This section is from Derrick's perspective.
The sun is nice and warm in the sky. I much prefer the cool air and the warm sun over the humid air and the burning sun down south. Plus, it was now warmer than the night and morning. After a hard morning work with Mr. Allen and Ivan, I still couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about Ivan. The only real red flag was his prying into Mr. Allen's family life earlier, but I kept my mouth shut. Didn't need to reveal any drama about Mr. Allen. He was my boss. I didn't want to ruin the potential relationship with Ivan, but I wasn't going to betray Mr. Allen.
On the positive, Ivan was decent with his hands and had a ton of tools and resources. On the other hand, he had the endurance and stamina of an old granny. Mr. Allen wasn't much better, but I'd come to expect that from a desk jockey like him. I worked hard enough for both of us as long as he thought hard enough for both of us as well.
After complaining about me working too hard, Ivan finally said, "Alright, let's get the smoker's buckets going for the meat, then we'll start installing those pumps while Tsu's group lays out the meat for the smoker."
"Sounds like a plan," I replied, trying to keep my focus on the tasks at hand.
As I got the smoker buckets going with coal I found in the warehouse, Mr. Allen and Ivan went over to Tsu and Maria to communicate the plan. They returned, and I explained my design.
Tsu asked Mr. Allen to help Maria, and the others lay out the meat they'd prepared. I half motivated and half forced Ivan to go with me and get to work on the pumps.
As we walked through the property, Ivan explained, to my shock, that his Uncle had built out beyond the cabins.
"Damn," I muttered under my breath as we came up to the chapel. "Your uncle really went all out, huh?"
Ivan just nodded with pride and satisfaction. "Yeah, he was a bit of a packrat and a lot of a genius and about as hard-working as you. He knew what he was doing and built all this up from scratch. Heck, he even got a contractor's license to do a ton of the work himself."
I whistled. "Wow, I wonder what made him do all this?"
Ivan laughed hardy from the belly. "When he retired, he spent 6 months just relaxing, then he came to me drunk and demanded that I find something for him to do. He told me to either give him a project or give him a gun. So Tsu and I pulled some equity out of our business and house. He brought us a plan to buy this chunk of land and build it up into something. When our youngest moved out, we moved to this town about 4 years ago and built a few more projects here and there. He worked here building everything up until his wife died. That led him to really break down, slow down, and die soon after that."
My opinion of Ivan elevated slightly. "Dam man, you got a good Uncle. Good on him to build up something great for you to continue."
Ivan nodded as we walked up to the next pump and installed it, the conversation fizzling out. In a comfortable silence, we installed the last of the 6 wells by the cabin house,ses, and chapel. By now, the sun had started its slow descent toward the horizon as we walked back to the warehouse and grabbed the next box of good pumps.
I wiped my brow, the built-up sweet feeling crusty. Ivan's voice broke through my thoughts. "We got to now do the ones in the apartments," he said, pointing towards a cluster of buildings further down the road.
"Wait, you own those too?" I asked, eyebrows raised. I knew Boris had built quite the empire, but this was more than I expected.
"Yep, we own the apartments in the next lot and sold the houses on the end, by the road towards the town," Ivan explained, his face nonchalant like he was discussing a box of beer. "We do okay."
"Okay? You're practically a tycoon," I replied, rolling my eyes. I noticed he was squirming uncomfortably.
As we approached the first apartment building, I noticed people starting to gather around us. Among them was the guy who had stopped by the house earlier that day, the one who had kicked off this whole pump project. He eyed the pump suspiciously, then turned to Ivan.
"Is this safe?" he asked, crossing his arms.
Ivan frowned, clearly irritated by the question. "It's a well going down to groundwater. How unsafe can it be?"
The man didn't seem convinced, but he didn't push the issue any further. As we continued installing and testing the pump, more residents emerged from their apartments. They watched us closely, their faces etched with hope.
"Alright," The man came up with a new objection. "What about the septic fields? Don't they leach into the ground?"
"Jesus," Ivan sighed, rubbing his temples. "First, the toilets shouldn't be working without power right now, and second" – he pointed towards the road – "the septic tank and field are over there. Third, the septic pumps don't work without power either, so anything in the tank stays in the tank. Now, since this works, would you please bring my pot back so I can take it home?"
The man huffed, clearly dissatisfied, but walked away without another word.
We moved on to the next pump. We were getting quick at this. As we were tightening the bolts, the man reappeared with the pot, dropping it on the floor with a clang that echoed through the crisp spring air. He shot me a dirty look before retreating back to his apartment.
"Prick," I muttered under my breath, picking up the pot and setting it aside.
Ivan nodded and then shook his head, too tired for any further confrontations. We kept working as the residence chattered around us.
From the cabins, Mr. Allen slowly walked towards us. Approaching, he said in an exhausted voice, "Hey, I'm done helping carry the meat; now I'm here to help you two." He looked like he was going to fall over with a breeze. I laughed, remembering the first time he went for a run with me.
Ivan, with a smirk and concerned facial expression, "My man, you don't look like you can help with anything. Want to just sit for a bit while we finish up?"
Mr. Allen collapsed on his ass with an exaggerated "Thank you!"
Finishing up, I picked up Mr. Allen by the arm and helped him stagger over to the next pump.
A couple walked up towards us slowly. "Boss," the young man and woman approached us as we worked. "Thanks for fixing the water. We were rationing our last gallon of winter water today."
