Dear Diary: It’s Me, Jessica: Chapter 16 (Book 3)

By the author of Dear Diary: It’s Me, Jessica: The Second Year

A note from the author:

Dear Diary fans,

First and foremost, I would like to thank you all for your patience.  

Life took a different turn, and while I thought I could continue writing Dear Diary, I was not just a little wrong, but a great, big, fat wrong.  So, after my brief hiatus, Jessica, Rae, Jack, Mom and Dad, Samson and the puppies, and all the denizens of Four Corners are back.  

I hope I will continue to entertain you, and we shall, together, see what adventures, challenges, trials, and tribulations Jessica and company face.

v/r

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J. Conrad Garret

In case you missed the last chapter, you can find it here.

Dear Diary,

It’s me, Jessica.

The smell of fall was in the cool, crisp air. The sky was a bright blue. The tree leaves were changing from their lively greens to bright yellows, oranges, and reds. As I rode my horse to Four Corners, I heard squirrels rooting through the fallen leaves.

Tom and Collins greeted me with a smile and a wave as I passed through the East gate. Yellow Teeth Bob nodded to me, but was busy writing down trade transactions in his book for two men. The animal pens were fairly full, the butchers were at work, and others to collect on what they had agreed to for trade. It was a busy morning.

When I reached Four Corners proper, I tied my horse to the hitching posts at the side of Sean’s shack. He too was busy writing down trade transactions and, like Yellow Teeth Bob, gave me a nod and quick smile. I stopped by Daniel and Savannah’s medical quarters to see if they were in, but they were not. They were likely walking around Four Corners, checking in on people. I headed South for Nate’s place.

Four Corners had its own kind of energy, or vibe, as people went about their business. Others talked and laughed openly. The smell of the cooking fires and food was in the air. Men waiting for a shave or to have their hair cut or trimmed played cards around a small fire while the two barbers busily cut or shaved. Mom cuts my hair, but once in a while, Rae and I would come and trade for hair washing and a trim. The barbers made their own goat soap and scented it with different flowers, herbs, and lavender. Did not sound like much but in comparison to our usual daily sponge bath, it was luxurious. Rae and I would only do it a few times a year. I would mention it to Rae. In another month, if not sooner, no one would want to go around with wet hair, no matter how good it felt or smelled.

I walked up to Nate’s RV. He was sitting at his folding table outside under the pop-up tent.

“Good morning Jessica. How are you?” he said, and stood up and offered his hand. Jamal was football-linebacker big, but Nate was lumberjack big. My hand was just as small in Nate’s hand as we shook.

“Good morning, Nate. I am doing well. Dad drew up plans for the covered wagon he built for Katie. He has a few trailer tires you can use.”

Nate unrolled the drawings I handed him.

“These are good. What I like about your dad is that he is methodical, detailed, and likes to share. Prevents me from having to reinvent the wheel,” he said with a big grin. “Tell him I said thank you.”

“I will. Have you seen Daniel or Savannah?”

“Yeah, they are making the rounds, passed by here earlier. The cold is out and about.”

“Nothing bad, is it?”

“Oh, not really. I got it for a few days. Sore, scratchy throat, stuffy head, occasional cough. Usual get-over-a-cold remedies, rest, hot tea, chicken soup, and I was back on my feet in no time. Daniel and Savannah are just looking over the vulnerable, the little ones and the like.”

“I have some of Jack’s industrial-strength cleaner as a disinfectant for them.”

“Yeah, they are out and about to the South.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“Thank your dad for me for the plans and the tires.”

“Will do!”

I found Daniel and Savannah closer to the South gate examining a small girl.

“The fever is gone, and she looks like she is over her cold,” Savannah was saying to the girl’s mother. “Just a few remaining sniffles.”

The little girl then blew her nose on her mother’s long apron.

“Perfect timing,” Daniel smiled, looking on.

“Thank you, Wendy,” the mother said, rolling her eyes. She thanked Daniel and Savannah and led Wendy away.

“Jessica!” Savannah exclaimed when she saw me and gave me a big hug. Despite our high school history before the power went out, Savannah would now always hug me when we greeted each other and when we parted.

Diary, it is kinda funny, I think of Rae as the big sister I never had and Jack as the big brother I never had and now I think of Savannah as the sister I never had. Come to think on it, it is like parts of our community and Four Corners are like a big family I never had. Tom and Collins. Sean. Katie. Okay, maybe not Yellow Teeth Bob, but you get the idea.

“Jack sent me with some of his industrial-strength cleaner and disinfectant for you.” I pulled out two large bottles of the cleaner and disinfectant, sealed with corks.

“Oh, good. We used up the last bottle when Sam was splitting kindling, missed, and cut the back of his hand with a hatchet.”

“You had to use that much disinfectant?” I asked.

“Oh, no. Some to clean the wound. The rest was for the pain when I had Savannah stitch him up. Half a bottle of that stuff and he was feeling no pain!”

“How did the stitching go?” I asked Savannah.

“Pretty good, actually. Daniel has had me practicing with fishing line on scrap cuts or skin of slaughtered livestock. Some of the ladies who do knitting also helped me.”

“Knitting?”

“Seems odd, but they would have me do the same knots with yarn and darning needles. I could see what I was doing on a much larger scale. And once I got the hang of it, I could do it faster. Then, when I moved on to working on the livestock scraps and skin, it only took a few knots to get it right. When I worked on Sam, him being drunk is what made it more difficult. He kept trying to use his hand I was stitching up to give us play-by-play of his winning touchdown at the state champs when he was a wide receiver in high school.”

“I was two inches from hitting him to knock him out when Savannah suggested I give him another pull of the disinfectant. Two minutes later, he was passed out and drooling on himself,” Daniel smiled.

“That is one way of doing it,” I nodded to Savannah.

“Yes. But from what we saw, Sam did not appreciate the hangover the next morning,” Savannah smiled sweetly.

About 1stMarineJarHead

1^stMarineJarHead is not only a former Marine but also a former EMT-B, Wilderness EMT (courtesy of NOLS), and volunteer firefighter.

He currently resides in the great white (i.e. snowy) Northeast with his wife and dogs. He raises chickens, rabbits, goats, occasionally hogs, cows and sometimes ducks. He grows various veggies and has a weird fondness for rutabagas. He enjoys reading, writing, cooking from scratch, making charcuterie, target shooting, and is currently expanding his woodworking skills.