The Last People on Earth XXV – Crossing Oceans

     

In the foothills of Kentucky, Lance was forgetting things. At first he wondered where Cathy was, and the little girl she had. What was her name? But within hours their memory was gone, as he drifted further, into the corridors of his own mind. He spent most of his time on the front porch, dreaming of castles, and walking down the hallways of spaceships, admired by the aliens, to the point of them crowning him king. He drank a lot of whiskey, but he forgot to eat.

In Pennsylvania, it was the day after the baby was born, and they were all sitting at the breakfast table, except for Cathy. Cory had come down, when she smelled the food, but they decided not to wake her Mom. Jennifer was there too, holding the baby up to her shoulder, burping him.

Jeremiah had gone all out today, fixing one of his best breakfast meals ever. He made omelets, with fresh vegetables, and cheese tucked inside, as well as his now famous blueberry pancakes. And of course, there were small bowls fresh fruit on the side. It felt like a celebration. Jeremiah and Miriam bowed their heads and paused, then they all dug in.

The atmosphere changed some though, when 8 year old Cory began telling them how she was not scared anymore, of the bad man, who had been so mean to them. Miriam, Jeremiah, and Jennifer all looked at each other. Their hearts were breaking, but they knew Cory needed to talk about it, so they let her get the flood of emotion out. It was then that Cathy came down the steps, looking worn out still, and disheveled. She stood listening, until Cory noticed her. “I’m sorry Mommy.”, was all Cory could say. “Don’t be sweetheart”, “We’ve both had it rough.” Cathy went to her daughter, sat next to her, and put her arms around her.

Cory broke down in tears, Cathy began shaking, and with tears in her eyes, she asked, “Miriam, and Jeremiah, can we stay here?” “It’s the only place we will feel safe….….” Miriam and Jeremiah looked at each other. He had wanted Cathy to live at the farm next door, but Miriam pleaded with her eyes, so Jeremiah shook his head yes, it was the right thing to do, and he knew it.

Miriam said, “Cathy you have oceans to cross.” Cathy looked confused, and said, “Oceans?” Miriam continued, “Where I am from, that’s what we say, when there is a long healing process, that is needed…..” “It will take time.” Cathy shook her head yes, and understood completely.

By the end of the meal, there was a sense of relief, and peace. Cathy and Cory were smiling now. Jeremiah never knew, an 8 year old could eat so many pancakes. Cathy slowed her down though, not wanting any stomach aches later.

To be continued.

      

Writing and Image © Copyright 2015, nicodemasplusthree

Peace and blessings to everyone.

“If you love nature, you will love people.”

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The Last People on Earth XV – Letting Go

He was going to get a gun today, and that was final. He didn’t say anything to Miriam about it, and he would hide it from her if he had to. Maybe he could leave it in the truck. As they sat at the kitchen table that morning, eating cold cereal, he was angry, and she could tell.

He had never served them cold cereal for breakfast before, only as a snack, and he wasn’t talking. He always said how important a good breakfast was. She could see the problem on his face, and she knew what it was. “Jeremiah…….please promise me, you won’t get a gun today……” His eyes grew big. How did she know? “I can’t do that Miriam, I just can’t.” With that he slid back his chair, stood up and headed for the door, grabbing the keys to their mangled truck. With his hand on the door knob he said, “The drones are costing me my sanity, so I can’t make that promise”. Tears welled up in her eyes. He opened the door and said, “I’ll be at the neighbor’s house across the way…..” With that he opened the door, and she cried out, “Jeremiah please….”

He walked out regretting every minute of it, and everything he just said. But as he got into the mangled truck, he convinced himself he was doing the right thing. So he drove, down the lane, and through the two sets of gates, and to the neighbor’s house about a mile away. “I have to protect my family”, he said.

As soon as he walked into the neighbor’s house, he saw what he needed over the stone fireplace. He took down the 12 gauge, pump action, shotgun. He racked the chamber a few times, loving the sound. “No drone can survive this!”, he said out loud. In the den he found a whole glass enclosed, case of shotguns, and two rifles. Most farmers had been hunters, he thought to himself.

