Chapter forty-five

"This sea air is spoiling our food supply two times faster than we factored."

Damian listened till Jane finished speaking. He turned to Steve.

"How far away is the next Island?"

"At our current pace, we should reach the West Indies in about six days."

"Jane, how long can we stretch what we have?"

"Three...four more days, if we ration."

The big Cat was sitting up on her haunches, between Chandra and the Iowees, head up, like she was the chairman of the board or some equally important thing.
Steve looked over at her. A devilish gleam suddenly leaped into his pupils.

"If push comes the shove, we can always barbecue. I've heard that tiger meat tastes just like chicken."

Sheree, who was sitting to the left of Steve, exploded with laughter. She punched his arm.

"Stop it."

The big cat blinked and yawned. The Iowees were cooing and rubbing her coat.

Damian cursed. "That's at least three days with no food. I thought we calc'ed for the sea mist's possible effect on our food supply." He gave Steve a look.

"We did." Steve shrugged, his tone clearly saying lighten up. "But we don't know this new world we're in yet Boss. Everything we've ever known about our environment before the breach gets tossed out the window."

"What's the big deal? Three days without a meal isn't going to kill anyone." Bruce said.

Steve puffed out his left cheek like Marlon Brando, in the classic movie, " The Godfather." "How can I 'splain this to youse Bruce. It's a Scientist thing. Youse see, we Scientists don' likea suprises. Yew unnastand what I'ma saying to youse, Brucie?"

Damian felt he was being mocked, even though he knew Steve was just being Steve.

" I like the barbecue idea myself." Patrick laughed. " We've been eating so many leaves, I'm starting to shit green."

" It's not leaves." Jane said sharply. " And don't curse in council."

"Yes Mommy."

"You're asking for it."

Chako snickered. "I think you better stop digging, Midnite, while your ears are still above ground."

"Yuh tink inyone is still alive dere?" Chandra asked Damian.

Damian heard strain in her voice and the only reason for it that he could think of, was that her Father's relatives had lived on one of the West Indie Islands.

" No, baby." He sent her waves of compassion with his silent emissions to her. "I don't think so." He turned from her finally,  and addressed the entire group:

" I'm sorry about the food situation."

" Why is that your fault, boss? You have nothing to apologize for."

" I guess you're right, Steve. It's not my fault. It's yours and my fault. It's our job to handle the logistics of surviving. We just can't afford to make these kinds of simple mistakes. What if we were in a stretch where the nearest land mass was weeks, or months away?"

Steve thought for a moment. " I don't know...go fishing, maybe? I get your point, but I still say we had no way of knowing that the sea mist would spoil the food supply so fast."

"Could we had done a sample test before we left, or not, Steve? We made a potentially, grave mistake. And it was one that could have been easily avoided. I'm not saying that it's possible to think of everything, but we can at least own up to our mistakes without qualifications. That's the only way we'll keep on our toes."

Steve stood up.

" Oh, now you're going to walk off in a huff as usual."

" No, I'm going to walk off in my skin. I can't argue with you, Damian."

"Admit that you're wrong, Steve." Damian felt like something was tearing away from his insides. He couldn't let Steve walk away from him angry, but he couldn't bring himself to give an inch either.

" I would if I was." Steve seemed reluctant to walk away too. But he was as stubborn as Damian. Both wanted desperately, to patch things up. They had never argued before. But neither knew how.

"You're both right. And you're both wrong." Sheree said. "Steve...sit."

The big man looked at her, one brow raised.

"Sit." Sheree patted the spot beside her.

He obeyed, but mainly because he wanted to anyway. He sat there with his arms folded.

"Damian, look at Steve." Sheree was the Elder in their group, and more and more she was conducting herself like someone who will one day have that exalted position which was once so cherished by Aboriginal peoples.

"What do you see?"

" I see a big assed, long haired man with his arms folded."

" That's right, you see a man. A man that has proven his friendship, and  love for you, and for all of us, over and over again. So why would you chastise him like he was a child in front of everyone?"

" Maybe for the same reason he felt he could talk to Janie like he did." Patrick groused.

Jane's face instantly turned beet red.

"Look Patrick, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't keep using me to moan over your injured manhood. He was talking to me and we're not sewn together. I'm okay with what Steve said, alright?"

" You're right." Damian stood up. " I don't know what the hell got into me." He walked past Sheree, over to face Steve. He looked directly into the big man's eyes. "A man save your life one time, and he earns enough respect to last an eternity. When he does it over and over again, at the risk of his own, you never get so high and mighty--even in your mind-- that you talk down to him. I'm sorry Steve."

The big man lurched to his feet. Damian hugged him and Steve hugged Damian back. The two men separated.

"I was wrong, Boss."

"Let's not go through that again." Sheree said hastily.

"Janie."

Jane looked up at Steve.

" I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you."

The love she  had for him was suddenly shining in her eyes.

" I understand what you were feeling Steve. I didn't cry because of the way you spoke to me. I cried because I heard what you said."

The big cat walked over and wedged herself in between Damian and Steve. And as all eyes were suddenly trained on her, she yawned.