Cal's crew picked up stakes and moved down the road a ways to their old crew's farm. They needed some serious intervention. Without Cal and John and the structure that was set before them like on the road, they fell into a state of despair and infighting that Julia, Tavin and Paul Strand couldn't begin to repair. Like Paul had said, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."
Their farm was big, plenty of land and they even had a water source unlike Julia. Paul ran on well water and Julia depended solely on rain water catchment. The well on the old Matthew's farm, according to Paul, had dried up a long time ago. Julia suggested that they move on down the road and pull them back out of the frying pan they had jumped into. They lacked structure. They lacked leadership. They didn't lack the work ethic, but they were all over the map on too many projects at once. Then they became indignant with Julia and Tavin when they attempted to guide them in the right direction. Listening to kids wasn't in the cards for them. Tavin tried to warn them that it would be endless days and nights of work, but the advice and forewarning had fallen on deaf ears. It was a shame, too because Julia would have given her left arm to have so many hands to help when they'd started out.
At the very least in the spring they got their fields half planted, which amounted to half of what Julia had been able to plant with a skeleton crew. No wonder her group was so miserable. They were over worked and under appreciated, but they were well aware of the difference between living on their harvest and dying due to the lack of one. They'd been circling the roads in all directions in Cal's crew that they couldn't grasp the idea of survival without scavenging. It was a loss unfortunately. They would suffer come winter. Those that chose to go with Paul to his farm were well off and had accepted the guidance and knowledge of a man who had lived off the land for generations. In order to save the group that had failed so miserably, Paul's partners spent extra hours upon hours planting extra to make up for their slack.
By August the work had been divided and everyone had fallen into a new routine. Each original member had paired up at one time or another with Emilio or Diego in order to get better acquainted. The brothers weren't much for conversation, and originally it was believed they didn't know much English. In fact that was the opposite. They understood and spoke English well. In fact they were only playing it safe around new people. They chatted in Spanish a lot and Tavin listened in on them a lot, being that they were on the same level of the house in the addition. Mostly they talked about their families, their memories of home, and all the chicks they banged between the motherland and lower Delaware. Typical brother bullshit. Tavin held back advertising that he could fluently speak Spanish.
"How's things with Chess, Red?"
"Red is very happy with Chess, Tavin. Thanks for asking."
"You in love with him?"
"I am, yes. I am so completely and utterly in love with my skinny boy."
"It shows." Tavin said.
"Why do you ask?"
"Just curious is all. I can't be curious. You look happy, Red."
"I am." She said, walking away as she heard a car approaching the house.
Chess had definitely put a bounce in her step. Her heart was beating again. She was infused with the 'passion' as Chess called it. She hadn't felt butterflies in so long. And he felt the same way about her. Julia waited in the yard with the gate open. Her dad and Uncle John drove in and she shut the gates behind them.
She met them with hugs and kisses hello. Chess caught up with her when they arrived and said hello as well. Cal reported that they'd be leaving sometime in September, heading south for the winter. He'd never been down south and he heard the weather was beautiful in Florida during the winter.
Julia and Chess held hands and walked with them to the porch where they sat in chairs and talked about the farm. They'd built up a decent structure there. They'd put good men in charge, strong leaders who would surely do right by the group and listen and ask for help when needed. Winter would be no joke and what lay ahead for them would be impossible without help from their neighbors.
"Thanks for straightening that out, dad. We were stretched so thin here and then they weren't receptive to instruction. It was so frustrating."
They talked awhile longer and when Julia heard Hannah crying she went to fetch her from the playpen they had placed downstairs specifically for her.
"Cal, can I talk to you?" Chess asked.
"Yeah, sure. Fire away, son." Cal answered.
Chess stood up and Cal followed. Chess had wanted to talk alone. When Julia came back outside, she fed Hannah and chatted with John till they returned.
"You guys ok?" Julia asked as they came back.
"Sure are." Cal answered. "He-uh-he was showing me the still."
"Cool. We added a couple new things back there. It doesn't taste like battery acid anymore. Chess did you give him some?"
