Part 2 - Part 07

“Oh, I’m sorry, this is Oscar. Oscar this is Gloria, my daughter.”

“What the F…!” he said and was about to toss the sugar container at me when Gloria said, “Relax Oscar, we’re just friends…”

Just about the same time Gloria’s mother came out of the kitchen and gave her hell for flirting with the customers.

“What can I get you?” Gloria asked.

“Something light,” replied Oscar.

“We have nice, fluffy pancakes,” said Gloria.

“Pancakes it is sweetheart,” I said and she gave me a wink.

Oscar slapped his face and shook his head.

After Gloria left, Agnes showed up and in passing told me that Olivia was looking for me.

“Who’s Olivia?” asked Oscar.

“Her daughter,” I said.

He again smacked his face and a moment later looked at me and said, “The Olivia? You mean Peter’s chick?”

“Yes,” I replied, “Peter’s wife.”

He didn’t say anything.

Gloria’s mother showed up with our pancakes and the bill.

I left Gloria’s mother a small tip for being mean to Gloria. Gloria waved goodbye from the kitchen as we were leaving. Oscar shook his head again.

“Let’s go to Fred’s smoke shop,” I said.

“Why, you don’t smoke, do you?” asked Oscar.

“To see Olivia,” I said. “She works with Fred now and they’re soon to be married.”

We left the truck in the parking lot and walked over to Fred’s. There were only a few customers when we walked in. Olivia ran over to me and jumped into my arms. I gave her a kiss on the cheek and asked her how things were going. She said things were going fine and asked who my friend was.

“This is Oscar.”

“The Oscar you were looking for, Peter’s friend?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said, “the very same.”

Olivia ran over to him, gave him a hug and said, “I was Peter’s wife. He spoke a lot about you. I’m so happy to meet you.”

She then turned to me and said, “I’m so happy to see you, what brings you here?”

“Actually you do, your mom told me you were looking for me.”

“Oh yeah, you know Stan, the car repair guy, he’s looking for you. He was so impressed with the guy you were with that he wants to offer him a job. He couldn’t stop talking about him.”

Oscar and I looked at each other and I said, “We’ll go and pay him a visit then, thanks for the information.”

She then ran at me, gave me a kiss on the mouth and said, “See you soon.”

Oscar gave me the look and said, “And she is supposed to be your stepmother…?”

I waved goodbye to Fred who was busy serving customers and we walked out.

“Well, what do you say? Do you want to go and see Stan now or forget about it?”

“Let’s go see him, what do we have to lose?” he replied.

It took us minutes to get to the service station. There were a dozen cars parked in front of it. The moment we arrived Stan dropped everything and ran outside to greet us.

“Thank God you’re here I’m so swamped with work I can’t even take a breath. My mechanic quit on me and left for the city and now I have to handle everything, orders, repairs, emergencies, tows, everything myself. I sure could use a hand but didn’t know who to turn to. Thank God you came.”

Oscar turned to him and said, “Do you have a pair of overalls?”

Stan pointed to a locker inside the garage and said, “Does that mean you’ll help me?”

Oscar went inside, put the overalls on and asked Stan to give him the paperwork for the first car he wanted repaired and went outside, drove the car in and began to work on it. Ten minutes later he was back and asked for the paperwork on the next car.

Stan was stunned. “This is a miracle, thank you,” he said to me.

I sat there for four hours watching Oscar work until it was dark. Oscar couldn’t stop until he had all the cars fixed.

“I don’t know what to say. I don’t think I can afford that kind of talent. I was hoping to give you a job but you finished a week’s worth of work in an afternoon. I have no idea what I can pay you to make it worth your while,” Stan said to Oscar.

Oscar didn’t say anything and made it look like he wasn’t interested. Perhaps he wasn’t.

“Stan, give us a day or two to think about it and we’ll get back to you,” I said.

Stan offered to pay for the work Oscar did but Oscar again turned him down.

We drove in the dark in silence all the way back to the base. We left the truck in the garage and went straight to the fireplace. Oscar lit a fire.

“You don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to but Stan is a nice guy and we need to give him an answer,” I said.

“I know that! Don’t you think I know that? But if I accept a job here that means I accept disconnecting myself from my people. It’s too hard and too painful to explain,” he said.

This reminded me of what I’d said to Vos back in Ostikon so I said, “My dear friend, your family and friends will still be your family and friends even if you take a job here. Taking a job doesn’t mean you’ll be abandoning your family. It means you will be richer for it and you will have your own money with which you can help them.”

