Free Last Woman by Jacqueline Druga Page A

flu, at that moment, in a desolate world, I was glad that I had found Dodge.
     
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    Belly full, but not enough to bog me down, rejuvenated with some caffeine, and finally rested, I was ready to go.
    At the rate we were going, we’d have to find transportation with all the things we ’d gathered. Dodge with his hiker backpack, toting the new and improved suitcase on wheels. I had my ration bag full for us when needed and it draped over my shoulder.
    The conversation was technical between us to the bridge. Although, Dodge did start to go on about the ‘next move’ after I stopped at my house. He tossed ideas, asking after every few, what I thought.
    I didn’t engage much in the conversation, because I truthfully didn’t know what I wanted or was going to do after I made it to my house. I didn’t think beyond that, I didn’t think long term. Did we honestly need to?
    I liked when he talked about his son. Tyler was his name, he was something like eight hundred miles south at a school for art. I was cautious not to say anything that may build up Dodge’s hopes, because as a mother, the last thing I’d want is to start looking positively at a situation only to be crushed. And no matter how prepared one is, you are crushed by the loss of a child.
    Dodge took an avoidance road with Tyler. Even though the last he spoke to his son, the nineteen year old wasn’t even sick. I wanted to say, ‘Oh, Dodge, you have to find him. You have to look.’ But I didn’t. It had to be his decision to go, and I hoped he did.
    Cars were squeezed in like sardines at the base of the bridge. A barricade was set up about twenty feet before the ramp. That of course, was destroyed, we saw that. However, what I didn’t see, and Dodge did, upon further investigation was that cars had plummeted to the road below. Piling on top of each other and the weight of the major traffic jam on the road side gave in, causing more traffic to topple. This cluster of a mess became a viable path to walk.
    Walk over the tops of the cars. All well and fine, but not to get up to the bridge.
    “We got this.” Dodge said.
    “Oh, yeah, we got this.” I said sarcastically and peered across what had become a mere grave yard of banged up, piled up cars. I had to lower myself down to about a six foot slope to the top of a black SUV, maneuver across the cars where the ramp used to be, then magically, somehow get on the bridge. Oh, yeah, I had this. Right.
    Dodge left the suitcase and backpack with me, lowered down with ease, then reached up. “Hand me the suitcase first.”
    Fearful, that it would clunk him unconscious; I slowly lowered the bag as far as I could. I felt him grab it, and then I did the same with the backpack.
    “The rations bag.” He held up his hand. “Toss it down.”
    “You’re not planning on leaving me at this point, are you?”
    “What?” He lauded. “No ! Would I make you coffee and pancakes? I’d have left before you woke up. Rations.”
    I dropped the small sack.
    “Now you. Belly down so you can see where you’re coming from and trust me that I got you.”
    “I’d rather see where I am going.”
    “Yes, well, I bet you do. But looking down, you are gonna slip. It’s easier to glide feet down to me.”
    “My feet will be to you.”
    “I mean, with your back side up.”
    “I can do this. Didn’t you say we got this?”
    Dodge stepped back a foot and held out his hand. “Be my guest.”
    Really, how hard and tricky was it. He barreled down in a good couple steps, yeah the slope was steep but it was really only about six feet.
    Six feet of concrete, to an unprepared person, was slippery. I made if half way, three steps and I slipped. My feet went from under me and while I made a half assed attempt to catch myself and my pride nonetheless, I still managed to tumble in a part roll, my right arm, running against the concrete.
    Dodge reached up to grab me, but it was too late. He did secure me and help me the rest of