I laughed. “Your mom is buying it.”
He stopped to think about that for a minute. “That’s alright; it gives her a chance to stop worrying about me.”
“You’re a smart kid.” He was probably on to something. Mary, on some level, probably knew Gary was hamming it up, but it was a diversion from the nightmare outside.
“Yeah, I usually like to build radio-controlled cars, but guarding this house is a full time job,” he sighed heavily.
“Can I see them?” I asked. We’ve all established that I’m just a larger version of a kid so I wanted to see them; and the word “diversion” was now stuck in my head.
The kid’s room was crammed with at least a dozen different vehicles that I could see. There was a lunar module with six wheels, a tank, that fired projectiles, some racing cars and other sets that were in various states of repair or disrepair.
“I’m still working on this one,” Josh said, picking up what looked like a waste basket on wheels. “My dad went out to get me some parts for this. He had come over to work on it with me and then the zombies had come.”
“What’s it going to be?”
“A half scale R2D2.”
“No way? That’s awesome. You have some incredible stuff here.”
Josh sat down heavily on his bed. “I haven’t touched any of them since he left. He didn’t come back and he was out getting stuff for me.”
Man I hate the serious talks. I sat down next to him. “Listen Josh, I’m a father too.”
He looked up at me with “Really?” written all over his face.
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my kids, from giving up my life all the way to seeing a smile flash across their lips. You’re dad went out, trying to do just that. You can’t blame yourself for his actions, it was something he wanted to do.”
“Thanks mister, you seem like you’d make a good dad.”
“Thanks kid, now if you could just tell my wife that, I’d really appreciate it. Can you show me how a few of these work?”
Josh’s face lit up. He was back in his element, tinkering with the small machines. We spent a few hours going through his wheeled assembly. It was nice to forget for a while what lingered mere feet away outside.
Mary finally had to come up and get us for dinner. Her first two shouts had fallen on deaf ears as we recreated the chase scene from Mad Max.
Mary had made us a simple meal of beef stew and corn, but it was warm and we were safe. I said a silent prayer for my family and friends before I sat down. I noticed only two settings at the table. One for Josh and one for me. “I’m sorry we’re late. Did you guys already eat?” I asked from the kitchen.
“No,” Mary said. “Your brother is still in a lot of pain, so I set up a tray for him out here and then it didn’t seem quite right that he had to eat alone, so I’m staying with him.”
Josh rolled his eyes as he sat down. I snorted out a laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Mary asked a little peevishly.
“Ah nothing,” I said, trying to stall for a more acceptable answer. “Josh had just told me a funny joke before we came downstairs.”
“Josh, it had better not be that one you heard at school!” Mary yelled from the living room.
Thanks, Josh mouthed.
“Better you than me,” I said quietly.
“What are you two whispering about in there?” Gary moaned. “The noise is hurting me.”
“You two stop it or I’ll make you eat upstairs!” Mary yelled.
Funny, Gary didn’t seem to complain about her volume and she was right next to him. And actually, going back upstairs sounded like fun. Josh’s myriad of radio-controlled vehicles was a good diversion from the cold hard truth. “Diversion.” There it was again. The word kept popping up in my head inadvertently; maybe I should actually pay it some heed. I was three spoonfuls into my stew when I looked over to the wastebasket. Gary’s blood-soaked shirt and a bunch of bandages dominated what I could see.
“Hey Josh, can your cars go faster than a person?”
“Yeah, why? You want to race? Because I will SO kick your ass.” He said the last word softly so his mom wouldn’t hear. But she was entirely too busy cooing over my malingering brother to know anything about what we were doing.
“What’s the range on the transmitter?” I asked him, an idea beginning to formulate in my head.
“If you’re talking inside, it would be the whole house.”
“What about outside?”
“A football field, I guess. I don’t usually let them get out of sight though.”
“Do you have one you wouldn’t mind not seeing again?”
“No,” he answered quickly and decisively. “Why?” he asked hesitantly.
“I’ve got an idea,” I said, my gaze still focused on the trash.
“Oh kid, don’t listen to any of his plans,” Gary said. He was leaning up against the entrance to the kitchen, Mary was helping him stay propped up.
“I told him not to get up,” Mary said, exasperated. “But he just wouldn’t listen. He’s a stubborn one.”