He thought about it for a moment and said, “You’re right man, I should consider taking the job and do something with my life instead of wasting it. Maybe then Jean can show me some respect.” He thought about it for a minute and then said, “Let’s go back there tomorrow and see what we can work out with Stan.”

The fire was warm and the flames were mesmerizing. I went and got another blanket and a couple of pillows. I dropped a blanket and a pillow on Oscar’s head. He looked at me and took them without saying a word.

We spent the night hungry, sleeping on the floor. Another day passed without a drink of rakia.

While he was starting the fire I said, “I’m as hungry as a dog and need to eat something. I think I’m going to have some fried eggs.”

“Oh man, you know I can’t eat fried stuff. Can you boil me a couple of eggs? Hard boiled, please… But I can’t promise I’ll be able to eat them.”

I put my eggs on a plate and his in a bowl and brought them over. He had the fire going. He looked at my eggs and then looked away. After I ate my eggs I peeled one of the boiled eggs and handed it to him.

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that man…” he said, took the egg with his right hand, held his nose with his left hand and took a small bite. I couldn’t see what he was doing but I peeled another egg for him and he took it and did the same.

“Are you eating them or hiding them from me,” I asked.

“Eating them, man, eating them! But that’s enough, no more; let’s see how my stomach handles them.”

“Do you want some rakia?” I asked.

“NO MAN! Are you trying to be funny? It’s not funny.”

I didn’t say anything.

When the flames in the fireplace had subsided Oscar stood up, folded his blanket, placed his pillow on top of it and placed it on the floor some distance away from the fireplace. I did the same. Then, without saying a word, he began to walk towards the garage. I followed him. He opened the passenger door of the truck and sat down. I pulled the truck outside of the garage, closed the big door and locked it.

We drove down to Stan’s garage without saying a word. The cars that were in the parking lot the night before were gone. There was a huge bulldozer sitting on a trailer in front of the garage.

When Stan saw us pull in he ran out to greet us. The first thing he said was, “I found this thing parked here,” pointing to the bulldozer, “with a note on it saying. ‘It won’t start, can you fix it, as soon as possible please. We need it for a job immediately’…” After he said that he realized he hadn’t greeted us, apologized and said, “I’ve been in panic mode since my mechanic quit.”

Without saying a word, Oscar walked into the service station, put on the same overalls, grabbed a tool box and a can of spray, climbed on the bulldozer, opened a panel and began to work. He tried starting the engine but it refused to start. He disconnected a hose and sprayed some stuff into it with the spray can. He connected it back and started cranking the engine. He cranked it nonstop and just before he killed the battery there was a huge backfire and the engine began to shake, spewing black smoke. Oscar kept pumping the gas until it started working normally and the black smoke disappeared. He left the engine running, closed the panel and jumped off.

Stan and I were both looking at Oscar in amazement. He looked at Stan and said, “We had machines like this one in the army base and if they’re left outside unused for a long time the gas line gets plugged up. That it...”

Just as we were about to go inside a truck pulled up and a man wearing a white safety helmet and construction boots jumped out of the passenger side of the truck and smiled a big smile when he heard his bulldozer idling on top of the trailer.

The first thing he said was, “You guys are lifesavers.” He looked at Oscar in the overalls and said, “You must be the mechanic who saved my life.” He then looked at the bulldozer and then at Oscar and said, “Do you do site visits? I have a whole pile of machines that can use tune-ups and minor repairs.”

Oscar looked at me and at Stan. We both nodded.

“Yes Sir, we do, this here is my manager,” and he pointed at Stan. “You can make arrangements with him.”

The man then shook our hands and thanked us. Stan and he exchanged business cards and before the man jumped back into his truck said, “Send me an invoice.”

By then the driver had hooked the trailer up to the truck and they drove off with the bulldozer idling.

Stan was happy, very happy. He hit the workbench with his hand and said, “Ha, ha!” and shook his head. He then looked at Oscar and said, “What will it take to get you to work here.”

To our surprise Oscar said, “Nothing, I’m already working here. But before I accept I have some conditions. One, I want to profit share with you, you only pay me a percentage of the work I do. You tell me how much you can afford to pay me for each job. Two, I choose the days and hours I work. Three, you help me open a bank account under my name and you deposit my earnings in it as well as give me a statement of each deposit. Four, I will do site visits, construction, emergencies, etc. but I will need wheels. Five, I will also need a

place to stay. Find me a place, preferably close to the service station, a small room with a washroom, a small kitchen and fridge will do if possible. These are my conditions.”

