July 16, 2020
With a clattering thump, Ernie dropped the final bucket of screws onto the floor of his dad’s hardware store. He knew his dad would hate the way he thought of this place, but he was desperate to make his own way. Somehow. If the end of the world didn’t make that impossible. Even more impossible, that is. Lack of money for college and few local opportunities had already combined to make it incredibly challenging to find a path out of the hardware store. A path to being something other than just Little Ernie.
Pushing his mop of shaggy blond hair out of his eyes, he checked the manifest to be sure that everything they’d ordered had been delivered. As bad as things had gotten with the pandemic, business had been booming for the hardware store. People all over town were suddenly trapped in their homes and were frantic for something to do. Renovations were a popular choice, especially once people figured out which parts of their homes were run-down, non-functional, annoying, or just plain ugly.
He was distracted from his depressing reverie by the jingle of the shop’s bell, a sound he’d scarcely heard since the country had shut down more than four months ago. He was further surprised to hear his dad calling out for him. Stepping out from the back room, he was surprised to see his partner Jane standing at the cash register and chatting with his dad.
Moving to greet her, he was startled to realize that Jane wasn’t alone. An attractive brunette in crisp fatigues stood at the front of the store, staring out the front window. Though she stood tall, Ernie could tell by the slope of her shoulders that she was drained. This impression was reinforced by the hollow expression in her eyes when she turned to greet him.
Ernie wasn’t quite sure how to handle this situation. He’d never really had a girlfriend before, if you could even call Jane his girlfriend. Should he greet her first, or the woman who seemed like her boss? Was a kiss inappropriate in front of these people? Before he could make a mistake, he noticed the brunette nod subtly towards Jane, allowing a small smile to cross her lips.
“Hey, Jane.” He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before turning to the stranger. “Ma’am,” he continued with a respectful nod.
“Mr. Bertram.” The stranger gave Ernie a firm handshake, returning his nod. “Captain Amelia Hudson. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. I hope I’m not taking you away from anything too urgent.”
“Not at all, ma’am. I just finished unloading our latest order and getting it all stowed away. What could the Army possibly want with me?”
“Air Force, actually. And I’m here to recruit you.”
“To the Air Force?”
Jane snorted explosively, swiftly managing to suppress her giggles. Even Captain Hudson seemed amused by his mistake.
“Not the Air Force, Mr. Bertram. I am here to recruit you for a…project under Operation Breadbasket.”
“I’m lost.”
“Mr. Bertram, what do you imagine is the biggest challenge we’re going to face here in Hopewell as we continue to link up the surviving men with more and more women?”
“Catfights, probably.” His response provoked another chuckle from Jane, and even got a brief smile out of his dad, though Captain Hudson barely reacted.
“Apart from that, Mr. Bertram. Any ideas?”
Ernie gave the question some thought, mining his own situation for ideas, when realization struck. “Oh shit. Space. Housing. If families, Teams, keep growing, they’re gonna outgrow their apartments and houses. Shit. I should’ve thought of that right away. I’m an idiot. I was already worried about finding space for Jane’s stuff in my little apartment over the garage.”
“Exactly.” Captain Hudson’s face initially showed approval, but that was swiftly replaced by a twisted grimace. “Unfortunately, we have run into an unexpected obstacle with respect to addressing this situation. Our initial survey indicated that there is already a construction company in Hopewell that could handle the housing crisis that we are going to face.”
The Ernies shared a glance, already knowing where this was going. “Let me guess,” chimed in Big Ernie. “Your ‘obstacle’ is a flaming asshole named Oscar Brummig. Has he even gotten the vaccine yet?” Captain Hudson shook her head, prompting him to continue ranting. “Of course not. What idiotic excuse did he give? The virus is just a hoax perpetrated by the Deep State to take our guns? The vaccine contains microchips that Bill Gates wants to use to control our brains? Polygamy is a sin against God and nature?”
“He apparently gave several supposed justifications for his positions during his rants, though the officer who approached him declined to write them all down.”
Big Ernie snorted at that. “What does Oscar’s assholery have to do with my son?”
Captain Hudson turned to Little Ernie. “We need someone to spearhead the sizable construction effort that is going to be needed to prepare this town for the expected influx of residents.”
