Apartment 905, Sahin, Ned [black female authors .TXT] 📗

“We lost him in the second week of this shit. He went to the Lord just like others in this town,” Harold says.

“I heard that there weren’t enough advanced masks in the Midwest states,” I say, looking him over. This is a statement demanding more details of the story.

“Yeah,” the mayor says, and this time looks down at his shoes. He is either afraid to say something around Harold or doesn’t want to talk about his emotions. Another possibility is that I am being disrespectful and overly skeptical. I decide not to continue this conversation.

Reed brings plates with a big portion of toasts on them. Seeing the cheese melted around the edges makes my stomach rumble. He also brings two bowls of salad with tomato, lettuce, onions, and olives… They all seem fresh. They must have their own garden.

We eat our meals in small pieces by making sure we don’t push our masks too much. Harold, Bernice, and the mayor see our struggle. They kindly move to another table to give us more space.

I give credits to Reed. This grilled cheese sandwich made me lick my fingers. He might be really as good as he claims to be.

Reed lights up candles as it gets darker outside. They don’t seem to be afraid of Ricas or gangs. I wonder if they’ve even come across any of them.

“It’s already getting dark. Why don’t you spend the night here at our house?” Bernice says.

“Thank you for your offer, Mrs. Bernice. I think we better hit the road. It’s a long way to California,” I say.

“Another night in the back of the truck on a farm?” Kathleen says, turning her head to me. I turn to Toshi. He seems like he doesn’t want to be on the bad side of Kathleen. He is too nice to object to her.

“Our house is right behind this restaurant. At least come to rest for a few hours. You can get back to your mission anytime you want,” Harold says. The mayor is still quiet.

“Thank you, sir. We should really get going,” I say.

“Matt... We deserve a few hours of comfort. We’ve been on the road sitting on a firm surface in the truck,” Kathleen says. She has a point about mentioning the uncomfortable seats in the truck. The beds are neither better. Apparently, comfort wasn’t the priority for the wise man who built this doomsday vehicle.

“Alright, a few hours…” I say. There is no point in arguing with Kathleen. Especially after I exposed her to Saviors back in our city. I still feel guilty.

We finish our dinner and follow Harold and Bernice to their house behind the restaurant. Others walk to different directions in groups of two or three. It’s amazing how brave they are. They don’t have any sort of weapon, yet they walk in the dark without any hesitation. I am not sure if it’s a good sign or a red flag.

Chapter 18

Bernice and Harold have a two-story house decorated with antique wood furniture and patterned colorful rugs all around. The cozy and warm interior makes me want to sit in front of the fireplace and read a book for hours while sipping my coffee.

Harold must have read my mind. He throws lumber to the fireplace and fires it up. It starts to crackle and sends warm waves shortly after. We sit on the couch while Bernice is heating something that smells like chamomile tea.

We share about our lives before the world changed dramatically. I still don’t trust our hosts. I give as minimum information as possible to keep the conversation going. Toshi seems to be doing the same. He hasn’t even mentioned where he is from originally.

As I guessed, it’s chamomile tea. I used to drink it every morning at work. There is an additional flavor I can’t figure out though. I ignore the unknown flavor and continue sipping my tea. This warm tea makes me feel normal again.

About two hours pass by. Both Harold and Bernice are very interested in getting to know us. They treat us like their grandchildren. They said they lost both their son and daughter as well as their kids during the pandemic. We must be the only younger people they have seen for a long time.

“Please spend the night here. We have a big guest room upstairs. Jared’s friend Ray used to stay there on weekends when they were in high school,” Bernice says with a deep voice and tears in her eyes. Jared is her son’s name. I think she just wants to feel like he is at home again with his friend like a weekend in the good old days.

Kathleen holds her hand and tells her she is not alone. I see how much empathy she has for her. A real connection is building between them.

The tea’s calming effect surrounds my body. Getting back to the truck and driving on a dangerous route in the dark is not very appealing. I nod my head showing my positive response to Bernice’s wish. Kathleen smiles at me.

“Let me show you the guest room,” Harold says.

“I will be there soon guys,” Kathleen says. It looks like she wants to talk to Bernice more before going to bed.

We follow Harold to the guest room. It’s a big room as Bernice mentioned. There are a double size bed and a large couch. Harold opens a wardrobe full of mattresses and pillows. He also shows us the bathroom next door.

“Let me know if you need anything,” he says, then gently closes the door. Toshi is already lying on his stomach on the bed. I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts snoring right away. He gave us a hard time with his loud snores back in the Saviors’ camp at Asheville.

“Move to the couch, buddy, before you fall asleep. Otherwise, Kathleen will kick you out,” I say, chuckling. I have no doubts that Kathleen will refuse to sleep on the