Odd Billy Todd (39 page)

“Try and understand, son,” Jerry told him kindly. “She ain’t seen the things you have. You can tell someone all about that kind of thing, and they’ll never understand completely. They can’t. Not until they’ve seen it.” George looked at the older man fondly.

“Thanks, Jerry. For lending me your ear. And for the advice. I. . .I don’t know what to do, exactly.”

“Have you thought about moving your family in to the Clifton place?” Jerry asked. “If you two are going to care for any other children we might find, you might as well be there, ready to go, when that happens. Might do the two of you some good to have your own place. Might go a long way toward easing some of the trouble.”

“I hadn’t thought about that,” George admitted, his look thoughtful. “Might help, at that. Things have been. . .strained, I guess, between Debs and Amy since that ruckus over the girl.”

“Just an idea,” Jerry shrugged. George snorted.

“I knew there was a reason I came here.”

*****

“We’re gonna run out of room,” Rhonda joked lightly later that night, as she and Billy sat together in the kitchen.

“Could at that,” Billy nodded absently, his gaze fixed on the window overlooking the back yard.

“At this rate, we’ll need to add on to the house, come summer time,” Rhonda said, watching Billy closely.

“Might do,” Billy nodded again, his gaze never wavering.

“Your hair’s on fire,” she tried one more time.

“Uh-huh,” Billy nodded yet again. His eyes were fixed on something only he could see, it looked to Rhonda.

“Billy. Billy!”

“I heard you,” he turned his gaze toward her finally. The look in his eyes made Rhonda hesitate.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Everything’s wrong,” he told her softly. “The whole world is wrong. And I’m the worst of it.”

“What?” Rhonda demanded. “How in the hell do you figure that?”

“All that time I spent runnin’ around, makin’ sure I had ever thing I needed,” he shook his head. “And them kids,” he nodded toward the stairs, where both Danny Tatum and Mary Jerrolds had gone to bed earlier. “Them kids runnin’ scared, doin’ without. Starvin’,” he murmured. “And I just sat here, feelin’ all safe and secure. Didn’t think a single time about anything like them. Not one time,” he repeated, his voice full of scorn and self-loathing.

“How was you supposed to know?” Rhonda asked him.

“I didn’t know,” Billy shrugged. “And that ain’t the point. Instead of lookin’, I just sat here. And did nothin’. Nothin’!”

“What were you supposed to do?” Rhonda asked him, her voice gentle.

“Ain’t got no idea, on account o’ I didn’t do it,” he replied flatly. “I should o’ looked. I knew Danny Tatum before all this. Why didn’t I go check on him? His folks? What about all the other people I knew before? I didn’t know Mary, but I knew her pa. Did I go and check to see if he was all right? No. I didn’t check on nobody.”

“You checked on your neighbors,” Rhonda pointed out.

“I sure did,” Billy told her. “And ran away from Widow George’s house so fast, I near on forgot where I was goin’. Let it scare me so bad, I ran right over here, and stayed here for how long? At the moment, I can’t even recall, ‘xactly. How’s that for manly?” He stood abruptly.

“Never really thought of myself as a brave man, Rhonda,” he told her. “But I sure never figured myself for no coward, neither. But that’s just what I am. Even when I found you,” he looked at her closely, “I wasn’t lookin’ for you. I just wanted to make sure the stuff in your daddy’s shop couldn’t be used ag’in me. Me! Worried about me, and nobody else,” he finished, his voice filled with disgust. He shook his head slowly as he went to get a glass of water. Taking it, he walked to the back door, looking out at the night. He drank from the glass, still looking at the dark.

“How many kids are out there, tonight, right here in this county, cold, hungry, alone. Hurt mebbe. And here I sit in my nice warm house, belly full, with you and them kids with me. Ain’t right,” he shook his head. “Ain’t right.”

Rhonda didn’t answer at once. She didn’t know what to say. She thought Billy Todd had done wonderfully, all things considered. It was obvious he didn’t share that opinion.

“Billy, I don’t see what you could have done any different,” she settled for saying, her voice gentle. Concerned.

“I just told you two things,” he replied, his own voice just as soft. Still full of self loathing. “And there was plenty more. I was so busy thinkin’ o’ myself, I never gave one thought to nothin’ else.” He turned finally, looking at her.

“It wasn’t deliberate,” he told her. “I. . .I didn’t mean not to. I just. . .I followed daddy’s teachin’, and his notes. Only not even my daddy never thought about somethin’ like all this,” he admitted. He’d never once in his life said anything that might amount to even a suspicion that his parents might not have thought of everything. He’d never even thought it.

