had to be done and I think that you have changed her opinion of men forever."

Pat looked into her eyes, "I was afraid that you wouldn't be happy with it. I'm still not comfortable with being the only man around and I don't want to hurt you or lose you."

"You'll never lose me," she said with a big grin, "For some reason this has made me more aware of what has to be done to ensure our survival. I feel really strange. I know that you love me and you want to be with me and that I love you but I also know that I have to share you with others so that the human race can survive. I, amazingly, don't feel any jealousy with that and I don't know why. I know that you're mine and, in the end, it's you and me."