"No. Before they leave if they want."
When they were ready to head out, Chess walked to the car with his dad. They embraced a minute, which was odd for Chess because he didn't usually get emotional with his dad. Chess came up on the porch and kissed her forehead, the went down the steps.
"Chess, where ya going? I thought we were gonna play cards."
"We are. I need to talk to Jay a minute. You go in with Hannah, I'll be there soon. Get our deck ready."
"Ok."
Chess walked the perimeter and found Jayson with the boys and Diego and Emilio. The boys were showing the newbies how to do checks and Jay was just there to monitor the boys. Julia was against them checking on their own after all this time. But it was what it was.
"Jay, can I talk to you a minute?" Chess asked.
"What's up, Chess?"
Jay hung back with Chess and walked side by side. "I need to talk about Julia."
"What about Julia?" He asked, looking sideways at him.
"You know how we're together now. She's this amazing strong girl."
"I know that."
"She's perfect. She's nice, but she's mean when she needs to be. She's got huge balls for a girl, but she's sensitive and soft."
"I know the girl you're talking about."
"I love her, Jay. It's like more than the sex. It's not even about that."
"Um, Chess why are you telling me this?"
"You trusted me a long time ago to take care of her. Do you still trust me to do that?"
"Chess, I'm not with her like that anymore. If you're worried-"
"I'm not. Do you still trust that I can take care of her?"
"Yes. Chess, what is this about?"
"Julia, I want her. I want to keep her. It took us a long time to get here, and I-"
"Well, keep her then. What is wrong with you?"
"I talked to her dad tonight and I asked him if I could marry her."
"Marry, like a wedding?"
"Yes."
"What do I have to do with any of this?"
"Jay, come on, man. I don't know why I'm standing here with you, but I think I have to. I feel like I have to."
"You want me to say ok or something?"
"Yes." Chess answered. " I think that's what I want you to say. You are more to her than a guy and you're more to me than a cousin and I wouldn't-"
"Chess-"
"No, let me finish. I wouldn't feel right asking her if I didn't run this by you first."
Jay stared at him a bit, unsure of what exactly Chess demanded of him. A blessing? Reassurance? To tell him to run the opposite direction? Jay knew that he and Julia were done and done for good. He was in the dark what exactly he did for her and vice versa. They were a private and secretive couple. No one knew any details of anything they did and when they did it. They were quiet and, well, cute. They took long walks, held hands and would occasionally hug, but public displays of affection were off limits. Julia was not distant. In fact, she was the opposite, talkative and friendly. She was more warm and happy. Chess had changed too. The same person, but more reserved and less bitchy. Jay was 100% sure that he and Julia didn't even feel attracted to each other anymore. They'd long been bored together. They'd said everything and worked out all their problems, but still emerged from all of it just friends.
"Chess, do you have a ring?"
"Oh, yes I do." He nodded, rooting around in his pocket.
"I don't want to see it."
"Oh. Ok."
"Chess, are you nervous? I never seen you like this."
"Yeah. I am." He said. "I can hardly breathe."
"Hey, go claim her." Jay said.
"What?"
"Claim your girl, Chess."
"Chess if you burn our house down with all these fuckin' candles, I will fuck you up. What are you doing?" Tavin asked, glancing into his little room. He'd cleaned up, changed the sheets to pink, had potpourri floating in water to make the place smell decent. He had flowers on his dresser.
"I didn't light the candles yet. And I swear no fires."
"What is all this shit?"
Rey heard Tavin and smelled the potpourri down the hall. "Hmmm, it smells good. Are you gay now?" He asked poking his head over Tavin's broad shoulders.
"Shhh. It's for my girlfriend. This has to be perfect."
"This is not the Hilton, Chess."
"Awe, he's sweet."
"Thanks, Rey. And you," Chess said to Tavin. "When was the last time you hooked your girl up? Have you ever hooked her up?"
"Maybe I can borrow all this shit when you're done?" Tavin suggested.
"I have goals, man. I have been gathering this stuff up for a while, saving it all for this one night."
