"yup that stink gotta go" Annie said as she smelled her clothes but they had a problem. Where in the world were they going to find water for that and even clean out their clothes.
After they had eaten breakfast, they drank the water Jon had bought along with the snacks but even an imbecile knows there was no way on earth they could have their bath with bottled water.
Well even if they were, how many bottles were they going to end up using.
Annie shook her head at the thought.
Well they had to think of a solution fast before the stench of her own body became an unbearable odor for her.
She got up to look for Jon again as he had disappeared immediately after they had finished breakfast.
She'd never stopped wondering at the fact that the building had doors. An uncompleted half roofed building actually had functional doors in it.
When she looked at the exterior the moment Jon had pointed it out, she'd thought they'd have to worry about problems like crawling creepy things, more cold wind in addition to the one coming from the window, or even security.
She chuckled at the idea.... sleeping in an uncompleted building and still having the guts to worry about security but at least it having the doors standing, did provide something, for which she was greatful.
After instructing Bertha to stay put the second time, the left the room and resumed calling out to her brother.
Loud gushes of water brought her to the back of the sorry contraption of a house, where she found a wet Jon stripped to his shorts, holding a gushing hose, his discarded clothes a wet mess, spread on a stone.
Annie froze midway to him.
How in the world did water miraculously appear so suddenly out of nowhere?
It had completely escaped her mind that most buildings under construction either had a water tank or a borehole drilled in place for quick access to water.
Apparently, her brother had a talent for discovering things people tended to normally overlook or forget and he knew ways of providing solutions to certain problems...well either that or he was just being plain old lucky.
A talent she was just beginning to observe.
"why you little fucker" she muttered smiling as she walked towards him.
She didn't mean it an a bad way though, she was just overjoyed to see another problem solved.
Ah...that curse word again.
The way it rolled off her tongue these days was still a marvel to her and oddly enough, each time she cursed, she remembered her mother.... remembered how her mother would chide her each time she was close to uttering one, threatening to cut off her tongue, or rinse it with bleach, though lovingly. Her mother would never even conceive the thought, but still, she threatened her with it anyway
She hurriedly went upstairs to get her sister.
The moment she came back down, she stripped down to just her undies, and helped Bertha undress too.
Then her brother produced soap from lord knows where.
That's it...she concluded....her brother was now officially a magician. Her new favorite one at that.
She used the soap to wash their clothes and hung them to dry, not forgetting to first remove the piece of paper she had removed from the box her mother had given to her that night, keeping it in a secure place, faraway from the reach of the water hose, but where she could easily lay eyes on it.
She had a very nagging suspicion the damn piece of paper held the answer to this big jumbo of a puzzle their lives had just become, if only she could figure out what it meant and how to use it.
There was no way she was letting it out of her sight, even if she knew they were completely alone in the building.
She splashed herself with water and gave Bertha a good rinse, before turning to herself.
She ensured she gave herself a good scrub, before she turned the hose to Jon and gave him a big spritz, just when the air was beginning to dry the wetness on his skin.
He lunged at her and they battled for the hose, their happy laughter, drowning their sorrows in happiness at this instant.
Even if just this once, this little time, this moment, they were happy and their minds were free of the uncertainty of the future.
Annie eventually turned off the tap supplying water to the hose, and they went back upstairs together, leaving their clothes behind under the sun, Annie picking up the paper and holding it by the edges with her fingertips, after cleaning her thumb and index finger on the naked brick wall to get rid of the wetness on her fingertips.
They settled on the aluminum coloured wrap they had found to let their wet bodies dry.
"what do you think that thing means" Jon said pointing at the piece of paper, making Annie who was resting her head on the wall, eyes closed, to open them and stare at him.
"I don't know Jon" she said shrugging her shoulders.
"it could have clues...we just have to figure it out" she added.
"how are we going to do that"
"I haven't the damnest idea" Annie said, then she smacked herself in the head.
She'd cursed again. Maybe she was just doing it to help her keep her memories of her mother fresh in her mind, or she was just doing it to remember the times her mom chided her and oh her giggles each time her momma did.
She felt sad all of a sudden and her eyes watered.
She'd thought if her parents again. She had to stop... seriously....she had to be strong she told herself, chiding her self mentally.
"how did it happen" Jon asked suddenly.
"what?"
"how did Mom and Dad die" he added, turning to her with a tear streaked face.
Annie couldn't bring herself to tell him. He looked so sad and piteous at the moment and she was sure she would open up the flood dam of his eyes and hers and probably Bertha's too if she recounted the events of that night.
"come on Annie" Jon said, looking at her pleadingly.
"why do I have to be the only person who doesn't know anything.... even Bertha saw"
"yes...I saw Uncle Willy shoot momma" Bertha said, supporting his comment.
Jon turned to her and then to Bertha.
"See, even Bertha knows" he said, gesturing with his two hands towards Bertha.
"Fine" Annie said, finally succumbing to his pressuring then she told him everything her eyes had seen that night, not leaving out a single detail.
Yup, she had been utterly right...by the time she was through, her brother was crying really bad and he'd let the flood dams of his nose also join the flood dams of his eyes.
She pulled him close to herself and held him close to her as he cried himself to tiredness and sleep, sniffing occasionally herself as she cried silently.
She eventually slept off too and they woke up only when the sun was past the middle of the sky, preparing to go to bed.
Annie went downstairs to check their clothes and found them dry, then she removed her underwear and washed them too after putting on her clothes.
She dressed Bertha and also took her undies and Jon's too for washing.
In the evening, the hunger returned and Jon was assigned the task of finding something edible enough for them to swallow.
He'd brought back take out food, and water, which they gulped down with relish.
After eating, they decided to go outside and explore the streets. They went out to stretch their legs and flex their muscles. There was nothing to do back at the building anyway, it was awfully boring and staying cooped up throughout the day wasn't a good idea.
Annie didn't even bother herself about going outside without undies.
It wasn't like she had a choice anyway, they were not dried up yet.
The first item of business Annie took care of when they were outside was getting them new shoes and spare clothes.
They hopped on a bus to the nearest mall.
That was one of their most pressing need at the moment.
Again, Annie thanked her stars that Jon had brought back that wallet.
What would they have done by now if he hadn't.
They were just on their way going back when they saw three men holding little things that looked like cards in their hands, staring at them intensely.
Annie stopped in her tracks and watched them with her peripheral vision as they walked.
She held Jon and Bertha's hands as she increased her speed.
Jon didn't ask any questions. He'd seen enough these past few days to know the new unspoken rule. Run first, ask questions later.
The men began walking at the same brisk pace as The children then Annie said "run"