“Done!” said Stan. “The second floor on top of the garage is a house. It’s been empty for a while and might need cleaning and painting. It’s well furnished and it’s yours rent free.” Then they shook on it.

“When can you start?” asked Stan.

“I can start right now; just give me the next work order,” replied Oscar.

I took Oscar to the side and asked him if this was what he really wanted.

“Yes, this is as good a start as any. I will do what I like and will do it on my terms. Our friendship will remain intact and you can come and see me or I will come and see you. Let’s leave it at that.” He then reached into his overall breast pocket and gave me one of Stan’s business cards and said, “I know you have an illegal telephone on the base, call me. I will expect you to call me. Maybe soon we can go back to the reservation and you can see Jean, your girlfriend.” He then laughed out loud and went to do the next job.

I looked at Stan and he said, “Your friend is in good hands, don’t worry.”

“Bye Oscar,” I yelled and got back in my truck and drove back to the base.

It was back to being alone again…

Life in the abandoned military base

I spent the next couple of days puttering around and cleaning. I filled my vial with water, added four drops of firewater and put it back in my shirt pocket. I then secured the firewater bottle in the safe. I cleaned and oiled the pistol and was going to fire it but chickened out. I put it back in the safe. It was boring being alone, even though the base was a big place with a lot of things to do.

The third day was cool but nice and sunny. It was a good day to go fishing before the water in the quarry froze over. Around ten o’clock in the morning I took half a loaf of bread, put on a coat and hat, took my fishing gear and went outside to the quarry. The sun was shining at the right angle and I could see the bottom of the quarry through the crisp, clear and still water. The fish must have also enjoyed the bright sun as they were congregating around the bright spots at the bottom.

It was a serene day. I was feeling calm and relaxed. It was quiet out there and everything was bright. Most of the leaves had fallen off the trees and the forest looked dreary. I looked up the mountain. There were a lot of bare trees. I would need more firewood soon, I thought, not that I needed it to heat the place but it would be nice to have a fire once in a while, when I had company. The thought of having company made me laugh out loud. I heard my echo several times laughing back at me.

I decided to use bread as bait. I took a bite of the crust at the edge to make my way to the soft part but then it occurred to me. Why not use the crust as bait? I should be using the crust; it was more intact, less soluble and could perhaps stay on the hook longer. I also decided to use a triple hook to keep the bread in place better.

I took the bread crust out of my mouth, rolled it into a ball in my palms and placed it on the hook. I then slowly dropped the hook down to the deepest part of the quarry and watched the sinker take it down to the bottom. Its presence frightened the fish and they all dispersed in the rock crevices.

Moments later tiny fish began to appear and took runs at the bait making it swing around. Then, suddenly, there was a flash and I almost lost my rod. A big fish grabbed the hook and swam away fast. I pulled the line up slowly to keep the fish from going under the rocks and got my net ready. I let it swim around for I while. I didn’t care if it escaped, which allowed me to relax and avoid the usual excitement and anxiety which came with reeling a fish in.

Moments later I lined it up over my net and scooped it in. It was a big one, double or even triple the size of fish I had caught before. This one could feed an entire family. Oscar would be so proud of me, I thought.

I scooped some water into the metal bucket and dropped the fish in it head first. It was too big for the bucket. About one third of it was stuck out above the bucket rim.

Just about then I heard a vehicle driving along the road. I looked up but couldn’t see anything. The quarry and the military base were hidden from the road by a mound of soil strategically placed between the road and the base so that the base would remain invisible to passing vehicles. The vehicle didn’t stop and continued driving down the road. It was very rare to see vehicles driving by on this road.

Moments later I ate the soft part of the slice of bread and wetted part of the crust with my saliva and rolled it into a ball. Was it my saliva that had attracted the big fish?

I dropped the hook down at the same place again and when the ripples disappeared I stood there calmly looking down. Little fish kept taking a run at the bread, kicking it like a soccer ball back and forth. Once in a while the little fish would flash away and disappear, only to come back again moments later. I stood there about ten minutes looking down, it was too cold to sit and, just as I lost interest, my rod moved and stopped. I decide to pull on it gently and that’s when it bent forward hard. It was another big fish.

In a couple of hours I had caught two big fish and four smaller ones.

After standing for over two hours in the quarry I felt cold and really tired. I packed my things and went straight to the kitchen. I put the fish in the big sink and added some water. The fish were still alive.

