Chapter 2: Chapter 2
“It hasn’t been thatmany years—we’re barely thirty.”
“And we have many more years to look forward to,don’t we?”
“Yet another silly question.”
“Not so silly,given the state of the world we live in these days,”Randy said.“Josh.”
“Yeah?”
“Have you given any serious thought to what we do and how dangerous it is?”
“I’ve thought about it,but not extensively.Why?”
“Because we both have to be prepared for the eventuality that one of us might get killed on one of these scrounging missions.”
“I guess it’s a possibility,”Josh said,“but I haven’t thought about it.”
“You should.”
“I don’t see why.”
“Okay,then,”Randy said.“I’ll get specific.If something happened to me,I wouldwant you to put blinders on,look forward,and keep on enjoying life.As Auntie Mame said,‘Life is a banquet,and most poor suckers are starving to death’.”
“You worry too much.”
“Josh,I’m serious,and I want you to promise me.”
“Okay,babe.If something happens to you,I’ll go from wearing black to wearing purple in a matter of days instead of waiting six months or a year.”
“Damn it,Josh.”
“Oh,all right.If it’ll make you feel better,I promise I won’t lock myself away from the world and get all dramatic if something happens to you.”
“That’s better.”
“And I expect you to do the same for me,should worst come to worst.”
“Of course,”Randy said,“I’ll do the same thing,should something happen to you.”
“Can we go to sleep now?”Josh said.
“Yeah.”
“Rex,guard,”Josh said,and with that,closed his eyes for sleep.
Wednesday
JOSH WAS AWAKENED the next morning when Rex began to lick his face.He got up,went to the door of the pavilion and opened it so Rex could go outside and take care of business.Then he looked down at his sleeping lover,and nudged him with a foot.
“Rise and shine.”
“Already?”Randy said.“It feels like I just got to sleep.”
“It’s well past dawn,and his highness has already told me that it’s time to get underway.”
“Alright then.Is everything still peaceful around here?”
“It seems so,and Rex hasn’t given me any indication otherwise.”
“Good.I’ll put together a cold breakfast while you take care of your needs.”
“Yeah,”Josh said.“Squatting in the bushes is so much fun.”
“You gotta do what you gotta do,”Randy said.“You do know that some experts maintain that most of mankind’s intestinal problems stem from the fact that we no longer squat to take care of business.”
“You’ve gotta be kidding.”
“Not at all,and it sort of makes sense.Something about the fact that when we squat,our rectums are lined up correctly.Maybe that’s why the French are so healthy.”
“Say what?”
“You’ve been to Paris,”Randy said.“Remember that old-fashioned squat plumbing that we thought was so funny?”
“Funny,and damned awkward to use.”
“Nevertheless—”
“Anyhow,we’ll be home in a couple of days,”Josh said,“and I’m so looking forward to that indoor plumbing.”
An hour later,the van was packed,and they were on their way east.
“Okay if I take a short nap?”Randy said.
“I’m wide awake,so have at it.”
The original factory-installed bench seat had been replaced with a pair of bucket seats,both of which fully reclined.Randy pushed his back until it was at forty-five degrees and closed his eyes.“Wake me,if you need me.”
“Count on it,”Josh said.
“Love you.”
“Back at you.”Sometime later,Josh said,“Wake up,Randy.”
Randy sat up and rubbed his eyes.“What’s happening?”
“Nothing’s happening,but there’s an abandoned gas station ahead,and it looks promising.”
“Let’s have a go at it,then.”
Josh pulled the van up to the area adjacent to the pumps and stopped.“I don’t see anysigns of human activity around here.”
“Time for Rex to do his thing,”Randy said,and opened the passenger door.“Okay,Rex,patrol.”
Rex knew exactly what to do,and hopped out of the van.He took care of business,then began to circle around,sniffing the air as he went.As he had the previous evening,he returned to where Randy and Josh were standing and wagged his tail.
“I think he needs a reward after that,”Josh said,and tossed Rex a doggie treat.Rex caught the treat in mid flight and gobbled it down.
Randy,who had been inspecting the access covers to the station’s tanks,said,“I don’t think these tanks have been opened in a very long time.”
“Good.I’ll set up the pump.”
The two men had done the drill so many times that it took only a few minutes for them to open one of the underground tanks and insert a hose into it.Using a pump powered by thevan’s battery,the tank of the van filled up quickly.Then they switched the nozzle toan opening on the outside of the trailer,and began to fill the holding tank it contained.
“This station didn’t offer diesel fuel,did it?”Randy said.
“Not as far as I can tell.”
“Too bad.I was hoping we’d return home with forty gallons or so of diesel fuel.”
“We’re still a couple of hundred miles from home,”Josh said.“I’m pretty sure we’ll have one or two opportunities between here and there.”
They closed the cover to the station’s underground tank,secured the trailer,then made a quick search of the premises.
“Looks like this station has been picked clean,”Randy said.“Clean,that is,except for the two bodies inside.Maybe bodies doesn’t quite explain what I saw.Two sets of skeletal remains is probably more accurate.Even inside a closed up room,small critters have done their thing and left only the bones.”
“The station may have been picked clean of food;but I’m gonna take a look in the storage area anyhow.You never know what you might find.”
Josh retrieved a large flashlight,nosed around the back room of the station for several minutes,and returned empty-handed,except for a case of Coca-Cola.
“Slim pickings,huh?”Randy said.
“Yeah.Nothing but a few fan belts back there,and my best guess is they were all for vehicles of recent vintage.”
“Yeah,and therefore useless for our purposes—gotta find a parts house for belts that fit our list of old cars.”
They carried with them a list of older vehicles that were owned by various members of their community,and were always on the lookout for belts and hoses that fit those models.
“There’s more Coke back there,if you want to grab another case or two,”Josh said.
“On it.”
“Time to hit the road,”Josh said after two more cases of Coke had been placed in the van.
“Right behind you.Want me to drive this time?”
“Sure.I could do with a nap.”Back in the van,Josh settled back in the passenger seat and closed his eyes.“Wake me in a couple of hours,okay?”
“Count on it,buddy.”
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone