No Normal Day (9 page)

Mrs.
Lingner's words all ran together in a rush, “Do you have power,
Dianne? Mine is off and something is wrong with the
cars,
too. Isn't that weird? Is Jason at home? I was thinking since he is
in the Army and all, he would know what is happening...know what to
do”.

“
I
am sorry, but Jason and I don't know what's going on either. All of
our stuff is dead, too. If we figure anything out, we will let you
know. See you later.” Dianne turned
and
went
in
the house, leaving the neighbor opened mouthed at the gate.

The
late morning rolled
into
the late afternoon, as they waited, talking
about
what could have possibly happened and some options of what they could
do. They were increasingly concerned about
their
children. Jason did
not
want to tell Dianne yet, how strongly he was considering hiking to
the base.
I really need to know what is going on.
Everything
around them remained
quiet.
Dianne got
the
radio out and for the fourth or fifth time, they searched
through
the channels, trying to get a broadcast. This time they hit on a
voice, broken and nearly not understandable over static but it was
someone talking.

“
...all
roadways clogged...no cars runni.. been no explanation....base is
locked down....no law or military on the
streets...looting...dangerous in city.”

Jason
twisted
the
dial, trying to get a better signal when they heard
a
low humming of a motor and a horn honked
at
the gate. Dianne ran
to
the front porch. “Oh, thank god, it's the kids...Jason, it's
the kids!” Jason sprinted
down
the steps and
to
the gate, unlocked
and
swung
it
back. The long heavy old car that belonged
to
Dianne's daughter Kathryn and her husband, Tate, rolled
in
and he closed
and
locked
the
gate behind it. Tate was driving, Kathryn beside him on the bench
seat. Dianne's twenty one year old son, Dane and Jason's eighteen
year old son, Matt, sat in the back. The grand-baby BJ, age eighteen
months, was
between
them in his car seat. Everyone piled out. Kathryn took her baby and
hugged him. The toddler reached out
for
his grandmother, Dianne. She
took
BJ
and
Kathryn
began to cry.

“
Oh
Momma, it was awful in town. We don't know what happened, cars were
blocking us everywhere and the cell wouldn't work. We don't know why
that big hunk of junk is running and I think we are nearly out of
gas. We went to the college to get Dane, you know how far that
is...and we stopped and found Matt.” She hugged
her
step father, who she really accepted as her dad. They all moved
into
the house. Tate took
his
son to change his diaper. Matt went
right
to the refrigerator and pulled
out
a cola for he and Dane. “Still cold”, said
Dane
after a sip.

Jason
said, “You know that big ride of yours is probably running
because it i
s
so old.” Tate and Kathryn had both been
trying to go to school and work and they have the baby. His
grandmother passed the station wagon along to them. She had owned it
since it was brand new, over 40 years ago. She kept it in a garage
and took perfect care of it. So, it was a gas sucking goliath of a
relic but still ran and hardly had a nick on it. He continued, “I
remember reading that older cars might still run after something
knocked out all of the ones with computers and electronics.”

Tate
said, “I was thinking the same thing. Not going to do us much
good without gas though and all the gas pumps are down.” He sat
BJ down on the floor with some toys. They all gathered around the
long table.

Jason
spoke to them, “Now that you are all here, we feel a lot
better. With old goliath out there, still running, I think we have a
chance to get away from here and make it to your Poppa and Gram's
house. I think that is what we need to do.”

Dianne
said, “I agree”.

“
My
truck has a full tank of gas and your mother's probably has at least
three quarters. I also have about three gallons in a can for the
mower. We can siphon that and fill the station wagon. If we stay off
the interstate and take that back way that we like to travel, we will
go real close to Hughesville. Matt, I want to try and get your
brother. I don't think your little sister will leave your mother but
I know that your brother will want to be with us. The baby will have
to ride in someone's lap and when we get David, he will have to pile
in the back with the gear.”

All
the voices chimed in, “We don't have our clothes, we don't
have...what about?” Dianne said, “Shh-ssh”. I am
sure you brought diapers Kat and I have some more here, Gram probably
even has some. We can gather what we can from here. All of you still
have some clothes around that you have left here. We definitely have
to get all the food that we can load. I have two cases of bottles of
water. We better pile all the blankets and pillows that we can
squeeze in.”

Jason
takes
charge,
“
Tate,
you, Matt and Dane, come with me and let's start siphoning that gas.
Dianne, you and Kat start gathering in here. I want to go through my
gear and see what I have that I should take. I will get the pistol
and the .22 and there's that pellet gun that I bought for running off
varmints.”