They had been the rock that he built his world around. The one solid, constant presence. He’d managed after their death by following the things they had taught him. He’d done well, and he knew it. He’d managed after the plague by following the same thing. And he’d done well, once again.

But not well enough.

“Billy, I know you’re upset, but no one can think of everything.”

“I ain’t upset,” Billy shook his head. “I’m mad. Mad at myself. Mad at the people on that train. Mad at them idiots at the road block. I ain’t no better’n them. They ain’t helpin’ no one but themselves, and I ain’t done no different.”

“That is bullshit!” Rhonda’s voice cracked across the room like a whip. “You’ve helped dozens of people, Billy Todd, me among’em. There’s four families settled, or settling, here tonight, including four kids, that are here because you helped them! Because you were willing to risk exposing yourself to do the right thing! And I may not be all that, but I’m not nothing!” She walked up to him, then, embracing him.

“I was scared, and alone, and didn’t have a clue what I was gonna do, where I was gonna go, how I was going to go on living. Or even what for. You came and changed all that. You did that Billy Todd. You may not have been looking for me, but when you found me, you didn’t hesitate to take me in, give me a safe place to live, and even take care of me!”

“When we found Mary, you didn’t hesitate to take her in, even after she almost blowed your fool head off! And today, you didn’t hesitate to give the Tatum boy a place to live, and take care of him!”

“So this is the. Last. Time. I ever want to hear anything like that come out of your fool mouth ever again. You get me, Billy Todd?”

Billy looked at her for a long moment, until she could see the hint of a smile tugging at his lips. Finally, he grinned.

“You sure are pretty when you’re riled up, you know that? Owww!”

He was still holding his arm when Rhonda stalked off to bed.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Snow came to the Farms without warning, two days later.

A lot had happened in those two days. Willing and eager hands had all pitched in to get the newly arrived people unloaded and moved in. The Blaine’s, and Peter Two Bears, were very happy with the Williamson place, agreeing that it had plenty of room for their needs, and then some. The barn was a plus, allowing for extra storage even with the rudimentary bio-fuel set-up inside.

George and Ralph had been right about Howie Rickman. He had taken one look at the set-up and started explaining how it could be better, with work. He had experimented with the process himself, in years past, but as a hobby. Until something like this, he’d never had enough need for fuel to make something like it profitable.

“‘I built something like this for the science fair, my junior year in high school,’” he told them. “‘Looks like you guys did just fine. But I learned a lot about this last few years. If we can find what all we need, I can show you how to really get it cookin’. So to speak,’” he had added, grinning. Everyone was glad to hear that.

The Kelvey’s had also been more than pleased with the Smith place. It wasn’t as large, but with both Jon and Howie still not fully recovered, it would be more than enough. Amy had checked both over, and declared them to be doing nicely. Howie, it turned out, hadn’t had a serious infection, after all, but rather a very raw wound that hadn’t been kept cushioned. He had gotten back on his feet sooner than he should have. No one could fault him for that, but clothing rubbing against the wound, protected only by a thin bandage, had kept the area red and inflamed. Amy assured him that with proper care, he’d be ready for spring, no doubt. And he could be out and about before then so long as he took it easy.

Jon’s wound had been more fleshy than anything, and while it still gave him trouble, it was in no danger of infection. It would continue to hurt, Amy told him, for a while. But he was able to work whenever he wanted. She cautioned him to stop when the pain flared too much, since pain often interfered with healing. Favoring a wounded limb while working made it harder on the other parts of the body.

With all hands on deck, it had taken one full day to get everyone unloaded. Unpacking would take longer, but everything that everyone needed was inside. Radio communication ensured that all could stay in contact.

The second day out, George and Peter had checked the spot that George had located for an OP. Two Bears looked it over, and agreed it was a likely spot. They sketched out how they would construct it, and started planning on how it would be equipped.

Debbie Purdy was sullenly quiet, but worked as hard as anyone else helping the new arrivals get set up. Her cold glances didn’t go unnoticed, however, and Rhonda had been near boiling before the day was out. She had spent a lot of time talking to Emma, and the two women agreed that the problem was unlikely to be over. George had called that one wrong, perhaps. Time would tell.

Billy had spent the entire second day working his farm, catching up on things that had been neglected of late as they were helping the others. Danny Tatum, freshly outfitted with clothes and boots from the stores Billy and Rhonda had put away, was a constant shadow. It was almost as if the boy was afraid that if he let Billy out of his sight, then he’d lose Billy as well.