When he checked the drawers of the desk, he found the most beautiful gun he had ever seen. Tucked away in a beautifully carved leather case, with “Colt” written on it, was a collector’s edition, Colt .45 caliber revolver. And it had a pearl handle! It was stunning. He found some ammo and loaded it. Spinning the chamber, he then closed it. Next he looked around the house for bottles and cans. He could go target practicing!

It wasn’t until he was outside, ready to shoot, that he remembered Miriam. A stab of pain shot him in the heart, realizing how badly he had sounded earlier. He didn’t realize it but she had been crying the entire time, since he had left. He would never do anything to hurt her, not intentionally, and he knew she would hear the shooting. She would be horrified, and she might even lose the baby!

It was also a Friday, which meant Miriam would be lighting the Sabbath candles in a few hours, and singing the prayers. He certainly didn’t want to mess that up. He loved her singing, and he had no intentions of being a hypocrite by being angry during their beautiful time together. He loved the Amharic and the Hebrew.

He opened the chamber of the revolver, and dumped the ammo into his palm. He looked up at the sky and said, “Ok this one is in Your hands!” “Help me to trust”. As he walked back to the house he said out loud, “Maybe that’s what peace is all about…..….having the power but refusing to use it…..…” It was time to get back home, (without any guns) and apologize to his beautiful wife.

    

Writing and Image © Copyright 2015, nicodemasplusthree

Peace and blessings to everyone.

“If you love nature, you will love people.”

The Last People on Earth XIV – The Farm

It was dark and raining, as they drove the last few miles.  There were no lights anywhere, and for the last 30 minutes of their journey they drove slowly, peering through the darkness, looking at mailboxes. Their left front headlight was lit, but dangling, shining on the gravel road. Suddenly, Miriam saw the right mailbox, and pointed saying, “That’s the one!”. They pulled up to the gate. They were nervous about what they would find, but overjoyed they had somehow made it.

After getting out, opening two different gates, then driving some more, they saw the shadows of the barn, and out buildings. They were both silently hoping there would be no drones to deal with tonight. Jeremiah still thought he needed a gun, but said nothing. He said, “We should sleep in the truck tonight, instead of stumbling around in the dark, and maybe finding raccoons in the house.” Miriam quickly agreed, and shook her head yes. She had forgotten how dark it could get in the country. Besides, they could also see a fog rolling in from the west, so looking around the property was out of the question.

A few minutes later they were trying to get comfy with some blankets. Jeremiah was on the front seat, and Miriam was in the back (it was a four door pickup).  They were both restless, Jeremiah twisted and turned, and was giving up hope of any sleep, when Miriam sat up and said in a whisper, “Jeremiah I can’t sleep, maybe you should come back here.” He raised his eyebrows, and wondered. Was that an invitation to sleep……or? When he opened the back door to get in, he paused and said, “Miriam I don’t think this is going to work”. She was simply too tall.

She waved him in, so he thought he would give it a try. “Remember my shoulder is sore….”, he said. “Ok turn this way” she said. He said, “Ouch! Lift up your arm…….now turn”. “No turn this way……now lift your legs”, he continued. Somehow Miriam’s long legs wound up, over the front seat, with her head resting on his chest. She was asleep almost immediately, breathing with her mouth open. He had his good arm around her as he listened to her breathing, and the rain now pouring on the roof. It was a good way to fall asleep, he thought, and he was out like a light.

When they got out of the truck in the morning, they were stunned, with how beautiful the place was. Someone had been taking good care of the farm. There were no animals, but there was still the smell of cow manure lingering. Miriam didn’t mind, in fact, it reminded her of her village in Africa, especially during the spring cattle drives.

“We need to do lots of planning Jeremiah, to get ready for planting next year”, she said, as they walked to the house. He was already seeing a great building to set up the lab in, and pointed to a large garage, “Look the laboratory……” They spent the day getting the house in order, and unloading.

