For once, Relle slept in. She had changed clothes after the night in the rain and curled up on the couch. She woke feeling refreshed and comfortable. For a moment, Relle laid on the couch, enjoying the warmth of her blankets.
She couldn't believe that she had told Madd about the letter. However, instead of feeling embarrassed, she felt relieved. He had listened to her story and validated her choice to leave the farm and travel with them.
Slowly, Relle got up and realized that Arlo, Sage, and Cedar were no longer in the RV. Sunlight peeked through the windows. Madd was asleep on the floor.
Relle was careful to step over him as she walked outside into the warm daylight. It was morning but the sun was already strong.
Arlo stood in the parking lot with two other adults. Behind the strangers was another RV. It was smaller than Arlo's but also had solar panels on top, as well as a large basin on the roof. It was presumably for collecting rainwater.
The couple that stood talking to Arlo, were two women. One woman was tall with long hair that had been braided into dozens of tight braids. She wore a patchwork dress and sandals.
The other woman was shorter with a crown of curly dark hair and almond-shaped eyes. She wore work pants and a plain t-shirt.
As Relle walked out into the warm sunlight, she saw Cedar and Sage running around, chasing a large golden retriever. The two women noticed Relle walk outside and Arlo turned towards her.
"Relle, this is Sparrow," he gestured to the taller woman, "and Lane," he gestured to the shorter woman. "Lane, Sparrow, this is Relle, she's traveling south with my son and me. She is Cedar and Sage's sister."
"Hello," Relle said to the couple, glancing at their RV. It was much newer than Arlo's and each window was filled with plants. "Where are you traveling from?"
"We're headed south," Sparrow said, "we just came from Idaho."
"We're headed to New Mexico," Lane added. "A giant blizzard just hit most of Idaho and Montana. It's a good thing you guys left when you did."
"A blizzard," Relle replied. Lane was right, it was a good thing they left Montana. She glanced at Arlo. "Will we be able to leave here soon? What if the storm comes down this way?"
"I'll let the batteries charge up all day and tomorrow we'll leave. I think we should be safe from the storm," he said.
"Yeah, the storm was pretty far north from what we saw," Sparrow agreed.
Like Arlo, Sparrow and Lane decided it was best to spend the day and charge up their batteries. Sparrow and Lane would have been able to keep going if they wanted, but Lane said that Sparrow wanted a day of rest.
The road had been tiring after a ten-hour drive through the storm. Additionally, Lane was interested in trading with Arlo.
Relle got to see first-hand how much Arlo could exchange his random collection of goods for. Lane traded Arlo two gallons of fresh water and a tarp for socks, double A batteries, and soap. Sparrow traded two mid-sized tomato plants for a lavender scented candle and a warm sweater.
Arlo took advantage of the warm weather and opened up all the doors and windows of the camper, letting the warm autumn breeze rustle through the space. He set up a temporary cooking station just outside of the camper.
A tarp that Arlo had gotten from Lane was hung up as a makeshift shelter from the sun over the cook station. Sparrow and Lane set up some chairs outside their own camper, taking in the warmth of the sun.
It was mid-day when Madd finally woke up. He walked outside to be met by Arlo, who handed him a cup of luke-warm coffee. Madd nodded a short thanks and sat down in one of the folding chairs beside Relle who was sharpening a small hunting knife on her lap.
"Looks like we have some company," Madd said, looking over to Sparrow and Lane who sat together in the sun outside of their camper.
"Sparrow and Lane," Relle said. "I traded Lane a couple potatoes for this knife." She said holding up the knife.
Madd glanced at the knife as he took a sip of coffee. "That's nice," he said, disinterested by the knife but curious about what else the two women had to trade.
Between the two RVs Sage and Cedar played with the dog that Relle learned was called Poppy. The kids played and the dog chased after them. Relle was thankful for the sun and the warmth that it brought.
In the late afternoon, Relle convinced Arlo to go hunting with her again. She claimed that she wanted practice, but really, she wanted to eat something other than an instant-meal. Arlo agreed to go hunting. As they were leaving the RV, Relle stopped by where Lane and Sparrow sat.
"Do you guys like rabbits? Or turkey? We're going hunting," she said gesturing to her bow and Arlo who stood behind her.
"We could trade you some meat for something, if you'd like," Arlo offered.
"I don't know about a trade, but I'd like to go hunting with you, if you don't mind another person," Lane said, looking excited by the prospect of hunting.
"Sure," Relle said before Arlo could interject.