After I put my fishing gear and coat and hat away I came back to the kitchen. It was way past noon by now but I wasn’t hungry. I then realized that I had just eaten half a loaf of bread.

What to do with the fish? First I figured I would clean them and then decide what to do with them.

The base was a big place but it was a ghost town. The only sound one could hear inside was the ventilation system starting and stopping.

After I removed their scales and gutted the fish I wanted to fillet them but I didn’t have the confidence to do it. I wasn’t Oscar and watching him do it was not the same as doing it myself.

It had only been a few days and I was already missing Oscar’s company, even though he didn’t say much. Then it hit me; I could take him a fish and use it as an excuse to visit him. In fact, I should take a fish to Stan, Agnes, Fred and Olivia, and I should do it today while the fish were still fresh. Why not? One big fish for Stan and his family, assuming he had a family, one big fish for Fred and Olivia, a smaller fish for Agnes and one for Oscar. That would leave me two smaller ones. I could always catch more.

I packaged the fish in paper bags and marked them so that I knew which was for whom.

About an hour later I arrived at Stan’s garage. Oscar was bent over the open hood of a car working on it. Stan was sitting at his desk looking at some paperwork and scratching his head.

“Hey,” I yelled, “from here it looks like the car has swallowed half of you.”

Oscar jumped up and bumped his head. He said something in his language and yelled, “Don’t do that!”

When he looked at me I smiled and said, “I’m sorry, man… What, you don’t swear in English anymore?”

After he told me off he asked what I had in my hands.

“I have a fresh fish for you and Stan.” When I looked towards Stan he was standing beside me.

“What do I hear, you have fish for us?” he asked.

“Yes, for you and your family,” I said and looked at him.

“Thank you, thank you, my wife and two girls will be thrilled. We should have you over sometime…” he said.

“Thank you,” I said, “I just came over to drop these off and I’m going.” I then gave Stan the fish and he put it on top of his desk.

“No you’re not going!” yelled Oscar. “I need your help to buy me some stuff from the store. I don’t have any money. Here’s a list, add oil to it so that I can fry the fish. I assume you caught it today.”

I was going to say, “Aren’t you going to eat it raw?” but I didn’t want to embarrass him in front of Stan.

“Yes,” I replied and took his list and walked to the grocery store. When I came back they were ready to close the service station and go home. I left Oscar’s groceries on Stan’s desk. Oscar was washing up. I yelled, “Goodbye Oscar, see you later,” and left.

Just as I drove around the corner I saw Agnes walking home. “Are you still working? I thought you would be retired by now,” I said.

“Yup, still slugging it,” she replied.

I gave her the fish and turned down her invitation to cook dinner for me. I said I was going to Fred’s to give him and Olivia a fish.

“You’d better hurry up because they’ll be closing the store in a few minutes.”

I said goodbye and rushed over to Fred’s. The shop was locked but they were both still inside. I knocked on the door and heard Olivia say, “Sorry, we’re closed.”

“Even for fresh fish?” I yelled.

She ran to the door, opened it and jumped on me and made me drop the big fish on the ground.

“Olivia, I’m happy to see you too but you have to stop jumping on me. Fred will get jealous one of these days and he’ll shoot me and I won’t be around anymore.”

She got off me and picked up the fish. “Oh, it’s a big one,” she said and kept staring at the bag with a surprised look on her face.

I looked at Fred; he was smiling. “Isn’t she a jewel?” he said.

“One of a kind,” I said. “One of a kind, you’re so lucky.”

“Thank you,” he said, “and thanks for the fish.”

I said goodbye and walked away. I heard Olivia say goodbye while still looking at the paper bag with their names written on it.

I felt sad as I walked away.

I drove back to the base, went to the kitchen, took the two fish from the fridge, got the big pan out, poured a heap of olive oil in it, placed it on the large element of the stove and turned the element on high.

Moments later when the oil was sizzling I turned the element to low and placed both fish in the pan.

I went and got a juice glass and the bottle of rakia and poured myself half a glass. I then raised it up and said, “To solitude and sad

times.” I had a large gulp. It was quite good. I must make a point of asking Oscar to give me his formula, I said to myself.

The aroma of the frying fish was intoxicating. I decided to add some lemon juice and slivers of garlic.

I started to get tipsy so I decided not to drink anymore until I’d had something to eat.

About five minutes later I tested the fish with a fork. It appeared to be done. I turned off the element, scraped the fish out of the pan and put them on a plate. I added butter to them and more lemon juice.