"Hey, it smells pretty in here." Kelly said. "Rey, are you spraying something?"
"Yeah, honey. It's all me." Rey answered, pulling the door shut to Chess's room.
Chess went upstairs for his girl. She'd just put Hannah down and had Tatia ready for bed.
"Hi, Chess." Tatia said, hugging around his leg.
"Hey, pretty girl. Time for bed, right?"
"Yes." She smiled, climbing into her bed. She tucked her blankie around Hannah and laid down.
"Hi, Jess."
"Hey," Jess replied.
"Are you ready, Julia?"
"Yes."
Chess took Julia to the yard where he had the fire ready to light. He had the baby pool filled with water. A little gift bag for her with something special inside.
"My Chess, are we on a date."
"My Julia, yes we are."
"Awe, the pool." She giggled as she climbed inside, letting the luke warm water wet her shorts as she sat down. He sat in the pool after he lit the fire and they laid in the water. Julia's feet hung over the edge of the pool and his didn't reach much further than hers. They held hands, gazing at the clear sky above them, watching as the stars twinkled and the moon shined bright above them.
"You happy with me, Julia?"
"I am so deliriously, over the moon and back happy with you, Chess."
"A simple yes would have been enough."
Julia rolled onto her side in half a foot of water. "Yes." She answered. "Have you been shopping, Chess? I saw the gift bag."
"Oh, I had something special brought in from Delaware. But I want to give you something else first."
Chess stood up and grabbed her hand, giving her a pull out of the pool. He put a towel over her shoulders and took her next to the fire where their blanket was set out. He left the water out of the pool and sat beside her.
"You know I love you. I have for a long time." He said. He held her hand. "I hate talking about feelings and all, but I need you."
"Awe, Chess, I need you too."
"I want to spend the rest of my life, every single day of it, trying something new with you."
"Chess, I'm gonna cry."
"So, I would like it very, very, very much if you, Julia" He paused, reaching beneath his towel. "If you, Julia Fry, would spend every single day of the rest of your life trying something new with me."
"Ok, now I am officially crying." She said, wiping the tears that leaked from her eyes onto her cheeks. Chess slipped the small ring on her finger and nervously worked up the nerve. "Would you, I mean, will you marry me, Julia?"
Julia stared at the thick, silvery band with the bright blue stone set in it, A filigree design to it, holding the stone up. He held her hand, his hand trembling in hers and she kept staring at the ring. "I would be happy to spend the rest of my life in love with you, Chess." She answered, hopping excited into his lap, hugging him as tight as she could.
"I was scared you'd say no."
"Yes, yes, yes." She cried softly. "This ring is so pretty, thanks, my Chess."
"Well, since you said yes." He said, separating from her. "I had this smuggled in from Delaware courtesy of your brother. It was just because, you know, when he left, but when he came back and he gave it to me. I saved it for this very, very, very special occasion."
"Oh, my God. Please tell me that's what I think it is. Please, Chess."
He handed her the red gift bag. "It's not a lot. I would have wanted more, but it's all he could find."
Julia removed the bottle from the bag, a small but very intact bottle of the liquid of the gods. Vodka. Julia opened the bottle and she sat on his lap, sharing the vodka with her drinking buddy, her best friend and her future husband.
"Chess, who's marrying us?"
"I have no idea." He answered. "The first preacher we find in the zombie apocalypse."
"We'd sooner find more vodka." Julia laughed.
"I have people working on that for me. So, when they find one, then we'll do it."
"People. Who?"
"Our dads."
"You talked to them about this?"
"I did. I had to ask your dad if it was ok didn't I?"
"You went traditional on me, Chess. I like that. I love my ring. I can't stop looking at it." She thought a minute. "Where'd you get it?"
"It's not like I can go to the jeweler. Where you think I got it from?"
"You took it off a dead bitch?"
"I did. Do you know how many dead bitches I had to go through to get that ring?"
"That is so hot, Chess. You're so getting laid tonight."
"That mean you're ready to go in?"
"Yeah, I'm so ready."
