Next 5 minutes.....

[Icarry2]

Glad your all enjoying the story, your concerns and questions will all play out soon enough, I am already about a month ahead and I won't be cruel and bait you with snibits of the story line..

I write to relax when I have time.. I will try to keep the story going with a post at least every other day at minimum..

Hope you all are well,

TJ

 

[Icarry2]

14:55 - Day 6

Copyright, Icarry2, WDY Media

Your resting with your lovely wife snuggled up next to you on your good side when there is a knock at the door. The family has gotten good at cover and conceal when the someone is at the door. The power went off about an hour and a half ago. They were all busy doing something to keep themselves busy..lol The knock at the door signaled them to take up their positions and waiting to find out who is at the door..

As you duck under the curtain and peek outside. It is Mr. Lewis. He is holding a gas can, empty of course. This time it is a larger 5 gallon can.

You turn and look at Trisha and whisper, “this could be good” and you go to open the door with your shot gun in your hand.

As you open the door Mr. Lewis steps back on the porch. The weather has warmed up a bit, in the mid to upper 40’s and the snow is starting to melt. The air is crisp and clean smelling. Without all the road traffic the air is free of the exhaust fumes. You take a deep breath forgetting about your ribs and try not to let on that your in pain as Mr. Lewis extends his right hand with his hat in his other hand.

“Mr. Jones sir, I was wondering if I could trade for some more fuel sir. I would like to have a little extra.” You look him straight in the eye as you give him a firm gentlemen’s handshake and interrupt him to express that you measured exactly one gallon last time because that was the agreement. He replied “uh, no I mean more, not extra, that wasn’t what I meant, sorry I misspoke”, to which you reply “wouldn’t have been smart to stock a bit before now huh” and as he pulls his hand back nodding his head he puts his camo ball cap back on. A typical “wicker” as the kids call them, a person who acts and dresses like a hick but lives in town. He proceeded to ask what you would take in return for three gallons of gasoline. “what do I want?” you say out loud. To which he shakes his head yes looking down at your feet. “Well Mr. Lewis do you still have that extra Stihl chainsaw you offered to sell me last fall?” to which he looks up and looks you in the eye and asks “for 5 gallons of gas?” and you explain. “Mr. Lewis I would be happy to provide you with a 5 gallon can full of fuel and fill your 5 gallon can in trade for your Stihl chainsaw as long as it is in running condition” To which Mr. Lewis says he will have to go and talk to his wife to see if that is a fair deal to her.

As you watch him walk back down the drive you could see the man was kicking himself for not being prepared for this situation, it’s only been 6 days, there has been power on and off and he doesn’t have any fuel for his only source of back up electricity..

You back up to the door and open it and walk in to see your lovely wife giving you that look..

 

[churchmouse]

Oh yeah, THAT LOOK.....I know it all to well.
Keep it coming please sir.

 

[Icarry2]

14:57 - Day 6

Copyright, Icarry2, WDY Media

Trey has been on the porch for a couple minutes, Mr. Lewis should have thought more about his grand baby. You think it is pitiful that they live as they do. Trey works a full time job, does odd jobs, donates time at church and helps with the big events that the Boy Scouts put on and provides for you, your children and his own children even though his children don’t even come to see him or spend time with you all.

From what you know Gary Lewis is close to 50. You have never shown him the respect of calling him Mr. or even by name. You simply call him “neighbor” and avoid them all as much as you can. More than once you have caught him looking at you and your oldest Mary like a piece of meat. That drooling allover himself type look that Mary says “creeps her out” and she really doesn’t like being made to do yard work in the front because Thomas has caught him and the one boy friend watching you both with binoculars.

Mr. Lewis is married to Dorothy who is older than him, maybe over 50. Dorothy is a woman who reminds you of a crack addict, skinny, fidgety, always messing with things for no real reason, full of nervous energy, you guess she is a meth head.

Mary used to go to school with Marie their oldest until they let her drop out to home school. She never completed it due to being unsupervised and Mr. and Mrs. Lewis didn’t know her thug boyfriend from Indy would stop by for a quick poke when he was running meth back to Indy. He knocked her up just before he was stopped in a routine seatbelt checkpoint and decided to run from Sherriff’s Deputies and a State Trooper who chased him all the way to the Indy airport where he wrecked and died from his injuries. Marie’s son, Ty became her focus and her education never was completed, without a GED or diploma no one will hire her so she remains jobless, getting a little bit of money from the state.