Danny and Mary got along fine, and Rhonda was glad to see it. The two teens would be good company for each other. Despite her deep accent, Mary was smart as a whip. She was very good at math, had extraordinary math skills for a girl her age, in fact. Rhonda was already allowing her to help do inventory on the food stuff’s kept in the house, and plan meals, portions, etc.

Rhonda had found a meal planning guide at the library, and she and Mary spent a good deal of time going over it, planning meals that would be hardy and healthy, ensuring that the Todd ‘family’ got all they needed from their meals to keep them strong.

All in all, life was moving. Some things were bad. Some weren’t.

Just like normal, almost.

*****

“Well, you wanted a white Christmas,” Billy told Rhonda, as they looked out the bedroom window at the snow covered valley.

“It ain’t Christmas, yet,” she muttered. “Ain’t even Thanksgiving. I had stuff I needed to get done today.”

“Well, you can still do it,” Billy shrugged. “But that looks like a heavy, wet snow to me. I didn’t have to get out in it, I wouldn’t.”

“You’re going out,” Rhonda pointed out.

“I have to,” he said pointedly. “You don’t.”

“You don’t have to,” she replied. “You could let things go one day.”

“No, I can’t,” Billy shook his head. “That’s how things start goin’ bad on you. You don’t follow your plan, and you get in trouble. Plan says I check the livestock. So, I’m checkin’ the livestock.”

“It’s just one day,” Rhonda rolled her eyes.

“To you, it is,” Billy nodded seriously. “To me, it’s fallin’ away from my plan. I can’t. . .I have to focus, Rhonda,” he told her. “I can’t just fly by my pants, and the like. I gotta have a plan, and I gotta stick to it. I don’t, I start forgettin’ things. I can’t afford that. Not nowadays.” He stood, having laced his boots. “And the plan says-”

“You check the livestock, I know,” Rhonda snorted, holding her hand up. “I get it. I’ll have breakfast ready when you get back.”

“Okay,” Billy nodded. He pecked Rhonda on the lips, and walked downstairs, when he found Danny Tatum ready to go.

“Ready when you are Mister Billy!” the boy said brightly. Amazing what a few good meals and good nights’ sleep could do for a fourteen year old.

“You ain’t got to go, Danny,” Billy told him. “Your choice,” he added when the boy looked slightly crestfallen.

“I want to help.”

“Suits me,” Billy grinned. “Let’s go.”

Rommel and Dottie followed them out, running and playing on the snow all the way to the barn. Billy showed Danny how to care for the horses, and watched as he did about half the work himself, nodding when the boy did the job correctly.

“Cows next,” Billy told him, and the two walked over to where Billy’s own small herd, grown now to twenty-five head, stood clustered together. They looked fit and well, and there was cover if they needed it. The hay was protected from the falling weather, and there was plenty of it.

They walked next to look in on the hogs, who were all gathered into the small make shift barns. They, too, looked fine, though they didn’t seem to like the cold so much. They shifted some at the scent of the dogs, but the cold stopped them from doing much more than that.

Satisfied, Billy started back to the house, Danny in tow.

“Things look pretty good, Mister Billy?” Danny asked.

“Yep,” Billy nodded. “Days like this, you just make sure the stock ain’t in distress, and that they got access to feed and water. Ain’t much else you can do.”

“Them cows, they ain’t got no barn,” Danny said. “Where do they go when it’s cold?”

“Cows is pretty much stupid by nature,” Billy told him, sighing. “They’ll all huddle under a tree durin’ a lightnin’ storm, where one bolt’ll kill half of’em, you let’em. They can always get under the pole barn, if they’re a mind,” he reminded the boy. “But you see what they’re doin’. Huddlin’ together. That’s just how cows is, Danny. O’nery and stubborn.”

“To be fair, they don’t really need cover, not for this little bit o’ bad weather. Their coats are thick, and they’ll stay warm huddled together like that. The jacks will stay with’em, and their coats are even thicker. Won’t no harm come to’em,” he assured the teen. Danny nodded, filing all this away.

Billy looked at the boy from the corner of his eye. Danny was bright eyed, and willing to work. Billy knew from experience he was a good worker. Always had been. His parents had been the same way. After Billy had talked to him, Danny had gotten his ‘bundle’ as he’d called it, from where he’d stashed it near the road. It had included two changes of clothes that he’d outgrown, and were in even worse shape that what he’d been wearing. His Bible, a gift from his parents, and pictures of both his mother and father. A Buck knife, which he was wearing right now, and not much else.

But there had been a rifle, and an over and under 20 gauge shotgun and .22 rifle combo. The rifle was a single shot .243 Handi Rifle. The shotgun was an H&R.