"Oh, gimme a sec. Hold on right there."
Chess hurried inside and lit the candles and left the door open to the room so the scent of the potpourri could fill the hall. He quickly returned and brought her inside. She took in the room, the candle light, the flowers, the pink sheets. Her favorite color. The room even smelled good. She pulled the door closed behind her.
"This is way too much, Chess." She said in awe. "I don't deserve all this."
"You deserve so much more than this. But it's all I got."
"Awe, Chess, this is so sweet of you."
Chess kissed her neck, then removed her shirt, kissing downward as he removed her shorts. He spent time between her legs, kissing and licking her. As she tried to touch him, he placed her hands at her side. He memorized every curve of her body, every dip and crevice. He absorbed her smell, breathing her in and when her body trembled as she neared an orgasm, he pulled back, withdrawing from her and laid her on his bed. He lay beside her, tracing her body, her curves, the rise of her chest first with his fingers sending shivers through her, then with his tongue which caused her to tremble beneath him. He returned to the spot between her legs and sucked her, licked her, bit her gently and made her cum. He tasted her, drank of her and listened as she breathed hard. He memorized her sounds, her voice as she called his name, the way the air moved in and out of her lungs as he touched her, pleased her.
"Feel good?"
She hummed a yes as she reached for him, pulling him close to her. He went back to pleasing her with his mouth, starting again at the top of her and working his way down and then back to the top.
"Chess, please."
"You have somewhere to be?" He moved his hand over her chest to her belly to her open legs. His fingers penetrated her, "Right here?" He felt the rise of her waist off the bed, the arch of her back, the fluid as she emptied over his hand. "You want me inside there." He asked, breathing against her throat, his fingers stroking faster and deeper inside her. Chess hovered above her, entering her, half his length for a long while, which she enjoyed. He made her as wet as possible, gave her as much as he could before he went all in. At first slowly, gauging her reaction to his full erection. To his enjoyment she was fine with him fully inside her. Thank God for vodka, he thought, moving faster and harder, watching her the entire time.
"Julia," He groaned. "Julia," She's fine. "Julia." Harder, harder, harder. "Julia, do it, Julia." She moved her legs around his waist and grasped his shoulders, squeezing every little muscle in her. She bit down on his shoulder, leaving out the little squeal he was used to hearing from her as she bit into him. She bit till he emptied inside her.
"Fuck, ouch, fuck, fuck, Julia." He gritted his teeth until she let her teeth off him. "Fuck, Julia, am I bleeding? Damn it that fucking hurts."
"Chess, I'm sorry."
"Holy fucking shit." He complained. "Gotta find you something else to bite on."
"That was amazing though right." She said, breathing heavy.
"Fucking Vampire." He groaned, holding his shoulder.
He took the vodka bottle off the dresser top and handed it to her.
"My vagina doesn't match your dick, Chess. What am I supposed to do?"
"Stretch it?"
"Chess, you like it the way it is, right?"
"The biting though, Julia. You're killing me."
"I love every part of you."
"I love every part of you, Julia. Except them fucking teeth."
"Oh, really." She smiled, dropping onto the floor. She took Chess into her mouth. Her teeth lightly pulling on his flesh. "What were you saying about my teeth?"
"How come you can take that into your throat without gagging, but you scream if it goes all the way in?"
"What do I look like? A fucking doctor?"
A week later Julia and Chess were basking in their honeymoon phase of togetherness. The excitement had died down a little over her ring and their happiness and their news. Over the summer, Julia had gradually handed over more and more of the responsibility in the group to Jayson, pushing him to do more of the decision making and hinting to him that there were things that needed to be done. It took a couple months, but he was getting the hang of doing her job. Really simple actually as she had everything written down. Julia had also been grooming Cass, doling out more responsibility to her, allowing her to take the reins and have more of a say as to what would be on the agenda. By the fall, the change of the seasons, both Jay and Cassidy had been oriented to taking her job. She'd divided it in half, separating tasks that would be best suited for them. As all their meetings took place, Julia spoke less and they spoke more. All Julia did was take notes and keep up the books, documenting their activities of daily life.