They left the window open, in the master bedroom that night, to breathe in the cool, country air. It was Jeremiah that heard it first, the familiar hum of a drone, hovering just outside their window. Lights were flickering. “Miriam wake up — drone!”, he whispered.

Miriam did wake up, heard the noise and saw the lights, but she was more concerned about Jeremiah. As he lay on his back, she moved over, and placed her long upper body over his. She whispered, “Shhh!” Peering into his eyes, she said, “Let’s not think of drones and guns Jeremiah……” She placed a single finger on his lips, and shook her head no. “Let’s think about us…….. instead……..” Then it was her lips that found his, and they tangled in a beautiful warfare…….

    

Writing and Image © Copyright 2015, nicodemasplusthree

Peace and blessings to everyone.

“If you love nature, you will love people.”

A Few Thoughts on Writing Fiction

Fiction is a hard sell. In other words, poetry, photography, and art, are going to do much better in the blogging world, than a piece of fiction, but there is a simple, and wonderful reason for that. There are so many incredible blogs, with such outstanding work, that we long to take it all in. So if you do like I do, I go through the reader, just amazed, and I go on to the next post quickly.

Fiction takes a lot of time to read, and when we post it, we are asking the reader to invest time in us, and our work. So with that in mind, I try to keep my segments short. I would like them to be a little over four hundred words, but they always go over it. I cringe when I start hitting six hundred words, because I know I need to make it worth the investment the reader is making.

But I love, love, writing fiction. Several of you have asked me to continue with the Last People series, and that is a huge thrill for me. I am enjoying this series more than any other series I have written. The two main characters are so different from one another, and yet they love each other in amazing ways. I wanted it to be that way. It also gives me a wonderful opportunity to explore culture. If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you know how I love other cultures and people!

By the way, Robert and Belinda, from the Escape series, wanted me to tell you hello. They are still down in the Dominican Republic, and working on getting married. Don’t expect to get a postcard from them though, they are going to be busy!

Peace.

      

Commentary © Copyright 2015, nicodemasplusthree

image from beauty.allwomenstalk.com via google

Blessings to everyone.

“If you love nature, you will love people.”

The Last People on Earth XIII – 10?

Looking around the truck, the trailers were still attached, but the trailer hitch for the lab was slightly bent. He thought he could maybe bend it back into shape, with a hammer. It was the truck that was the worst. All the damage was on the front, driver’s side. The tire was flat and the rim was bent. The fender was like crumpled paper. He placed his foot on the front bumper, which was hanging, pushed on it, and it fell with a crash.

He felt awful, because he had been reckless, trying to avoid a drone that did nothing. He looked at Miriam, straight in the eyes, and said, “I’m sorry Miriam……you were right, maybe they were just gathering data”. She looked down, said nothing, but shook her head, saying ok.

More than two hours later, they were ready to travel again. They had unhitched the trailers, unloaded all of the contents from the back of the truck, and changed the tire, with a spare already mounted on a rim. Then they loaded everything back into the truck, and hitched up the trailers again. It was a painful lesson, he thought, about when to listen to the one you love.

He had wanted to make her a nice salad when they got to their new home. Now it would be dark when they arrived, so that was out. Before they drove off he got one of the coolers, and placed it in the front seat. It had fresh fruit, and in another bag they had granola. With a forced smile he offered her some fruit. She said, “Let’s just drive Jeremiah…” His spirits dropped. It was not like her to turn down fresh fruit. Her look said, “I’m not happy right now”.

So the tired couple drove quietly, in their mangled truck, and the transmission was worse now, lurching them forward once in a while. They hoped they would make it there in one piece. Thirty minutes later Miriam reached for some granola and started crunching. “There’re some blueberries in the cooler”, he said quietly. She went for some of those too. She looked at him, knew he was hurting and she said, “Jeremiah, I’m ok, and we are ok…….” “Don’t worry….” Thank God she was talking now, he thought. He smiled at her.

