This section is from Ivan's perspective.
After saying thank you to Tsu and Maria for breakfast, I stepped out and stood for a few minutes in the morning warm sun. After enjoying it for a few moments of peace, I started doing my rounds. Whenever I wasn't on a route with the truck, I kept busy with general maintenance and upkeep around the property.
The smell of smoked meat filled my nostrils as I walked past the smoker. Everything appeared to be in order with it. Derrick's idea worked beautifully and was now fully cooled and ready to go.
I grabbed a peace, even though I just ate. No harm in sampling, right?
Walking around the cabins, I checked the siding to make sure it was still good. I made sure there were no broken steps or railings. The roofs were clear of branches and dead birds. I walked around the Chapel area, making a note of the plants that needed to be trimmed, replanted, or removed. So far, no signs of collapse or destruction. Uncle Borris had built everything to last, but it never hurt to double-check.
It also kept me busy and manly to Tsu.
Since everything was good here, and the Tsu was marshaling the woman to manage the food, I guess I had time to check in on the other properties in the town. Thinking this was going to take me past lunch, I grabbed a few pieces of foil from the kitchen and walked toward the smoker. I opened a corner of the smoker, the scent of smoky goodness threatening to drown me in my own saliva. Grabbing a few pieces of meat, I turned around only to come face-to-face with Malcolm and Derrick. Startled, I jumped, nearly dropping the meat.
"Dammit, guys," I muttered, my heart pounding. "You scared the crap out of me."
"Sorry," Malcom said, grinning sheepishly. He held up a stack of papers. "Ivan, I have a few ideas about what's going on and what we need to do sooner rather than later."
"Couldn't have caught me at a better time, then," I replied, taking a bite of the smoked meat. "I'm headed into town. You guys want to walk with me?"
"Sure," Derrick said, "Are we going to be gone for a while?"
"Probably most of the day." I pulled out a few more pieces of meat, wrapped them, and handed them to Malcolm and Derrick. As we walked, Malcolm started explaining his vision even before we left the property. Every now and then, I glanced over at the papers Malcom clutched in his hands. He didn't reference them even once, going completely off memory. The man had a sharp mind.
On the way, I popped into the outdoor kitchen to see if Tsu was still there. She was
"Bye, Tsu," I said, leaning in to give my wife a quick hug and kiss. "We'll be back later."
"Take care," she whispered, making me smile and blush.
As Derrick, Malcom, and I started down the road, the explanation and vision continued from Malcom, paused only by his labored breathing. Derrick's long strides had him constantly stopping to wait for Malcolm and me to catch up, the ex-Marine's mild impatience evident in his posture but never leaving his lips.
"Look, Ivan," Malcom said, his voice low and serious, dragging my attention to the paper he finally held up. "We have a surplus of workers and a lack of resources. We need to organize if we want to keep everyone fed and out of trouble." His words echoed in my mind, reminding me of my childhood in Ukraine, the Soviet Union. He gave detailed explanations and ideas.
Our first stop was Oscar's house. The old lawyer lived in the Keys development just outside of what passed for the downtown lakefront. As we approached, I smiled, remembering how much they reminded me of my late Uncle Borris – both men, packrats in their own way.
"Morning, Ivan," Oscar called out as he rounded the corner of his wraparound porch. He squinted at Derrick and Malcom. "Who are these fine gentlemen?"
"Oscar, meet Malcolm and Derrick," I said, gesturing to each of them in turn. "We're headed into town to check up on the warehouses and store. Maybe stop by the town hall to see if there's a meeting posted. All my days are jumbled since the power outage."
"Probably Monday, I think," Oscar replied, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "My life barely changed, to be honest."
His nonchalance struck me as odd. He was so old he didn't care anymore. But then again, Oscar had never been one to wear his heart on his sleeve. Probably a side effect of being a cutthroat lawyer in New York City for what 40 years?
"Good to know," I said, forcing a smile. "Your life hasn't changed much, huh? The benefit of being old."
Oscar chuckled and punched my arm with a force that seemed greater than he was capable of producing. I winced as I rubbed the sore spot. "You're not that much younger, mid-life crisis," he retorted playfully.
Derrick, who had been quietly observing the exchange, piped up. "You box?" he asked Oscar, his interest piqued.
Raising an eyebrow, Oscar replied, "Yes, in a past life. You?"
"Marine boxing," Derrick grinned, "but MMA and BJJ since I got out of diapers."
Oscar's eyes sparkled with newfound respect and fondness for the young man. He took off his jacket and rolled up a sleeve slowly to reveal the marine logo tattooed on his forearm. "Oorah!" he grunted, puffing out his chest with pride.
I looked at Oscar slack-jawed, struck by this revelation about my friend and lawyer. "Guess I don't have to worry about you too much."
"Yeah," Oscar agreed, his tone casual but confident. "I might do some work for Terou, though. I have at least 3 guns," he said, flexing his biceps.
Derrick roared with laughter, "I like you! I'm adopting you, Grandpa!" that was the first time I'd seen a genuine smile on Derick.
I shook my head, chuckling, imagining goodie two-shoe Oscar being someone up. Then, remembering my purpose in visiting, I asked, "How's your food and water situation?"
