Honeymoon: Part Two

The next morning Lise and I found ourselves several miles from Debbie’s home.  We had headed south and west, preferring to camp near Lake Erie.  Staying close to the shore line allowed us to find sites that were not buried deep in the grass and low brush.  It was so much different now than what I remembered.  In the past, children had played happily in the sand near the shore, digging motes around castles made with their sand pails, fighting the incessant incoming waves and shallow water tables that caused the walls to crumble.  Families had floated on inflatable plastic air mattresses.  More than once, an unsuspecting snoozer had found himself far from shore, blown out to sea, so to speak, by a westerly wind.  This lake was shallow and the waters were warm, not quite warm enough for a swim in the spring, yet it sufficed for a quick bath which we took advantage of each morning.  After one cold night in the open, our former preference for staying near the water, (meaning - on the beach), turned to accepting the hospitality of the cottagers who were not using their summer homes this year.  Most places had candles for a light source during the emergencies that frequented the area during the summer storm season when a close clap of thunder was immediately followed by total blackness. 

Food wasn‘t a problem, though the towns and villages along the old highway weren't large.  Everywhere we went there were depressing reminders of why we were in hiding, and alone.  Clothing was found along or beside the roadway probably blown there by the wind and weather, but inside stores and homes, neat piles of trousers, shirts, socks, shoes and whatever else people were wearing at that time of the year, lay on the floors where the unfortunate victims had suffered an agonizing end at the hand of the invading hunters.

There wasn't as much traffic wrecked along the lake route, hence not as many obstacles to skirt around as on the four-lane.  We had expected to see wildlife on the trip, yet there were no dogs, cats, skunks or other creatures to liven up the biking.    We surmised that it was probably due to the aliens.  They must have taken them too.  But skunks?  “Who would eat a skunk?” we wondered.  So far, we'd not even seen a deer and I knew that they used to be prevalent in this county, in spite of all the hunting.

We decided not to go as far southwest as Border City, so we ended the southwestern leg of our honeymoon and headed north.  We'd have to make up some time with less sightseeing, but we ended the day in a small town, with a former population of about thirty thousand that had been famous as a tourist attraction drawing people from around the world to watch Shakespearian plays.  The old theatres were damaged beyond repair.  Holes were everywhere, inside and out.  It was obvious that the invaders had had a feast inside, as there was clothing everywhere.  It would have been a massacre.  I couldn’t silence their haunting cries as memories flooded in from the past.  I placed my hands over my ears, to no avail.  As she held me close, it was Lise who reminded me that these things serve only to strengthen our resolve to bring the aliens to justice.

We weren’t in the mood for tenting.  We found a small home on the outskirts of town to spend the night.  No one had died in that house, we presumed; it was untouched.  We slept in a bed that had been empty for two years.  In the morning I awoke to a beam of sunlight streaming into the bedroom.  There stood Lise gazing out the window.  Rolling out and onto my feet, I slipped softly to her side to share the view.  There, to my surprise, stood a doe with her two fawns on the front lawn enjoying a breakfast of tender grass.

After finding a meal in a local corner store, we biked back south where we discovered a small man-made lake with canoes, row boats and other water sports equipment still intact.  There were several trailers on the grounds, some that had been left to overwinter.  Most were in good shape we assumed because the weather had been getting cooler and the campers had not been there.  To our great delight, there was also a lot of propane in the tanks.  That meant more hot baths or showers.  It also meant a hot meal, if we could find something to cook. 

I checked with the camp office and found more fishing equipment than I would ever need and put it to good use.  Angling from a rowboat I caught several lake trout.  With some dried food packages, also supplied by the camp office, we had ourselves several days of home cooked meals.  We decided to remain at the lake for the better part of the week, rather than do any more exploring.  Before we left, we played together for a couple of hours paddling around and then returned to our bikes in order to get back to Debbie’s place at a reasonable hour.

As we drove up the driveway, Slim, who was visible at the end of a chain, barked in delight.  Setting the kickstands, we headed for the dog.  I undid the link and Slim tore off around the yard.  In the meantime, Lise had approached the back door where she ripped off a note that had been tacked to the wooden frame.

Sorry to have to tell you like this, but I wasn’t sure how you would react.  I have decided that for now, I will have to decline your offer to join you.  We have survived this far, but are still not sure of strangers.  I appreciated your visit.  It was good to see other human beings. Maybe this world isn't so empty after all.

I left food and water for the dog and hope that you show up as promised.  We will not be returning here any time soon.  By the way, thanks for allowing me the time with Slim.  He truly will make a wonderful pet.  He just loved the kids.  They wanted to take him with us. I haven’t heard so much laughter in such a long while.  And with Slim along, they would never have to wash their faces; he did such a good job of that.

All the best,

Debbie

We were disappointed.  That wasn't what we were hoping to hear from Debbie, but we realized that if we were to force her to come, we wouldn’t be any better than the aliens or others who attempt to enslave.  Sadly, we realized that we'd have to go to our homes empty handed.  No, not completely empty handed.  We still had Slim and Debbie’s experience with the dog was all I needed to convince me that I'd made the right choice to keep him.   Lise lagged behind for a minute, seemingly studying the note, then made her way to the vehicles.  We parked my bike and brought the van from next door so we could transport the dog. 

“So, Slim, are you about ready for another jar of peanut butter?”  He just looked at me, head cocked to one side, having no idea what I had asked, but all the while, tail wagging.  Surprisingly, he hopped up into the van with ease, taking his place between the seats, sitting beside the driver, where he could see out the front window, as if this were where he always sat.  As I drove away, with one hand resting on Slim’s head, Lise followed on the bike.

***

The camp was as we left it.  We were greeted excitedly by all, hugged and kissed and teased.  We didn’t answer any of those “How’d it go questions.”  Other questions flew about where we had gone and what we had seen.  A welcome-home dinner was prepared, nothing fancy, the regular canned meats and vegetables.  It was another happy occasion.  Everyone was in good health and we settled down to surviving.