Twenty minutes later Miriam was beginning to perk up, and asked Jeremiah an unusual question. She said in her wonderful French African accent, “Have you ever thought of how many children we should have?”. She had a serious look on her face, so he said, “Well….yes but I don’t think we’ve ever talked about it.” He continued with, “I was thinking 4….. maybe 5.” “What about you?” he asked, as he took a drink of water. “Well I was thinking…….I think…….well…….10!

He choked, coughed, sprayed and spurted water all over the steering wheel! He coughed some more, and she reached over to rub his back. She was giggling now, having great fun with this. He pulled over, and put the truck in park. He looked at her disbelieving. “You want 10 children???!” He couldn’t believe it. She was laughing out loud now, at his reaction. She was trying not to be too loud, so she began stomping her foot, and holding a hand to her mouth. He decided to play this out some more, and go along with it. He said, “What do I look like a machine??” She howled with laughter, and her foot stomped even more.

After he wiped down the steering wheel, he kept mumbling “10 children!!”, he was really enjoying her laughter, and hysterics. In between her howls of laughter, she said, “But Jeremiah…….we need to…….we need to…….. repopulate!!!” She howled once again, and he laughed so hard he had tears in his eyes. They could not stop laughing. “Very funny!” he said. But he loved every minute of it…….he had never laughed so hard in his life……..

To be continued.

      

Writing and Image © Copyright 2015, nicodemasplusthree

P.S. I had some problems with wordpress today and the butterfly poem was deleted. Sorry!

Peace and blessings to everyone.

“If you love nature, you will love people.”

The Last People on Earth XII – The Accident

After they drove into Pennsylvania, Miriam woke up from her nap with a smile on her face. “I was dreaming again of our baby”, she said. “You mean Sofia?” he asked. “Yes! Wait until you see her Jeremiah!” “She will be so beautiful.” Miriam was mixing in Amharic, with her English, which was good, because it helped him to learn. He looked at her and smiled, realizing how much he loved her beautiful, brown skin. He was grinning and silently telling God, “You know how much I love her……..”

After a quick stop, at a rest stop, they jumped back in the Ford F-250. Jeremiah had noticed how the engine was straining, and the transmission was having a tough time. He wished he had found a bigger vehicle to haul everything. They put the windows down, because it was a cool, late summer morning.

Less than an hour later, they were talking about how much further, and Miriam was looking at maps, when they heard an all too familiar humming sound. “Where is it?” Miriam said. They were both looking, when Jeremiah spotted the drone to his left, on the driver’s side. “Miriam get down!!” “You son of a …..” He was yelling at the drone, but stopped himself from cursing, realizing how much it upset his wife.

He slammed the accelerator to the floor. Miriam ducked down but then popped back up, alarmed. “Slow down Jeremiah!!” He yelled back as the engine roared, and the transmission jerked and slipped, “The drone is keeping pace with us!!”, “Get down Miriam!” She refused, “Maybe it is just gathering more data…….please slow down Jeremiah!!” “There’s a curve coming…..”

“Oh God”, he mumbled. He saw it, but too late, there was too much weight behind him, for him to stop normally. He tried to brake without slamming the pedal, because otherwise the trailers would become detached, or they would flip over, and everything would be all over the road, including them. He frantically turned the wheel to the right, to the left, and to the right again, forcing the brake pedal as far as it would go. Then they were suddenly off the road, he yelled, “Hang on Miriam!!” He couldn’t control the wheel.

Miriam screamed, “God send angels!!” A tire exploded, and there was a huge crash on the driver’s side, with the truck finally coming to a stop. They were dazed. “Miriam……are you alright??” “Yes….I think so”, she said. Jeremiah noticed she had held the seatbelt, above her stomach, and around her chest, in order to protect the baby. He was banged up on his left side, especially his shoulder, and knee. He said, “My door won’t open…” So they got out on Miriam’s side to survey the damage. But first they held each other, and checked each other over. They weren’t sure about his shoulder.