As she and Chess made plans for their future, Jay and Cass made plans on a grander scale. Julia was still in it up to her eye balls and knew every single detail. She still spoke up when need be, but she felt the farm was finally stable enough to back off the direction and just live a little. Tom's vision and Julia's field of dreams had been realized.
They still came to her with their issues and she guided Cass and Jay into handling the issues and letting her know what would happen, how to problem solve. Resolving conflict she'd handed over to Jayson as Cass was notorious for her short temper and having a fuse that was always lit.
Cass caught on to Julia's division of work and watched as she spent more and more time with the kids. She had her own little family she was taking care of. Tatia had been demanding more and more time with her and attention from her.
"Julia, I see you making us work while you play babysitter. That's what I see."
"I'm not being lazy, Cass. I swear. I work my butt off in the field. It's where I choose to be."
"You got me and Jay working our asses off."
"I know, Cass. If you two couldn't handle it then I wouldn't have done it. You're doing a great job."
"I'm doing your job." Cass said, hands on her hips, tapping her foot.
"You've always wanted more responsibility, to be a bigger part of this." Julia said. "Unless I was wrong about that."
"I did, but this is your job."
"Half of it." Julia said, acknowledging her hard work.
"This is half?"
"Yes, Cass. It's all half of what I do at the table, for the table, to keep this place running and working."
"This is half?"
"Yes, Cass. Did I stutter?" Julia smirked. "Jay's doing the other half. Half, Cass."
"Well, shit."
"Shit is right." Julia said. "I do the work of three people, Cassidy. Wonder why I was crazy and why I drank and made a fucking drunk ass display of life?"
"I'm sorry, I had no idea."
"If you don't want this anymore, I can make some adjustments. I will completely understand." Julia suggested. "I thought you'd be able to handle this. You're the strongest female we have and I thought that it would be an excellent idea if our girls saw a female take on hard work, work that matters, and do it successfully."
"Julia, what is going on?"
"I've been thinking of taking on less of a role is all."
"Because of you and Chess?"
"Because I am tired, Cass." Julia explained. "Cass, I know we don't talk like girlfriends and we never really had the best friend thing going for us, but I will do my best to open up to you."
"Alright." Cass said, looking at her strangely. "Open up."
"I know how I was."
"We all know how you were."
"And how was that?"
"We all know what you guys used to do. Do I need to say it?"
"I spent my nights drunk and fucking somebody. I did a lot of stuff, but it was fun. I don't regret a minute of it." Julia explained. "But then we bugged out, I was devastated. Then Hayley and Jay dropped the baby bomb on me. So, I spent months figuring things out. I spent months thinking about myself and my life and how I chose to live it. I wanted something more, something different. I wanted to try something new."
"Something new?"
"Respectable. Decent. After the baby was born Jay and I cleared up our past. I figured out a lot in the months I spent with Chess. The months I spent sober and the months I spent sexless. That was the hardest part because there's not much else to do around this place, I mean I pretty much had my pick of whichever one I wanted."
"Or all at the same time..."
"The point, Cass, is that I changed. This is part of the change. I can't do it all on my own and expecting myself to is crazy."
"OK, fine."
"If you want me to make adjustments, if you're overwhelmed."
"I am not overwhelmed." Cass said. "I just wanted an explanation."
"Did you get one?"
"Yes." Cass smirked. "But you know what I think?"
"Please tell me, Cass. I know you're going to."
"I don't think you changed at all. You were always this person, Julia. You just fell in love again. That's all. That simple."
"Could be."
"I wish I still had Ray sometimes. I wonder how different things would have been with him here. But he's not, so..."
"I'm sorry you lost him, Cass."
Chess lay beside her in her bed. His body felt warmer behind her as they made love. When Chess was close, she pulled away and moved her mouth over his erection and finished him with her mouth, letting his warm and foul fluid into her throat. Better than finishing with a hand job or jerking it off on her belly as usual. Her mouth was warm and welcoming and she swallowed without an argument. They had to get creative to finish him off without him inside her. He couldn't believe that he was that big or that uncomfortable. But if she bit him again, he swore he'd bite her back.
