Emily paced over to the door and pulled back the curtain one more time as Auntie May droned on about Jordan. The man it seemed was more like a son to her than a great-nephew. She had been there less than half an hour and already she knew that the man took his first step when he was just eight months old, had graduated high school as valedictorian with letters in football, baseball and track, and oh, yes, he had lost his virginity when he was fifteen to girl who was a senior and a cheerleader, but she had broken his heart. Emily had smiled at that one, trying to imagine any woman having that kind of control over the man she had met only briefly but felt like she knew for years.
She did not want to worry the sweet old woman, but it was almost pitch black out there now and even Emily was beginning to worry about the guy. He was good, no doubt, but even Marines lost battles occasionally. Especially when they were out gunned or ambushed.
And in the world as it was now, the good guys were sorely outnumbered. It was more than possible that even with his skills, the gang with its greater numbers had prevailed. What then? What would she do? She might have just met the old woman, but there was no way she could just leave her here. But how she would get the woman with her walker all the way to Iowa was beyond her.
She let the curtain drop and fall back into place as she turned to face the old woman. She plastered her best 'everything will be all right' smile into place, but feared that even her acting skills fell short of this one. "Aunt May," she began...but she was cut off by a soft thud from the utility room, just off the kitchen behind them. It was automatic as she shoved the older woman behind her and reached for the knife in her jean's pocket.
She had just flipped the blade open and was crouched to attack when he appeared in the door way. "Jordan," sang the frail voice behind her. Emily relaxed her stance and allowed the woman to rush past her and embrace the man.
***
Jordan nodded at her as the woman started to fret and worry over him, "What were you thinking, Jordan? It is cold out there. You should have come with your friend, not left the two of us to worry about what mischief you were up to, boy."
He leaned down and brushed a light kiss over the wrinkled forehead. "I am sorry, Auntie May. We had a bit of trouble on the way here. I had to take of some things before I could. Sorry if I worried you." It never ceased to amaze him how this woman could make him feel like a naughty ten year old.
But the woman that smiled knowingly across the room made him feel anything but ten years old, but very naughty all the same. "Is everything all right?" she asked quietly. He nodded as Auntie May stepped back.
"You two need food. Let me make us some supper," she smiled. But that smile seemed weaker, less radiant, less peaceful than it once had. He noticed the slowing of her once sprit step too, as if each one was a sheer act of will alone.
"I'll cook, Auntie May," he offered. "You just sit down and chat with Emily," he smiled with far more confident than he felt at the moment. Despite being safe inside Auntie May's, he alone was protector for two females, one of them old and sick, and they were surrounded by the enemy. He was certain that he had been in worse situations but he could not think of them just then. What is more, he knew that the police or no one else would come to the rescue. This new world order really sucked.
***
'And he cooks too,' Emily wanted to laugh hysterically at it all. But there was nothing funny about the situation they were in. Nothing funny about the world in which they suddenly found themselves. Had it been just two weeks ago that she had sought her parents' opinions about a move to Hollywood? How could so much change so quickly? But without power or telephones, they had been thrown back into the Dark Ages it seemed. Except the feudal lords were drug dealers and gangs.
The older woman was staring at her. Emily smiled as best she could. "So how do you know my boy?"
Emily was not certain exactly what to say, so she was glad when a deep voice from the kitchen responded, "We sort of ran into one another out there as she was trying to get out of the city, Auntie May."
The older woman nodded and her eyes travelled up and down Emily's body until she shifted uncomfortably from side to side, "She one of your nicer looking strays, I can say that much for you, boy."
Emily was not certain how to respond to that, so she dropped her eyes to the floor and whispered, "Thank you, I think."
"So where you off to with my boy, girl?" the older woman demanded.
Emily looked back up and noticed that the woman's frail arms were crossed over her chest as if pondering it all. "My parents have a farm a few hundred miles from here in Iowa. I figured that would be safer than staying in the city."
"Humph, anything is safer than staying in this city. Police done turned the whole place over to those ruffians out there. Jordan used to play with some of dem boys when they were little. But they can't even be called human no more. No morals. No nothing. Just pure evil," the woman looked up as the young man brought a tray of food in.
"Sorry, Auntie May, it may not be as good as your cookin' but all I could find was some beans to warm up," he apologized as he handed a bowl to her. She took it with trembling fingers.
He turned towards her and held out another bowl. Emily took it was a smile, "Thanks."
"Don't thank me until you taste it," he joked but she could hear the stiffness in his voice as she walked over to the couch that the woman motioned for her to sit on. He joined her and they ate in silence. He was right: dinner was nothing special just a can of baked beans with a bit of ketchup, mustard and touch of brown sugar to try and flavor them a bit. But these days flavor was not that important. If you had food to eat, that was all that mattered.
