Tweet
Part 34
"Boy, things have sure changed around here!" Mr. Gibson said as Jim and him shook hands. He stared at the burnt out van still sitting about 20 yards from the gate.
"We were attacked and decided not to take any chances after that. That's when we strung the razor wire, put out a regular guard and did a few other things. Can you blame us?" Jim replied.
"Oh no. A strong man armed keepeth his house." Mr. Gibson said.
"Amen. Jesus was no pacifist hippie like people like to believe He was." Jim replied.
"Yes that's true." Mr. Gibson said.
"Let's go inside and we'll see if Kathy can find some tea or something for us." Jim said.
The inside of the house had been quickly "sterilized" to the extent it could be with a few minutes notice.
Gibson brought news of most of the other families living within a couple miles of the retreat.
"Don Harris and his wife and doing o.k. You know he beat cancer about 10 years ago." Gibson said.
"Yes I remember something about that." Jim replied.
"Well he's pretty sure it's back. It's hitting him hard now, knowing that a cancer treatment center isn't an option right now. Jenny his wife will be all alone when he goes and he's worried about that." Gibson said.
"We will definitely be praying for them. Let us know if their is anything we can do." Kathy said.
"They barely made it through the winter. Evidently they put up a little food last fall but someone snuck in and stole most of it from them." Gibson said.
Kathy got up and went to a cupboard in the kitchen and started removing some jars of home canned fruits and veggies. She purposely left the now bare cupboard open for Gibson to see as she gathered up the jars.
"Please bring these to Jenny and Don, I only wish we had more to spare." Kathy said letting it hang.
"Wow Kathy, thank you. I'm sure they will appreciate it. I wish others were as giving." Gibson responded.
"The Johnson's are worse off. They actually abandoned their house and started walking up to his parents place south of Macon. I told them they are crazy to do that, just up and leaving like that. Especially to go closer to a big town. That's fool hardy to me." Gibson said.
"Heck, we are full up of friends and family that LEFT the cities to be safe! And he's heading towards the city?" Jim responded shaking his head.
"He told me he wants to "find work." He thinks that money is going to buy his way out of these problems." Gibson said.
"Unfortunately that's the American and materialistic mindset- money will fix all the problems. I think money problems got us into this mess in the first place!" Jim replied.
Gibson was clearly waiting to drop the other shoe in the conversation. Both Jim and Kathy felt it.
"Word going around is that a group of people around here went and torched a Mexican gang that had killed Mr. Hansen." Gibson said, pausing to take a sip of tea he looked Jim in the eyes.
"Huh, no kidding?" Jim said.
Gibson smiled and then said. "Yep, a lot of folks are saying it was you and your friends here."
"Well you know how rumors go, their isn't usually a whole lot of truth in them." Jim said.
"People appreciate it, from whoever did it." Gibson said.
"They do right now. Time will change that." Jim replied.
"What does that mean?" Gibson asked.
"People are fickle, that's all. I'm probably just being cynical." Jim replied, changing the subject.
"Speaking of Hansen. Did he have any kin around here?" Jim asked.
"Think he had some grand kids, but I heard they came to live with him, so they might be dead also. No other kin that I know of around here." Gibson said.
"We hadn't heard about that Mexican gang, that's good news." Jim said. It was a little too late to sound convincing.
"Yes it is good news." Gibson said smiling.
"So what are you going to do with all his cattle?" Gibson said.
"Who's cattle?" Jim replied.
"The cattle that was Hansen's that you and your friends are guarding." Gibson said with a smile.
"We made an agreement with Hansen to help him watch his cattle after he lost a few. We had a couple of people witness the agreement and we got it in writing. We did our part of the bargain and lost several good men in the process" Jim said raising his tone and emotions.
"Those men were worth a helluva lot more than the cattle. We've taken in a lot of friends and we were short on food. Hansen had a problem with guarding his cattle and we helped him out. In hindsight I should NOT have agreed to help him. None of those damn cows are worth a man's life!" Jim said intending to sound a little irritated.
"I agree Jim, relax." Mr. Gibson said.
"I am relaxed. I just regret making the decision to do that, it got men killed." Jim said.
"I doubt you killed those men Jim." Gibson replied.
Jim purposely sat there for a minute in silence. Kathy rubbed his back a little bit.
One of the little girls, Amy, that they found out by the state road months ago wandered into the room. She looked at Mr. Gibson with big eyes.
"And who is this here?" Mr. Gibson asked.
Amy stood there silently with her eyes wide.
Kathy went and picked her up and held her. "This is Amy, she's a little shy" Kathy said winking at Mr. Gibson. Kathy took Amy into one of the rooms and started playing with her and her sister.
Gibson looked confused. "One of your friend's kids?"
"No. A few months back a couple of went out by Hwy 441 to try to get some damn news about what's going on and to search for food." Jim paused while he glanced towards the room Kathy and the girls were in. He lowered his voice "their crackwhore Mother was pimping them out to men on the road."
Gibson looked as if he would cry. "What happened to the mother?"
Jim just looked Gibson in the eyes and the man nodded his head.
"They are just starting to talk again, Kat's been working with them a lot. I think they will always be apprehensive around men they don't know." Jim said.
"What in the hell is wrong with people?" Gibson said as a statement. Jim couldn't remember ever hearing him cuss before.