It
is a little over an hour and they are loaded, looking like homeless
vagabonds, with things tied on the roof and the car packed full. The
station wagon was full of fuel and there was still the gas can. Jason
and Dianne gave a sad look at the house that they were so proud to
have and hold each other a minute. Jason asked, “Tate, when you
passed the base, what did things look like?”

“
Well,
nobody going in or out, lots of soldiers with guns at every gate we
passed. Tanks were pulled up behind the gates,
”
said
Tate.

“
Yeah?
Well, okay.” Jason pushed
down
the last of the guilt he had
about
being at his job. There had been some emergency type training that
made him a little uneasy. Some manuals that detailed how, in a
disaster situation it would be necessary for the military to move
citizens into compounds for their safety. How there could be no food
or supply hoarding and guns would need to be confiscated. Jason
thought of the latest gun laws. He knew
there
were plenty of records of who has
registered
and owns
guns,
but in a massive breakdown of
communications,
not to mention society, would any of that even matter? Even though it
is not something that anyone would
openly
discuss, he knew
that
some of his fellow soldiers had been just as uncomfortable
with
the
details
of Marshall Law and what they would
be
expected to enforce on American citizens.
At
this moment, he saw
everything
he really loved
in
his life and they were counting on him. This is where his loyalty had
to
be now. “Let's get moving”. Even with the best of luck,
they would
be
traveling way into the night, that somehow filled
him
with dread.

Jason
drove, the pistol in the elastic pouch on the door beside him. Tate
came from a family of military, even though he chose not to go that
route. He was trained in using firearms, so Jason had given him the
.22 rifle. The young man sat in the front passenger side, the rifle
pointed down beside him, with Dane in the middle. Kat, Dianne and
Matt sat in the back seat. The hulking station wagon, reminded him of
the tanks he was trained to drive. He drove slowly on the shaded
gravel road and reached the first of the rural roads that, in the
past, had taken them on many holiday trips to Jack and Beth's. The
baby was in Dianne's lap for now, and he could hear his wife softly
humming to her grandson.

About
seven years earlier, he and Dianne had both somewhat given up on love
and marriage when they met. They knew before the first evening...they
both were at the same party, not really wanting to be there... that
the two of them were right. Dianne had gone through some really tough
years. She just hung on to a bad marriage, thinking that she would be
a failure. After all, her parents had a great longtime romance and
marriage. She had been the middle daughter, the somewhat wild child,
she had been the one that clashed with her father, wanted to do and
try it all. Finally, when Kathryn and Dane were pre-teens, she
realized she was doing them all harm by staying. She worked two jobs,
seven days a week for two years. Of course, she was receiving no
child support and she was struggling to keep them going. That night
that she and Jason met, they had sat all night long and just talked.
He thought she was the smartest, most beautiful and strongest woman
he had ever met. He still felt that way. One of the things that he
really admired about her was that she fit the definition of a mother.
All of the kids and little BJ adored her. She even mothered him and
he let her because no one ever did that for him before. They were a
family.

All
the others chattered
at
first, now quiet, they looked
out
the windows and wondered
what
would be
up
ahead. They moved
along
the paved road, Jason
felt
very
uncertain about the events of the last few hours. One thing he was
sure of,
the
day was unlike any he had ever experienced.

Along
the country roads, they made their way around a few cars or trucks
stalled in the way and once he spotted an old tractor,
pop-pop-popping
across a plowed field. When the road took them
over the Interstate, they stopped for a stretch. As far as they could
see in both directions, vehicles filled the six lanes of pavement.
People were milled around, some sat in the median and punched on cell
phones, some were walking. Jason said, “Take care of what you
need to. There's a restroom on the side of the convenience store, see
if you can get in. Tate, you take the .22 and go with the girls. You
boys go around back, don't stop and chat with anyone, just get back
here. If you need a drink from the ice chest, get it. I think Dianne
made up some sandwiches, we can eat on the move. In fifteen minutes
they were back on the road.

They
had reached Hughesville less than an hour later, on the road a little
over two hours. Jason didn't find David, his mother and her new
husband at their house, so he went to the ex-wife's mother's house.
They were all there, along with Jason's little daughter, who was born
right after Jason and the mother had divorced. Just as he thought,
the daughter did not want to leave her mother. They made a spot for
David in the stuffed back of the goliath. He hugged his daughter. At
least, this little town was away from any big cities, he had to hope
for the best for them.