Exchange Rate by Bonnie R. Paulson Read Free Book Online

be excited about it, but I can’t when I know where it came from.” I pointed toward the house we left. “I can’t take a dress from there, if there was one, because of what I just saw, you know? I wouldn’t be able to wear it.” A tainted dress just didn’t sound like the type of way to start my marriage.
    “Okay, so we’re agreed. We’re going to get married. We just need to take the preparation slower.” He winked at me, his smile soft and encouraging. “I can do slow. I have more patience than you.”
    I scrunched my nose. “Hey, just ‘cause I don’t want to wait, doesn’t mean I’m not patient.” But it did mean that. Why should I be patient? Any day I could die. Any day I could lose Bodey or John. I wanted to be with Bodey not only because I loved him, but because some days I wanted to be close to him to dispel the ocean-swell of loneliness and fear. Maybe intimacy would help, maybe not.
    I was willing to try.
    Bodey grinned and we turned, falling into step again as we retraced our steps to camp.
    John wanted to work our way past Spirit Lake and would be grateful for help carrying camp instead of dragging the pole system of our supplies on his own.
    Seeing bodies was common and it made me sad that I had grown used to the idea that people didn’t survive. Discovering that many people in the type of living situation I dreamed about having just caused a burning sadness inside my heart.
    One out of ten made it. The family in that house had made it pretty long.
    Then they’d given up. Just like that. Gone. All of them. What had been the trigger to ending everything?
    I shook my head, careful to place my feet and not trip. How long would we be able to live by just surviving? I didn’t want to fight for food every meal.
    There was so much I would do for access to a shower and fresh water. And television.
    Some nights I dreamt about television. Colorful dreams with cartoons and famous actors. News. Even the stock reports would flash through my nightly visions and I couldn’t look away. I loved the flickering screens and bright colors.
    I missed shows. And books. And music. And easy access to food. How much further would the world crash before someone or something would start things back on track?
    ~~~
    T he late night watch had passed without incident and I slept hard on my bed of rocks and moss. I rolled over when Bodey and John’s soft murmurings finally edged through my deep sleep. Blinking at the bright morning sky above the dark green pine canopy, I shifted to my back under my thin blanket. I used one above me and one below me.
    One of those days I planned on sleeping on a bedroll, we just had to find one for each of us. I closed my eyes against the bright light and drifted to a place where I wasn’t quite asleep but wasn’t completely awake.
    John’s voice drifted to me, the words clear in the early morning air. “You made it back fast. Did you tell her you were going?”
    “No, I was back before your watch ended so I didn’t see a reason to. I’ll tell her this morning.” He slurped at his cup.
    Did we have food? Suddenly awake, I half-sat, bracing on my elbows. “Tell me what?” My voice sounded like cracking branches. I swallowed, clearing my throat. “Did you go get food or something?” The scent of coffee wafted toward me. Suddenly alert, I jerked upright. “You got coffee!”
    I had only had the drink a couple times in my life and I hadn’t liked the bitterness, but the smell combined with the potential for something besides bark broth had my mouth watering and my anticipation mounting.
    Bodey shuffled toward me. He held out a mug, steam curling from the cup. “I brought you a present.” He reached into his pocket after I claimed the drink. He knelt on one knee.
    I glanced at John, eyebrows raised. With the coffee in my grasp, I couldn’t figure out what to do. Did I drink? Did I wait for Bodey to do whatever he was doing?
    Holding his closed fist outstretched, Bodey spoke