“And you want me to help this person with their hardware-related needs?”
Captain Hudson silently stared at him, and terror slowly crept up Ernie’s back as he realized what she was suggesting.
“Me?” he squeaked.
The Air Force officer merely nodded. Jane put a supportive hand on his arm as he swayed slightly, at a total loss for how to respond.
“Me?” he asked again. “Why would you want me? What would make you think I’m remotely qualified for this? I’m only 19 years old. Are you crazy? I can’t be in charge of something this big. Is this some sort of post-apocalyptic practical joke? Me?” He trailed off before his voice could rise above the range of human hearing.
“This is no joking matter, Mr. Bertram. I’ve spoken with the higher ups, and we all agree that you are the best choice. You’ve worked summers in construction since before you were legally permitted to, and you’ve been around the industry even longer. More importantly, you’re local and well respected in the community.”
“You’re crazy. Me? That’s crazy. No way.”
“You can do it, Ernie.” Jane’s gentle grip was replaced by a fierce hug. “You can do it. You’re smart. You can handle this.” He looked down into her piercing blue eyes, lost for a moment in their tranquil support.
“You should do this, son.” Ernie stared at his dad in disbelief, shocked that he was on board with this madness. “You should do it,” he repeated. “You know you’ve always wanted to get away from the store. To do something different. Something of your own. This is your chance. Don’t blow it.”
After several moments of stunned silence, he turned back to Captain Hudson. “How would this work? If I say yes, what happens?”
A small smile flickered across her face as she opened the metal briefcase by her foot and extracted a small folder of papers. “These are the first five Teams that we want you to address.”
“What am I supposed to do with these?”
“You and your new partner should review these profiles, talk to the Teammates, and make a plan for each of them. Submit your proposals to my office and we will review them. We can try to shake loose some engineering support from the Army Corps of Engineers, either the Omaha or Kansas City Districts maybe. I wouldn’t count on too much from our end, honestly. Off the record, pretty much any reasonable suggestion that you put forward for this project will be approved. We don’t have the time or, quite frankly, the manpower to nitpick or bureaucratize these things anymore.”
“Go back. What new partner? I’ve only been paired with Jane, I mean Corporal Smith, for less than a week. It can’t already be time for another.”
The officer gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “This Operation is considered critical to national security by people at the highest levels of the military and the government. We’re matching up people in this area as quickly as we can get doses of the vaccine delivered. You should expect several more partners within the next month. As far as your new partner is concerned, we have been scouring the nation for unattached women in construction fields to address this problem. One of these women who was recently added to the Oracle system was a strong match for you and she picked you. I believe she will be delivered to your home sometime this afternoon.”
Glancing at Jane and receiving a nod of confirmation, she continued. “She’s a construction manager we picked up from somewhere in the Dakotas. Was working on pipelines most recently, but has worked all over, managing a wide variety of projects. She should be able to advise you on what is and isn’t possible.”
The Captain prepared to leave the shop, but turned back with a hand on the door, an idea striking her. “If you want someone to talk to who isn’t an asshole like Mr. Brummig, you should give Mr. Palmer a call. He would be a good resource for you.”
“Mike? Dave? Bill? Why would any of them be any help with this?” asked Ernie.
“I forgot how many Palmers there are in this town,” said Captain Hudson. “I actually meant Aaron Palmer.”
Big Ernie snorted derisively. “Why the hell would anyone ask him for help? He’s nothing but a lazy good-for-nothing troublemaker. Raised hell all through school and then vanished off into the wild blue yonder the day after graduation. Worried his parents sick for years. Worthless.”
Captain Hudson glared at the older man. “I couldn’t speak to his childhood, but I can tell you that Aaron Palmer is far from worthless. I’ve seen his service records, so I can tell you that there isn’t much about construction that Mr. Palmer doesn’t know. He’s trained in pretty much every trade you might need and was an exemplary leader. He also earned a bronze star and a purple heart for dragging his commander to cover during an ambush in Afghanistan despite being wounded twice.” With a final stare at Big Ernie, she returned her gaze to Little Ernie. “Please take those dossiers home and begin studying them. We will be in touch shortly.”