She was weeping, and they kissed, but it was not a kiss of passion. It was a kiss that said, “I’m so thankful, you’re alive! And they meant it. She hugged him, but he winced, because of the pain.

To be continued.

      

Writing and Image © Copyright 2015, nicodemasplusthree

Peace and blessings to everyone.

“If you love nature, you will love people.”

The Last People on Earth XI – Journey to Healing

In the morning there was no sign of the drone. Miriam convinced Jeremiah to not get a gun, but he was not happy about it. Privately he thought her reasoning was sound though. She told him that if the drone had meant to destroy them, it would have. A rocket being launched into the house would have put an end to everything. Could it be they (whoever they were) were just watching them?

He made them some eggs and turkey bacon, with toast, in the morning. Miriam was not a big meat eater, so she had just the eggs and toast. She admired his wanting to take care of her, and it showed at every mealtime. He didn’t say much as they ate, because he kept thinking, that he was supposed to take care of the family – wasn’t he? Was it just his male instinct causing him to want a gun to protect them? He wasn’t sure but it felt right. It wasn’t until later that Jeremiah better understood, her fear of guns.

They spent half the day packing up the lab. As they worked packing up boxes, Miriam explained about East Africa, and the conflict in Somalia often spilling over into other countries. The kidnappings, and killings were horrible. It was always with guns. However it wasn’t until they emigrated to Europe that she experienced the hatred of white people. The white racists hated them, and wanted nothing to do with Muslims, Jews, or anyone else different than they were.

Miriam, broke down in tears, as she retold the story of how she and her father, were kidnapped, raped, and severely beaten. They were left for dead, in the middle of the night, while a black car went speeding off into the darkness. Jeremiah held her, wanting to erase every hurt of her traumatized emotions. It took a while for Miriam’s grief to subside, and she finished with, “It wasn’t until we made our way to France, that we were safe.” She wouldn’t tell him though what country they were in, when the kidnapping took place in, “In case we meet survivors from there…” she said. She did not want Jeremiah to hate.

Six months after the kidnapping, Miriam’s father became very sick, and eventually died. Miriam was convinced it was from the beatings, maybe brain damage. “I have a lot of forgiving to do still”, she said, in her heavy French African accent. They both wept.

When they did work on the packing some more, Miriam realized it was Jeremiah’s love that was bringing so much healing. He never judged, never criticized, but he did give of himself so completely. At the end of the day, Jeremiah could see that she was tired, and said she should go in to rest. She did go in, and fell asleep almost immediately, on the couch. She dreamt of holding a beautiful baby girl, and her name was Sofia.

The next morning they left early. They had a large pickup now, a Ford F-250. He hated leaving the Mercedes, but they had to. The back of the truck was loaded with food, canned goods, and cold food, packed in coolers, with ice. Next there was the large trailer with the laboratory inside. And finally there was a small trailer, with their suitcases filled with clothing, and some kitchen items. Jeremiah was concerned about the weight they were hauling, and thought for sure the transmission would give out, but they only needed to drive 6 hours.

As they drove away from their first home, they knew they would miss it, but they both knew they were on the greatest journey of their lives, drones, or no drones. She smiled at her strength, this man of love, and took his hand.

He looked down at their bracelets, and said in perfect Amharic, “My Queen……I love you…….I will always love you…….(he had been practicing)…….. It was one of the greatest moments of her life……….she closed her eyes to take it all in.

To be continued.

Writing and Image © Copyright 2015, nicodemasplusthree

Peace and blessings to everyone.

“If you love nature, you will love people.”

The Last People on Earth X – A New Home

They were in the garage, about a hundred yards from the house, with the door open, pouring over the latest data they had discovered. Farmland in Central Pennsylvania, looked very good.  They had searched far and wide for their next place. It needed to be good, rich farmland, with the right PH balance in the soil. Neither one of them wanted to be near a city, so they had been searching for weeks, taking samples, of air, soil, and water. They were tired of driving.