The meat was coming off the bone nicely and it tasted superb, the only thing about fish is you can’t get a large mouthful; you have to pick at it. I ate the whole thing and was still hungry. I went to the fridge, got two sausages out, put them in the same pan and began to fry them. When they were done I put them on a plate. I then took four slices of bread and fried them on both sides until they had soaked up all the oil. I ate the bread next while it was still warm. It was delicious. I ate the sausages slowly while drinking rakia.

I don’t remember when I went to bed but the next day I found myself in Peter’s bed in the room next to the office. I didn’t feel like getting up. I was feeling horrible and depressed. I didn’t feel like doing anything. I lay in bed and thought about things. I replayed my life like a motion picture from the time I left home to go to Kanata to this day. It had only been six months since that day but it felt like it was a lifetime. My old life now seemed like a dream and my new life was a nightmare of events which I couldn’t control. I could never have imagined this in a million years. I was back on earth but I could just as well have been on another planet. This wasn’t my life. I was living someone else’s life. I was living a lie. This wasn’t my idea of living. I was a pawn caught in a web of circumstances. This was someone else’s game, a game that had no purpose and no future for me because the moment I got involved with someone I would suffer Peter’s fate.

Anyway that’s what I thought and that’s how I felt at the moment.

I was thirsty and my body was becoming numb from lying around in bed too long. I figured I should get up and exercise.

I looked around for jobs to do but I didn’t feel like doing anything. I thought of shooting a few rounds in the firing range but I already had a bad headache. In my indecision I decided to go to the uniform room and picked out a military uniform for myself. I looked at myself in the mirror. I hadn’t shaven for days and had too much fur on my face, which I figured would be a disgrace to the uniform. I took it off and left it in Peter’s closet. Maybe I would wear it later.

After walking in circles around my truck I decided to explore the cabinets leaning against the far wall of the garage, especially those that were hidden behind the tank; now that the tank was out of the way. I wondered why all this equipment was left here? Why hadn’t the army just taken everything when it abandoned the base? I also thought about the gasoline. The military left this base in the 1950’s. Why did they leave all this fuel behind? Did they intend to come back? And would the fuel from those days work in modern vehicles like my truck? Oscar seemed to thing so. And he knew what he was talking about.

Just as I was going through the next cabinet my eye caught a saw. I grabbed it by the blade and dragged it out past the other equipment. It was a small gas powered chainsaw. It looked like a toy and was dripping with oil. It had made a mess in the cabinet. I grabbed a rag and cleaned as much of the oil as I could without taking everything out of the cabinet.

I could use this thing to cut some wood, I thought. Maybe that’s what I should do today, cut wood. But first I would have to clean the saw and get it working. I didn’t know they had saws like this in the 1950’s. Or was this the saw Oscar used. Oscar did say he cut wood for Peter. How did he cut it? I decided to call Oscar and ask him.

Stan answered the phone and thanked me for the fish. He said his wife cooked it the night before and it was delicious.

I asked him if I could speak to Oscar. He said Oscar was busy at the moment but could call me back later. My number wasn’t listed and neither he nor I knew what it was.

I said, “I’ll call back later.”

That’s when I heard Stan tell Oscar the call was for him. Oscar wanted to know who it was and what I wanted. When he heard that it was me he came down and, while Stan held the handset, Oscar put his ear on the earpiece and asked, “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything is okay. It’s not important; I just wanted to ask you how you cut the firewood for Peter. That’s all.”

“There’s a gas powered chainsaw inside the cabinet marked ‘equipment’. Peter bought it so we could cut wood for the fireplace. Use that and make sure to use the fuel in the can next to it. Don’t use raw gasoline, you’ll burn the motor. I’ve got to go; my hands are filthy with black grease.”

“Thank you!” I yelled, then thanked Stan and hung up.

That was easy, I thought, and realized that the excitement from the phone call had given me new impetus and a desire to get going with the job of cutting wood right away.

I went back to the cabinet and found the can with the fuel. All I needed now was a bench to work on. There wasn’t one in the garage. There was only the huge tool box on wheels sitting against the wall near the office. It already had a wooden cover to protect the metal that could be used as a table. Perfect, I thought, plus I could use the tools in the box which would be handy.

I rolled the big tool box away from the wall and placed the saw on top of it.