With a final jingle of the doorbell, and a jaunty wave from Jane, the Ernies were left with only silence and stillness to contemplate everything that the Air Force officer had just dropped on them.
* * * * *
Ernie paced aimlessly around his parents’ kitchen, anxiously awaiting the arrival of his second partner.
“You’re going to wear a hole in my floor if you keep that up.”
“Sorry mom,” he muttered, not pausing in his back-and-forth trek.
“At least make yourself useful and get dinner out of the oven,” she said, thrusting a pair of oven mitts into his hands before bustling back to the fridge to gather salad ingredients. Ernie placed the delicious-smelling hamburger casserole on the stove when he heard the rumble of an approaching Humvee.
Before he could dash to the front door, his mom snagged his arm. “Relax, son. They’re coming inside, no need to go nuts. Take a breath and chillax.” After a pause, she continued with faux innocence. “Isn’t that what the kids are saying these days? Chillax?” Seeing his horrified disbelief, she couldn’t stop herself and burst out laughing, breaking the tension. Baiting her son with outdated slang was always fun for her. She patted him on the shoulder and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek as the front door opened and Big Ernie greeted the two arriving women.
After a bit of indistinct murmuring, Jane stepped into the kitchen, followed by a buxom Hispanic woman with chestnut brown hair pulled back into a simple ponytail. Getting a warm kiss from Jane, he turned to the newcomer. “Hey,” was all he managed to get out before getting tongue-tied.
“Hey yourself,” she answered, smiling kindly at his awkwardness. “I’m Rosita Cuevas.”
Silence stretched as Ernie, blushing furiously, tried to recover. He thought that after Jane, this would somehow get easier, but that didn’t seem to be the case. His mother, on the other hand, had no such issues.
“Welcome Rosita. I’m Ernie’s mom, Dorothy.” She batted aside Rosita’s extended hand and pulled her into a welcoming hug instead. She turned to her son, deciding to give him a helping hand. “Ernie, why don’t you go ahead and set the table while Jane and I chat with Rosita. And tell your father that dinner will be served in five minutes, so there’s no time for him to sneak off into his workshop for whatever ridiculous project he’s working on now.”
“I heard that, Ducky,” Ernie Sr. shouted from the other room. “I don’t get no respect. This one’s going to be a real winner. Just you wait.”
“Don’t listen to him, girls.” The three women made short work of the final dinner preparations and the growing family soon sat down at the table.
“Who’s that seat for?” asked Rosita, pointing to the empty chair on Big Ernie’s left side.
“That’s Bethany’s spot,” said Little Ernie, eager to have a conversation opener. “She’s running a little late today but called and said we should start without her.” Seeing Rosita’s eyebrow quirked inquiringly, he continued. “She’s mom’s best friend. And dad’s second partner. She just moved in a couple days ago.”
As if summoned by their conversation, Bethany bustled into the house, dropping her bags by the door and stepping into the kitchen. Giving Ernie’s parents each a quick kiss on the cheek, she turned her attention to Rosita as she sat down. “You must be Junior’s new partner. Or at least, I hope you’re here for him and not this guy,” she joked, gently elbowing Big Ernie. “I don’t think his old heart could take the stress.”
“She’s here for us, Ms. Tubbard,” confirmed Jane with a giggle.
“It’s Bethany, dear. Just Bethany. We’re all family now. No need for formality.”
Conversation was replaced by the gentle murmur of hungry people digging into a hearty and delicious meal. The volume picked up slowly as the meal continued, with dessert devolving into a raucous and joyous cacophony. Scooping up the last crumbs of his scotcheroo, Ernie leaned back, a grin splitting his relaxed and contented face. He was thoroughly pleased to see that his family was welcoming his new partner with open arms.
Once everyone was finished with the meal, Rosita rested her hand softly on Ernie’s knee. “Ladies, this was delicious. Thank you all so much for welcoming me into your home. If you would excuse us, I have some important business to discuss with Ernie here.” Standing, she grabbed Ernie’s hand and half-dragged him out of the kitchen.
As the back door swung shut, everyone at the table burst out laughing.
“Important business,” giggled Bethany.
“That’s a new one,” added Jane. “I’m gonna have to remember that.”