The other Lewis daughter is Ellie, who rebelled against them all when she got caught smoking weed a while back. She ran away and it took them a week to find her. She was hold up squatting in an abandoned house with her thug boyfriend Sam an 18 year old who had been living on his own for about a year, his mother ran off with some dude and left the kid to fend for himself, after a few months he got evicted and had been living on the streets. The two of them shacked up and when Mr. Lewis found them in the middle of an encounter he just about killed the skinny wanna be gang banger kid who had knocked up his little girl at 16. Mr. Lewis insisted on the boy being held responsible and made them both come home and the boy get a job. He flipped burgers at McDonalds and started to act squared away until he popped positive on a routine drug test and was fired. Not long after Ellie had complications and lost the child. She had an early delivery and the baby was not fully formed, odd thing was no one really said much about it but rumor has it that the boy could not have been Sam’s..

As you recall, the only one in the house who worked was Dorothy, she packed boxes with products at some manufacturer in town. Gary was off from a different manufacturer in town for smashing his hand in a machine a few months back. He had been off on workman’s comp until it ran out when the company let him go because during a twist of fate his name came up for a review and his Doctor said there wasn’t anything preventing him from working. Gary threw up the law suit flag and was working on that when things went nuts. He had been accepted for disability after finding a low end doctor to sign over the papers to cover it, we all thought he paid him off..

It was not unusual to see a local PD cruiser sitting in the drive at the first of the month, Gary was a drinker..

 

[Glock22c]

Well done!

 

[clarky51]

Sounds like a bunch of winners! Good read.

 

[churchmouse]

I think I went to school with that bunch. Different time and place but sure sounds like them.

 

[brian_a_mcmillen]

I don't believe that anything rediculous will happen without at least some warning. I have always thought of prepardness and already have some plans for at least a month without being able to go to the store or have commercial power.

 

[sbsg2005]

Sounds like the scum of the earth may be coming full force after all his preps.

 

[gohard43]

Great descriptions!!

"Wicker" ...that's hilarious!!! Sounds like plain ol white trash to me

 

[Icarry2]

15:15 - Day 6

Copyright, Icarry2, WDY Media

Your lovely better half is still chewing on your hide for taking advantage of this man who never stood on his own when there is another knock at the door. Everyone is in place as you duck under the curtain to see for sure that it was Mr. Lewis indeed it was.

As you open the door, you sling your shotgun. Mr. Lewis is standing on your porch as well as Sam at the bottom of the steps. Each had an arm full of stuff.

Mr. Lewis has a look of confidence as he jokingly says “let’s make a deal” to which you say “I made you an offer, do you not agree with it?”

Mr. Lewis sets down the gas can he is holding and you notice three chain saw chains slide down his arm. You look at the thuggish Sam as he shows you he is holding two bottles of 2 stroke oil and sets down the case which he opens to revile the chain saw and the wrench and a file with handle stored in the extra compartment and shows you it holds an extra bar, used with a matching brand new chain.

As you notice Mr. Lewis fidgeting in his pocket you turn your attention to him and see him pull a brand new spark plug out of his pocket still in the package.

Seeing all of this you look directly at Mr. Lewis and ask. “How much do you feel this is worth?”

Mr. Lewis starts to think, you can see he is uncomfortable with what he is about to propose. He takes a few seconds, looking at Sam who nods as if he is the one who designed this situation, turns back to you and says, “We think this all is worth 20 gallons of fuel” and with a sudden surge of confidence stands up straight and sticks his chest out as if to signal it is his only and final counter offer.

You stand there for a few seconds, dragging your answer out until Mr. Lewis starts to fidget again and Sam starts putting everything back in the case when you reply. “I am sorry Mr. Lewis but I can not afford to give up that much fuel with everything going on. I am not sure I can afford to give you that much.” Mr. Lewis trying to push the deal says alright, offers his hand and begins to gather the wares and leave when you stop him with “But’ You say as Mr. Lewis stops dead in his tracks and turns to say “Yes?” he says to which you reply, “I will give you one can full plus fill your can totaling 10 gallons and can throw in some food for the youngster, tell me what kind of food he will eat.”

 

[churchmouse]

Well done. Fuel and food...Not sure the chain saw was worth that but a search of the soul will put the child out front, at least in my soul. Children first.

 

[sbsg2005]

I agree the saw is not worth 20 gallons of fuel, 10 maybe a little much depending on the model of stihl it is. one of the bigger models I could see 10 gallons, some canned fruit (not peaches though) , and a couple cans of off brand spam. Still liking the story, keep it coming.

 

[flatlander]

It all depends on how much fuel I have as to whether it's a good deal or not.
I see trouble from these people when he starts to tell them "NO".

Bob

 

[windellmc]

One reason you don't give up 20 gallons at a time is so they think you are running low too. If they think you have enough spare to give up 20 gallons on one deal they will be willing to take more chances to get it.

 

[churchmouse]

One reason you don't give up 20 gallons at a time is so they think you are running low too. If they think you have enough spare to give up 20 gallons on one deal they will be willing to take more chances to get it.

