part 5
He watched the hands of the clock on the wall as the time crawled by and wondered what he'd do if no one came to claim him. He had some money in his pocket. The lawyer had seen to that when he'd put him on the train, giving him enough to purchase his meals and a little extra for magazines. He didn't eat much, and made do with the cast off newspapers and magazines the other passengers left on the seats when they were done with them. And he'd been able to change the passage from a sleeper to a regular seat once they'd gotten started, and had added the refund to his stake. He could make the money last a long time, and he knew how to get more� if he had to. He just didn't have any idea where he was. The station was a big one and it seemed to be surrounded by industrial buildings and groves of fruit trees. If he took off he didn't have any idea which way to go to the nearest town. He'd discounted asking the station personnel, knowing from past experience that it didn't do to have anyone in authority know too much about him. About the time he'd decided he was going to have to make some sort of move he'd heard voices in the hall outside the door. Anger and irritation was evident, even from a distance.
"In here?" he heard, and then the door opened on a woman about ten years older than his mother had been when she'd died. Stiffly upright, dressed in fine fashionable clothes, her black hair twisted into a stylish knot at the nape of her neck she was nothing like his mother. She was striking and he thought her face might have been beautiful if it had ever learned to smile. She gave him one cold appraising look, "You were supposed to be waiting on the platform." And then she turned to the attendant who had escorted her to this meeting. "If that's all he's got bring it along to the car." Turning on her heel she left. The young attendant raised his eyebrows and gave him a sympathetic half smile before he grabbed up the bag and followed her.
It didn't take him long to get moving. He didn't want to follow that woman. He didn't think he wanted to have anything to do with her. But he didn't have any choice. Everything that was his in the world was in that bag the attendant had. He thought about making a run for it, snatching the bag from the guy's hands and just taking off, but before he came to a decision the bag was safely locked in the trunk of a large black sedan. She'd already climbed behind the wheel and sat, imperiously waiting for him to get in the car. The attendant stared at her a moment and then turned expectant eyes on him. He considered the hopeful look on the face that wasn't much older than his, and then reached down into his pocket for the precious change that was there. Handing over the money he accepted the young man's thanks, and heard him as he whispered "Good Luck" under his breath.
Madelyn had started the car away with a screech of the tires before he'd even gotten the door closed. After driving in silence for nearly an hour she'd started talking, laying down the rules, letting him know how he'd disrupted her plans. It seemed the message from the lawyer had come just as his cousin had received his orders to ship over to Hawaii. They'd had an argument over what they were going to do about him. She was all for telling the lawyer to keep looking for someone else, but his cousin told her it was their duty to look after him and if that meant she had to delay joining him, then that's what it meant.
Madelyn didn't take to having her plans changed.
She didn't enjoy being a military wife, but she was looking forward to this post. Her husband had finally made his way up the ranks to a position of authority and importance, and, as his wife she'd be important too. She wanted the power that came with that position,� she'd earned it. And now, here he was, delaying her. Well, as soon as she could manage it, he'd be off to boarding school, and she'd be on her way.
That was fine by him. He'd been in boarding school before, he knew what that was like. He'd turned and watched her as she drove, frowning, thinking that he'd sure made a big mistake when he'd agreed to get on that train back east. Glancing at him and seeing that frown before he could look away, she'd lashed out with her hand and clipped him on the side of his face. They drove the rest of the way in silence, both of them staring straight ahead.
She hadn't been able to find a school that would take him. Hopelessly behind in some subjects, too far advanced in others, he didn't fit in anywhere and they were stuck with each other while the tutors worked with him.
There was an uneasy, silent truce between them as he worked to even out his education. The only time he relaxed was when she left to visit his cousin over in the islands, or for one of her extended stays with one of her daughters. By the time the tutors declared he was ready to take entrance exams he'd set his sights on the military academy at West Point. A week after he'd taken the exam, weeks before he'd know the outcome, her bags were packed and she'd left for Pearl leaving him to pack up the house. Three days before he found out he'd been accepted he'd nailed the last crate closed and the movers hauled it out to be shipped across to Hawaii. He spent the last month of the summer in a deserted house, and celebrated his seventeenth birthday by buying a train ticket that would take him back across the country.
'No,' he thought. 'His cousin's wife wouldn't have wanted him out there�. And that was the last place he would have wanted to go.'