Their amusement was interrupted by a loud groaning wafting in from the back window. Blushing, Ernie turned to his wife. “Come on, Ducky. Let’s give those kids a little privacy.” The older couple fled the room, leaving Bethany and Jane to finish cleaning up.
“No jealous twinges?” asked Bethany after a moment.
“I mean, maybe a little. It’s kind of hard, but I knew what I was getting into from the jump. And it’s not like we had a long-standing monogamous relationship that suddenly had to become poly.” Jane paused, taking a sip of her drink and thinking. “He’s very sweet. Lots of love to give. Hopefully enough to go around, knowing what’s coming down the line.”
“Coming down the line? For Ernie?”
“Things are gonna get…a little hectic for him.”
Their conversation was interrupted by Rosita’s crescendoing orgasm, followed by complete silence. “I think that’s my cue to go on up,” said Jane.
“One good thing about being partnered to a young guy like Junior,” joked Bethany. “Round Two.”
Chuckling, Jane slipped out of the house and headed for the apartment over the garage, already getting herself properly attired for Round Two.
* * * * *
July 20, 2020
Ernie took a couple of deep breaths staring at the stately old Victorian house through his windshield. “You can do this. It’s no big deal.”
“I’m not worried about it, Ernie,” said Rosita from the passenger seat of his truck.
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“I’m not talking to you. Do you know who lives here? Who we decided, for some crazy ass reason, to start with?”
Rosita glanced down at her clipboard full of notes. “We’re starting with…Mr. and Mrs. Lehrer…yeah, Charles and Margaret Lehrer.”
“Exactly! Mrs. Lehrer.” Seeing her blank expression, he explained. “Mrs. Lehrer. The most feared teacher at Hopewell Elementary. Everything is all puppies and rainbows and then you get to Mrs. Lehrer’s fourth grade classroom and its discipline and responsibility, with a side of Old Testament fire and brimstone. That’s who we’re going to see. First.”
“Got a little deep-seated fourth grade trauma there, do we?”
“Maybe. Probably. Yes.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek, then turned his head for a deeper one.
“Suck it up, stud. Let’s do this shit.”
“You’re lucky you’re cute.” He gave another quick kiss before opening the door of his truck and stepping out. “Come on, hot stuff. Just remember that whatever happens, this is your fault.”
Stepping onto the expansive wraparound porch, he put his hand on the antique doorbell, taking a deep breath before giving it a solid twist and stepping back, straightening his stance.
The door swung open, revealing a petite older woman, wearing her trademark pleated khaki slacks and bland twinset cardigan. “Mr. Bertram.”
“Mrs. Lehrer,” he answered respectfully. “Thank you for seeing us this morning. This is my partner, Rosita Cuevas.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Cuevas. The young woman that I spoke with on the telephone indicated that this would be an important meeting. Charles is unable to attend due to his ongoing work responsibilities, but I am certainly capable of representing this family. Please come in.”
Seeing the sheaf papers in Rosita’s hands, the imposing teacher gestured towards the dining room. Ernie swiftly pulled a chair out for Rosita, ignoring her perplexed expression in favor of keeping an eye on Mrs. Lehrer’s grudging nod of approval.
“The floor is yours, Mr. Bertram, Ms. Cuevas.”
With another deep breath and a confidence-inspiring knee squeeze from Rosita, Ernie launched into the spiel he had been honing over the past several days.
“Ma’am, thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. We are here at the request of the Government to help you address an issue that we think will become a large concern for your family as time goes on: housing.” Mrs. Lehrer nodded in response, easing his tension and smoothing his delivery. “As your Team, your family, continues to grow, your current space is unlikely to be sufficient. We have been asked to work with you to see how the government can help you address this problem.”
Mrs. Lehrer gave Ernie a considering look as his speech ran down. “Adequate delivery, Mr. Bertram,” she eventually said, giving him another small nod. Seeing his stunned expression, she permitted a small smile to slip out. “I see Mr. Paulson’s lessons on formal presentations were not wasted on you. I will be sure to inform him of this at our next professional development session.” With another nod, she turned to Rosita, who had started spreading paperwork out on the table. “He always was precocious as a young man, and it seems that has not changed. What are you proposing?”
