01-04-2018, 04:22 PM
By February, Jay had received three rejections for private security jobs. It seemed that a dishonorable discharge from MARSOC didn't look as good on a resume as he thought. The rest of his applications were dead in the water and didn't get a response at all. The search became more and more focused: commercial enterprises, developing governments, aviation security, corporations, armed maritime. The biggest market was in Africa. The online community wasn't much help either. It seemed that jobs like these were hot commodities and US operators weren't as in-demand as they once were. So despite the impressive deployment and mission status Jay brought to the table, one look at the end of his service tenure probably landed his application in the trash most of the time.
He sighed and closed the screens. As he stared at the default desktop image, some generic picture of a surfer riding a big wave, Jay tapped a foot worriedly. It could take a year to get a job like this. If he even got one at all. He might end up a mall cop at the rate he was going. No. Better yet. A bank security officer. Kill me. I'd rather be the mall cop. Maybe campus police at the community college. Fuck, I feel old.
He scrubbed a hand through his hair and started to close the shut down the internet system completely when a flashing app caught his attention. He opened the weather alert and scanned the news release.
A dangerously cold weather system was set to descend on the great plains states this weekend. He glanced out a snowy window. It was already cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. He planned on going ice fishing this weekend, actually. But if temps were below 0 during the day and dropping to -30 at night, ice-fishing was out of the cards. The cattle were going to need round-the-clock care. Between him and dad, they were going to be hard pressed to keep them all alive the next two weeks.
"Damn. I really hate the cold."
he said just as his little sister came in. Cayli frowned, "Not suppose to curse 'round kids, Jay."
She smirked and grabbed a jar of peanut butter from the kitchen cabinet.
Jay laughed, but she went on. "Didja forget that its February in Iowa again?"
Jay crossed his arms and watched her fumble with the PB lid for a few seconds until he waved her over to let him do it. An easy twist later and he handed it back. "Get a plate down for me, would you Cay?"
She nodded and he went on. "You know what I was doing last February?"
That caught her attention. She froze and waited eagerly for a story. He wasn't able to discuss pretty much any of the missions he'd undertaken as a marine. No wonder she was eager. He smirked, "well, I can't tell you what. Exactly. But I can say that it was somewhere warm. With palm trees. Monkeys. And sand warm enough to stick your toes in and you wouldn't even care if the crabs nibbled on them."
He smiled when she giggled at the imagery.
Their father came in about then looking for a bedtime snack as well. Or maybe a bottle of whiskey. Jay wasn't sure which was more likely. "Dad. You hear about this cold weather snap coming?"
He grumbled, "Yeah. Worst winter in years. I swear what's with all this goddamn global warming? It sure as shit ain't warm here."
Jay looked at Cayli, who ignored the swearing. Or at least he thought so. Her back was turned as she smeared PB on some bread.
"I don't think that's how global warming works."
Jay replied and mentally prepared himself for his dad to go on some rant.
"Let me tell you how it works. It's those fucking russians---"
.... and there it was. Jay's face fell blank. "---ruined the climate.Ruined the o-zone. Spilled oils in the oceans. Fucked up the ocean currents---"
Jay nodded along, "yep dad."
"---Then they come and knock out all the oil in the middle east. They monopolize the whole fucking energy in the world and make us pay it out the ass---"
Jay hoped the Pastor wasn't around. Heck, he rather wished Cayli wasn't in the room. Maybe she was used to it. "Yep, gas is expensive these days."
"----Expensive?! You're sure as shit it's expensive. you know when I was your age, it was only $4 a gallon. Four. Dollars. A Gallon. And we sold off corn crops to ethanol plants. Now a days it costs more to grow the corn than you get out of the sales.---"
Jay let himself get distracted by the weather forecast. Luckily, there weren't calling for too much more snow. It was just the cold air and wind to deal with. That was something. "Yeah, you really hate those Russians, don't you dad?"
"We saved Europe's ass in world war II and now they just let us freeze and starve to death. Some thanks. Should have let Hitler win!"
Jay nodded. They'd covered the Russians, climate change, ethanol, and Hitler. There was just one topic left to ---- Yep. There it was. Those evil democrats.
"And the useless democrats in Washington! They're just as bad! They're just in it for the money! Brandon's just holding us all hostage! Those democrats are just like him! It's all a big conspiracy you know that they're all in it together. Mark my words, boy, you ever vote democrat and I'll disown yeh. Can't have filth like that in this house. Thank God President Dawson is in the White House."
That pretty much covered everything. Jay thought. Meanwhile, his mind went back to calculating how to consolidate the cattle into as few groups as possible. They'd need to build walls to block the northern and westerly winds. They'd also have to buy up extra fueling feed to keep the animals warm during the day. Grazing on harvested corn fields wasn't going to keep their metabolism up enough to survive in weather like that. They'd need the extra fuel. Not to mention the fact that the truck needed gasoline itself. That was going to a grand just to fill it up. Horse and buggy was a better option at this rate.