Lancaster County in Pennsylvania was attractive at first, but they had found the soils had been worn out by over farming, and besides, it was too close to a number of cities. That’s when they went looking, into the central part of the state. It had excellent sources of water, which most other locations did not have.

Miriam had part of her lab set up, in the garage so they could both run tests. Jeremiah looked in the microscope again, and said, “You’re right Miriam, this soil does look the best”. “Is there any chance the biological weapons damaged the environment, without us knowing it?” Miriam paused, then said, “It’s not likely, but we will just have to trust that it will all work out.” “We have run every test possible.”

“Ok, so do you still like that farm I picked out, that had been for sale for two years – the organic one?” Miriam nodded, and said, “I love the inside of the house.” “It’s gorgeous Jeremiah!” They were excited now, and Jeremiah said they should start packing as soon as possible.

As they both stood up to go to the house, Jeremiah noticed again the little bump (it was hardly noticeable) coming from Miriam’s stomach. It had been more than two months since their marriage ceremony, and Miriam was convinced she was pregnant. Was it just wishful thinking? They hoped not. He walked over to her and gently touched her stomach, and said “Can I?” She knew what he meant, and nodded yes. He raised her t-shirt, got in close, rubbing her stomach, he said, “Hello in there! Baby you are very much loved!” They both chuckled. Miriam bent down and gave Jeremiah a passionate kiss, just for being so wonderful.

Then Jeremiah stopped, and said he heard that sound again, like a humming noise. “Do you hear it?” Miriam said she did, and that it was coming from outside. “Shh.” he said, as he crept towards the door. “I don’t see anything”, he said cautiously. It sounded like a small motor, like maybe a moped, but far away. Both of them felt creepy because they had been hearing it for the last three days, off and on. Jeremiah took Miriam’s hand and they walked towards the house.

Miriam stopped dead in her tracks. Her long right arm, pointed at the sky and she yelled “Look!” They stared at the thing, then Jeremiah yelled, “Run!” “Run Miriam!” He still had hold of her hand, when she asked what it was. “Is it people?” He didn’t answer, but he practically pulled her into the house. In spite of being very tall, Miriam was not a good runner.

They got into the house, completely out of breath, and Jeremiah slammed the door. Miriam was practically hysterical and yelled, “What is it Jeremiah?!!” After he caught his breath, he managed to say, “It’s a drone!”

Her eyes widened in horror. He continued, “Miriam we need a gun!” This shocked her even more. “Jeremiah……please no guns……please…..no guns……”

To be continued.

Writing and Image © Copyright 2015, nicodemasplusthree

Peace and blessings to everyone.

“If you love nature, you will love people.”

The Last People on Earth VIII – New Light

As they sat down in the atrium that night, Miriam was amazed at the sight and smell of the fresh pizza Jeremiah had made. He had placed fresh tomatoes, and spinach in with the cheese, and she was starving. Smiling to herself, she knew part of the reason she was so hungry, was that she felt free, and happier than she ever had before. She also loved his cooking.

Jeremiah paused, for a moment. Was he praying? Then he started dishing out the slices, which also had a beautiful, mouthwatering, thick crust. The moonlight was beginning to shine clearly through the atrium, as the sun was going down. For some reason, Jeremiah asked her, “So how many languages do you speak Miriam?” She smiled and said, “Well….it depends on what you mean.” “I know Amharic, Somali, Hebrew, some Arabic,  and of course French, and English”. His jaw dropped. He was continually amazed by this incredible woman. She continued, “Oh, I almost forgot, I was also teaching myself some Italian!” He smiled from ear to ear, when he noticed a black cloth bag on the table, and asked her about it.

“Well, you may have been wondering about my faith”, she said. “Since it is a Friday night, and soon it will be dark, I brought this with me tonight.” Uh-oh he thought, this could be it, the one thing that might tear them apart, “religion”. He tensed, but said nothing. She continued, “I am from a Muslim family, but my parents were very open minded.” She opened the bag, and pulled out two of the most beautifully carved wooden candle holders he had ever seen, and two brand new white candles. “My mother was an Ethiopian Jew, and reverted to Islam before they were married.” He was fascinated, and listened intently. “They made a deal, before the wedding, that my father would allow my mother to light the Sabbath candles each Friday night, and say prayers, at the table”. She was beaming now.

