Sample page 11/18
James rises from the table and carries his plate to the sink. Scraping the remaining crumbs into the trash, he reaches for a damp rag to wipe the plate and stacks it on the counter with the others. The dishes will be washed every three days, using a very small amount of water. Showers are taken every other day and can’t last for more than five minutes. And toilet use is only when absolutely necessary.
The water supplied through the aging municipal system is limited and somewhat intermittent. And the quality of the water coming through the pipes is poor, very poor, unfit for drinking. That is why Clare’s job and her extra rations of drinking water are so valuable. It is a difficult life but her family is surviving for now and Clare is grateful for that situation.
The next morning comes and James is the first to awaken. Clare enters his room to see him combing his hair in the mirror, two shirts are lying on the bed. “I can’t decide which one to wear. I like the blue one better but look, it’s got a hole right in the front. Damn it,” he lets out.
“I can mend it if you really want to wear it,” offers his mother. “What’s the occasion?”
“What do you mean?” retorts James.
“I just haven’t seen you pay much attention to the way you look lately. It doesn’t have anything to do with Mr. Brannan’s daughter, Sophie, does it?” teases Clare.
“I don’t care anything about her. I just want to wear my blue shirt. What’s wrong with just wanting to wear a blue shirt?” he then says to her.
“Oh, nothing, nothing at all,” as his mother smiles broadly. “Here, let me fix that hole.” And she takes the shirt from James and carries it into the kitchen to mend it.
The three are ready to leave the apartment and Clare pulls the door tightly closed, turning the knob again to make sure that it is locked. Descending the stairs, she instructs both her children on the route that they will take and about the need to move quickly. Clare and James each carry a large cloth bag in which a gallon container of pure drinking water is placed.
Crime is not as bad as it was years ago, those surviving don’t have nearly as much to steal as was previously the case but still it is important to be vigilant. Also, in the new order of things, theft is seen as a capital offense, a social taboo, an abhorrent crime. When there was a value to consumer goods, it was not seen as life threatening to steal a car or shoplift a store or take someone else’s possessions. But with the only goods with value worth stealing now being food and water, the rules had changed because the world had changed.
Exiting onto the street, Clare and her children begin the walk to Mr. Brannan’s residence. He lives on the other side of town, a considerable distance away, and they make the trip only when necessary, usually about twice a month. Brannan is a trader who can often obtain goods that others cannot. Trading with another Sector or buying from smugglers coming into the area allows him to support his family through barter. And it allows Clare a place to get her candles.