“Would you be able to take me to Fort Providence when the storm lets up?” she asks. “You’ve already helped me so much, and I know it’s a lot to ask. You don’t even know me.”
“It depends on the storm,” I say. “I can get you back to Whatì, but farther than that might not be possible for a while.”
“Why is that?”
“Even getting to Whatì can be difficult once the cold sets in. There aren’t any roads around here, and my Jeep can handle the snow only to a certain point. Once it gets cold enough, it won’t run well. It’s winter, Netti.”
“Netti?” She lets out a short burst of laughter. “No one has called me that in ages. Just Seri, please.”
For a moment, I just stand there. I’m the first to admit that I’m not great when it comes to talking to women, but I don’t think that’s my problem here. This woman is just weird. I know she told me her name was Netti, and I knew then that it wasn’t the name she had given me before. Seri does actually sound right—a shortened version of a longer name.
I have no idea what to say.
Chapter 6
As I light the kerosene lamp and a few candles, I watch Seri as she cleans up from our meal, eyeing her carefully.
I consider her behavior when she first woke up. “Netti” was so calm and relaxed. She spoke softly and with purpose. Seri is not the least bit calm but rather full of nervous energy. She babbles about nothing as she moves around, trying to help as much as possible. She smiles constantly though the look in her eyes is one of trepidation.
I shake my head. I’m obviously reading too much into this. She was probably in shock when she first woke up, and this is more normal behavior for her—at least normal, given the abnormal circumstances. Giving me a name that she obviously used in the past was probably just a slip of the tongue. The cold can make people do weird shit.
“How can you walk around like that?” she asks. “It’s freezing in here!”
I look down at my bare chest, sweatpants, and socks. It’s the way I usually dress while inside, and I’m used to it. As long as the socks are warm, the rest of me typically is. If I do get chilled, I sit closer to the fire or put on a hat.
“Go outside for a minute,” I reply with a shrug. “I bet you’ll think it’s warm in here then.”
She giggles and rolls her eyes. I smile back a little sheepishly. I’m used to the temperature inside, and I’m perfectly comfortable running around half naked. It doesn’t bother me at all. Considering the wind chill is at about negative forty right now, inside is a summer vacation on a nice, sandy beach in Florida. I didn’t think about how she might react to me dressing this way. Not that it matters—I’m not about to change for her.
“I suppose you get used to it. Back home, it never got this cold, not even in winter.” As soon as the words are out of her mouth, her eyes go wide and she looks away. She’s given me more information than she intended.
No worries. I’m not going to ask you any questions. I don’t care.
“It’s so dark already,” she says in a lame attempt at changing the subject. “I don’t see a clock…what time is it?”
“I dunno.” I shrug. “I don’t own a clock or a watch.”
“Really?”
“When there is no set schedule, what time it is doesn’t really matter much. When it gets dark, you go to bed. When it’s light again, you get up.”
“Wow. No clock, no phone. I’m not even sure how you can survive without th
ose things.”
“Neither of those things are required for survival.”
“True, but people think of them that way.”
“Not around here,” I say. “If you’re going to talk about survival here, you’d better mean it.”
“I guess that’s true.” Seri nods and fiddles with her fingers. “So what do you do when it’s too cold to go outside?”
“I stay inside.” I narrow my eyes at her, wondering why she’d ask such a stupid question.
“And do what?” she asks.
“Just…whatever.” Once I understand what she means, I realize I don’t have much of an answer for her. “Keep the fire going. Repair whatever might be broken. Read.”