“May I do the same, and say some prayers?” she asked. He was stunned. “Sure”, was all he could say. She said, “I tend to lean towards my mother’s original faith”. She covered her head with a scarf, placed the candles in the holder, and lit them. “I’ll be singing in Amharic, the language of my mother, and then in Hebrew.” She began singing, and chills ran up and down his spine. His spirit began to soar. He had never heard Amharic before, and to hear her sing it, brought tears to his eyes. Then she sang in Hebrew, “Baruch atah Adonai, Eluhenu, Melech ha olam…..…” (Blessed are You Lord, our God, the King of the universe) As she sang she moved her hands in a fanning motion towards her. The tears began streaming down his face.

He knew that he would share sometime his own beliefs, about the Messiah, his thoughts about the need for atonement, but not here, not now. This was a sacred moment. All he could say at the end, through the tears was, “Would you teach me Amharic?”……….Miriam smiled from ear to ear, because she knew for certain, without question, the Creator had placed them together………..

To be continued.

Writing and Image © Copyright 2015, nicodemasplusthree

Peace and blessings to everyone.

“If you love nature, you will love people.”

The Last People on Earth VII – The Harbor

Driving into downtown Boston was a mistake, but they didn’t realize it, until it was too late. It was like driving through a cemetery, only worse. There were hundreds – no thousands – of piles of clothing, where once there had been living, breathing, human beings. There were shirts, jackets, belts, shoes, some hats here and there, and women’s purses scattered. A baby’s stroller was on the sidewalk, empty. Several large groups of clothing indicated entire families, dropped and perished, where they stood. Jeremiah drove the blue minivan very slowly, in order to not hit any of them. It was sacred ground, a final resting place of so many.

He wanted to turn around and go back, but Miriam said, “Can we go to the harbor area?” “Maybe it will be better there”. It was better, and they were able to walk around. As they walked towards some old sailing ships, Jeremiah said, “Miriam I don’t ever want to come to the city again, unless we have to.” She agreed and said, “Come, let’s go on this old ship, I have something I want to share.” She was trying to be lighter in spirit, and he was thankful for it.

Once they looked around the ship, Miriam leaned her long frame over the railing of the starboard side, and he joined her. He could see that she was thinking of what to say, like preparing a speech, so he waited. Looking out over the water, she said, “Jeremiah we can do this.” “Do what?”, he asked. “We can start again, and grow our own food”. She was smiling now, and said, “I’ve been studying organic farming for years, I know we can do this, and raise a family”. There it was, she let the part about raising a family slip out, but it was too late now.

It was his turn now, and he was beaming. “Well before we talk about…….reproducing, and multiplying”……. (They both started laughing, and Miriam began to howl, stomping her foot, while covering her mouth, trying not to be too loud). “We should give ourselves some time.” As soon as he said that, he regretted it. Maybe now was the right time! So he said, “Let’s take one week, to know each other more first.” Miriam jumped in with, “….and when we are married, we should have a ceremony on top of a mountain!!” Was she reading his mind? That’s what he thought too……..and he told her.

On the walk back to the minivan, he asked her if she wanted pizza for dinner and she said “Yes!” in a hurry. Once they were out of the downtown area, Miriam said she had a confession to make. He waited, and she said, “I know I’m very thin, too thin.” “I wasn’t eating before I met you…….I wanted to die…….it seemed better than living alone”. “But now I want to live…….the future is much brighter”.

“I’m glad you’re alive”, was all he could say, as tears welled up in his eyes…….The truth was, they were both very excited about the future now……..

To be continued.

Writing and Image © Copyright 2015, nicodemasplusthree

Peace and blessings to everyone.

“If you love nature, you will love people.”