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She turned away from the young man sitting lost in thought at the table and looked at her husband, her eyes narrowed, blinking at the tears that threatened. He knew what she was thinking. How could anyone turn their back on a boy that was all alone in the world like this one seemed to be. He knew what she was feeling too, he saw it in her eyes and the set of her mouth as she sat tapping her fingers on the table�. The young man was a stray, just like all the others and she was going to take him in. He smiled at her and shrugged. What was one more after all.
He pushed his chair back and stood, lifting her hand off the table he turned it up and kissed the palm as he did any time he got ready to leave her, and then looked down into her dark eyes. She was the one who taught him that the more love you gave away the more you got back. When the baby had died and he thought he would die with him, she was the one that insisted through her own pain that he go on living, teaching him that the love they had for Joey was free now, to be used for the rest of the kids, their friends, and any child in the neighborhood that needed it. More joy surrounded this one small woman than he ever believed possible and he counted every day with her, even through their troubled times, as a blessing.
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"So what was all that about living in Germany?"
Casino sighed he knew she wasn't going to let it drop until somebody told her and figured he'd spare the Warden at least that much by filling her in. "You should a seen that place over there Ma. That family had money� but the old bastard was crazy and mean."
"What do you mean?"
"Guy we met there, he knew 'em. He told us the old man beat up on 'em,,, both of them, but him mostly. They had to fight to get out of there." Leaning his hip against the counter and absently picking up a towel he told her about the conversation Actor'd had with Garrison when they'd ended up using his family's place in Germany. All the rules and punishments the guy had to live with there and at the schools and camps when he was growing up.
"That's horrible."
"That's not the worst of it." Quietly he explained about the last battle the Warden had fought there in that kitchen. "All this time the Warden thought he killed the old guy."
He was leaning against the counter in the kitchen, drying dishes as she handed them to him, just like when he was a kid, as it dawned on him. "I guess I just never expected to feel sorry for the guy is all." Casino couldn't imagine the beatings the Lieutenant had taken as a kid. His own folks meted out punishment when he'd stepped out a line, sure, but if it was ever more than a quick slap and a good dressing down he'd forgotten it. They'd never used a belt or strap on him in his life. Never. And whatever they did they'd always followed it up with forgiveness and he never doubted they loved him through all of it. And now finding out how much of a struggle it'd been for the guy gettin' back to the States. Living rough, probably goin' hungry, learnin' how to steal to stay alive. He'd seen enough over in Europe to know what the life of a refugee was like even if the Warden glossed it over... Havin' nobody to care about him�no family�
"It's just crazy, y'know. I mean, all that education and going through West Point, bein' an officer and stuff. He's a real hero, Ma, got medals for bravery and everything. But he doesn't have anything that counts." Casino pulled his mother into a bear hug and kissed the top of her head. "Not like I got. And all that stuff about when he got back here. I never knew none a that. We just never asked him."
She put her hands on his chest and pushed back so she could look up into his eyes. "You like this young man, don't you?"
He thought a minute, "Yeah. I guess I do." He smiled down at her, "Just don't let him know, it'll ruin our relationship."
She slapped at his shoulder, leaving a wet print of her hand on his shirt sleeve, and turned back to the sink. "You make sure he knows it. It's one of those things that counts."
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"What?" He'd caught Casino staring at him again. They were on their way over to his sister's place and had stopped so he could catch his breath. ..Again� The doctor's said everything was clearing up when they let him out of the hospital, but he still couldn't seem to go more than a block or two before he had to rest. Time. The doctor said he just needed to give himself time to build his stamina and get his strength back. Time... Right!
For some reason Craig couldn't explain he didn't' think he had very much of that to waste. And he couldn't see how sitting still could possibly help him get stronger or increase his stamina. Left to his own devices he'd be pushing on, pushing his limitations, and forcing himself past them, like he'd always done. But he wasn't on his own.
Garrison had been here several days now and it hadn't taken him long to learn the ropes, so he turned on his safe cracking expert again and asked. "What?" And waited for the question that was designed to keep him in place until the other man thought he'd rested long enough and allowed him to get up and get on with it.
Casino studied the man sitting on the wall next to him. He was still too thin, and too pale. He was breathing too fast, and even after this short walk he'd already broken out in a sweat. The doctors said he was OK though, and he guessed they wouldn't've let the Warden leave the hospital if they'd been worried about him. But something still wasn't right. His color was off or somethin'. Casino shrugged his sense of unease away� They were right, the guy probably just needed more time to rest like they said. And if he didn't come up with somethin' to say he'd be up on his feet again, before he was ready.