The hunt went well. Relle shot her own rabbit, so did Lane. Arlo shot a rabbit and two ducks. When they returned to their RVs Sparrow, Madd, Cedar, and Sage were painting colorful paintings on pieces of cardboard.
Relle smiled at her two siblings. Why hadn't she thought to find them painting supplies when they were rummaging through Walmart?
Sparrow looked up from her own, near perfect painting of a mountain landscape. She smiled at them as they came back with rabbits. "You did catch something," she said.
"We'll have plenty of food for all of us, let's just cook together," Arlo suggested, surprising Relle.
"We have plenty of vegetables to contribute," Sparrow said. "I was a gardener before the world ended," she explained. "I told Lane I wouldn't leave without my plants." She gave a small laugh.
"Our camper has no room for anything, thanks to Sparrow and her plants," Lane added, with fake annoyance.
Sparrow gave another smile at the remark.
As Sparrow had said, they had more than enough vegetables to add to the meal. While Relle cooked the meat, Sparrow cut and grilled the vegetables. It wasn't long before the rest stop parking lot smelt delicious. After the food was cooked, they each helped themselves to what was made.
After cooking, they sat together in the parking lot and enjoyed the food. Lane and Sparrow told their story of how they escaped the winter storm in Idaho and drove through Montana and into Wyoming.
They shared that their camper also ran on solar powered batteries, and they collected rainwater for drinking, showering, and watering their assortment of plants.
Arlo especially liked hearing about the rainwater collecting. He explained how he used to do it when he lived in Ontario, but never thought to put the design on his camper. Lane assured him that it worked and even offered to show him her design.
The day passed quickly. Relle enjoyed the company of Lane and Sparrow. It was nice to have new faces with new stories of how they survived the end.
Around dusk a game of soccer started, this time with everyone but Arlo and Sparrow involved. Arlo claimed he did not 'play' anything and Sparrow claimed to be a better cheerleader.
This left Madd, Relle, Lane, Cedar, and Sage to play the game. It didn't take long for them all to find that Relle and Lane were the only skilled players. Cedar just wasn't very competitive, nor was Madd. Sage was just too little to keep up.
Despite the odd collection of players, the game lasted a long while. It ended eventually when Relle and Lane grew tired.
"You know," Sparrow said to Arlo. "We're all headed the same direction, maybe we should just follow you for a bit. It would be nice to camp out again before we split ways."
Arlo nodded. "We're headed through Colorado next, I wouldn't mind having you follow us."
Sparrow nodded as she watched the soccer game begin to die down. "It would just be nice to travel in a group for a bit, at least while we are going the same way."
Arlo nodded. "Neither you or Lane play music...do you?" He said, suddenly changing the conversation.
"Oh, no, I mean I play a little ukulele but I'm afraid I'm not that good, why?" Sparrow said.
"I'm looking for a guitar, that's all."
"We actually have one," Sparrow said as if suddenly remembering it. "But I think it's missing a string."
"What do you want for it?"
"Well," she thought for a moment. "We are looking for an axe."
Arlo had an axe, but he certainly didn't want to trade it for a guitar. He thought about it for a moment while he watched his son's failed attempt to score a goal.
"I've got an axe," he looked at Sparrow. "I think we could make a good trade."
Later that night, Lane and Sparrow were the first to head back into their camper for the night. Relle took that as a sign of it being late and ushered Cedar and Sage back into the camper. As she was busy making sure her two siblings had what they needed, Madd was cornered just outside the camper.
"Maddox," Arlo said.
"Arlo," Madd said back. He was sure that he had done something wrong, again.
Without a word Arlo grabbed something from the other side of the camper and handed it to Madd. It was a guitar case.
Madd set it down and opened it slowly, unsure what to think. Sure enough, a well-worn guitar sat inside the leather-sided case. Madd looked back up to Arlo with a combination of thankfulness and confusion on his face.
"I... didn't mean to be so...angry about you draining the battery," he placed one of his large hands on his son's shoulder. "Just don't do it again."
"Wait," Madd said as his father was about to walk into the camper. "I'm...I'm glad that I came to visit you when I did. I'm glad we're traveling together. I'm sorry I keep messing things up."
Arlo gave a half smile, "well, you wouldn't be my son if you didn't mess a few things up."
With that he turned and walked back into the camper, leaving Madd alone with the instrument. He had never heard Arlo say or do anything this nice before. He stared at the guitar for a moment before taking it out of its case.