He scratched the back of his neck as Cayli sat down with two plates of PB sandwiches. Jay grinned and scrubbed her hair. "Thanks kid."
Their dad continued to grumble to himself about democrats and Russians when he took off with his own sandwich. Meanwhile, Jay shrugged apologetically at his little sister. "He was in a good mood."
"He usually is,"
Cay added.
He sighed and closed the screens. As he stared at the default desktop image, some generic picture of a surfer riding a big wave, Jay tapped a foot worriedly. It could take a year to get a job like this. If he even got one at all. He might end up a mall cop at the rate he was going. No. Better yet. A bank security officer. Kill me. I'd rather be the mall cop. Maybe campus police at the community college. Fuck, I feel old.
He scrubbed a hand through his hair and started to close the shut down the internet system completely when a flashing app caught his attention. He opened the weather alert and scanned the news release.
A dangerously cold weather system was set to descend on the great plains states this weekend. He glanced out a snowy window. It was already cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. He planned on going ice fishing this weekend, actually. But if temps were below 0 during the day and dropping to -30 at night, ice-fishing was out of the cards. The cattle were going to need round-the-clock care. Between him and dad, they were going to be hard pressed to keep them all alive the next two weeks.
"Damn. I really hate the cold."
he said just as his little sister came in. Cayli frowned, "Not suppose to curse 'round kids, Jay."
She smirked and grabbed a jar of peanut butter from the kitchen cabinet.
Jay laughed, but she went on. "Didja forget that its February in Iowa again?"
Jay crossed his arms and watched her fumble with the PB lid for a few seconds until he waved her over to let him do it. An easy twist later and he handed it back. "Get a plate down for me, would you Cay?"
She nodded and he went on. "You know what I was doing last February?"
That caught her attention. She froze and waited eagerly for a story. He wasn't able to discuss pretty much any of the missions he'd undertaken as a marine. No wonder she was eager. He smirked, "well, I can't tell you what. Exactly. But I can say that it was somewhere warm. With palm trees. Monkeys. And sand warm enough to stick your toes in and you wouldn't even care if the crabs nibbled on them."
He smiled when she giggled at the imagery.
Their father came in about then looking for a bedtime snack as well. Or maybe a bottle of whiskey. Jay wasn't sure which was more likely. "Dad. You hear about this cold weather snap coming?"
He grumbled, "Yeah. Worst winter in years. I swear what's with all this goddamn global warming? It sure as shit ain't warm here."
Jay looked at Cayli, who ignored the swearing. Or at least he thought so. Her back was turned as she smeared PB on some bread.
"I don't think that's how global warming works."
Jay replied and mentally prepared himself for his dad to go on some rant.
"Let me tell you how it works. It's those fucking russians---"
.... and there it was. Jay's face fell blank. "---ruined the climate.Ruined the o-zone. Spilled oils in the oceans. Fucked up the ocean currents---"
Jay nodded along, "yep dad."
"---Then they come and knock out all the oil in the middle east. They monopolize the whole fucking energy in the world and make us pay it out the ass---"
Jay hoped the Pastor wasn't around. Heck, he rather wished Cayli wasn't in the room. Maybe she was used to it. "Yep, gas is expensive these days."
"----Expensive?! You're sure as shit it's expensive. you know when I was your age, it was only $4 a gallon. Four. Dollars. A Gallon. And we sold off corn crops to ethanol plants. Now a days it costs more to grow the corn than you get out of the sales.---"
Jay let himself get distracted by the weather forecast. Luckily, there weren't calling for too much more snow. It was just the cold air and wind to deal with. That was something. "Yeah, you really hate those Russians, don't you dad?"
"We saved Europe's ass in world war II and now they just let us freeze and starve to death. Some thanks. Should have let Hitler win!"
Jay nodded. They'd covered the Russians, climate change, ethanol, and Hitler. There was just one topic left to ---- Yep. There it was. Those evil democrats.
"And the useless democrats in Washington! They're just as bad! They're just in it for the money! Brandon's just holding us all hostage! Those democrats are just like him! It's all a big conspiracy you know that they're all in it together. Mark my words, boy, you ever vote democrat and I'll disown yeh. Can't have filth like that in this house. Thank God President Dawson is in the White House."
That pretty much covered everything. Jay thought. Meanwhile, his mind went back to calculating how to consolidate the cattle into as few groups as possible. They'd need to build walls to block the northern and westerly winds. They'd also have to buy up extra fueling feed to keep the animals warm during the day. Grazing on harvested corn fields wasn't going to keep their metabolism up enough to survive in weather like that. They'd need the extra fuel. Not to mention the fact that the truck needed gasoline itself. That was going to a grand just to fill it up. Horse and buggy was a better option at this rate.
He scratched the back of his neck as Cayli sat down with two plates of PB sandwiches. Jay grinned and scrubbed her hair. "Thanks kid."
Their dad continued to grumble to himself about democrats and Russians when he took off with his own sandwich. Meanwhile, Jay shrugged apologetically at his little sister. "He was in a good mood."
"He usually is,"
Cay added.
Only darkness shows you the light.