"I was just tryin' to figure it out..."
"What?"
"How you managed to turn out normal."
"Normal! What do you mean?" Garrison laughed. "You're the first one to tell me I'm crazy."
"Well, you are! But I'm not talkin' about that�. You know, losin' your dad so early, having to put up with that crazy old goat of a granddad�' The look Garrison shot him stopped any further comment he had on that subject. "Well, uh� considerin' all that, seems like you should a ended up in the cell right next to mine." And to Garrison's questioning look he explained. "Aw, they used to let social workers in the joint all the time. To do tests and stuff."
"I guess I just made different choices."
"Yeah. That's what Ma said."
"You told her?!"
Uh.. Yeah. Well. Some of it. I told ya. She can get anything outta anybody."
"Sure! I can still see the bruises she left on you." He decided to turn the tables on him. "Why'd you end up in a cell anyway? Doesn't seem to fit your background."
Casino gazed off down the street. "I had different stuff to deal with."
"Yeah." Garrison knew some of that story, and could imagine the rest. "Well, I guess I just found 'more sociably acceptable avenues to channel my aggressive tendencies.'"
"Uh oh! The shrinks got to you too? The schools set you up?"
"No. I didn't really go to school here, I had tutors until I went to West Point. Madelyn arranged it." Poor Madelyn, he thought and smiled to himself, that was another thing that hadn't gone as she'd planned. And after that first encounter, after she'd set out all those rules, he had taken particular delight in thwarting some of those plans she made for herself and him. She figured she could get some doctor to certify that he was crazy so she could stash him in a state hospital somewhere. It was a real disappointment to her when the reports came back claiming that even after the life he'd led he'd somehow managed to deal with it in a 'socially acceptable manner' and his sanity was unquestionably intact.
Madelyn? Casino wondered about the smile that ghosted across the Wardens face, he'd never heard that name before but set it aside for now to keep the guy talking. "So what kinda 'avenues' did you choose?"
"I don't know, books, I guess. I studied so much I didn't have much time to get into trouble. Then I wore myself out outside." One of the tutors had introduced him to cross-country running, and he'd also spent time roaming the foothills that sat up behind the house� then the ocean was just two miles away and after he'd gotten over the shock of the difference between the warm waters around Greece and the Pacific he'd taken to swimming as much as he could.
"You compete?"
"Not until the Point." 'Every officer an athlete' he thought. "Everything's a competition there." He'd had it, he was tired of resting. "Come on, let's get going."
Casino followed after him. 'Yeah,' he thought, 'everything was a competition there. Just like at good ol' Granddad's.' He still wondered how each of them had turned out the way they did. Somehow the Warden had turned right when he'd turned left and he wondered if he could really get off the road he was on like they said he could, turn around and go back where he'd missed that right turn.
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Casino was right. It was loud when they all got together and you did have to shout sometimes to make yourself heard. And there was sure a houseful now, just as he'd promised. The whole family had come in for Sunday dinner and he was enjoying the effort it took to keep them all straight.
Rebecca O'Connell married Marcus, Casino's older brother when she was just out of school. He'd dropped out but insisted she finish. He'd gotten in trouble, but insisted she stay clear of all of that. He'd stuck up for her in school, when he was there, and in the neighborhood when the people in it, mostly middle European immigrants started hassling her for her Irish temper, red hair and freckles. She'd come over with her family when she was ten and still had the lilting accent and certainly had the temper. Her parents were dead and her two brothers were in the Navy serving somewhere in the Pacific. She'd brought her boys to live with Ma and Pop since Marcus' conviction and was working as a secretary at Chris' office while they waited out the rest of his prison term. He had six more years to go.
Casino's twin nephews Joseph and Michael were red haired like their mother but darker, tempered by their father's family coloring into a rich deep mahogany. The kids were mirror twins and about the only way to tell them apart was which way their hair parted. They'd just recently taken to combing and oiling it straight back to eliminate even that small hint. The family got around that by just ruffling their hair up when they wanted to know who they were dealing with. The boys were starting to get into more than just petty trouble and had recently taken their first car. They'd been brought home with a warning by the officer who caught them joy riding. He was a local man and knew the family and knew how hard it was to keep your nose clean with a dad that was in prison, especially when everyone in the neighborhood knew it. Not very attentive in school the grades they'd recieved at the end of the year required summer school and they complained bitterly about that to anyone who would listen using all the drama that filled every thirteen year old soul to plead their case.
