Breakfast

Staying quiet a time I swallow repeatedly, trying to clear my scratchy throat. I look down at my splinted ankle and decide to see how bad it actually was.

As Gabby attends to the food I sit down fully onto the wet ground and begin to unwrap my ankle splint. She watches as I do it. “Leg feeling better? I honestly didn't think you'd be walking for a while. You're pretty tough Willow.”

I nod. “Hurt...but better.” That applied to my whole body. My right side and throat still hurt, but I was actually starting to feel like myself again. I could feel my strength and health returning to me. I was sure this food would do wonders.

I lay the splint and wrapping to the side. I can feel around my ankle and twist it from side to side. Some swelling and it had some acute pains in a few specific places, but it seemed in working order. Standing once more I very gradually shift some weight onto it. I grimace as I feel a slight crunching sensation as my ankle takes my weight, in her concern Gabby stands herself and readies to step forward and support me if needed. Even just that simple little selfless moment of concern was so different than what I was accustomed to. In the gang we might carry someone out of battle if they went down, but once they got somewhere safe the medic would patch them up and after that they were on their own to figure their shit out themselves. If they couldn't keep up too bad for them.

My cane was all the support I needed but I reach out to allow Gabriela to help me. I would take any excuse I could to touch her. The look of genuine concern on her face making it all the better.

My large long fingered hand rests lightly on Gabby's warm soft shoulder. She holds my arm with her small hands. Her open expressive face was searching mine to see if I was okay. I take a moment to just appreciate her gaze, finally able to admire her closely in the full soft light of morning. She was such a pretty Latina woman. Large soulful brown eyes, fine yet full pink lips, a small button nose, thick dark but not bushy black eyebrows, delicate little ears that stuck out just a bit, making her all the more adorable, and of course her tussled maybe two inch long shiny black hair. Her overall frame and elegant facial bone structure was fine and immaculately proportioned. Everything about her was flawless.

I'd forgotten all about the ankle I was supposed to be testing right now. It sure as hell hurt, but it was holding my weight just fine. I just stand and openly admire my small companion.

The way I look at her I make no secret of my feelings and desires. I smile as I rub her shoulder gently in my hand. Her expression goes from one of worry to one of nervousness as she sees me studying her closely with a hungry gaze. That lovely blush rises in her cheeks once more. I was coming on strong once more and happily so.

“Oh, um Willow. Hoo boy. Willow, please...please stop looking at me that way.” She looks down, unable to maintain the intense eye contact.

“I...” I swallow to try to clear my voice. “I like...you.”

She shakes her head and stammers. “I-I-I like you too Willow but...not like that...Willow women can't...um...you know. I know you have a...um...peni...oh boy....but you said you were a woman. And a human a mutant certainly can't! That is simply forbidden! And...without marriage... Willow, don't you see that it would be a sin three times over. At least. Just...we can't okay?” She looks back up at me nervously. “But, I'd sure like to be friends.”

A sin? Because of some dead words from a dead book? More mumbo jumbo from this Padre Diaz she spoke of no doubt. More make believe bullshit. Of course I would respect her wishes, but if it was just because of this crap I sure as hell wasn't going to give up. If she said that she wasn't interested for her own reasons that was one thing, but I couldn't take seriously this “sin” argument. I knew better than most that sin existed, real true soul scarring evil, I had seen it many times. I had committed it. What she spoke of was just silliness.

I simply smile warmly. “I like you. Gabriela...grrmmm...sexy.” Ugh, that gross clearing of my throat could have come at a better time.

I give her shoulder another squeeze and pull it away. I had made my intentions clear, the next play would be hers. She brings her hands together and clasps them in front of her. “Oh boy. Um, if you need me to do what I did for you yesterday....oh no. I...I...could...oh boy...” She is squirming and blushing like mad.

I shake my head. “No! I like...YOU.” I say with emphasized sincerity. I didn't want another dutiful friendly handjob from her, as great as that had been, I wanted Gabby as my lover. My equal partner. I didn't want her pity or her servitude. I wanted her to give herself to me without feeling compelled to do so, and I wanted to do the same to her. Just looking at her obvious discomfort I knew this wasn't going to be easy. I wasn't accustomed to having to be patient when it came to sex, but for Gabby I would be as patient as I needed to be.

With that I drop the subject. Turning away I start to walk around, limp around really, with the aid of my cane. My ankle soon reminds me it wasn't at one hundred percent. Each step gets just a bit easier though, and after six or seven steps I am managing a decent walking pace. Behind me my companion is unusually quiet, surely turning over what had just been said in her mind. I continue to give her space and walk around testing my ankle.