“We don’t have any specific proposals for you yet, ma’am,” she answered. “We thought the best plan would be to start things off by talking individually with each Team. Everyone’s housing situation here is so different, we don’t think that there will be any ‘one size fits all’ approach to the problem. My paperwork here indicates that you are vaccinated, and that your husband has two additional partners. Is that correct?”
“Yes. Violet Parker, one of the large animal veterinarians in town, and Angela Smithson. She was a chef on a cruise ship of some sort before she was enrolled in the program.”
“And where are they currently staying?” asked Rosita.
“Violet’s home is three blocks down the street. Since her home is so close, we saw no reason for her to move in here, especially with the amount of equipment she keeps there for her work. She was more than happy to have Angela move in with her. She has been living alone since her husband passed away and her children rarely visit. I suspect she has been lonely and appreciates the company.”
“And how has that been working for you? I mean, with respect to…you know.” Rosita blushed deeply, trailing off awkwardly.
“Charles’ sexual intercourse?”
“Yes. That.”
“It has been adequate for our needs, so far. Our home has three open bedrooms and Violet’s home still has two open. I doubt that Charles will have more partners than that any time soon. Between these two houses, each woman will have their own space. The dining room in this home is large enough to feed nine comfortably and the two kitchens are sufficient. We have no housing concerns, at this time.”
“We’re happy to hear that things are working out for you so far, ma’am.” Rosita glanced at Ernie, a smug grin splitting her face as she dug through the papers on her clipboard. Swiftly filling out the blocks on the DD-1746-QT, she passed the form across the table to Mrs. Lehrer. “Not even the end of the world can overcome the government’s need for paperwork. Please confirm that everything I’ve written here is correct, including your waiver of housing assistance, and then sign and date at the bottom. If you change your mind in the future, there is a number there to call and request a modification of your status.”
With a final handshake and a brief nod of approval, Ernie and Rosita made their escape. “I told you this was the place to start,” she said. “Never doubt the gut, Ernie. Never doubt it.”
“All hail Rosita’s majestic and all-knowing gut.” He bowed exaggeratedly towards her midsection. “We are not worthy. We are not worthy.” Giggling, she grabbed his face and pulled him in for a fiery kiss.
“We should…we should go start getting ready for our next meeting, appointment, thing,” he stuttered, leaning back on the hood of his truck.
“We’ve got a couple of days. You’re going to have to take care of something else, first,” she said, passion flaring in her eyes.
* * * * *
July 24, 2020
“What’s the deal with this next Team?” The welcoming Craftsman bungalows they were driving past were significantly different, though no less well-maintained, than the stately Victorians of Mrs. Lehrer’s neighborhood.
“It’s two Teams, actually,” answered Rosita. “They are neighbors. Looks like we’ve got Paul Townsend at 1014 and Wilson Turner at 1012.”
“Doc Townsend? That’s great. He’s always been pretty laid back, so hopefully he’ll be fairly reasonable to work with. I don’t know Wilson Turner that well, but his parents ran The Turner Round, the local truck stop, for years. Mr. Turner handled the station itself and was a great mechanic. Mrs. Turner’s café was very popular with locals and truckers alike. Not sure if Wilson’s running it these days or what. I know he left town for college a while back. I guess he must have moved back when his parents passed last year, but I don’t know for sure.”
“Good to know. Would have been better to know when I was making plans for these two, but what can you do?” snarked Rosita.
“Hey, I was busy,” said Ernie. “Dad’s been shockingly supportive of me taking on this building project for the government, but he doesn’t have anyone else to help out at the store yet. I can’t just leave him shorthanded when a big order comes in, ya know.”
“I know, sweetie. I was just giving you a hard time.” She kissed him on the cheek, causing him to blush a bit.
“Sweetie?”
“I’m trying it out. Cutie pie seemed a little too much, though Jane was pushing for that one,” she joked, causing his blush to deepen.
“A bit much,” he managed. “Sweetie is fine. If you want. I mean, I like you. I mean, I like it. The nickname.”
“You’re extra cute when you’re flustered.” She gave him another kiss on the cheek and caressed his knee. “I guess I know what we’ll be doing once we finish with these two families.”
Romantically inexperienced as he had been before Jane and Rosita entered his life, even Ernie knew better than to question that plan. Instead, he stepped a little harder on the gas pedal, eager to get to work.
