Matter

CHAPTER 5

When I wake up the next morning, Dylan is gone and Nick is still in bed. I shake my head in disgust and raw pain. My wounds are deep. He has kept his promise to Karla. At least he has learned to do that for one of us.

I go to the kitchen to start the coffee and pull out the pancake mix from the pantry. As I'm mixing the batter, the radio sparks to life and the announcer starts a new update, "The soldiers are moving away from the coastal lines and are beginning to move inland. They have met resistance in the mountains and not knowing the terrain, they have been slowed to find a more passable route. To those of you that maintained that land, we thank you and owe you a great deal of gratitude. If you are still in large cities, I urge you to leave. They are targeting larger cities and towns, imprisoning large masses of people. If you have the capabilities, go to more rural settings. The rural towns are giving them the most trouble and they are attempting to avoid them. They are taking the paths of least resistance, though I would not suspect that it will stay that way. Stay tuned in and stay safe my friends."

I feel a bit of relief. We are surrounded by small towns and we have the mountains just to our west. If we have enough food and water, we could maybe stay safe here at least for a few weeks. Then if they start going into the smaller towns, we can leave for the mountains until they pass through and then come back. It could work. I will tell Dylan to stay with Karla, I can take care of Nick on my own. I have a plan. I smile as I pour the batter into the frying pan and my sleepy boy comes into the kitchen.

Nick walks in seeing my jubilation and giggles, "Why are you so happy, Momma?" He hasn't seen me smile very much.

"Because I know that you and me, we are going to be okay." I pick him up and give him a big hug. He smiles and gives me a huge hug.

"And Daddy, too, right?" And just like that, my son unknowingly rips through my utopian thoughts, reminding me that he wants his dad with us.

"Yeah, and Daddy too." I lose the smile quickly. "Do you want some pancakes?"

"Yes!" He claps his hands and furiously licks his lips, "Yum, yum, yum!" he repeats when I set him on the floor. He immediately runs into the pantry and brings out the syrup doing a crazy dance on the kitchen floor, kicking his legs and shaking his arms and head. I can't help but laugh at his little dance and join in with him.

Dylan breaks into my precious moment and begins dancing with us, "Looks like I walked in just in time for the party." I instantly feel anger rising again. I stop dancing and continue to make the pancakes. He reacts apologetically, "Aw, don't stop on account of me."

"No that's ok, I need to cook this so Nick and I can go to the store." I flip the pancake and Nick sits at the table quietly, sensing the tension.

Dylan leans on the counter beside me, "Lena, on the way back here, I saw how packed the stores are. You don't need to take Nick in one of them, he could get trampled or lost. How about we call Patricia and see if she can handle him for just a bit, while we go to the store?"

He's trying to take control, and I'm getting more aggravated at his interception of my plans, as if he has the right to do so. He gave that up when he chose her over me.

I retort irritably, "Why are you back, anyway? You and Karla back at it again?" I pour more batter into the pan and it sizzles as if it's an extension of my anger.

He replies cautiously, "No, she's going to her parents' house and we will meet back up in two weeks when, hopefully, all of this calms down. Lena, I.."