“And you never got bit,” Cipher marveled.
“Knock on wood,” Jeremiah said and banged the side of his rig. It made a hollow metallic sound that I felt in the pit of my stomach.
“How do you know Brother Larry?” Cipher asked and I was glad he was asking these questions because something about the man was off.
“He was my neighbor growing up. I did odd jobs for him back then too. He offered me a spot here but I declined. I’m not built for fences or rules, not civilized enough for polite society you might say. Rather make my way out there in Rabid Country.” His eyes passed over me again, but no one seemed to notice.
“Must get lonely,” Macon said, probably thinking of his own past and how hard it had been to survive all alone.
Jeremiah shrugged. “I got friends. When I want company, I just drop in and pay them a visit.”
I wondered about the sort of person who might befriend someone like Jeremiah. Other soldiers who’d served with him and were bound by a sense of duty? Then I chastised myself for making such assumptions. I didn’t know him, not really, and Cipher seemed to like him well enough. Maybe we’d just gotten off on the wrong foot.
Cipher’s two-way radio crackled to life; Larry was requesting his presence at the armory for a meeting. He kissed the top of my head and said he’d see me later, then said goodbye to the rest of our crew. Soon after, Gizmo and Wylie left to go back to work. Macon, knowing our buddy system, offered to walk with me back to the birthing center.
“He’s my minder for the day,” Jeremiah said. “I’ll drop him off there when we’re through.”
Macon glanced at me with a questioning look and I nodded, not feeling great about being left alone with the man, but Larry had vouched for him and Cipher didn’t seem to have a problem with it, so he must be safe. While I stood outside the rig, Jeremiah climbed inside and rummaged around in the back cabin before emerging with what looked like a change of clothes and a shaving kit.
“You got a place around here where I can clean up? I haven’t had a proper shower or shave in weeks.”
“Sure, follow me.” I didn’t want to take him to our house, and besides that, we didn’t have hot water, so I led him to the communal bathhouse where the maintenance crew and firefighters usually washed up while on shift.
On our way there, we passed by the general store and I saw Teresa dressing the window with fall leaves as well as the pumpkins and gourds which were now coming into season. She waved at me and I waved back. But when she saw Jeremiah, she ducked her head and disappeared altogether.
“Who’s that?” Jeremiah asked.
“My friend Teresa.”
“She’s cute. She got a boyfriend too?”
“No, and she’s only sixteen.”
“How old are you?”
“Eighteen.”
“You look younger.”
I didn’t know what to say about it, so I said nothing. Once inside the bathhouse, I motioned to the benches and lockers where he could change and store his things. “The showers are over there.” I pointed to the adjoining room. “I’ll wait for you outside.”
“Stay and keep me company. It’s been so long since I’ve had the chance to talk to another human being.”
I felt a pang of sympathy. I was a jerk for treating him so poorly. The man was probably just lonely and out of practice with conversation. There were a few other men milling around, some of whom I recognized from Macon’s work crew, so I didn’t feel too unsafe.
“All right.”
Jeremiah peeled off his sweat-stained shirt and tossed it on the bench, then went to remove his belt. I turned away to give him some privacy.
“You’re a shy one, aren’t you?” he said.
“My mother always told me that it’s rude to stare at people.”Especially when they’re getting naked in a bathhouse.
He chuckled. “She was right. You like to follow the rules, don’t you, Joshua? Or is it Kitten?”
“It’s Joshua. And I don’t know. I guess so. Rules were made for a reason.”
“As a former military man, I agree.”