The youngest brother, Stefan, tallest member of the family even at 17, was dark like Casino, nearly black hair and brown eyes. But where his brother was solidly built, tough, and garrulous, he was slight, intense and introverted. He was determined to go into the service as soon as he could, and he'd been pestering his parents to let him leave school and join up. He was good in school, learning seemed to come easy to him and he'd taken language classes since the war started as part of his preparation for going over to Europe. He didn't speak very well, there was a bit of a hesitation in his speech because of an early childhood stutter, but he could understand, read and write German and he'd made a start on Italian. He was spending the summer with his older sister and her husband. He had his uncle teaching him how to handle a pistol and practiced every day on the police firing range. He'd just recently taken up boxing and weightlifting, trying to add a little bulk to his lanky frame.
The oldest sister Lawenda and her family were a younger version of Casino's parents. They'd married when they were both eighteen and had to wait for the children to come along. Nick joined the police force and was working his way up the ladder. He was a lieutenant now, working vice. The kids, a boy, nine, and a girl just turned six, were the center of their lives. They both had a relaxed easy manner with them, using their love for one another to guide the little ones along the winding path of childhood. They hadn't given it a seconds thought when Stefan had asked if he could stay with them during the summer. He was family. That's what you did for family, you took care of them.
Casino's brother-in-law Chris with his blonde hair, pale complexion and light blue eyes stood out like a candle burning in a dark room when he was surrounded by the family. Casino was right though, as different as he appeared it seemed that he'd always been a part of them, laughing and joking easily as he moved around the room, seeing to it that his wife and his new little girl had what they needed and got where they wanted to go.
They'd been apart for so long that they were reveling in having this many members of the family in one place again. The only two missing were gone for completely opposing reasons. Angie, studying to become a nun, was in a convent in Virginia and Marcus, convicted of breaking and entering, was in a prison in the northeast corner of the state. Even though they weren't physically present they were well represented in the stories of the past that were now being told. Casino and Lawenda were currently passing the verbal baton back and forth as they told about being reprimanded by their mother as children...
"I swear she doesn't know one from the other when she gets mad. You should a heard her when we were kids. She'd call us all down and line us up. Right there, right at the bottom of the stairs."
"Then she'd climb up about halfway�."
"So she could look us in the eye, ya know?"
"And then she'd start to pace. March back and forth across that step as she recounted our crimes."
"Yeah!" Casino rocked back in his chair and laughed. "Punching and jabbin' at the air like a crazy woman!"
Garrison smiled, it seemed he'd seen a little of that action somewhere himself.
"And she never could remember our names."
"That's right! She'd turn on us n' try and single somebody out and end up just pointing and shakin' her finger. Hollerin' 'YOU! You know who you are!'"
"Or 'YOU! Who are you? And don't lie to me!'"
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Casino's father watched the young Lieutenant make his way through the crowded room towards the kitchen, setting his glass in the sink before opening the screen and closing it quietly behind him. His retreat had gone unnoticed by the rest of the family as they continued to laugh and remember their past with jokes and stories. Then he saw his wife lean forward and start to pass Jeannette over to Becky. Of course she'd notice, he thought, smiling to himself, there wasn't much that happened with one of the children that she missed, and whether he knew it or not, the young man that had just left the room had taken up that position in their lives now. He pushed up out of his chair, he'd go check, she could stay with Jeannette. She'd probably just harry the poor man back inside in order to keep him under her watchful eye anyway. She had every reason to be concerned, the boy was still recovering, still tired easily, and the fevers came back when he pushed himself. But this raucous, crowded roomful of people was probably a bit overwhelming. He'd just step outside and keep him company, give him a bit of a break from all the noise.
He found him sitting at the back of the lot resting up against a tree looking back towards the house and motioned for him to stay where he was as he made his way there and lowered himself down to sit beside him.
"Are you alright, Craig?"
"Yes, sir. I'm fine." The sound of laughter drew his gaze back to the house. "You are a very lucky man."
"Yes." He studied the profile a moment and then looked across the yard at the house that held his family, held nearly everything, everyone, in the world that was dearest to him.
"I am." Turning he watched the youngster a moment longer, "But you're wondering how the boys could have gotten into so much trouble."
Garrison looked back at him, smiled slightly and gave a nod of confession. He had been sitting there wondering just that.