"Shit," Ivan muttered, concern etched on his face. "You think it's really that bad everywhere?"
The young woman sighed and nodded. "We walked into town yesterday to check on friends. Everyone we talked to was running low on water. Can we offer for them to come and get water here?"
I glanced at Ivan, wondering if he'd be willing to share his resources with outsiders.
"Sure, I don't see a reason not to," he said finally. "Let's help 'em out."
"Thanks, boss." The young couple smiled gratefully, relief spreading across their faces.
"How are you holding up on food?"
The young man and woman's eyes shifted downward, tracing the cracks in the parched ground. "I mean, not great, but we aren't starving... yet. The bigger problem is going to be paying rent at the end of the month."
"Can't pay the bank without power anyways. So don't worry about it," Ivan shrugged, dismissing the issue altogether. "As long as everything works, it will work out."
"Hey," Mr. Allen piped up, raising his hand as if he were back in school. "There's plenty of work to do. What if we organize work for food or rent or something?"
Ivan looked at him, thinking obviously on his face. There was an edge to his gaze, like he was testing the waters. I recognized that look from Mr. Allen coming up with new business ideas. "You'll need to give me more ideas and plans." He then turned to the young man and woman who had been watching the exchange. "Are you two open to helping out?"
"Of course, boss," they nodded in unison. "We work for you anyway. Just tell us what to do."
"Alright, Let me think about it. Stop by tomorrow in the morning," Ivan said, nodding at the young man and woman, rubbing his hands together, a spark of ideas igniting behind the eyes.
They beamed back at him. "Thanks, boss, you're the best."
"Best?" Ivan waved the praise away like an annoying fly. "Flattery doesn't pay in my book."
"Are you done with the smoker? Is it time to cover it?" I asked Mr. Allen, wiping my brow with the back of my hand again.
"No, they've still got more to do. The kids are chasing bugs away while the ladies work. I came here to help earn my keep," he stated, sitting on the ground.
Ivan laughed, slapping my shoulder so hard it stung. "This big guy is taking care of that for your whole group."
I grinned back at him, flexing my arm. "Nah, the rest of you old farts are just slow pokes." With that, I hoisted the last pump onto my shoulder and marched toward the furthest well. "Last one, right? I saw more pumps in the warehouse, but I don't see any more wells. Why do you have the spares?"
"Your guess is just barely worse than mine," Ivan shrugged, adjusting the tools as he followed me. "My uncle took care of everything till the year he died." He let out a long sigh.
As we approached Ivan's house, the sight of the smoke billowing thick clouds of smoke caught my eye. The pungent aroma of burning wood and seasoning meat filled the air, making my stomach growl in anticipation.
Ivan called Tsu. "Are you done planning out the meet?"
Tsu called out, "Yes," Carrying the dirty mixing bowels back towards the house.
"Come on," I grunted, dragging a canvas tarp toward the smoker. "We need to cover this thing up."
Ivan was too short to help, so Ivan helped lift the heavy material over the frame and secured the canvas in place. Ivan muttered something unintelligible, his words garbled by his labored breathing.
Tsu appeared beside us, smiling at her husband. "We're running low on eggs," she said, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. "I'm going to walk over to the farmer's place to get more. Do any of you have the energy to help me carry them back?"
Ivan nudged me with his shoulder, grinning weakly. "What do you think, Derrick? You reckon you got enough juice left for one more choir?"
"Sure," I replied; I'm not sure what he was talking about a hard day.
"Count me in," Mr. Allen piped up from his chair, standing with a groan. "Can't be put to shame."
"Thank you both," Tsu said, handing each of us a basket. "It's about a mile or so each way."
The sun was dipping towards the horizon in the sky as we set off, casting long shadows across the dusty road. I walked easily, but Mr. Allen looked like his legs burned with each step.
My arm throbbed with a dull ache, similar to a good arm day in the gym.
"Maria, Rosalina, and Gabriela are amazing hard workers and so nice and pleasant," Tsu said, breaking the silent walk, her voice soft as she spoke of them.
"Yeah, they really are great," I agreed, nodding along. "I've known them for a bit over a year now."
Mr. Allen chimed in, his expression gentle as he added, "She's always done a great job of taking care of my kids."
Tsu glanced at him, her curiosity piqued. "What does your wife do?"
A somber cloud seemed to pass over Mr. Allen's face, and his footsteps faltered for a moment before he replied, "She's pretty." He turned his gaze downward, avoiding eye contact.
Tsu smirked but didn't press the matter further. The tension hung in the air, thick and suffocating.
As we approached the farmer's property, the cacophony of what sounded like a thousand chickens assaulted our ears from a football field away.
"Hey Tsu, how's it going?" A man emerged from one of the buildings, wiping his hands on his dirt-streaked overalls.
"Pretty good," she replied, gesturing to Mr. Allen and me. "These are Derrick and Malcolm. They're new residents here to help me carry the eggs and whatever vegetables you have."
The farmer sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked around the landscape towards the lake. "I'll get you eggs, but I'm not sure how many vegetables I can spare. I just have no extra hands to process things. And we don't have a lot of water to keep things growing."
At that, Mr. Allen's eyes lit up, the gears in his brain turning like a well-oiled machine. I could almost see the business ideas buzzing inside his head.
"Maybe there's something we can do to help each other out," he mused in a mumble, getting a confused look from Tsu and the farmer.