Free Pedestals of Ash by Joe Nobody Page B

gentl y removed the plastic cover . Inside, his cup was about half-full of water. Bishop fought t he urge to immediately snatch the cup to his parched lips and down the liquid . He carefully picked up the vessel with both hands and slowly took one sip and then another. The water tasted pure and cool, a more palatable experience than his last drink. He sat the cup back down in the sand and looked at the plastic bag that had been the lid o f his still. A few beads of water remained , and he bent over an d licked up each and every one.
    The next task was to retrieve the water from the bush traps , and that took a bit of work so as not to spill a single , precious drop. After he ad ded their small amounts of liquid into his cup, it was almost three quarters full. I t wasn’t enough to survive long- term, but hopefully, it would suffice until he could find more.
    Bishop sat right where he was and gradually sipped water for almost 15 minutes , savoring every wet drop let . He listened to the few late afternoon desert birds talking to each other in the distance and was fascinated by two small lizards performing some sort of ritual aroun d a pile of nearby rocks. The shadows were beg inning to grow longer as the late afternoon sun clung to the western mountains. Bishop wanted to get into his gear and get moving while there was still a little light . It was always easier to break camp without using the night vision or f umbling around in complete darkness .
    He folded up the plastic bags and walked back to his shelter. He found the deer jerky and ate a large slice , washing it down with the last few gulps of water. That little bit of food and hydration seemed to recharge his body and mind. He finished packing, double-checked to make sure he wasn’t leaving anything behind , and continued his westward journey just as the sun slipped below the horizon .

    Terri, Nick , and Kevin spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on the events of the last few months. When their hunger go t the best of them, they enjoyed a late supper of homemade burritos at Pete’s, and Nick threw back the first “hard” liquor he’d tasted in a long time. Dusk quickly faded into night, as Pete and Nick exchanged stories while Terri and Kevin laughed and inserted a few of their own.
    After locking up the Manor’s office, Bet ty stopped by the bar to see how things were going, and decided to hang around and enjoy some tall tales herself. Terri had shared the news of her pregnancy earlier in the afternoon , and Nick had squeezed her tightly at the announcement. However, the revelation prompted a continued barrage of jokes and innuendo, all focusing on the idea of a little Bishop, loose at the ranch. Even Terri had to admit, just the mental image of such a thing made her smile.
    “Well, you can’t just refer to the bambino as ‘Little Bishop’ forever,” Betty prote sted. You know, there is even the possibility that you might give birth to a little girl. Terri’s mind’s eye instantly photoshopped an image of a Shirley Temple singing “The Good Ship Lollipop,” except the chubby cherub was wearing Bishop’s face , surrounded by ringlets . Terri almost choked on the remaining bite of her burrito .
    After regaining her composure, Terri became thoughtful for a moment before responding to Betty’s statement. “Well, you know with all that has been going on, we haven’t even discussed it yet. I didn’t want to know the sex of the child when Doc did the ultrasound, so I guess we need to pick two names . And I suppose there is no time like the present to try out baby names for fit .” The conversation quickly focused on what the new addit ion to the ranch should be called. Everyone exuberantly blurted out ideas , and Terri couldn’t keep track of all the suggestions . When she protested, Pete volun teered paper and pencil so the mother-to-be could record all of their suggestions to share with Bishop later.
    Pete favored names that had stood the test