You may be right. These do not come off as folks to turn your back on. Low morals make it easy to take chances. Factor in hunger and cold. Not wanting to alter the story line but if they get silly, get the baby and end it. Just saying out loud what others are thinking already. Not the christian way of thinking but Christians would be the last ones to steal his fuel and supply's

 

[Icarry2]

15:21 - Day 6

Copyright, Icarry2, WDY Media

Trey has been talking to Mr. Lewis and Sam for a few minutes and it seems that they may be agreeing on some terms. You feel bad trading with a man like that because it will only leach you of your supplies but you trust Trey and understand he is shrewd at bartering. You used to laugh when he would offer half a dollar for an item that a garage sale had priced for $1, flea markets and the like. Then he would pay them with a dollar bill and wait for change. “A deal is a deal” he used to always say..

He used to group things and then pick the price down from the total, usually to make even change or easier change.

You know he has all of your best interest in mind with everything he has and will do. He used to argue with you about drills and teaching all of the children to shoot, to clean and reload every firearm in the house. He took it so far as to include friends of the kids when it came to range days. Always insisted on explaining to the other children’s parents what it was he was going to do, teach them and what they would be doing. Many refused to let their kids go shooting, a couple even tried to keep their children from coming over. You tried to have Trey just take them all but he insisted on letting the parents know and generally spoke to them face to face. Always said “wouldn’t you want to know?”

 

[Icarry2]

15:23 - Day 6

Copyright, Icarry2, WDY Media

“So it’s agreed then” Mr. Lewis says as you shake hands. He will give you the saw, the bar and chain on it, the new bar and new chain plus the three other used chains, spark plug, two bottles of oil, case and his empty one gallon two cycle mix gas can and one partial gallon of bar and chain oil.. For all of that you will give him one plastic 5 gallon gas can full of fuel plus fill his 5 gallon can. We will also include 4 cans of mixed fruit and one box of chewy granola bars for the boy.


You explain that you will go and get the can when he fills up the empty, he can hold the saw and all while Sam goes to retrieve the other items. He agrees and hands you his empty can and as you back into your house you notice him telling Sam where the other items were in his garage as you purposely fidget with the door knob to give more time to eaves drop on the other contents of his garage. You expect that if this crisis continues he will end up giving you most of his shop in trade for fuel.. Especially if it turns cold..

 

[churchmouse]

Honer... totally

And fairly slick

 

[Icarry2]

15:34 - Day 6

Copyright, Icarry2, WDY Media

Your smart enough to walk out the back door of your garage and around the side of it to the front so there is no opening of your garage doors. In fact you have unplugged their automatic openers and those extra latches you installed have all been slid into the frame which you lag bolted to the 6x6 beams that make up the header and supports. The thought of all of those little things come back as you realize how smart they were to do before a situation like this. Same for the other security upgrades you have installed in your home.

The thinking is there is no sense letting anyone see what is in your garage by opening the roll up doors. This way you go through the small door where no one can see in. You have been very careful to pickup and unload the high amount of stores you have accumulated in the dark, or staged them at different places, your storage unit, etc and brought them home in small loads so no one took too much notice to the bulk of the items. Along with the knowledge of your company having things shipped to you which you took elsewhere to work on equipment as part of your job, no one is shocked to see the FedEx, UPS, and occasionally a Conway short box semi with a hydraulic lift gate dropping of packages at your house..

You set the two 5 gallon cans down in front of Mr. Lewis. He picks each of them up individually then together as if to check their weight. Not like he would know that your 5 gallons of gasoline weights exactly 31 pounds and the average plastic can weighing in at about 4 pounds. He would have to be able to know what it feels like to life 35 pounds…

You take the saw and other items that will fit in the case and put them in it. You pull out a handy dandy plastic shopping bag and put the partial bottle of oil in it and slide it through the handle hole of the one gallon can and your ready to take the items in to the garage. You stop, stand and face Mr. Lewis and extend your hand. As you shake his hand the 4 cans of fruit and box of granola bars are set out onto the porch and the door shut and locked. You pick up the plastic shopping bag and hand it to Sam who then hands it to Mr. Lewis before he picks up the two cans of fuel and he turns and walks away. Mr. Lewis looks you straight in the eye and says “Bless you Mr. Jones” and turns and walks away. As he gets a few steps away you notice him go through the bag to make sure you delivered what was promised and in doing so drops one can of fruit then while trying to pick it up another falls out. You stand there watching as the man picks them up turns to see you notice his bumbling and then hurries towards his house.

Factoid:

one gallon of no1 diesel is about 7.1 lbs
one gallon of no2 diesel is about 7.6 lbs
one gallon of kerosene is about 6.9 lbs
one gallon of gasoline is about 6.2 lbs