I spotted Melissa though the window of her office. She was talking to someone and when I drew closer, I not only saw it was Breast Feeding woman, but I heard them.
“I was following the conspiracy sites for a while,” said the woman. “So I was fearful.”
“That was just really good thinking to bring the breast pump. I appreciate it,” Melissa said. “I kind of took Baby John as my own. I couldn’t have kids, so this was a gift. And now knowing he is getting nutrients, I can’t thank you enough.”
“No, I can’t thank you enough. I know my own child will get what she needs because I am getting fed here. They didn’t share the food equally.”
I knocked on the door frame to alert them of my presence.
“Oh, hey Anna,” Melissa said. “You know Meagan, right?”
“I do.” I smiled and was glad to finally know her name.
“What brings you down here?” Melissa asked.
“You grandmother said you have eggs for her?”
“Oh, I do.” Melissa stood, said excuse me to Meagan, and walked from the office. “This way.”
I followed her.
“So, Anna, are you okay? Did you need to talk?”
I stopped walking. “Why do you ask?”
“I just heard you and Tony got into it.”
I sighed out. “Peter has the biggest mouth.”
“It wasn’t Peter. Tom radioed me. Said I should make time to just have girl chat with you and that you were edgy and picking on Tony. I told him you are still dealing with a lot.”
“I appreciate it, Melissa. But I’m fine now. And for the record I wasn’t picking on Tony.”
“I figured you weren’t.’ She handed me a basket of eggs. “Tell my grandmother to either put them in the fridge or prepare them. They were down here for an hour waiting on Skyler. But I think he’s sleeping.”
“I’ll take them.”
“And I better get back.” She pointed to Meagan. “I have to report to Tony in an hour.”
I nodded as if I understood. But I didn’t until that second. I watched Melissa return to her office, smile and re-engage in a talk with Meagan.
I wanted Tony to find out what he could about the new people. He said he was on it, and I didn’t believe it. But he was. Melissa, Spencer, Nelly and even Joie were doing their part.
To get information you have to act like you aren’t getting information.
Tony was doing just that, but not being obvious. Even I learned a lot by pulling a ‘Peter’ and eavesdropping.
When Tony said he was working on it, he really was. I underestimated him. He actually was considering my theories a lot more than I was considering his negative possibilities.
I wondered if something actually was pending, or if it could be a combination of both of our thoughts. Unfortunately, unless Meagan or the others stated, ‘Lenny was up to something’ or ‘he went off to be a good guy’, we wouldn’t know until it actually happened.
I was wagering on Tony be more right than me. After the little I heard, the fire hall wasn’t such a good place.
I actually started to feel kind of bad for arguing with him.
34 – TRADING TIME
Craig told me that I needed to lay off the brandy and if I absolutely felt the need for a drink, to consume something that would have some medicinal value. So I drank wine.
Everyone that wasn’t on a post had turned in. Tony was heading to his room early. He said he had work, and made it a point to tell me, “Along with spending some quality time with my daughter.”
He wasn’t the same. He wasn’t letting it go that I argued with him.
Typically Tony hung out with me after he got Joie to sleep. He made no mention of it, so not being tired and not wanting to be in my room, I played cards with Craig while allowing Skyler to look through the tablet and at Jackson’s pictures.
“So what do you think?” I asked, laying down my card.
Craig shrugged. “Not to disagree with your feelings, but the man took my morphine. That was the key that he was doing something wrong.”
“You don’t think he was taking it for someone injured?”
Skyler laughed.
I quickly turned to him. “What picture made you laugh?”
“Oh, no not a picture,” Skyler said. “At what you said. I was talking to one of the fire hall people. Bill. He said Lenny was a nasty man and was glad he was gone. He even said he thinks he’s up to no good.”
“A lot of them said that,” Craig added, then laid down and lifted a card. “We didn’t ask for that information, they volunteered it. Which…makes me even more suspicious. I bet half of them are in on it.” He played his hand.
“So, I’m not justified at all in my thinking?”
“That is what makes a good leader,” Craig said.”You asking me that. And you feel the way you feel. You may have come down on Tony a little hard. Picking on him.”
“I didn’t pick on him and Abe and Peter have big mouths.”
“This bunker may be big, but the community is small. Too small for tension. Besides, they didn’t say you were picking on him. Tony told me,” Craig said. “Venting.”
“He’s really mad at me. He never avoids me,” I said.
Skyler asked. “How long have you known Tony?”
“Almost two months,” I replied. “Why?”
“Just…” Skyler slid the tablet my way. “This picture.”
I leaned over and looked. I remembered the day that picture was taken. It was one of those self portraits that teenagers always took.
My mind went back to that day.
“Don’t post that on line,” Tony said. “I have another name for when I’m online.”
“What is it?” Jackson asked.
“Jim Gordon.”
“Jim Gordon? Like Commissioner Gordon from Batman?”
“Yep.”
“And no one ever called you out?”
“Nope.” Tony picked up the game controller.
“Are you two gonna play this game all night?” I asked.
Unless…” Tony looked at me. “You have something more interesting and… stimulating for me to do all night, then yes, I’m playing a game.”
“Uh!” Jackson grunted. “That’s my mom.”
Tony laughed.
I let them be.
I found myself staring at that picture until Craig called for my attention.
“You all right?” He asked.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” I returned to our card game, but my focus was also divided on making things right with Tony.
Like Craig told me, the bunker was big but we as a community were too small for the tension, and I was going to make it right.
It was over an hour later, that I made my way to my room. Ben was walking the hall when I passed him. He wished me a good night.
Tony had us covered and protected in case something did happen. I really did some soul searching on it. Was my gut really telling me nothing was going to happen? Or was I hoping so much that it wouldn’t, it clouded my judgment?
Either way, I realized I had made a bad choice. It was better to err on the side of caution.
It was time to make peace, and I knew how. It was something I had been intending to do for a while.
I felt like a stalker when I entered my room. I placed my ear against the adjacent door in my room, listening to see if I could hear him. I even bent down to see if I saw a light. I did. But that didn’t mean anything.
So, I knocked lightly on the adjacent door. If he replied, he was up.
Tony called out softly, “Come in.”
I opened the door, staying against it. Tony was on top of his bed fully dressed. Joie was under the covers sound asleep next to him. Sheets of paper were spread out around him and on her.