Off the Grid

  To my lovely wife Jennifer-she in no way, shape, or form resembles the ex-wife in this book.

  Special thanks to Tony May for his keyboard accompaniment to this book. He s an expert editor, too.

  A special thank you to Scari Wright for reading and fixing my manuscript.

  Ed Dechant is the Grand Master of cover art. You are awesome.

  Michelle Hemzacek is an excellent Zeke. She is my back cover model.

  The best hosts in the world can be found in Ramrod Key. Thank You Don and Rita.

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Mike quickly alternated between annoyed and pleased the entire trip to the Florida Keys. He loved his girls so much and wanted to give the two of them everything. He would honor and protect them the rest of his life. Of that, he had no doubt. The problem was the friggin noise. They just wouldn't shut up about anything, and his ears were hurting.

  The girls, Elizabeth and Victoria, sat in the back of the old SUV and just rambled nonsense for twenty-eight straight hours. The only time they shut up was to nap occasionally, but unfortunately, they woke up with even more pressured speech than before the nap. It was as if they might actually explode and die if silence occurred for even one brief second. He had to laugh to keep from crying. For the last two hours the girls kept blabbing on and on about makeup to Mike without him saying a word. He had no clue what they were talking about and didn't really care. He was just happy to be with them. That didn't make it any easier on his ear drums.

  An hour before, he secretly placed earplugs in his ears. The kids never noticed. Every once in a while, he smiled or burst out laughing at their facial expressions in his rearview mirror. They seemed satisfied with this, and Mike managed to keep his sanity - so far.

  He looked at their beautiful faces and knew he was in love. His oldest daughter with her beautiful brown hair and always flashing smile would eventually dazzle every man as much as it did him. She was the bookworm of the two and liked to show the world how smart she really was. His Victoria, his little blond girl, had the personality that attracted all the boys and girls to her side. Always playful and ready for fun, her personality worried him. She was the one that would cause him the most trouble when she became a teen. He wasn't looking forward to it, honestly. He wanted the two of them to stay at this perfect age of ten and nine forever. They could help out and take advice at this age. He didn't look forward to when they started puberty and thought of him as a fun blocker. Mike liked being relied upon as their father and dreaded when he would no longer be needed for anything other than money. For now though, he hoped that was more than a few years away.

  Although tired, he was really looking forward to this trip. Mike worked two jobs to pay the bills. He had no choice. After being let go by the city because of budget problems, he had to work several construction jobs just to make ends meet. He went from driving a desk to pounding nails. He now worked fifty hours a week doing manual labor and earned the same as he did working forty hours pushing papers.

  He complained about the fact that he missed his girls a little more because of his extra work, but honestly he loved his new jobs. Prior to working in engineering, he had been a Navy Seabee and built bases for the US Navy. They trained him well. The one thing about sitting behind a desk that he had regretted was that he missed the physical labor that kept him fit and the sense of accomplishment when he completed a task. He didn't get that looking through plans and doing payroll for the city. When he couldn't find another desk job after he was laid off, he went back to his roots and started doing odd jobs with his hands before he found a few jobs building houses. Employers sought him out when they realized how well-trained he really was. There was nothing he couldn't fix or create. He liked that feeling, and his bosses made sure to let him know how good he was by giving him more and more work. He quickly became trusted to make sure that every job was done right. He also started to lose the belly he developed from all those jelly donuts sitting behind his desk. He looked good and started to feel good physically as well. Mentally, however, he was a complete wreck apart from his work.

  The last several months had been really hard. Right after losing his job, his wife left him and the kids. She said she didn't want to support them by herself, and she didn't want to get a job and take his role as the breadwinner. She said she didn't want to demean him and make him feel like a woman. Then the next day she left without saying goodbye to any of them. He never hated a person more than at that time in his life. He loathed her for walking out on him, but there was no way he could ever forgive her for walking out on the girls. It was the meanest thing, short of hurting them physically, that any parent could do to her kids. She just fucking left, and his hatred of her grew more and more every day. He was tempted to go find her and stomp her bloody, but that would mean leaving the kids alone. He couldn't do that. He also didn't want to spend the rest of his life in jail and cause more harm to his girls. They needed him as a father more than he needed to take revenge on her. So he sucked it up and locked away his feelings. That didn't lessen them.

  He was tired and needed a break. He now worked too much at home and at his jobs. He had to do all the housework and pay the bills as well as take care of the kids. There weren't enough hours in the day, and his sleep suffered. His kids knew it. They started being better at doing their own homework, and they also began helping around the house. It helped to take the load off and made him respect them even more. It didn't make him any less tired though.

  Mike looked in the rearview mirror tiredly and saw his kids singing at the top of their lungs. It made him laugh to see their facial expressions. They thought they were so cool and grown up. He pulled out his earplugs and discovered they were singing yet another nameless boy band song. He ignored the song and concentrated on his daughters. He found himself smiling with tears in his eyes. This was exactly what he needed.