"It wasn't always like this� I nearly lost it all by being a fool."
Settling more comfortably against the tree he started to tell the story that he'd told to many of the children and young people that had come into their lives. The story that he hoped would help them avoid some of the trouble he'd gone through, that he'd put his family through.
"I'm ashamed to say that there was a time that I wasn't there for them. Not when they needed it most. They had to watch out for themselves, and they had to go find family to take care of them. They found the wrong kind. They went to my brothers and my uncles, and people I had known as a young man,,, who are into all sorts of trouble. I won't lie to you, Lieutenant, I was into all of that too, once. When I was young I� It was exciting. It was fun, and we never did anything that got anyone hurt."
He remembered the petty thievery and the times he and his friends would harass the merchants along the street where he'd grown up. The fights they'd get into with other groups of boys. The dares that led them into more and more dangerous pranks that quickly turned into crimes as they tested themselves against the local police.
"Then when I got married and the children came,,, I wanted so much for her, for them, and I couldn't get it, not on what I could make. And I'll admit there was a bit of arrogance too. I wanted to prove to her family that I could support her 'in style'. So I stayed in. It was so much easier and faster to make a lot of money all at once like that." Shaking his head at his own stubborn foolishness he continued. "She didn't want it. She tried to make me see, but I wouldn't believe her."
"We got caught, my cousin and I. We got caught with a whole truck load of stolen goods. They sent me to jail and we didn't have the money for bail. She wouldn't accept help from my family, she saw them as part of the problem, so she packed the kids up and went to her folks. The case fell apart and they had to let me go, but she wouldn't let me near her. She wouldn't have anything to do with me. Not until I straightened out. That's when I finally got it. That's when she finally convinced me that the things that I could get for her didn't mean anything to her."
"It was a struggle, there were times I didn't know how we'd keep a roof over our heads or afford to feed everyone. But it was a wonderful, joyful time too, because we were together. And I was learning what it really meant to be a man, to provide for and protect my family. I finally got a good job on the docks. I can't explain how proud I was when we bought this house from the money I was making when Angie came... She said she wanted to fill all the rooms with children. We almost made it. Then Joey died and it was like the world came to an end."
They sat quietly together as he remembered those dark terrible days when the world stopped spinning. The baby's death had thrown his wife into a deep depression and had taken her strength and support away from him. He tried to carry on for her, and keep the family going, but his own grief and guilt was too deep and he started drinking. As the drinking increased he started loosing time from work and the old contacts found out about his trouble and came back to use it to lure him back into business with them. But by then he was too far gone, too deep into the bottle to be useful to them, but they'd found the older boys.
"The light went out of everything. I didn't work�. I couldn't. I drank instead. The older kids had to do what I was supposed to do. The boys had to find enough money to keep the family together and they went with my brothers to do it. Lawenda took over the two little ones and tried to keep the place running. You see she was bad too. She didn't come out of her room for days at a time."
His wife regained her emotional balance in time to pull him back from the edge, but the two older boys were already too involved and they watched them be absorbed into the underside of life in the neighborhood. Marcus because he always wanted more than he had, and Casino because he felt his own guilt over the death of his brother, he'd been the one left in charge of watching him.
"By the time we both snapped out of it the boys were caught. They'd done it, they'd kept the family together, but they were caught up in it all. And it was fun, it was exciting� and they never did anything that really hurt anyone."
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They sat there together, Garrison considering how easily something like that could happen. Casino's father pushed up onto his feet.
"Thank you for talking to the boys."
Garrison shrugged, "I didn't tell them anything that wasn't true."
He'd spent almost a hour with Stefan, encouraging him to stay in school and talking to him about possibly going on to college, even into the military academy to become an officer. With his quick intelligence and language skills the military could always make good use of him, but he hoped his argument had swayed the boy towards continuing his education� putting off his entry into that life until they had a chance to end the mess in Europe.
And he and Chris had spent an enjoyable afternoon as he discovered the ulterior motives behind all the 'toys' in their backyard. It seemed everything there had been constructed in such a way as to provide amusement and an opportunity for both Jeannette and Marika to increase their strength and balance as they used them. Jeannie was 'in therapy' every hour she played out there� Then there were the modifications he'd made to the house and the small lightweight wheelchair and crutches he'd built in the shop at the construction yard, fine tuning them to fit Jeannette as he had done for Mari. Craig had seen enough to know how important those things would be in the coming years. Both civilian and military survivors were going to need people who could make it easier for them to adapt to lives that would be limited by injuries they suffered in the war� and he'd told Chris he thought he should go into the rehabilitation section of the hospital he'd been in up north and see just what kind of equipment the patients were saddled with. The young man had taken up his suggestion and used the number Casino had to call and arrange a time to go up and take a look around. They agreed the girls should go too, and they were going to take the chair Jeannette had been given, and the one he'd made for her along so the doctors could get a look at what he'd done for her.
