Free The Liddy Scenario by Jerry D. Young

Yes. Brody and Ranger were both kind enough to invite me out here until things get better in the city. Toby and Patricia were kind enough to agree to it when we got here.”
    “Yeah. Brody always did have a soft spot. You and him got something going?”
    “Enough of that, young lady,” Patricia said sternly. “You will not have those types of conversations in my kitchen.”
    Darlene grinned and mouthed the words to Julie Anne. “We’ll talk later.”
    Julie Anne wasn’t sure what to make of it so she just ignored the situation and did her assigned job. She heard activity in the large dining room as the last few things were done for the supper. Patricia led the way out of the kitchen to the dining room, carrying a platter of fried fish. The other women each picked up a dish and followed her.
    Julie Anne hurriedly arranged the sliced bread in a towel lined basked and folded the towel over. She followed the others into the dining room and paused suddenly at the sight of half a dozen men of several ages standing behind empty chairs. Brody wasn’t one of them. There were al-ready three women seated.
    Following the example of the other kitchen helpers, Julie Anne set her bread basket on the table and then stepped in front of the chair Ranger was behind. The men seated the women, and then took seats themselves.
    Immediately all the others bowed their heads and Toby said a very heart-felt Grace, welcoming Julie Anne, Ranger, and Brody to the farm as well. Julie said a soft ‘Amen,’ with the others, wondering where Brody was.
    She couldn’t remember ever having fish prepared the way this fish was. It was coated in salted cornmeal and had been fried in a large kettle of hot oil on the wood stove in the kitchen. There were French fries, hush puppies, and coleslaw to go with it. Not much of a fried food eater, Julie Anne found herself eating more than she probably should. It was good.
    It was only after she talked to Ranger for a moment after the dinner that she learned she’d eaten catfish raised on the farm. In fact, almost every item on the menu had been grown or produced on the farm, except for the salt, and the sugar used in the pecan pie and ice cream that was dessert. The tea and coffee were two more items. not produced on the farm but purchased.
    Even the corn was grown and ground, as was the wheat for the bread and pie crust. Milk and cream for the ice cream was from the farm’s cows. That was the limit of the conversation. The men were ushered out and Patricia, Julie Anne, Peg, Samantha, and Darlene took care of the clean up.
    Julie Anne joined them for a few minutes in the living room after the work was done, but none of the men joined them. Julie Anne excused herself and said she was going up to go to bed. She was suddenly exhausted. This time she did take a soak before she went to bed.
    Quite some time later, when Darlene eased into the bedroom and asked, “You awake, Julie Anne?” Julie Anne feigned sleep, though Darlene’s movements had wakened her. She didn’t want to discuss Brody or Ranger.
    But she couldn’t avoid it the next morning after Darlene’s windup alarm went off. As soon as Julie Anne opened her eyes, Darlene was asking her about both of the men. Julie Anne made it quite clear she wasn’t involved with either of them and found herself a little annoyed at Darlene’s expressed joy at the fact.
    It was several days before she saw Brody long enough to talk to him. “Ms. Baumgartner,” he said when she came up to him talking to Toby on the front porch of the house. Toby went into the house.
    “When are you going to start calling me Julie Anne, like everyone else?”
    “I guess now,” Brody said, not quite smiling. “Julie Anne.”
    “That’s better. I haven’t seen you. Is everything all right?”
    “Just tired. We’re pulling twenty-four seven security. There are only a few of us and I’m putting in a lot of hours patrolling.”
    “Patrolling? Like in the Army?”
    “Like all