Free Anything for Food - A Post-Apocalyptic Erotic Tale by Amy Morrel Page A

sorry, I didn't mean to say
what I did. I don't know where it came from.”
    “It's okay. I want to thank you
for saying it. I think I needed that.”
    “You aren't going to kick me
out?” Andi asked.
    “No, no... I've been told I'd be
a complete and utter moron if I did that.”
    “By whom?” Andi snapped,
“I'm sorry, I shouldn't be nosy like that. Where were you? I
looked all over for you.”
    “That's okay. I realized that
there were things I should be doing that I wasn't. It was your
statement that snapped me back to thinking about now and not about
years past.”
    “Like what?”
    “You looked for me downstairs,
yes?”
    She nodded, thinking of his shrine to
Shelly and blushing slightly.
    “Well, you saw that we're very
well stocked up. I have neighbors who aren't. One set of them, in
particular, I thought might need some assistance. Once upon a time,
they were good friends of mine, and Shelly's. I've ignored them
horribly for a couple of years now but I realized that if I kept
living in the past, I'd have no future.”
    “I don't understand.” Andi
said.
    “When Shelly died, I retreated
into a shell. I had the crazy idea that if I kept her in my thoughts
that she'd continue living in some fashion. These friends, they
happen to live only a mile or so up the road, told me that I
shouldn't be doing that.
    I reacted poorly to their unasked for
advice. I tried to ignore them when they told me that but they kept
telling me over and over. Finally I started snubbing them, avoiding
them whenever I could. They kept trying to get through to me but I
ignored virtually everything they said.
    Since they were Shelly's friends as
well as mine, I thought that they were betraying her memory. I
convinced myself that they'd been jealous of us because Shelly and I
were engaged to be married and because she was pregnant when we got
engaged. My friends had been trying for a child for a couple of years
at that point. I convinced myself that they were glad that she was
gone because she'd gotten pregnant so easily. I told myself that they
weren't really my friends.
    Today, they proved to me that I was
wrong.”
    Jake paused before continuing.
    “About a year and a half ago,
Becky got pregnant and I was furious. It was the final straw for me.
I totally ignored them after that. Once she'd given birth, I heard
down in town that she and the baby were healthy. People knew that
they used to be my friends and felt the need to keep me updated on
their situation so I was aware that they were doing okay before
things went bad.
    With a new child around I was guessing
they probably didn't have any extra money before things went to shit
and because of that, they might be short on food. So I brought them
some, along with an apology for my mulishness. While I was there, I
admitted to them that they were right. That what I was doing wasn't
healthy. They forgave me for being such an ass and drew the story out
of me about what made me see the light.
    Allan told me straight out that if I
had found someone that could get through to me, after he and Becky
couldn't, that I would have to be an idiot if I did anything but beg
that person's forgiveness for how I'd acted with them.”
    Andi stayed silent as Jake paused
again. His face contorted, like that of a young boy caught
red-handed, before he spoke.
    “So, I'm hoping that you'll
forgive me for being such an ass to you. You're more than welcome to
stay without the sex. I'll let you out of the bargain entirely.”
    “I forgive you.”
    Andi thought furiously, Do I want to
be let out of the bargain? It's a real rush to just be told I'm going
to be done and how. I think that's why it's been so good for me. I
certainly don't mind and he hasn't really pushed me to do anything I
wouldn't have been willing to do anyhow.
    “I don't want out of the bargain
although I would like to modify it just a little.” she said.
    Jake's eyebrows rose in surprise.
    “You don't want out? What do you
want to