"You feel warm, Chess. You feel alright?"
"I think my shoulder is infected." He said, "It hurts moving my arm where you bit me last week."
"Lemme see it." She said, shining a flashlight on his shoulder. It no longer took the appearance of a bite. It was purple and had a hint of a greenish-yellow hue beneath the skin. A raised and red bubble protruded off the meaty part of his shoulder. Not that Chess had a lot of meat anywhere. "We need to deal with this now. I think you need an antibiotic."
"Told you those teeth, Julia."
"I didn't even break the skin."
"You must have, Julia. Damn it hurts worse now than when you bit me."
"I'm going to get Tavin. Come with me."
Julia and Chess went downstairs through the darkness, passing Bob and Luz in the living room talking. Luz was crocheting a blanket of various soft colors. Bob worked his puzzle book, peering over his glasses, chewing on the eraser end of his pencil. Julia peeked around the doorway and saw him stabbing at Kelly's hand above her thumb with a piece of metal, a few ink pens lay on the bed.
"Are you tatting her?" Chess asked.
"Yeah. She wants a K there. Thanks for the idea, Chess. Since you proposed to Julia she's been bugging me about a freaking ring." He said, concentrating on her hand.
"Doesn't that hurt?" Chess asked.
"No more than 48 hours of solid labor, no." She replied sarcastically.
"I bet." Chess nodded.
"I have a medical issue for you. It's kinda cool." Julia said, distracting him from Kelly's hand. Julia looked at the K above Tavin's thumb. He probably put that there himself too.
"What would that be? Doesn't involve a bottle or anything does it?"
"Ha, ha, Tavin. That's very funny." Julia said, rolling her eyes. "Abcess."
"An abcess where?"
"Shoulder. May need antibiotics."
"Kell should be the one doing the tats. With her art skill, man."
"She don't wanna stick herself." He said.
"Are you gonna look at the abcess?" Julia asked.
"Can't you deal with it, Julia? Is it really that bad? Go get him some pills out of the stock."
"He's got a fever, Tavin."
Tavin rose from the spot on the floor, kissed Kelly's forehead and looked at Chess's fleshy shoulder. He sent Julia to the pantry and called out what he needed as Chess sat in the chair at the table. Julia brought the supplies to Tavin and lined things up neatly on the table for him.
"I'll show you how to do this. It's easy." Tavin said, pressing his fingers on Chess's shoulder. "Is this a fucking bite?" He asked, seeing the shoulder up closer.
"Yes."
Tavin backed away from him a couple feet. "What bit you, Chess?" He asked, looking panicky at Julia.
"A redhead with sharp fucking teeth."
"Tavin, if he was infected, I would have put him down."
"Just like that? You'd put him down."
"Yes, that's the rule." Julia said, pushing on the shoulder like Tavin did. "So, what are you doing with him?"
"It's gonna hurt."
"It already hurts." Chess replied.
Tavin pointed at the red, raised bubble. He doused the area with betadine and reached for the blade Julia had brought him. He sliced into the bubble and Chess howled. "Told you it would hurt." Tavin mumbled. He pushed all around the area with gauze, letting the infection ooze out of the shoulder. Chess continued to howl. "Better out than in."
"Tell me about it." Julia sighed, continuing to watch the thick pus as it was pushed out of the wound Tavin had made. As Tavin bandaged his shoulder, Julia wrote in the chart that she'd brought from the pantry. Tavin inspected the rest of his skin. Faded bites in multiple areas on his opposite shoulder and upper arms, around the clavicles on either side of his bare chest.
"Um, Julia. What the hell are you biting him for exactly?" Tavin stared at her. "Julia, is this another sex problem?"
"Another?" Chess asked, confused.
"It's not a problem."
"It is if you're leaving him all scarred up like this. What the fuck are you doing to the kid?" Tavin looked to Chess. "Is she abusing you or something? I know she can get very strange with her-um-ideas."