I got more rags from the rag cabinet and began to vigorously wipe the gunk off the saw. It came off quite easily. The oil kept the wood chips and dust moist and they were easy to wipe off. When I was done the saw looked new. There were instructions all over it marked

“Danger”, “Warning” this and “Warning” that and finally how to mix gas and oil for fuel and how to add oil for the chain. I looked at it again and it truly looked like a toy with a short chainsaw.

I removed the two caps and there was no fuel or oil in it. Oscar said nothing about oil but I could see under the instructions it said use clean oil but didn’t specify what kind.

I went back to the cabinet and found a can of oil marked 10W30. The can had tiny holes poked with nails at opposite ends on the top. The nails were still in the holes.

I took it back to the bench and poured some oil in the hole marked oil until it was full. I then screwed the cap tight.

I did the same with the fuel and tried to start the little engine. I kept pulling and pulling on the starter rope but nothing. I checked it over again and everything was clean and shiny. I couldn’t understand why it wouldn’t start.

It then occurred to me to check the spark plug. I found a wrench and got it out. It was loaded with gunk. I tried to clean it but the gunk refused to come out. I decided to burn it off with a match. After several tries the gunk dried up enough to scoop it out with the tip of a knife. I burned it some more until it was completely dry. I then used sandpaper to clean the spark plug gap.

I put the spark plug back and felt my heart pounding. Why I was so nervous I don’t know.

The engine fired with the first pull but stopped. I tried it again, same thing. The next time I gave it some gas and it began to rev. I played with the motor for a while and then activated the chain. It spun around nicely without resistance.

I turned it off and tried testing the tension on the chain as per the instructions. It was okay. I noticed there was an adjustment for idle and realized what the problem was. The idle needed adjusting. I gave it a quarter of turn towards “rich” and started the engine again. This time it started and maintained a nice idle on its own.

I felt great. I went outside and found a dead branch on the other side of the road. I dragged it over and put it on top of the toolbox. Then I started the saw and began to cut. I was surprised by how well it cut. I didn’t have to do anything except place the revolving chain lightly on top of the wood and let it cut. It worked like magic even on hardwood.

I tossed the chainsaw, fuel and oil in the back of my pickup truck and drove up the mountain. Every time I saw a dry branch I stopped, cut it to pieces and tossed it on the truck. Further up the mountain along the road I found a small, dead oak tree and cut it down. I cut it all to pieces. It filled the back of the truck to the top. I didn’t know how much weight the truck could carry and I didn’t want to take chances, so I drove back to the base and parked the truck inside the garage.

I unloaded all the wood and placed it in the corner by the door that led to the stage. I left six big logs on the floor by the truck. They were too big to burn as they were and needed splitting.

I decided to take a rest. I was perspiring profusely. What did you expect, I thought? I hadn’t exercised or done any vigorous activities for months. I sat on the chair behind the desk in the office and wondered how I could split the logs. The quickest way to find out, I figured was to call Oscar. But all he would do is tell where to find the axe.

I got up and went to the equipment cabinet and looked around. There was no axe. I went in the cabinet where I kept the shovel and sure enough I found the axe.

I got back to the wood and decided to try my luck on one of the smaller logs. I gave it a swift whack and all I did was lodge the axe into it and then I couldn’t remove it. I tried everything but the axe blade refused to come out.

I went back to the cabinet and on the bottom shelf found a small mallet with a short handle and two metal wedges. Aha, I thought.

I placed the smaller wedge beside the axe blade in the little crack and used the mallet to drive it down. The axe fell off on its own. A few hits later the log split in two without difficulty.

After that I split all the logs, some in half and the others in quarters and put them away with the other wood.

By now I was tired but decided to clean the saw and put everything away before I rested.

A truck load of wood, I figured would last me a week or two unless Oscar came for a visit in which case it would last three to five days, tops. But so what, I could always get more. There was plenty more where that came from.

I took a long shower and went to the kitchen to make dinner. It was way past dinner time and I hadn’t had breakfast or lunch.

I filled my juice glass half full of rakia and sipped some while washing the dishes and large pan that I’d left unwashed the day before.

I noticed I had two steaks thawing in the fridge and plenty of tomatoes and cucumbers. I salt and peppered the steak and placed them on a plate. I then made myself a large tomato and cucumber salad and sprinkled it with feta cheese. And while I nibbled on the salad I gently fried the steak in olive oil and garnished them with butter and garlic powder. When they were done, I fried two slices of bread in the left over oil and butter. I fried them on both sides until they were brown. They were delicious. The entire meal was delicious. The only thing lacking was eating in front of a fire which I was too tired or maybe too lazy to start.