  As he travelled down the Florida Turnpike at 85 mph, he thought about how he got here. A week ago he got a call from his ex's aunt and uncle, Lisa and Ron, to ask how his family was doing. Mike almost hung up on them, he was so upset. They had done nothing wrong, but his grief and temper at his wife almost made him literally go insane for a second. Instead, he got himself under control and didn't say a thing. He almost threw the phone against the wall. He wanted to scream. He shut up instead. Then he realized they had nothing to do with his bitch of a wife leaving them. He calmed himself and said hello after what seemed like an hour. It had only been a few seconds, but he had re-experienced so many angry emotions in such a brief time that he actually apologized for taking so long.

  Lisa ignored it and went on and on about missing him and the kids. She meant it. He always liked her. He wound up talking to her for over an hour. She finally asked about his ex near the end of their talk. Mike refused to call his former wife by her real name. She was the 'ex' in the most evil font imaginable. He explained everything, and Lisa just listened. She didn't know what to say, so she said nothing. He vented, and he ranted. Still, Lisa said nothing.

  There really was nothing to say. What his ex did was wrong and everyone knew it. After that, what really could anyone say? He thought raving about it like a lunatic would help him feel better. It didn't. The wound was still open and talking just served to get him mad again. He changed the subject and asked how the new house was.

  Lisa's voice perked up, and he could tell she was smiling as she talked. They just moved to the Florida Keys after living in Michigan near Detroit all their lives. Now all they di
d in retirement was fish, tan, and party with their friends. She had the best life. Mike wanted to be resentful because of all the things he experienced the past year, but he didn't have it in him. He was genuinely happy for her.

  Then she did something he did not expect at all. Lisa invited them all down to their home for a vacation. Mike didn't know what to say. He was touched by her invite but declined pretty quickly because he felt embarrassed that he would impose. She would have none of it. She insisted happily because she wanted to see her nieces.

  He thought about it. The kids had spring break the next week, and he wouldn't be working because of it. He wanted to be there for them during their break and hopefully catch up on his sleep. Plus, he couldn't afford a trip right now. Money was still tight. Then he thought about it. He could do it. On the spur of the moment, he accepted. Lisa was so happy.

  It was so unlike him to do anything like this. Normally, Mike planned everything to a T. It was the carpenter and engineer in his brain that kept saying repeatedly that he needed more time and more planning to take this vacation. For once, he ignored it. He didn't like the feeling. It was reckless. He shut the feeling out of his mind. Emotionally, he needed this. He told his brain to shut the hell up and followed his heart.

  Mike drove down the Florida Turnpike toward Miami and listened to the news as his daughters finally fell asleep exhausted in the back of the SUV for the night. He was getting excited about the sun after such a cold Minnesota winter. He was tired of shoveling and looked forward to sunning himself in a T-shirt and shorts on a beach.

  Victoria was in the back awake again and was contemplating all the fun boot colors she could get and which ones would go with what outfits. Mike just shook his head and wondered how such a smart kid could just ramble on about something so irrelevant. He guessed it was important to her for some reason. He smiled and blocked out everything but her facial expressions.

  Mike kept listening to the radio. He was always hooked on news and politics and he could spend hours discussing any topic no matter how vague. He was always able to get his ex to give him a blank stare after a few seconds on his political thoughts. He definitely had the ability to annoy people with his politics but honestly didn't care. He remembered going on and on about the Republican Party with his wife once where she didn't say a word for over an hour. Mike found himself growing angry, and then he smiled when he realized he was just as bad as Victoria in her speech. He had the same effect on people with his politics as his daughters had on him with their fashion. So that s where they got it from.

  The news seemed grimmer than the norm on the radio. Usually it was all about the economy and various wars burning around the world. Today it was all about this new breed of super-flu hitting the country. He was just glad he insisted upon getting the flu shot for him and the kids. He knew they were safe, thank god. For a second he wondered if his ex got hers, and he found himself getting mad for caring even remotely about her. Then he secretly wished she caught it and found himself guilty of the thought. His feelings for her alternated between love and hate even within the same thought. He needed to get over this, or it was going to ruin this trip and his vacation and his life in general. Mike had to get her out of his mind.

  As he kept listening to the radio he heard reports of violent behavior as people developed brain swelling from the flu. For some reason the infected were going around biting random strangers angrily. He got a visual in his head of people biting others as he drove south past the oncoming headlights. He put it out of his mind as he drove, not wanting to get into an accident.

  Mike put on some music from his friend s band, Southbound, as he drove to keep him awake. He put it as loud as he could and cranked the window to let the warm Florida air into the car. He loved that humid orangey smell. He couldn't smell anything in Minnesota as his nose was always stuffed from the cold. This was another life down here that he momentarily envied. He briefly thought about moving down here with the girls and making a fresh start of things. Then he realized how difficult it would be to uproot them all. He couldn't make them start over no matter how miserable he was. Plus, he couldn't imagine working construction in August and September in Florida. He'd rather be in the cold than completely sweating through his clothes in twenty minutes. No, He'd stay where he was.

