The Dining Room Table

“You think I WANTED to come here? I had nowhere else to go, Kenny. Trust me, I’m here for our children, not for you.”

“You could hide out anywhere in the world and you pick MY cabin. Bullshit, Ashley. I’m sure you’re banging some new guy by now that could take you in.”

“No one has a space like you have and you know that. Most people don’t do the whole Grizzly Adams survivalist thing on the rez like you. In fact, I think it was your total need for solitude that contributed to our divorce. Oh wait, you weren’t in solitude, you had…someone else.”

“I’m right here, Ashley, don’t pretend like I don’t have a name. Ken and I aren’t trying to be petty, we’re trying to figure out what to do next; for all the kids, for all of us. This isn’t ideal for me either, but you got here last, you’re the ones we’re trying to fit into the puzzle.”

“His children and their mother are not just pieces of a puzzle, we’re the whole picture, girly.”

“I’m his fiancee, not girly, thanks. And I actually love his Grizzly Adams vibe and I helped him build this place up to even be able to support ANY of us now that the world has gone to shit. My kids consider him their dad, we’re a team, and you’ve been the enemy since we got together. But we’re willing to bring you in if you can at least TRY to be fucking nice and maybe a tiny bit grateful.”

“Enemy is a funny way to say wife, but whatever, fine. Kenny, what do you have in mind to fit us all in this little puzzle of yours?”

“We can stay at the cabin for now. I’ve got four bunks to fit all four of the older boys tonight. Ashley, you can stay in our room with Little Man, and Kallie and I will sleep on the couches for now. I made a stockpile run to Walmart the day before it got raided, so we have enough food, but I need to set traps and start hunting this week, too. In the meantime, you girls need to establish housing. There are a few customer cabins around the lake I don’t think the owners will come back to. I’ll let you pick where you want to ride this shit out and we’ll strip the rest for supplies.”

“You want us to leave too, Ken? Why can’t we just stay here? At your place?”

“I just think it would be better to have a neutral home base where I can work and prep. I need to get all my guns out and ready, I need space to ration, vacuum seal, and can the food. You can both keep the kids safe somewhere else.”

“Yeah, but what if it reaches us up here? What if it’s not even the actual shit, but the burglars and rapists and looters that get to us first? I came here because you said you’d protect us, not kick us across the lake to fend for ourselves”

“I realize that Dear, but the situation has changed. I can’t protect all of you here alone. Give me some space to figure this out, but I promise I’m still protecting you.”

“OK, so who are you protecting first, Kenny? Your flesh and blood children or this homewrecking whore and the kids that just call you dad?”

“I’ve already asked you to be kind, can you not accelerate to name-calling me and trying to act like the lives of your children are so much more valuable than mine? Honestly, you’re lucky we didn’t just take the boys in and leave you at the goddamn gate, so AGAIN, a tiny bit of gratitude would be cool.”

“Oops, sorry.Thank you SO much for screwing my husband for the last six months of our marriage. Thanks for putting our kids in a custody battle that dragged out for ANOTHER six months just so you could have him all to yourself. Thanks for ruining what we had for twenty years because you couldn’t find a single guy in all of Minnesota who would date you.”

“Ashley, you know that what we had went bad a long time ago. Kallie wasn’t a homewrecker, our home was wrecked halfway into that twenty. Let’s not dig back to the past, I’m sorry, but it’s been three years since the divorce. We’ve got other shit to focus on now.”

“Whatever you say, Kenny…And for my contribution, I think we should go to Steve’s cabin. Or is it still Steve’s? I haven’t been here in a few years, I suppose. That four-bed at the end of the lake?”

“Yeah, Steve still owns it, and I don’t think he’ll come back for it, he’s out in Cali, he won’t mind. We’re gonna raid that one, not stay in it. We gotta pick places people aren’t gonna go. That cabin is too accessible from all sides, too many people know it, that’s not the kind of place I want to put you all up in. We need to think of secluded, remote, or hard to get to. We might have to split up. Kallie, I’m thinking of putting you and your two boys over on the island.”

“The island? When I wanted to AirBNB there last summer, you said it was a pain in the ass to get to.”

“Yeah, it’s a pain to go back and forth, but that means it’s hard for anyone else to get to. If I load you all up with what you need from week to week, then ‘pain in the ass to get to’ is exactly where I want you to be. And your boys can help with the heavy lifting and rowing to get there and back. I think you can handle it better.”

“The hell is that supposed to mean, Kenny? You think some city chick can handle up north better than ME? Remember, I spent weekends up here for a decade with you. I grew up in farm country. I can handle anything as good as, or better than, she can.”

“I’m not worried about YOU, I’m worried about Little Man. He’s only eight, and still a liability, someone who needs more protecting than they can help protect. All our older boys can be put to work. Which, speaking of work, BOTH of you gotta back me up when I make 'em work, none of that soft mommy shit you two do.”

“It’s not being a soft mommy, Kenny, it’s called loving your kids. Maybe try it sometime.”

“What do you think I’m doing here, Ashley? This - THIS - is how I love. I protect. I defend. I teach. I feed. I provide. I ain’t doin' all this just for me, we should ALL be doing everything we can for the boys. For all of them equally. So if you think you can handle it, if you can act like we’re all on the same team, then we can all go to the island for now. Together.” 

“OK, Honey, I’m on your team. What do you need from us?”

“We’re going to get ready for the morning. I need you to leave the oldest boys here. They know how to drive the trucks, and they can help collect gas and ammo and raid the cabins I tell them to. Take the younger three with you to load up the cars and get a first run of stuff down to the lake. The ice is still thick enough to drive on, but not for much longer. I got an extra set of house keys from when I did the tree work there last summer, but then I gotta come back here and keep prepping the food and guns to figure out what’s gonna go there and what’s gonna stay for reserves. I want to get as much done as I can before more people head north and think of doing what we’re doing.”

“So you’re expecting me to live in some messed up Brady Bunch on Gilligan’s Island while you keep playing Davy Crockett back here? That’s not what I asked for when I came up, Kenny.”

“You asked for my help. And I didn’t ask you if you’re ok with how I do that. You can take it or leave it and try making plans on your own. The boys know Kallie and her kids, they trust her, and they’re staying or else they won’t survive out there if it’s as bad as you both told me. I suggest you get on the team, or you can leave and figure it out alone.”

“Fine. We’ll go to the island. But I want ground rules. There’s no sex with all the kids there. In fact, I don’t think you two should sleep in the same room while we’re all there.”

“Ken and I are fine with that. But then MY rule suggestion is none of this name-calling snarky shit anymore in front of the kids. I’m willing to be friendly if you are.”

“Fine. And I should get more stuff than her, Kenny. Like food and guns kind of stuff. I have three of your kids, she has two of her own.”

“Everything will be split fairly, Ash. Leave that up to me to figure out, but if we do this right, no one should run out and everyone will have more than enough of what they need. That’s my rule to myself for all of us. No fucking. No fighting. No failure. Can we all start there?”

“I’m in.”

“Fine.”

“OK, then let’s get some sleep for now. I’ll button up the cabin, and make sure the perimeter cameras are working. Tell the boys to get ready. We work in the morning.”