After I ate dinner and washed the dishes I took some more steak and some sausages out of the freezer and put them in the fridge to thaw. After that I went to bed in the room near the garage. Somehow I preferred that bedroom even though it didn’t have any windows.

The next day I got up late. My body ached all over but it was a healthy ache from the work I had done the day before.

As soon as I got up I decided to eat breakfast and go into town to buy groceries. It was a dreary day and it looked like it was going to rain and maybe snow. I made a list of what I needed and added wine and beer to the list in case I got guests who preferred wine or beer over rakia. I laughed at the idea of having guests but one never knew.

While rolling the cart around the grocery store I ran into Gloria who was doing some shopping for the restaurant. I saw her first and called her name. She came over but looked extraordinarily shy.

After greeting her and asking how she and her folks were doing I asked her, “What brings you here?”

“My parents forgot to order some spices so they asked me to pick some up here until the next order comes in.” She then looked at me, smiled and said, “I got to go. Bye.”

This was not the Gloria I knew. It struck me as odd that she would be so shy outside the restaurant.

From the grocery store I went to be beer store and then to the liquor store and from there back to the base.

As I was unpacking my groceries I couldn’t stop thinking of Gloria and how she’d acted in the store.

I was too upset to sit, or drink, or mope around so I went outside and walked up the road towards the mountain. I then decided to turn back and go inside the underground parking lot. I looked around in hopes of finding something new I hadn’t discovered before but there was nothing. I got bored and climbed on the beast. I pushed the start button and it immediately started. I put it in reverse and drove it to the centre of the parking lot. The place was filling with smoke so I decided to drive it out to the road. I felt uncomfortable being in the open so I drove over the mound and into the front parking lot where Oscar had taken me several days ago. It was secluded there and I thought I’d fool around practicing to drive the beast, even though it

drove like a truck and I knew how to drive a truck. The beast was not like the tank which drove like a bulldozer.

I practically touched every control and figured out what they did. The controls for each function were separate and grouped together. In front of me were the controls that steered the vehicle and lowered and raised the tracks. To my left were the controls that lowered, raised and turned the snowplow blade. To my right were the controls that lowered and raised the trailer at the back of the beast and the hinge and chain.

The beast was a lot simpler to operate that I thought and I figured I would have no problem operating it if I had to. All I needed now was an emergency.

But, how would anybody be able to find me?

Satisfied that I would be able to operate the beast, I drove it back into the underground parking lot and parked it next to the tank.

I looked at the tank and wondered why Oscar had brought it out here. It must have sat in the atmosphere controlled garage all those years for a reason. It was an old machine and still in pristine condition and there was a reason for that, it was protected in the garage from the elements. So, I decided to put it back where it belonged.

Just as I went closer the thought of having to drive it without being able to see was disturbing. I’m not doing anything, I thought, until I’m sure of what I’m doing.

After I got up enough courage I opened the hatch and climbed inside. It was cold like a freezer and dark. I couldn’t see anything. I waited a while and as my eyes acclimatized to the dark I found my way to the driver’s seat. The tiny front window was facing a dark wall and I could see nothing outside. I remembered where the start button was and pushed it. The engine turned several times and it started. It was very loud and I could smell the smoke coming in through the hatch.

I needed to move the tank out of the closed space and fast before I choked from the smoke. At the same time I didn’t want to make a mistake with the controls. If I did it could be disastrous. I could go through a wall. So, my only option was to put the tank in reverse and slowly turn right.

I gently pushed the levers back and gave it some gas. I felt it move. I did it again for a few seconds and then only pushed the left lever back. I felt it turn right. I climbed up the hatch and saw the tank was almost turned. I went down again and pushed the left lever back for another couple of seconds. The tank was lined up with the outside door. But that was no good to me. I couldn’t see where I was going in reverse. I had to turn the tank around and fast because I was choking from the diesel fumes.

I took a chance and backed up some more and then held the left lever back until I could see light through the front window. I could now see the frame of the front door.

I pushed both levers forward and gave it some gas. It growled momentarily and I could hear the tracks flapping. Just as I got closer to the door I jumped and looked through the hatch. The tank was perfectly aligned with the door. I got back down pushed both levers forward again and gave it some gas. I cringed as I waited for a bang but it didn’t happen. When I looked again through the hatch I saw that I had cleared the door and was out in the open.

I left the tank running, jumped out and closed and locked the parking lot door. On my way back I noticed the little front window was filthy with dust. I took a napkin from my pocket and cleaned it. The dust just slipped off. I did the same inside and now I had a clear view of where I was going. I was drenched in sweat and freezing at the same time.

