Part 20 (1/2)
Bunches. Marvelous. ”Before the IPF arrived-bearing in mind they only got here about a year ago-did you have school for the young?”
”Never got around to it. Always something else to worry about.” Harry was finding his b.a.l.l.s and beginningto stand up to Ben-verbally and in his stance.
For when he had tried to sit down, when first entering the house, Ben had told him to get up and remain standing.
”Do you have gardens ... vegetable gardens?”
”Some folks do. I never had much luck with them, myself.”
*Out of the Ashes ”What do you do with your time?”
”Scrounge around.”
”Before the IPF arrived?”
”Same thing. Why you asking me all these questions?
I ain't your enemy.”
”I don't know whether you are, or not. I am trying to determine if you're worth my attention.”
”Say what?”
”Harry, give me a couple of reasons why I should help you.”
”We're human bein's.”
”Is that a reason or an excuse, Harry?”
Harry's eyes became hard as they locked with Ben's eyes. ”I don't think I like you very much, Ben Raines.”
”I don't think I'll lose much sleep over it, Harry.”
”You was a writer before you became what you are now, right, Ben Raines?”
”That is correct.”
”And before that?”
”Some people called me a mercenary. I was not. What I was, was a soldier of fortune.”
”Is there a difference?”
”Yes.” Ben had no desire to discuss that great difference. People who didn't know the difference between the two were very naive.
”And before that?”
”I was a paratrooper, a Ranger, a Green Beret, then a member of the h.e.l.l-Hounds.”
”I never was even a Boy Scout.”
”That's your problem.”
”Sir?”
”We're about the same age, Harry. Give or take a few years. We both grew up in the days of the draft and the volunteer military. If you didn't elect to serve, don't blame me for it. If you chose not to learn weapons-as a civilian-that's your problem, not mine. How did you feel about guns back when the U.s. was flouris.h.i.+ng ... back when you and others like you had somebody else to do your fighting for you?”
”You ... to was Harry bit off the unspoken scathing.
”Go ahead and say it, Harry. I'm not going to shoot you for it.”
”f.u.c.k you, Raines!”
Ben laughed at him.
Harry picked up a straight-backed chair, slammed the legs to the floor, and sat down, glaringat Ben, daring him to say something about his being seated.
Instead, Ben said, ”Answer my question, Harry.”
”I despised guns, Raines.”
”I bet you didn't like cops either, did you, Harry?”
”I didn't have much use for them.”
”But you'd call one if you got in trouble, wouldn't you, Harry?”
”I did on several occasions. What's the point of all this, Raines?”
”You, Harry. How long have you lived in this area?”
”I came here just after the bombings. I was in business in Davis.”
”And you just scrounged around for food and clothing?
No gardens, no schools for the kids, no organization, no forming of any type of defense?
Is that right, Harry?”
”Yeah.”
”And now you people want me and my Rebels to pick your a.s.ses out of the ashes of war, dust you off, feed you and fight your battles for you, right, Harry?”
”I've heard for years what a horse's a.s.s you really are, Raines. I guess the rumors were true.”
”They may be, Harry. I may well be a horse's b.u.t.t. But I haven't been sitting around feeling sorry for myself.”