"Julia, what other sex problem did you tell him about?"
"It was a while ago. Not our problem, Chess." She looked at him. "I'll tell you later."
"Julia, answer me." Tavin demanded.
"It's private."
"This isn't private, it's sick."
"No, it's not. Don't-"
"Chess, have you seen this? I know you don't look in a mirror, but-"
"Should we tell him or-no, I promise it'll never happen again."
"It does hurt, Julia."
"The biting was your idea." She reminded him. "We've been working on alternatives." She told Tavin in a whisper.
"Alternatives to what?" He whispered back.
"What are you guys doing in here?" Jay asked. "What's all the screaming?"
"Chess, has an infection is all." Julia answered. "What kind of antibiotic, Tavin?"
"Keflex." He answered. "Three times a day for 5 days."
Julia jotted that in Chess's chart and head to the pantry while Tavin showed Jay the bite. She scanned the shelf and found the Keflex, removing the first dose for Chess as well as a dose of Tylenol.
"She bit him." Julia heard Tavin say to Jay, shocked that she'd given him the very thing they tried to avoid in the world. Julia hid in the pantry a minute, listening while thinking she needed to re-inventory and reorganize their medical supplies. It seemed like a few things were missing. Did they need to lock up the pantry?
"Yeah, she's always done that. This is extreme even for her." Jay said as Tavin reapplied the bandage over Chess's shoulder. "You know about this?" Tavin asked, pointing at Chess.
"You don't?" Jay asked back. Jay gave Tavin the explanation and origin of the bite marks. "Used to bite her lip or something, but we'd just switch off when it was too much."
She made a mental note to kill Jay as she emerged from the pantry. She stayed quiet, fetching Chess some water for his pills and delivered them to him at the table.
"I don't know what to tell you. I can't fix this."
"I didn't ask you to fix anything other than his shoulder."
"Stop fucking biting him."
"That's between him and her, Tavin." Jay said.
"Not when it comes to this. Deal with it, Julia."
Julia took Chess to his room. Laid him in his bed. She touched his chest, tracing the teeth marks. "I did this to you." Chess took her hand, pulling her into bed with him.
"We'll think of something." He said.
"No, we don't have to. I shouldn't be doing that to you. He's right. I don't need to do it."
"I'll take my time, then. We'll pull out and we'll-"
"No. No more. You do your thing and I'll take it. All of it." Julia said, shaking her head. She hoped she sounded more sure of herself than she was acting. "We'll see how that works."
"I will do whatever you need me to do. If that means halving it, then I'll go in half. We will figure this out. It's been easier with half, right."
"On me, what about you? It's not all about me, Chess. I take pleasure from you and you from me. Chess, I can do this for you. With you."
"What if I hurt you? I mean really hurt you. Like something inside of you."
"Let's find out."
"No, just suck it like you did tonight."
"That's a lot of sucking." She complained. "No. The regular way. I got this. No problem." She said with confidence.
"I hate this time of year." Julia said sadly, looking over her empty field. Her worn hoodie, patched by Luz, kept her just warm enough in the fall chill. She stuffed her hands in her pockets. The kids played in the yard. The guys chopped firewood in the clearing. Julia looked at the bare willow, beneath it the white wooden crosses that the kids had made for Hayley and Kevin's graves. Later, when Hannah woke from her nap, Julia bundled the four month old and walked through the field to the graves. She stood with Hannah a long time, listening to the chop of the axes behind her. Whack-whack-whack. The constant chopping. Last year this time she had to tell them to chop the wood, this year it went unsaid. They just did it. She had an unspoken conversation with Hayley, assuring her she was doing the best she could by Hannah. She hadn't paid any mind to the fact the chopping had ceased. She felt a hand on her shoulder. "When's the last time you were out here?"
"When we buried her." Jay answered.
"What's the point of a grave if no one visits?" Julia asked.
"Your dad's here with Uncle John."
"Alright." She said. "Thanks, Jay."
"I can take her."
"And do what with her? Put her in your pocket while you work?"