"Well, it meant a lot to them, and to Marika and my wife. We should probably get back in there." Smiling down on the younger man, "She'll worry and come looking if we're missing too long."
Garrison looked up and smiled, leaning forward he started to get to his feet but winced, drew in a sharp breath and reached across, grabbing his arm, pulling it close in against his ribs.
"Craig! Are you alright?!" The older man dropped down into a crouch and laid his hands on his shoulders.
"Yeah. Just give me a minute." He sat with his eyes closed, concentrating on controlling the pain in his side and shoulder. Breathing carefully, slowly, waiting for his muscles to relax and the discomfort to ease.
"I thought the doctors fixed everything."
"Nerve damage." He shook his head, slowly. "I guess they can't fix this." He hadn't had the pain since three days before they'd let him go from the hospital. He'd actually started to believe that the treatments might have made a difference.
"Do we need to get you back to the doctors?"
Garrison opened his eyes and forced a smile. "No. It's alright. It's already going away. Everything's fine." Pushing off the ground he got to his feet, accepting the help when Casino's father hooked him under the arm. "Let's go back in... Like you said, no sense worrying anyone."
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The bell ringing at the house was nothing unusual with a large family like this one, it seemed like people were always coming and going. If it was an established friend, a family member, or one of the many who'd been adopted into the group they just came through the door, either front or back. Someone less sure of themselves rang the bell. The boys ran for the door, and with their voices echoing along the hallway even their own mother couldn't identify which one was calling out. "Papa! It's a telegram. We gotta give the guy a tip." The sound of running feet and Michael, identifiable because someone had tousled the part back into his hair, skidded to a halt. He handed his grandfather the envelope and took the change the man held out to him, tossing it in the air as he jogged back up to the door.
Ringing doorbells were normal, telegrams weren't. The family seemed to converge from all parts of the house.
"What is it Josef? What's wrong? Why haven't you opened it?" No one was about to have a baby, Jeannette was already here, Casino was home,,, it had to be bad news. Marcus and Nick came immediately to mind and her concern was evident in her voice and the slight tremor of her hand as she reached for the cable
"Because it isn't addressed to us." He took her hand and gave it a quick squeeze. Hearing the screen on the back door slam he looked up to see the young men walking in from their trip down to visit with Mari. "Here's a telegram for you Craig."
Garrison reached out for the envelope, "They've probably figured out this was all just a con job and I've been declared AWOL." he joked, but as he drew the message out to scan it he thought, it could just as easily be a problem with the men back in England. That's all he needed, the Army threatening to ship one of them back to prison because of some dumb stunt they'd pulled. He had to get back over there�
She watched the puzzled frown slide across his face and disappear. "What is it?"
"Oh, nothing." Garrison folded the cable away in his pocket and smiled down at her. "They just want me back at the hospital for a couple more tests."
That was said too casually and it didn't fool anyone.
"When do they want you?"
"Tonight. I'd better get my stuff together." He started away from them towards the room at the back of the house. "Casino, is there a train schedule around?"
"Don't be silly." Placing her hand on his arm she stopped him. "You'll take the car."
Casino's father nodded his agreement. "We'll drive you back, it isn't that far."
"That's very kind of you but you don't need to go to the trouble�"
Casino watched his mother's eyes narrow and he reached a hand out to touch Garrison on the shoulder. "You might as well just give in now Warden," leaning his head in her direction he continued, "because you aren't in charge a these arrangements."
"Look, you've been very kind, and I appreciate it, but fuel's still rationed here. I can't let you�"
"Craig. It's a very interesting thing, but cars will run on alcohol and�" a gleam had come into the older man's eye and a smile was just beginning on his face.
"�and you just happen to have a still in the neighborhood?" Garrison shook his head, it seemed some very useful skills had been passed down through this family.
"Well, we do what we can to get along. Everyone contributes and I,,," Pop shrugged and smiled again. "Well, I know how to make it. It won't be a problem."