Page 54 of Half Blind

A house full of women and he was to establish his work pod in the back of the barn, out of the way. Suddenly, his chest felt tight. His breathing became labored as he stared into the wood line of the trees. The shadow of Helen in the greenhouse appeared out of place as his vision blurred. The weight of his body rested on the handle of the EM locator as he tried to slow his breathing.

The phone in his back pocket rang. Jared took a moment to mentally connect with the ringing device that physically required a response. It took a bit of effort, and he unseated the phone from his back pocket, into his hand, then sliding his finger across the screen. Technically, he wasn't on duty until Monday. Officially, he wasn't a Technician, but a Seraphim, a watcher, and answering the phone wasn't in the manual. He didn't take calls but made them.

“Hello,” he said, trying to steady his breathing.

“Your transponder is registering an erratic heart rate. Has your wife poisoned you already?” The Archangel asked.

“No,” Jared said. “Panic attack. I'm standing in the backyard, behind the barn, feeling like a dip shit for agreeing to any of this. I am in panic mode.”

“Take a moment, slow your breathing, and let's talk it out,” The Archangel said.

“I don't want to talk it out! I think I want out,” Jared snapped. “It's not going to work. She doesn't want me here. Oh, she wants me in her bed, but she doesn't want me here.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Three days!” he yelled into the phone. “She had three days to prepare for me to be in her life as her husband, and as her man, do you know what I got? A drawer! A drawer in the master bedroom as if I'm some fuck boy that comes through on the 3rd, 10th and 22nd of the month. I don't even have a place in the bathroom for my shaver. And did she make room in the closet for my clothes? Hell no. I am living out of my duffel bag. I've been here since Friday, today is Tuesday, and I'm living out of my duffel bag. I can't breathe.”

“Jared, have you spoken to her about any of this?”

“And say what? Please make room in your fucking life for me so I can feel like I live here too?”

“Language,” The Archangel said.

“Kiss my nut bag, Gabriel! I am in a house full of women, and I have no place to decompress or to recharge,” he said. “The bedroom smells like a lemon threw up in there and left shavings of the dead skin off its lemon feet, and the girl, Collette, she avoids me like I'm going to harm her or something. And the other two; if Jesus was driving, he’d let go of the wheel, take off his sandal and climb over into the backseat to beat some asses. It feels strange. I feel strange. I can't breathe.”

“Slow your breathing. Inhale, exhale, slowly. In through your nose, out through your mouth,” The Archangel said.

“And you can inhale these...Jesus,” Jared said, dropping to one knee. “Any day now, those women are coming back to this farm looking for me. All I have are the two 9mms in the cache of my truck. My other stuff arrives next week, and I have nowhere to put any of it. I'm not prepared to even defend us if we come under attack. I’m half blind in one eye and partially deaf in the right ear. We did this all wrong. This is all wrong. Plus, that fucking Sheriff is still snooping.”

The Archangel understood what the man was feeling. However, the man who'd been his friend for many years understood there were actions in place to ensure he would have a pleasant life going forward. Growing pangs were always tough as was this moment for Jared, but faith was stronger than any force. He needed Jared to have more.

“Jared, you're at the home of the chemical assassin for the Forbidden Fruits of the Great Lakes,” The Archangel said. “That woman is prepared for the Apocalypse and the arrival of a horde of zombies. Also, The Cranberry can help set up any home defense systems required. Besides, assistance has entered U.S. airspace.”

“What?”

“Your new best friend entered U.S. Airspace with a flight plan to Texas,” he said. “The next stop on his agenda is Pennsylvania, then on to Ohio. Plus, all you need to do is sit down with the girl and talk.”

“I don't even know what that means,” Jared said, suddenly not being so worried about his own feelings.

“The women will arrive at the farm on Friday,” The Archangel said. “So will your new best friend. You don't need to do anything at all, Jared. Everything will be as it should be.”

“I... I'm hurt she hasn't made more of an effort to include me in this life we are supposed to share,” he confessed.

“Lemon is a thinker. She is a methodical planner. If she said yes, she has a plan. Give her a moment, and hold fast,” The Archangel said, then ended the call.

“Why is he always hanging up on me? I don't think I like him,” Jared said, sitting on the barely there, dry grass behind the barn.

His leg still throbbed especially on wintry days like today. His back hurt because her bed was too soft and he'd slept on the couch simply to have a better night's sleep. All of it was making him want to pack up, buy a cabin in the mountains, and hunt and fish for his own meals. Instead of wallowing in his own pity pool, he got to his feet and continued to work. The work pod required separate systems from the home. A silent generator, its own septic system, a water source, and solar power were required in case of power outages or an attack.

“I'm going to live in my work pod. She can't come in, and I won't extend her an invitation. If she wants her husband, I will meet her in the barn and do the nasty there, then come back to my dude shed and let her fester,” he said, nodding his head like he'd spoken an edict of truth.

****

IN THE KITCHEN, HELENpulled baked chicken from the oven. She recounted the space in the home she and Mustang would share, thinking of his thoughtfulness in giving her the closet in the second bedroom if she required more space. The master bathroom had shelf space for the products he assumed she'd have for her hair and girlie needs. A smile covered the corner of her lips when she looked at Lemon.

“I bet he has taken over your bathroom with shaving stuff, his man soap, and aftershaves,” she said to Lemon. “Funny thing is, the smell of one shirt in your closet can give the entire rack of clothing an unfamiliar scent.”

The look on Lemon's face made Helen's mouth drop. She was shaking her head at the chemist. Her eyes closed as she fixed her mouth like her mother would do when as a child, she'd done a thing to displease her Mama.

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