"Boy, things have sure changed around here!" Mr. Gibson said as Jim and him shook hands. He stared at the burnt out van still sitting about 20 yards from the gate.
"We were attacked and decided not to take any chances after that. That's when we strung the razor wire, put out a regular guard and did a few other things. Can you blame us?" Jim replied.
"Oh no. A strong man armed keepeth his house." Mr. Gibson said.
"Amen. Jesus was no pacifist hippie like people like to believe He was." Jim replied.
"Yes that's true." Mr. Gibson said.
"Let's go inside and we'll see if Kathy can find some tea or something for us." Jim said.
The inside of the house had been quickly "sterilized" to the extent it could be with a few minutes notice.
Gibson brought news of most of the other families living within a couple miles of the retreat.
"Don Harris and his wife and doing o.k. You know he beat cancer about 10 years ago." Gibson said.
"Yes I remember something about that." Jim replied.
"Well he's pretty sure it's back. It's hitting him hard now, knowing that a cancer treatment center isn't an option right now. Jenny his wife will be all alone when he goes and he's worried about that." Gibson said.
"We will definitely be praying for them. Let us know if their is anything we can do." Kathy said.
"They barely made it through the winter. Evidently they put up a little food last fall but someone snuck in and stole most of it from them." Gibson said.
Kathy got up and went to a cupboard in the kitchen and started removing some jars of home canned fruits and veggies. She purposely left the now bare cupboard open for Gibson to see as she gathered up the jars.
"Please bring these to Jenny and Don, I only wish we had more to spare." Kathy said letting it hang.
"Wow Kathy, thank you. I'm sure they will appreciate it. I wish others were as giving." Gibson responded.
"The Johnson's are worse off. They actually abandoned their house and started walking up to his parents place south of Macon. I told them they are crazy to do that, just up and leaving like that. Especially to go closer to a big town. That's fool hardy to me." Gibson said.
"Heck, we are full up of friends and family that LEFT the cities to be safe! And he's heading towards the city?" Jim responded shaking his head.
"He told me he wants to "find work." He thinks that money is going to buy his way out of these problems." Gibson said.
"Unfortunately that's the American and materialistic mindset- money will fix all the problems. I think money problems got us into this mess in the first place!" Jim replied.
Gibson was clearly waiting to drop the other shoe in the conversation. Both Jim and Kathy felt it.
"Word going around is that a group of people around here went and torched a Mexican gang that had killed Mr. Hansen." Gibson said, pausing to take a sip of tea he looked Jim in the eyes.
"Huh, no kidding?" Jim said.
Gibson smiled and then said. "Yep, a lot of folks are saying it was you and your friends here."
"Well you know how rumors go, their isn't usually a whole lot of truth in them." Jim said.
"People appreciate it, from whoever did it." Gibson said.
"They do right now. Time will change that." Jim replied.
"What does that mean?" Gibson asked.
"People are fickle, that's all. I'm probably just being cynical." Jim replied, changing the subject.
"Speaking of Hansen. Did he have any kin around here?" Jim asked.
"Think he had some grand kids, but I heard they came to live with him, so they might be dead also. No other kin that I know of around here." Gibson said.
"We hadn't heard about that Mexican gang, that's good news." Jim said. It was a little too late to sound convincing.
"Yes it is good news." Gibson said smiling.
"So what are you going to do with all his cattle?" Gibson said.
"Who's cattle?" Jim replied.
"The cattle that was Hansen's that you and your friends are guarding." Gibson said with a smile.
"We made an agreement with Hansen to help him watch his cattle after he lost a few. We had a couple of people witness the agreement and we got it in writing. We did our part of the bargain and lost several good men in the process" Jim said raising his tone and emotions.
"Those men were worth a helluva lot more than the cattle. We've taken in a lot of friends and we were short on food. Hansen had a problem with guarding his cattle and we helped him out. In hindsight I should NOT have agreed to help him. None of those damn cows are worth a man's life!" Jim said intending to sound a little irritated.
"I agree Jim, relax." Mr. Gibson said.
"I am relaxed. I just regret making the decision to do that, it got men killed." Jim said.
"I doubt you killed those men Jim." Gibson replied.
Jim purposely sat there for a minute in silence. Kathy rubbed his back a little bit.
One of the little girls, Amy, that they found out by the state road months ago wandered into the room. She looked at Mr. Gibson with big eyes.
"And who is this here?" Mr. Gibson asked.
Amy stood there silently with her eyes wide.
Kathy went and picked her up and held her. "This is Amy, she's a little shy" Kathy said winking at Mr. Gibson. Kathy took Amy into one of the rooms and started playing with her and her sister.
Gibson looked confused. "One of your friend's kids?"
"No. A few months back a couple of went out by Hwy 441 to try to get some damn news about what's going on and to search for food." Jim paused while he glanced towards the room Kathy and the girls were in. He lowered his voice "their crackwhore Mother was pimping them out to men on the road."
Gibson looked as if he would cry. "What happened to the mother?"
Jim just looked Gibson in the eyes and the man nodded his head.
"They are just starting to talk again, Kat's been working with them a lot. I think they will always be apprehensive around men they don't know." Jim said.
"What in the hell is wrong with people?" Gibson said as a statement. Jim couldn't remember ever hearing him cuss before.
Comment