  He sang along with the tunes as He drove and thought about the last thing the talk radio host said. They urged people to treat those flu-infected with respect and not to lash out and hurt them. Apparently the infected had no idea why they were biting random people. The radio host wanted people to not lash out and hurt these poor innocent victims of the flu and to exercise Christian restraint. Mike had always been bad at restraint and turning the other cheek. He knew that if even one of these people tried to hurt his girls, he would take their friggin heads off at the neck. He had no doubt of that whatsoever. He looked back at his girls and smiled seeing that they were safe. The urge to protect them overcame his nervous system as adrenaline flooded his system with his need to protect them. There was no doubt that he would use the maximum force to shield the most precious things in his life.

  Then he smiled at his own fears. There were no worries in the Florida Keys. Only fun happened there, and he was sure they would have the most fun imaginable as a guest of the greatest couple on Ramrod Key. What could go wrong?

  Jimmie was in constant pain. Every day was a constant agony cured by a handful of Percocets and Ibuprofen as well as the Oycontin he used to get to sleep. Fifty years old and bald and leathered from the constant sun, Jimmie suffered a horrific accident stringing electrical cables for the Energy Company of Wisconsin. The pole he was climbing let go from the ground and quite simply fell on top of him just as he reached the transformer. There was no reason Jimmie should have survived. His liver and spleen were lacerated, he had a skull fracture with an epidural hematoma, he cracked multiple vertebrae, his pelvis was shattered, and he wound up on a ventilator for over a month in the ICU. For some strange reason his Doctors did not understand, Jimmie lived. Unfortunately, he did not live well. He woke up with chronic pain, addiction to morphine, a huge limp, and a very bad back which throbbed all day long. At least he was still alive. His company settled for millions because of their extreme incompetence, and Jimmie moved to the beautiful Florida Keys. He had always loved it here, and he had no family attachments. He dated in the past, but could not live with any female. He liked being alone.

  Jimmie also liked living on the water. He did the exact opposite of anyone with millions of dollars to burn. He bought a small pontoon boat that was seaworthy with no real functioning engines or power. He handmade a covering over the boat that consisted of a large tarp overlaid with thatch normally found on a Tiki hut. It didn't drip which was pretty much all he wanted. The one thing he loved in addition to his pain meds was his satellite TV. He loved watching television and listening to the radio. He hooked up solar panels to his roof that he attached to rechargeable batteries to power it all. Luckily, there was no deficit of sunlight in the Keys. He always had enough power. The only thing he ever needed was water. He bought it by the case for drinking only. He bathed in the ocean where he caught his dinner. He existed like this for over five years and loved every second of it. He visualized himself living like this for the rest of his life, floating along wherever the currents took him. He was off the grid in almost every sense. All he needed was his trusted mutt at his side. He had the best life.

  Free floating off the bridge, he fished for anything he could eat. He preferred grouper sandwiches cooked on his hot plate but would settle for anything edible. He sat there listening to his radio while he baked in the sun. Every once in a while Jimmie and his dog would jump in and cool off before they became overcome by the high midday heat. He didn't have to be anywhere or do anything, and he certainly had no one to answer to for his behavior. He loved being off the grid. Most of the people he knew wanted what he had but couldn't get rid of the needs of modern day life. Jimmie didn't have that problem. He was happy.


  As night fell, his back began to throb yet again. He popped ibuprofen and some Percocets without success and moved onto Oxy when the weather changed. Rain always brought the pain.

  He gave what remained of his dinner to the mutt who was always grateful and lay down on the waterproof bench that served as his bed. The Oxy relaxed him and made him woozy. As the boat floated around its anchor, his head spun. He floated on air as the pain meds finally kicked in enough to rid his body of his agony. He loved the feeling and went to sleep this way all the time. The only thing that was even better was when the Oxy was mixed with vodka. Unfortunately, he was almost out of alcohol right now. He would have to make his way to shore soon enough to get supplies. He wished he could make his own. He hated having to rely on stores for his needs. He was also low on pain pills. He'd need to get a refill on his stuff tomorrow. It was always the same at the store: pain pills, liquor, new shorts and button down shirts which he never buttoned, and whatever Hostess product he was craving. The money came from his account and was paid automatically. He didn't need to ever carry cash. He also didn't do laundry. He just bought new clothes. It was far easier than washing.

  Meanwhile, he slipped into unconsciousness with the sounds of Zep in the background. His trusted dog was at his feet, always vigilant for any and all threats. They slept as the soft rain enveloped them like it did almost every night.

  At midnight, his pain stopped as the rain passed them by, heading toward the Caribbean Sea. He felt good as he stood to relieve his bladder. Just as he unzipped, he heard a big splash just under the bridge. Then he heard thrashing and flailing in the water fifty feet from him. He kept an eye out toward the noise as he peed over the back of the small trolling motor he kept around to help him maneuver the craft a little easier. It seemed to be coming closer to him. He decided that it was a shark that was attracted to his urine. The sound of the stream hitting the water must have alerted the shark to potential prey. He smiled at the thought of the stupid fish.