“Yes indeed,” Roscoe said. “While you were gone, I sent them off with a tanker filled with diesel and parked it on South Dupont Boulevard. There’s a sign on it telling anybody who comes along where we’re located. We’ll put a few more out when the weather permits.”
“That’s great,” Johnny G said.
Roscoe set his glass down and leaned back in his chair. “Let me ask you something. What if we asked them to build this trading post closer to home?”
Johnny G thought about it. The smart thing to do would be to let the Fitzgeralds move out of Marcus Hook. Far, far away from Marcus Hook, but dang it all, he didn’t want Riley to leave. Sometimes he thought he was a big fool and chuckled to himself.
“I think it’d be an excellent idea. We’ll need a good location. Somewhere close, accessible,” he said.
Roscoe grinned. “I already have a good spot picked out. How about I show it this evening after dinner?”
“Alright, I’m good with it,” Johnny G said. “I’ll find Riley and get it arranged.”
The men talked about a couple of other issues before Johnny G left and went to find Riley. He found her in the cafeteria talking with a couple of men. She looked up when he approached and grinned.
“They’re telling me I need to come work with them in the refinery. What do you think?” she asked with a mischievous grin.
“Yeah, that’s a possibility,” Johnny G said with his own smile. “If you two don’t mind, I need to speak with Riley a minute. Come with me,” he said and led her out into the hallway. She listened as he explained. When he finished, she bit her lower lip in thought a moment.
“Is this your idea or Roscoe’s?” she asked.
“It is originally Roscoe’s, but the more I think about it, the more I like it.”
“Why?”
“Because this way we won’t be apart,” he said.
When he said it, her face lit up. “Really?”
“Yep.”
“Okay, I’ll tell dad,” she said. “But I don’t think he’ll go for it. The whole reason for setting up the trading post away from Marcus Hook is so that we won’t be controlled by anyone. He called it automation or something.”
“Autonomy,” he corrected with a patient smile. “I understand his feelings on it, but I think we’ll have a proposal he’ll be agreeable to. Besides, if you move, who is going to take care of your sexual appetite?”
Riley’s grin turned into a mock frown. “Damn, I don’t know.” She then laughed. “Okay, I’ll let him know.”
The meeting took place two hours after dinner. Roscoe and Johnny G were sitting in their car on Flower Street at the base of the bridge crossing the Delaware River.
“You told them to keep this get together to themselves, right?” Roscoe asked.
Johnny G nodded in the darkness. “I told them,” he said.
“Good. I love everyone here, but there’s a couple of our residents who’d try to assert themselves as having the right to first dibs because they’ve lived here longer.”
Johnny G didn’t respond. They’d already discussed all this, but Roscoe had a way of repeating things when he was nervous. It didn’t bother Johnny though, he liked listening to his friend talk things out. Headlights appeared and soon they could see the Fitzgeralds’ SUV.
“That’s them,” Johnny G said.
He heard Roscoe mutter something and glanced over.
“They’ve brought company,” he said.
Johnny G focused back on the car. The driver parked the SUV and five people got out. In addition to the Fitzgeralds, there was also Irena Fleming and her daughter, Hermione. Except for the age difference, the mother and daughter looked a lot alike. Both had average features with plain brown hair and oversized breasts.
“Is that the Fleming gals?” Roscoe whispered. “What the hell are they doing here?”
“I don’t know if you’ve been keeping up with the local gossip, but Trader Joe has hooked up with Irena and his son is shagging the daughter,” Johnny G said.
Roscoe grunted. “Well, I guess it’s just as well. If this thing works out, they will need workers. I guess it’s better to utilize those two rather than take away any of our skilled laborers. Let’s get this started.”
Johnny G zipped his jacket up. He left the car running and the two men got out. The others approached the headlights and Johnny G found himself staring at Irena. She was wearing a heavy jacket, but he knew there were a big set of D’s, maybe double D’s hiding in there. She was in her late thirties, and if Johnny G was not aware of her true nature, he would’ve considered her a fairly attractive woman.
When her husband, Clay, had been found guilty of murder and banished to the middle of nowhere, she turned her back on him. She did not even go visit him at Mount Weather to tell him goodbye. Johnny G was a man who had always had a proclivity for a healthy set of breasts, but the fact that she did that to her husband did not sit well with him, so he kept his distance.
“Hello, everyone,” Roscoe greeted. “I’m glad you guys came.”
“It’s cold out here,” Hermione complained.
“Yes, it is,” Roscoe replied with a grin. “So, let’s get to it, shall we?” He raised his arm and made a broad waving motion to his right. “What do you think?”
All of them turned and stared at what Roscoe was gesturing at.
“Isn’t that a soccer stadium?” Little Joe asked.
“Indeed, it is,” Roscoe said. “Unused since the ungodly plague manifested itself. A couple of years ago a few of us explored the place. There were a few zeds, not many. The place is mostly intact except for the plumbing. The years of harsh winters