"I meant-"
"I know what you meant, Jayson." She replied.
"You're in a mood, mommy." He grumbled, squeezing her shoulder.
"She's teething, Jayson. Had me up half the night. Sorry I snapped at you."
"Julia, you coulda woke me."
"You have important work to do. I can nap when she goes down today."
"How are you two doing?" He asked, moving his hand to hers, moving her ring back and forth on her finger.
"We're fine. He's good to me, Jay."
"You're good for him. You two work together, like fit together."
"Figuratively if not literally."
"That's not what I meant."
"It's what I meant, Jayson." She shrugged.
"You never could handle that. You knew what you were getting into." He told her. "There's more to love than sex, I think."
"There is, Jay. But the sex is good too. We worked it out."
"I don't want to know."
"I'm not telling anyway."
"You and your privacy, mommy. It's funny that you're like this now. It's not like we all don't know you."
"Some things are between two people. Sex should stay between two people, Jayson."
"I agree." He said. "After all the sex with multiple people, I think I agree with you."
"I don't regret any of it."
"Me either."
"So Cal and John are here."
"They brought something for you and Chess." Jay answered. "So like I said, gimme Hannah."
"I hope it's vodka."
"Haven't seen you in weeks. I thought you left without saying goodbye." Julia said, rounding the corner of the farmhouse.
Cal and John stood by their truck with a clean cut looking man. Julia thought about going for her gun, but refrained. If he had not been standing with the men, she would have.
"We went on an errand, but we're back with what you wanted."
"Who's this?" Julia asked, eyeing this strange older white man in khaki's and a white polo. He was balding, had a pleasant smile, a very gentle way about him.
"I am Pastor White. Julia Fry, I presume." He smiled the calmest smile she had seen this side of the apocalypse. He extended his hand to her. Julia shook it. She felt his soft skin, admired his manicured nails. No callouses on his palm.
"Where did you find him? How do we know he's really a Pastor?"
"Because he says he is."
Julia welcomed them into their farmhouse. The pastor sat at the table and asked for the couples to join him. When Julia brought Chess to the table, the Pastor requested the other couple as well.
"Tavin and Kelly." Chess said, rising from his seat.
Julia waited for the three of them to return to the table and chatted with the Pastor who hailed from just over the Maryland line in Frederick. He had a small congregation and they all were safe within a gated community. They made a rough go of it at first, then came together as a congregation with deep faith to form the New World Covenant. The New World congregation had needs, which Cal and John and a small group of armed men took care of for them.
"I see. In return for this completed task you agreed to come here to perform a task for us."
"Yes." He smiled. His voice was comforting, hypnotic.
"Does your congregation take new members?"
"As I said, we are small."
"Do you accept new members? Do you assist, as a man directed by God, those in need?"
"We accept what is given." He answered.
Thankfully Chess returned with Tavin and Kelly who also joined the table. Their dads excused themselves and they 4 kids sat and received a lecture on the special bond between man and woman, the requirements of a lasting marriage. He spoke of a woman's place in the world they faced, a woman was to be a servant of man. Chess squeezed her hand as the Pastor spoke, a silent reminder to shut up and leave him speak. Tavin sensed Julia's unease as well and he prayed for the first time in a long time that she'd take one for the team.
"I think, Pastor White, that it was very kind of you to come all this way to counsel us. Thank you."
In the evening sunset, Tavin and Kelly and Julia and Chess stood on their front porch with their family and the Strands surrounding them and entered into marriage. Tavin and Kelly were married first, then Chess and Julia. Cal gave Julia to Chess and John stood for Kelly and gave her away. No one had any objections. Their wedding took all of 15 minutes for both couples. Another 15 minutes of chit chat, congratulations and thank you's later, the Strands left with their girls and Cal and John said their good byes. They had to return the Pastor over the Maryland line and plant him behind his gates safe and secure for the night. Cal and John would also be rolling out in the morning.
"I love you, thanks, daddy." Julia told him, hugging him goodbye.
"Take care of her," Cal said, shaking Chess's hand.
"I will."