Billy would get the boy a better set of guns in a few days, when he had the time to check him out good, and take him to shoot them. Until then, he’d placed the boy’s current armament in the downstairs safe. Danny hadn’t objected.

“Danny, we might holler at Toby after while, maybe see can we scratch up a deer. Or even a turkey. Be Thanksgiving soon. Couple o’ wild turkeys’d sure fit the bill for that, wouldn’t they?”

“Sure would!” Danny nodded enthusiastically. “I like turkey!”

“You like ham?” Billy asked.

“You bet!”

“Well, expect we’ll slaughter a hog, too,” Billy told him. “Maybe slow cook it, weather allows.”

“That’d be neat!”

“Thought you’d like that.”

*****

The weather didn’t clear, though. In fact, the snow got heavier. And deeper. Billy checked the thermometer on the porch, and saw that the temperature was dropping, as well.

“This ain’t just a snow,” he murmured to himself, looking at the sky. Heavy gray clouds, seemingly pregnant with snow yet to fall, hung over them. The wind was from the north, and Billy judged it had picked up to around fifteen miles an hour.

“Makes the wind chill mighty frigid,” he shook his head. He looked out over the land, wondering how many people, how many kids, were suffering through all of this with nothing. His eyes watered slightly at the thought, but he blamed it on the wind.

Shaking his head, he went back into the house. The house was warm, and inviting, with sounds of joy all over. Danny and Mary were playing a video game, laughing at and with each other. Billy had never really thought about whether they would get along or not, but they did. Both had lost everything, but had found a home here, with him and Rhonda. And perhaps they’d found a sibling, as well.

“Whatcha been doin’?” Rhonda asked, as Billy walked into the kitchen.

“Checkin’ the weather,” Billy told her, sitting down and taking the cup of hot chocolate Rhonda offered him. “Looks like we’re headed for a full on blizzard, ‘fore it’s over.” Rhonda frowned.

“Is that. . .I mean, are we okay?” she asked.

“We are, yeah,” Billy nodded. “Everyone else here should be, too,” he added, his wave indicating the Farms. “Was more thinkin’ on them as are like those two,” he nodded toward the living room, where a fresh shriek of laughter rolled through the house.

“Billy, there’s nothing you can do about it right now,” Rhonda told him, sitting down and placing a small hand atop his. “Please don’t beat yourself up.”

“I ain’t,” he assured her. “You was right, the other night. I. . .I can’t do it all. And I can’t be forgettin’ how much we have done. We’ve helped a right smart o’ people, you know? I wish. . .I wish I’d have thought about kids like them earlier, though. I do. Thing is, I was thinkin’ about Danny on the way back. And Mary.”

“Both o’ them was armed. Had we just showed up, lookin’ to help, might o’ got shot for the trouble by a scared teenager. And that would suck,” he chuckled. Rhonda laughed at that.

“You did almost get shot by a scared teenager,” she told him.

“We can do what we can, and that’s all we can do,” Billy looked at her. “Thanks for makin’ me see that, too.”

“It’s what I do,” Rhonda smiled, and kissed him.

“Billy, got your ears on?”Jerry’s voice came through the room from where the radio sat. Billy got up and went to answer.

“I’m here, Jerry. How ya’ll doin’?”

“We’re fine, just fine. But I think this storm is still building. I ain’t seen snow like this hardly at all in the last twenty years. And it’s gettin’ colder, too. And the wind’s come up, last hour or so.”

“I was noticin’ that, myself, just a few minutes ago,” Billy replied. “I think we’re in the first stage of a real blizzard.”

“Me too,” Jerry agreed. “As far as I know, we’re okay, all around. Still, it’s a problem if we have to get out, any.”

“Ain’t plannin’ on gettin’ out,” Billy told him. “Reckon somethin’ might happen as would make us have to, but unless it does, I think we’re gonna hole up tight, and wait for this to pass.”

“That’s what I plan on doin’, too. Still, it’s a worry, not bein’ able to move when we need to. Reckon we need to think on this a bit. We might need to find us a snow plow. You know, like them the highway department uses?”

Billy thought that one over. Wasn’t a bad idea. He keyed the mike.

“Ain’t no bad idea, I’d reckon. Won’t help this time, but if there was another time, it’d be here, was we to have a need.”

“What I was thinking, too. Well, I’m gonna go have a cup o’ somethin’, and relax. Reckon I can be lazy today, and not feel bad about it.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Billy echoed the older man’s laughter. “Take care, and if you need us, we’ll be listenin’.”

“That ain’t no bad idea,” Rhonda nodded. “There’s something else we might want to get too,” she added, looking at the wood stove that was helping to heat the house.