Stepping out of Ernie’s truck, the couple was pleased to see that both Teams were on their respective front porches to greet them. “Thank you all for taking the time to speak with us,” Rosita began with a broad smile, standing between the two houses to address the group.
“I’m Rosita Cuevas, and I’m the one you spoke with on the phone. This hunk is Ernie Bertram, though I guess most of you already knew that.” Ernie blushed again at her compliment, eliciting guffaws from several of the onlookers. “I’m guessing that this group is Team Townsend.” She pointed to her right at an older couple, blonde hair shading towards gray, and a voluptuous black woman with a spray of springy black curls. “And that would make you two a part of Team Turner.” She gestured towards the pair on her left, a squat fireplug with flaming red hair and scruffy beard and a petite Asian woman with deep purple hair half-covering her face.
Doctor Townsend stepped forward, a matching grin splitting his older, weather-beaten face. “Welcome, both of you. We get so few visitors these days, for obvious reasons. This is my wife, Angelica.” The blonde gave them a welcoming wave from the Townsends’ porch. “And this is our friend and Teammate, Aisha Belmont.” The Black woman nodded and gave them a broad smile.
“I’m Wilson Turner, and this is my second partner, Hinata Nakamura. My first partner is on the road right now making a delivery. She should be back…” He trailed off, trying to remember her schedule.
“Tomorrow night around dinner time,” Hinata stated authoritatively. “She dropped a load of wheat at Cargill’s elevator in Byers and then grabbed a load from Coors last night. Today she’s dropping that off in Salt Lake City and picking up a load of lumber from Weyerhaeuser and will get as far as she can before her hours of service run out. She’ll finish the run tomorrow.”
“Thanks Nata. Don’t know how we’d manage without you.” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before turning back to Rosita and Ernie. “Apparently, Pamela will be back tomorrow night, if you need her.”
“It’s no problem,” Rosita said. “We won’t need to make any final decisions today.” She turned to Ernie and waved him forward to give his introductory spiel.
Delivering his pitch for a second time, and with a less intimidating audience, allowed Ernie’s delivery to be much more relaxed. Opening the floor to questions was still a little scary for him, but Rosita’s calm and reassuring presence soothed his nerves somewhat.
“Thank God,” Angelica blurted out. “I was kind of wondering what we would do when more people come. Don’t get me wrong, we love living with Aisha. She’s amazing. But there’s no denying that the house is going to start feeling really cramped pretty soon if we get more people in the near future.”
“We’re going to get more people soon, I’m sure,” added her husband. “I’ve reviewed all of the documentation that the Air Force has provided to the hospital, limited as it is. Immunity levels with just two partners isn’t high enough to guarantee protection. Especially not for something as significant as this project appears to be.”
“Do you guys have any suggestions on how we should proceed with this?” asked Wilson from the other porch.
“We don’t have any specific suggestions for either of you,” said Ernie. “We need to see what your individual circumstances are. What you want and need moving forward. We have come up with a couple of general ideas that you might consider, if you guys want some inspiration.”
“Yes please,” said Angelica. “Neither of us, sorry, none of us in this house are particularly handy or construction minded. Any ideas you have would be great.”
“Depending on the housing situation, we’ve come up with five broad categories.” Rosita stepped forward, holding up her hand and counting off fingers. “One, we can move a Team to a vacant home that has enough space for everyone. Despite your town’s extraordinary efforts, we’ve got plenty of vacant houses and properties available. Two, we can expand the housing that’s already there with some type of extension. Three, we can connect to a vacant adjacent home, either next door or through the back yard, depending on the property. Four, we can build a new house on some available land. Five, would be to just have people stay in multiple separate houses.”
Both Teams gave those options some thought, frowns spreading across the Townsends’ faces.
“To be honest, none of those really appeal much at all,” said Angelica. “We raised three kids in this house. Moving away from all those good memories now would be…unfortunate. But there’s no room for an addition or anything on this small little lot. And I don’t see any way we could connect this house to a neighboring one. We’re on the corner here, obviously, and Wilson’s clearly still living next door. The one behind us is…problematic, to say the least.” Rosita looked at her inquisitively. “Oscar Brummig. He’s an obnoxious asshole who’s convinced that the pandemic is a hoax, and the government is out to get him.”