After a time I finally hear her exclaim. “Oh! The skewers are on fire!” A moment later I hear a rustle and crackle as the cone of skewers lose support on one side and all of the chunks of sizzling toad flesh fall straight into the fire. “Oh! Oh! Ow!” She tries frantically to fish the burning meat from out of the open flames. She pulls one skewer out and shakes and blows on her hand. “Ooo that's hot! Help! Save our toads!”

I limp over and begin flicking the food from the flames with my cane. Gabby continues fishing them out as well as best she can. We both laughing as we scramble, in a panic to save our breakfast.

I quip as I look at the blackened dirty pile of meat. “Mmm. Ash...add flavor.”

Gabby chuckles as she pulls the last of them out. “Yuck!” She waves me to sit down. “Come on, we'll cook them one at a time. They're mostly done already.” She hands me one of the sticks then takes one for herself and starts brushing it off.

I sit down once more and hold it out over the fire. I turn the slightly charred stick to cook my meat all around as she does the same. It doesn't take long before they are cooked. Just before I get ready to bite into it Gabby reaches over and stops me. She gives me a sweet smile and puts her hands together. She nods, trying to get me to do the same. I look at her curiously. Bowing her head she mutters. “Bless us, O Lord, and these gifts we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Amen.”

I roll my eyes and shake my head. As she looks up I greet her with a kind look. “Thank you.” I say.

She shakes her head. “No, say Amen.”

I point at her. “No. Thank...YOU.” She gives me an almost motherly look of scorn. I soon concede. “Amen.” I say quietly.

She smiles and opens up the water bottle to set it between us. We both hungrily begin devouring the cooked meat. The moment the food touches my lips I am reminded of my ravenous hunger.

Gabriela carefully picks over her toad. Pulling the burnt skin back and carefully nibbling the rubbery flesh off the bones. I bite onto mine and pull it straight off the skewer. Taking the whole toad into my mouth I chew it up. Skin and bones and crispy webbed toes included. She'd already taken out the gross parts. The crispy webbing was actually the best part. Gabby stops to watch me, a bit taken aback by how I had consumed it.

“Wow! You were hungry!” She hands me another one which I then hold over the fire. I had scarfed down three before she had even finished her first. She takes a second one and tells me I could have the rest, which I do. By the lack of conversation and the way she was frantically tucking into her food I could tell she had been almost as hungry as myself.

Once I was done devouring my much appreciated breakfast I take a long drink of water and recline back, laying on my side and propped up with my good elbow. Gabriela grins. “Full belly, happy heart.” She says. I nod my agreement. I lay reclined and just enjoy the good feelings of the moment. The heat was starting to rise and already the ground was drying out. As I suck chunks of meat and bone from my teeth I stare up and watch a white puffy cloud lazily drift over us and listen to the breeze blow through the trash.

“Nice day.” I finally say.

Gabby tosses the picked over remains of her food into the fire and wipes her hands on her pants. “I know. I love days like this. I don't think it will get as hot...”

Crackkkkkk...

The sound of a distant single shot of gunfire echoes through the air and causes us both to bolt upright. Gabriela is hunched, legs bent, and looks ready to run. I stay perfectly still and tilt my head to listen closely. I wasn't too nervous yet, while it was no more than a mile away it wasn't very close either. I continue to listen for any other follow up sounds. Nothing. One single shot, high powered, probably a hunting rifle. Could just be someone out hunting for food. Could be a warning shot. Could be something worse. The fact there wasn't any follow up gunfire or other sounds of battle was a good sign.

Gabby is glancing back and forth between the entrance to our little clearing and me. She whispers. “We should hide the stuff and...”

I raise a finger. “Shhhh.”

She buttons her lip. I could see she was scared. Really scared. Her fight or flight had kicked in and she wanted to get the hell away from the sound. She wanted to hide. Seeing her fear killed me inside. I wanted her to feel safe, I wanted her to know that I could protect her. But could I? This single crack of gunfire brought to mind all of the threats that roamed these Wastes. Raiders, Giants, Wyrms, Spore Plague victims, Skeins, packs of feral twisted canines, Gore Rats, Blood Birds, Burrow Bugs, mutants of all shapes and sizes...the list went on. If this was just a single hunter...hmmmm.

Standing up I take stock of my situation...not great honestly. Far from helpless now however. I was standing and somewhat mobile and my left side was in good shape, thankfully I was functionally ambidextrous when it came to hand to hand combat. But I was still hobbled by my right ankle and my right arm remained mostly useless. My back and throat hurt but not to the point of affecting me in combat. I start thinking, coming up with plans. I glance toward the direction the sound had come, but for an entirely different reason that Gabby. There was little fear in my eyes.

I say in a low voice. “Need gun.”

Gabby nods quickly. “I know, I know. I tried to get one yesterday but...”

I hold up my hand to quiet her before she went into a long nervous spiel of words. I then point in the direction the sound had come from. “Gun.”

Gabriela's eyes go wide. “Willow...what are you saying!?”