Major Collins nodded, “All right. You’re the Chief.” Mike was surprised at the statement.
Lieutenant Kennedy laughed. “We’ve already heard that a dozen times,” he said. Mike grimaced ruefully. The three of them talked until they heard a knock.
“It’s open,” Mike said. Tyler entered.
“Tyler, take Major Collins and Lieutenant Kennedy to my old room in the Lodge,” Mike ordered. “We’ve already cleared it out.”
Collins and Kennedy followed Tyler up the grassy slope to the Lodge in the deepening gloom. It was difficult in the dark to see how the building had been constructed. They passed the platform of Porta Pottys, and then they went inside.
“Wow,” Kennedy said, as he took in the whole area.
“An inadequate statement,” the Major suggested.
He looked up. Above him, he saw a catwalk in front of some second story rooms. A girl with a baseball cap on backwards was hammering a small log into an opening between two other thin logs that were part of the wall fronting the room. A bird fluttered by her head, but she ignored it.
“Quit whining about the noise,” she shouted into the room. “You’re the ones complaining that the guys can see your tits.”
Behind her, several grinning boys were hanging over the railing of a loft.
“You never let us have any fun, Kat,” one said.
A door opened, and a young pregnant girl stepped out from one of the rooms on the ground level. Seeing her, Tyler shrank back against the Major.
Spotting the boy, the girl said, “Oh, hi, Tyler. I heard you did a good job at the guard post.”
Tyler seemed to relax. “Uh, thanks, Desi,” he said.
“I think Gabby was really impressed,” Desi replied. Then she smiled at the two officers.
“Your room is right there,” she said, indicating the door next to the Lieutenant’s shoulder. “I hope the beds are comfortable. We only have twin size beds for you.”
“Thank you,” chorused the officers.
“And thank you, Tyler,” the Major added.
Kennedy opened the door and looked in. There were two single bunks against opposite walls, a white plastic table, and two white plastic chairs. The officers went into the room and shut the door.
“Well,” the Lieutenant said. “This community is not what I expected. They are not exactly hanging on by their bloody fingertips.”
“No,” the Major replied. “Of course, first impressions are often false. But, I admit that they appear to be just as well organized as our post, and so far, this community seems to be healthier in body and spirit. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.”
It had been a long journey from the Army Post, and their bodies were tired. While many in the community were still awake, the two soldiers went to sleep.
The officers were awakened by someone shouting, “Breakfast in thirty minutes!”
Kennedy sat up and looked at his watch lying on the table. It showed the time to be six o’clock. He yawned, stood up, and grabbed his pants and shirt. The Major was also on his feet. There was a knock at the door. When Kennedy opened it, a teenage boy handed him a basin of warm water. The men used the water to wash and to shave with the single plastic razor they shared.
When ready, they left the room and looked around. All about them, sleepy eyed teenagers were rousing. Some were coming out of the rooms above and next to them. Some were climbing down the ladder from the loft. Some were emerging from a smaller rock room. Some had obviously just slept in the common area. Kennedy mumbled that he had to use the latrine. He went outside. There was a short line, so soon it was his turn. He saw a girl leave one of the Porta Pottys, and he went towards it.
“If you’re pissing, put the seat up,” she warned him as she passed by.
Kennedy used the Porta Potty, and then he went back inside the Lodge. Major Collins was standing at the entrance to the small room off of the main area, examining some barrels. A man came out of the small room bare-chested but carrying a t-shirt.
“Morning,” he grunted, giving the officer a suspicious look.
“Excuse me,” the Major said. “But are these part of a heating system?”
Hector introduced himself, and then he began to explain how the system worked. Quickly he warmed to the subject, becoming friendlier as he spoke. They were joined by the girl in the baseball cap. She went to Hector, who lifted her onto her toes, wrapped his arms around her, and gave her a generous kiss.
“Morning, Kat,” he said.
“Good morning, Hector,” Kathy replied. “Stop talking shop, put your shirt on, and let’s get some breakfast.” She turned to the Major. “We only have bread, butter, and milk for breakfast, unless you want oatmeal. It’s enough to get us going.”
Kennedy joined them. “What, no eggs?” he said facetiously.
“Only two days a week,” Hector replied. “Not today.” The girl nodded, and then she and Hector exited the Lodge.
“I was kidding,” Kennedy said to the door.
The Major gave one last glance of admiration at the heating system, and then they also left the Lodge. Now that it was light, they could see around them.
The Major pointed to the fields encircled by the track. “Grain,” he said.
When they were almost to the dining hall, Lieutenant Kennedy looked back at the two-story Lodge. He surveyed the latrine area, the log wall, the shingled roof, the solar panels, and the rock fireplace.
“Damn,” he exclaimed in astonishment.
He and the Major went into the dining hall. There were more white plastic tables and more white plastic chairs. They stood in a buffet line and received a plate of bread, a pat of butter, and a plastic cup containing cold milk. They took their plates to a table and sat down to eat. Gabby passed by them, as she was cleaning the tables, and she stopped to talk.
“Did Tyler do as good a job as everyone says, or are they trying to make me think he did?” she asked, as she wiped their table.
“If your Chief would let me have him, I’d sign him up in a minute,” the Major replied.
“That girl at the Brown’s place sure thought he was something,” the Lieutenant said.
Gabby stiffened. “Which one?” she demanded, her eyes narrowing. “Kylie or Paige?”
“Um… I think her name was, uh, Star,” Kennedy answered with a smirk.
Gabby gaped, and then she huffed and walked away. Collins frowned at Kennedy.
Kennedy started laughing. “I’m sorry, Sir,” he choked out between guffaws. “I just couldn’t help it.”
Major Collins saw Desi and a young man standing in the buffet line. The young man had his arm around her ample waist. Hector and Kathy waited behind them. A boy came into the dining hall, and he sat down across from the officers. He did not speak, but he nodded to them. Soon, the two couples had their plates, and they sat at the table with the officers. A young woman came by, and she placed a plate with bread and a plastic glass of milk in front of the boy. The bread was buttered and cut into squares. The young woman sat next to the boy.
“Why do you rate such special service, Jacob?” the young man with Desi complained.
Jacob looked up at John, mystified. “I don’t know,” he replied.
Kathy and Desi laughed, and Lily smiled demurely as John grumbled under his breath. While the officers lingered over their meal, the others ate and left. Gabby came by again as she was wiping tables. Lieutenant Kennedy noticed an Asian-American girl enter the room. His eyes widened.
“Wow,” he said softly.
“Oh, her,” said Gabby. “That’s Yuie. She’s the Chief’s, ‘Special Friend’.” She made quote marks in the air with her fingers.
Kennedy scowled. “I see,” he said. Gabby walked away with a naughty, satisfied smile on her face.
The officers finished eating breakfast. They went back to the Lodge and made their beds, military style. Then, to their surprise, Desi told them that they had been bumped to the head of the shower line.