“I’ve heard all about him,” said Rosita. “I agree, that’s not going to work.”
“I guess we’ll have to figure out where we can move to,” Paul said with a resigned sigh.
Everyone’s attention was drawn to the increasingly intense whispered conversation coming from the Turner house. Hinata gestured decisively and Wilson eventually nodded in affirmation. The pair turned back to the group, startled to see that they were the center of everyone’s attention.
“How much power do you have to negotiate?” Hinata asked, a hint of steel running through her quiet question.
“What do you mean?” asked Rosita. “Negotiate about what?”
“There is a tract of vacant land behind Wilson’s station. It was seized by the county for unpaid taxes, but they have not made any arrangements to auction it off.”
“Old Man Johnson’s place?” asked Ernie.
“Yeah,” rasped Wilson. A quick glance from Hinata silenced him again, giving her space to work her magic.
She turned back to stare evenly at Rosita and Ernie. “We would be prepared to move away from Wilson’s childhood home if you can obtain that land for us and build a home on the property that can fit our Team. This would give the Townsends room to expand their space without having to move away from their home. It would also facilitate the role that we have been asked to undertake for Captain Hudson. We would even be prepared to move out as soon as you can get a couple of mobile homes moved to the lot, which would let you start helping the Townsends even sooner.” Surprised silence greeted her proposal. “Would this be agreeable to whichever part of the government you report to?”
“We weren’t expecting such…complete proposals today, actually,” Rosita eventually managed. “I’ll have to touch base with Captain Hudson and see if we’re allowed to take or purchase land from the county.”
Hinata tossed her cell phone to Ernie. “I figured you would say something like that. She’s in my phone as just ‘Amy.’ Go ahead and give her a call. Let’s see if we can do business.”
While Ernie and Rosita retreated to make their call, Wilson pulled her into a tight hug. “You are such a badass,” he whispered in her ear, gently nipping at her earlobe.
“Wilson, are you sure about this?” asked Angelica gently. “This is your childhood home. Are you sure you want to give it up just like that? So suddenly? Don’t let anyone bully you into making a decision that you might come to regret.” A frown tugged down lips far more accustomed to smiling as she glanced at Hinata.
His explosive laugh startled the frown off her face. “Fuck no, I’m not gonna regret this. This place hasn’t been home since I left for college. It was just a place I visited. Now? Now it’s just too full of memories, too full of ghosts, for me.”
“What were you two fighting about then?” asked Aisha.
“Nata wanted to be the one to do the negotiating for us. She thought I would be too much of a pushover. That I wouldn’t get enough from the feds in exchange.” Taking a moment to consider, he nodded. “She’s probably right. She’s a badass.”
Hinata leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek and giggled softly. “You say the sweetest things.”
Rosita and Ernie returned at that moment. “Lady, it looks like you got some serious pull with the Captain,” Rosita said with a smile. “Once she found out who was asking for this she agreed without hesitation. Said something about you guys being even now.”
“She wishes,” laughed Hinata.
“Anyway, let's get this paperwork handled. Assuming this plan is OK with you guys?” she quirked an inquisitive eyebrow at Team Townsend.
“Of course,” said Paul. “If Wilson is sure that this is what he wants. That would be great. Amazing, really.”
“Excellent.” She pulled a stack of forms out of her clipboard and started filling out the required information.
“Maybe this project won’t be so bad, after all,” said Ernie under his breath.
* * * * *
July 31, 2020
“Why did I have to fucking jinx it?” groaned Ernie, standing and stretching out his stiff limbs. “Things were going so smoothly.”
The past week had been grueling. They only had two more Teams from the first stack of files from Captain Palmer. After three quick successes, Ernie and Rosita had been sure that they wouldn’t have any difficulty getting this first chunk of Teams finished. Team Richardson swiftly put that notion to bed.