"Running low," he admitted, sobering. "Haven't cooked in a week. I still got beer and scotch for a while, though."
"Stop by for dinner if you want any time," I offered. "It's usually two hours before sunset."
"Sure, I'll take you up on it," Oscar accepted gratefully. "I'll bring the drinks. Tell Tsu to make me a plate of anything. Her cooking is always awesome."
We said our goodbyes and left Oscar's place. I felt a burden settling on my shoulders again. I hated being responsible, but for whatever reason, the heavens found it, I had resources.
With a sigh, we walked out of the development of the key and headed towards the convenience store. Tsu and I ran. Our workers were still managing it under Tsu's guidance, but I wanted to check in and make sure everything was running smoothly and didn't need to get repaired.
The bell above the door jingled as we entered, and Lilie called out from the back, "Coming!" She poked her head around the corner, a tight smile on her face. "Oh yeah, boss. How's it going? Anything wrong?"
I shook my head, trying to project an air of confidence. "No, just checking up on everything. How's it going for you?"
Lilie sighed, her gaze flickering to the dwindling stock on the shelves. "I'm okay. By the way, I've been writing down the ledger for the things that have been picked up by people, but it's starting to add up, and we're starting to run out of supplies. Do you have any idea when more food is gonna get shipped in, or the power's gonna get fixed?"
Her question annoyed me. Why did she think I had all the answers? I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Sorry, I'm not sure. We need to figure out some local stuff. But make sure to take what you need and stop by my house for food as well. I want you and Billie to be healthy and happy."
"Thanks, boss." Lilie smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Also, Mrs. Tsu said we can keep a ledger for people who don't have cash. I wanted to make sure that was fine."
I nodded, appreciating Tsu's foresight. "Yeah, that was a smart suggestion. We know almost everyone in town, and that's good to make sure everyone has everything."
Plus, we could always work out deals since most people were honorable here.
"Thanks, Mr. Ivan," Lillie beamed, her eyes filled with gratitude. "I was worried about people running low, especially some of the families with little kids. I'll keep the ledger going. Billie's actually at the warehouse now with the dolly, restocking some stuff. We're out of bread since the bakery closed after the power went out, but everything else seems to be steadily going down."
"Alright, I'll check in on the warehouse today as well. Take care, Lillie, and thanks for taking care of everything." I waved goodbye as she disappeared into the back of the store.
"Ledgers, huh?" Malcom mused as we stepped outside. "That was one of my suggestions, too. Cash might run out sooner rather than later, considering our current situation. We might actually need a way to infuse cash back into the system as well. It would be bad if it got stagnant."
"Good thinking," I replied, "What else have you got?"
As we walked towards the town hall, Malcom laid out more of his ideas for organizing workers on the farms, getting local farms up and running, and setting up a distribution system in the store for produce. Listening to him, I marveled at the man's strategic mind. He had a plan for every potential problem, and it was clear that he'd spent a lot of time thinking things through. He paused as we walked up to the building door, leaving me thinking about his ideas.
"Hi there," a familiar voice greeted us as we entered the town hall. Pam, the secretary, looked up from her teacup – a habit she'd picked up after quitting smoking.
"Hello Pam, How are you? Is there a city council meeting coming up?" I asked with a smile.
"Indeed, sir," she said, nodding and pointing at the whiteboard calendar. "City council meets in two days at noon, and there's a public meeting on Friday evening."
"Thanks, Pam," I said. "Could you let us know what's on the agenda?"
"Of course," she replied, handing me a neatly written list of issues. My eyes scanned over the paper – water, showers, sewers, crime, food depletion... and countless complaints about "The Stupid Power Outage." Seems like everyone's at their wit's end.
"Damn," I mumbled, staring at the list of issues in my hand. The town was struggling more than I'd realized. Malcolm sidled up beside me, his gaze fixed on the paper as he jotted down notes in his notebook. It seems like he missed some issues in his brainstorming.
"Looks like we've got our work cut out for us, huh?" he said, frowning slightly at the myriad of concerns.
"Seems that way," I replied. "We're gonna need all hands on deck to tackle these problems."
"Speaking of which," I continued, turning to Pam, the secretary. "I'll be bringing Malcom and Derrick here to the meeting. They're both pretty sharp, and we could use their input. And it might be a good idea to invite Oscar too – he's got a lot of knowledge when it comes to legal stuff."
"Alright, I'll make sure they're invited," Pam nodded, jotting down another note with her pen. She looked harried, but she always managed to keep things organized. "Good luck with everything, Ivan."
"Thanks. You too, Pam," I said, giving her a smile as we left.
"Sir?" Derrick whispered loudly, a grin spread across his face as he tapped my shoulder. "Are you some kind of big shot around here?"
"Ha," I snorted, feeling a mix of pride and embarrassment. "Well, I guess you could say I'm one-ninth of the government in this town. No mayor, so us city council members run things together."
"Nice," Malcom chimed in, clearly approving. "That should help us get things done."
"You would think so." With a sigh, "Let's hope so," I muttered, my mind on the next things I needed to do.
"Come on, let's check out the warehouses," I said, trying to focus on the task at hand.