Chapter 19 - Stories

Clem managed to find a star and I held her shoulders as she leaned over the second-floor railing to slide it atop the peak of the Christmas tree.

"Ah," Sarita looked up. "Beautiful. You know, now that you and your friends are here, this place is starting to feel like a real home. Matthew and Walter are amazing people for letting Kenny and I stay. Honestly, it's dangerous to be this kind, but they can't help it. Wait until you meet Matthew, he's a real character." Clem and I started back down the stairs. "The first time he met me he called me Rita." She rolled the R and giggled.

"Sarita," I stopped her. "What does Matthew look like?"

"Oh, he's a handsome man. A little shorter than Walter." I smiled faintly, but that told me nothing. And before I could press her, she'd changed the subject, asking Clem about Kenny. Kenny before.

"Well, you four have been busy." Speak of the devil.

"Isn't it great?" Sarita pivoted, smiling at Kenny. Her project done, she gathered a remaining box into her arms.

"I got it, hon," he offered gently, wrapping his arms around hers.

"I think I can manage, Ken," she replied gracefully.

"I said I got it," he replied, pulling it from her grip a little more forcefully than was necessary. I didn't miss Sarita's face fall, despite the fact that she recovered quickly, covering the strange moment with a quip about the man always having to play the gentleman.

"But I'll tell you," she continued, "when I met him, he couldn't lift a fly. Why don't you go see if your friends are ready for dinner?"

"Okay," she acquiesced, ducking my raised eyebrows and going to fetch Rebecca and Alvin.

xxxxxx

Clem and I sat across from Kenny and Sarita, next to Walt. Kenny dominated the conversation, and said little to me, which phased me none. I ate gratefully, scraping at the remains with my spoon.

"So, Clem, what's the deal with the kid? What's his name... Luke? He in charge?" I looked over my shoulder at the guy, hunched over his own bowl with his back to us, that empty seat he saved to his left devoid of the person it was clearly meant for. "You trust him?"

"Kenny, please," Sarita placated.

"Sarita," he scolded, "we don't know these people."

"They seem nice."

"Yeah, well, gators seem nice, too," he groused, "'til they bite your damn arm off."

"We don't know yet," Clem replied pensively. "We haven't been with them long."

"We?" Kenny's brow furrowed.

"Oh, right," Clem straightened up, nudging me. "This is Scout."

Kenny stared at me, his eyes hard. I stiffened, but then his face softened and he smiled jovially. "Well, Scout, it's a pleasure. You two met up when Clem joined this outfit?"

"No, we've been together for a while," Clem explained. "I was with Christa and Omid after Lee..." her voice faded. "And then it was just me and Christa and Scout found us. Just in time, too."

"What do you mean?" he pressed.

"It was getting to be winter and we were running out of food. Scout's a really good tracker, got us through it. That was last year. Then we got separated from Christa and this group found us."

"They did a good thing, taking you in," Sarita smiled warmly. I shuddered, remembering the walker bursting through the wall of the shed. The whole thing seemed so twisted now.

"Still," Kenny's eyes were on Clem again, as though neither Sarita nor I existed, "It takes a while before you know a man for real." I looked at Clem. She just shrugged and smiled lightly, the way she did when she disagreed with you but didn't want to say it. Glancing sideways at Kenny, I realized he didn't know this about her. I'd been with her for almost two years, and she'd known Kenny only a couple of months. Just how long did it take to know a man for real?

"That guy, Alvin," Kenny dipped his head forward, "he says they're on the run."

Trust Alvin to tell a complete stranger such a thing. Between him and Rebecca the stupidity quota for this group was met and exceeded. "Some people are after them," Clem replied.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that no more," he assured, "they'll go tomorrow and you can stay here." Whether he meant you as in the both of us, Clem and I, or just her, I couldn't tell.

"Absolutely," Sarita agreed. "You stay with us as long as you want."

"She's stayin' for good!" Kenny grinned. So just Clem, then. Man had tunnel-vision.

"If that's what she wants."

"Of course she does! Right, Clem?"

Clem was silent.