I pushed both levers forward hard and floored the gas. The tank jumped and began to climb the incline slowly but sped up in time. I let go of the gas when the front part hit the asphalt road.

Instead of going on the asphalt I drove it on the shoulder of the road until I reached the outdoor parking lot at which point I turned right

and parked it in the middle of the lot. It was now out of sight. I left it running while I went inside and changed my undershirt because it was drenched with sweat and came back.

With the hatch open I could see the controls and switches on the panel in front of the driver’s seat. I also found the light switch that controlled the interior lights. I found the switch that controlled the outside lights under the front of the tank. I didn’t know tanks even had outside lights. I found the heater and heater fan and they both worked. I didn’t bother with the turret and cannon controls or the machine gun controls. I don’t know why I even bothered with the tank?

I drove it back into the garage where it was before and left it there.

Getting into mischief seemed to ease my pain of loneliness and boredom.

Gloria goes back to school

A couple of days later when I woke up, I walked over to the office and looked in the garage. From the little light that was entering through the windows I could see that it was very bright outside. I looked at my watch; it was almost ten past nine in the morning. It could be a vehicle shining its lights at the big door, I thought. I decided to look. I unlocked and opened the outside door.

It was all white outside. It had snowed over night. By morning the clouds had disappeared and the sun was shining with full intensity. It was blinding but beautiful. It was also cold, very cold.

I went back inside and got dressed in warm clothing. After breakfast I decided to go outside and look around. There was a thin sheet of ice over the quarry which made me wonder if the water in the quarry freezes all the way to the bottom. What happens to the fish when that happens, I wondered? Surely the tunnel wouldn’t freeze, I thought, but wasn’t sure. Maybe the fish hid under the falls where the generator turbines were. But what did they eat?

By eleven o’clock it was getting considerably warmer and the snow on the paved part of the road started to melt. I figured it would be a good day to go into town and visit with Oscar before the roads got too hazardous.

I left the base a little after noon and arrived at Stan’s garage just before one. There was no snow in town. Oscar was working on a carburetor on the bench and Stan was sitting at his desk. They were both happy to see me. It was a slow day in the garage and they both said they could use the company.

I asked if they wanted to go and eat lunch at the restaurant. Oscar said yes, if I was buying. Stan said he had brought his lunch from home, his wife made it for him last night.

“Besides,” he said, “someone has to stay here and mind the shop.”

While Oscar went to wash up I asked Stan how he was doing. Stan was very happy with him and had never seen anyone work so hard.

“And, not only that,” he said, “he knows how to fix almost everything, even that old carburetor. He tore it apart and rebuilt it without a schematic diagram. He’s a miracle worker that never stops working.”

When Oscar returned he asked me to go up and see his apartment. The first thing he showed me was the whiskey bottle Jean had given him. It was still full of rakia. He hadn’t taken a sip since he left the base. I gave him the thumbs up.

In terms of furniture and appliances he had very little to none but he liked it that way. The only thing he didn’t have which he missed was a fireplace.

He looked happy.

When we arrived at the restaurant Gloria’s mother greeted us and sat us down. Before he was asked what he wanted, Oscar ordered a hamburger, french fries and a coffee. I ordered the same.

I looked at him with a surprised look.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’ve been eating healthy all week, I deserve a treat.”

“Look at you,” I said. “Now you’re eating greasy food.”

“The greasier the better,” he said which reminded him of the fish I had brought him last week. “The fish was fantastic; bring me another one when you come down the next time.”

I looked at him and said, “The water in the quarry is starting to freeze, fishing days are over.”

“You can still fish,” he said, “do it from the dock inside the tunnel. Buy a bag of fish food from the grocery store and start throwing a few handfuls into the water inside the tunnel. Do it every day. The fish will get used to it and when they dash to eat scoop them up with the net. The one with the long handle… You’ll find it mounted on

the wall in the tunnel. You can fish all winter, the water in the tunnel doesn’t freeze.”

“Thank you for telling me that,” I said. “And speaking of freezing, it really got cold up there last night and there was snow on the ground this morning.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said. “You have no idea how cold it can get. It drops as low as -40 F (-40 C) sometimes and stays that way for days, even a week. So it’s best you buy yourself some supplies, enough for a month or two and stock up. Once the back roads freeze you’ll be stuck on the base for a long time.”

“Thanks, I think I’ll do that.”