Todd Richardson had always believed himself to be destined for greater things, his lack of talent, intelligence, and drive notwithstanding. He demanded that any relocation plan would have to include an Olympic-sized swimming pool (not that he knew how to swim), a putting green, and a four-car garage, complete with at least two classic muscle cars. His partner was, if anything, worse, insisting on three walk-in closets and a sizable allowance for new clothes. After several meetings with ever-increasing demands, the pair managed to get Todd to sign off on a waiver of housing assistance, assuring him that he could always change this when, as he put it, “the government is prepared to properly cater to such high-end Teams as us.”
Team Hernandez wasn’t nearly so demanding, though they presented their own set of issues. Carmen Hernandez’s anxiety, an issue for her at the best of times, was in full bloom during this raging apocalyptic pandemic. With three adults and 4 young children in a two-bedroom apartment, their need for new housing was urgent. Unfortunately, the pressure involved in deciding where their ever-expanding family would relocate too was almost too much for her to bear. Should they find some adjacent apartments to give everyone some space? Pick a big house that fit everyone? Move closer to Carmen’s office? Frank’s?
After changing their minds several times, Frank Hernandez managed to convince her to settle on a set of three townhouses that had recently been constructed on the edge of town. The owner had built them to house his extended family, but that plan was cut short when the entire family caught DuoHalo back in May. With no heirs remaining, the government seized the building and the Hernandez family would be moving into one of the units tomorrow. The structure of the building gave Ernie and Rosita plenty of time to put together a construction plan to connect them all, once they had a construction crew put together.
As expected, Oscar Brummig had been wholly unwilling to work with the couple to modify or build homes for Operation Breadbasket. Rosita had notified Captain Hudson of this fact several days ago, but the Captain hadn’t responded yet. She was hoping that they would be given authority to run their own crew. Ernie assured her that he knew plenty of excellent workers and wouldn’t have a hard time putting it all together.
“At least we’re finally done,” said Rosita. “Now we can get to something a bit more fun.” She started to pull her shirt off, but an approaching rumble stopped her.
“Dammit. That must be Jane. I thought I would have a bit more time to get you all worked up before she got here.”
“You knew she was coming over this afternoon?”
“Yes indeed.” She grinned maniacally. “You know your ladies keep each other in the loop. Someone’s gotta look out for you, sweetie.” She gave him a little kiss before pushing him through the door and onto the front porch of his parents’ house.
“Hey stud. I brought you a surprise.” Jane cackled gleefully. “Well, maybe it’s more than one surprise.”
A sudden bark was all the warning he had before a large black and brown streak bounded up to him, skidding into a sliding sit. Panting, the gorgeous rottweiler looked up at him, eager to receive his proper allotment of loving.
“Rocco!” A woman’s voice broke the silence, drawing Ernie’s attention away from the mystery dog.
Ernie was stunned by the vision emerging from around the far side of the Humvee. Two gorgeous strangers sauntered into view, distracting him long enough for the dog to slobber all over his hand.
“Rocco,” scolded the raven haired woman, tucking an escaped strand of wavy hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry about that. He gets excited about meeting new people.” She stepped forward and gave the still-gaping Ernie a smoldering kiss. “Now we’ve got that one out of the way,” she laughed.
“Zoe,” whined the blonde pixie with short blonde hair. “I was supposed to kiss him first. I beat your fair and square.”
“You snooze, you lose Abby,” she called over her shoulder, going in for another kiss. The blonde, Abby apparently, shouldered her out of the way, reaching up and giving Ernie an equally smoking kiss.
“Damn,” said Jane ruefully, shaking her head. “I really thought you would manage to say something before they could both kiss you. Now I owe them each twenty bucks. You couldn’t manage just one word Ernie?” She chuckled, stepping forward and giving Ernie his third soul-searing kiss in a minute. “I guess not. But that’s probably why I like you so much. So innocent.”
“That’s enough of that,” said Zoe as the pair nudged her out of the way. “It’s still our turn.”
“Think you can handle the both of us, stud?” asked Abby, causing his head to swivel back towards her.
“I don’t think he can handle us, Abby.”
“You might be right, Zoe. But won’t it be fun to find out?”
The girls each took an arm and led him towards the garage apartment.
“Once you recover from the Terrible Twosome, I’ve got the paperwork on the next ten Teams for you to start working on,” called Jane.
Their raucous laughter was the last thing he heard before the door swung shut and he moved onward to glory. Or doom. Either way, Abby was right. It would be fun to find out.