Pat woke up and raised his head. It took a few seconds for him to remember where he was. He looked at his watch and saw that it was a little after one o'clock in the morning. He looked around and saw nothing that would alarm him. He saw that the power was still on but the motel showed no signs of life. Pat was sure that the girls were asleep by now. The few hours sleep had refreshed him and he didn't want to wake anyone up if he went back in to the motel so he decided to stay on the bus for the night.
He decided to see if he could raise anyone on the radio. After trying several channels and just getting static he gave up and turned the radio off. He tried to call everyone that he could think of with his cell phone but he didn't get an answer at any of the numbers that he dialed. He knew that the cell phone systems would start going down soon and it would probably spook the girls. Teen-aged girls had come to view cell phones as necessary for life. As long as the phone connected to the number the girls were calling they would have some hope that their loved ones had survived. Once the cell phones stopped working the girls would lose all hope of ever contacting their loved ones.
A movement at the motel got his attention. The lights were off in the bus so he knew that he couldn't be seen from the motel. He watched the person as they walked away from the motel. As she walked under one of the parking lot lights he saw that it was Anna. She was heading toward one of the other motels.
Anna was dressed in a large terrycloth robe from the motel that almost came to her ankles. Pat watched her until she was out of sight. He wondered if she had her pistol with her. He had seen a small dog sniffing around the garbage when he got on the bus and he knew that it was only a matter of time before the larger animals got hungry and started checking out the garbage; trying to find their next meal. The garbage that humans left would be an easy meal for a hungry dog or even a bear or wolf for that matter. Soon everyone would have to be on their guard at all times.
Pat sat on the bus for a long time and Anna never came back from the motel that she had gone to. He began to worry about her. If she didn't have her pistol with her and she met a hungry dog she might be on the losing end of a confrontation.
Pat got off of the bus and closed the door; he didn't relish the thought of meeting an animal inside the bus the next time he got on the bus. He walked toward the motel that Anna had walked to.
He was about to walk into the motel to see if she was inside when he heard water splashing in the pool area. It was a very warm night and he figured that Anna had probably gone for a swim away from the others. As he walked to the pool he saw Anna's head as she came up from her dive. Although the water blurred her form he could tell that she was swimming nude.
Pat turned to sneak back the way that he came and he heard Anna snap, "You pervert! Have you seen enough? I half expected you to follow me. It doesn't surprise me that you had to spy on me."
Fire flew into Pat and he picked up Anna's robe and held it out for her, "Come on and get out of the pool. We're going to have a talk woman."
Her eyes showed the rage she felt at his action, "Get out of here. I'm not going to give you a show. Get out of here or I'll start screaming."
Pat held out the robe, "Go right ahead. Scream all you want. Would you want me to start hollering for you and wake everyone up? I'm sure the girls would be amused."
"You bastard, get out of here and let me out of this pool."
Pat made a motion with the robe, "I can stand here all night. Now get out of that pool and you and I are going to have a talk."
"At least turn your head you pervert," she snapped.
Pat turned his head and Anna got out of the pool and rushed to him and put the robe on.
She attempted to brush by him but Pat blocked her. He put his hand out and blocked her from getting past him. Anna swung at him and hit him on the side of his head with her open hand. Pat was stunned that she would do that and he put his arms around her and held her arms at her side so that she couldn't hit him again.
"What is wrong with you woman? Is it just me that you hate or is it all men?"
Anna tried to wiggle out of his arms, "Let me go. You men are all alike; you think women are your playthings."
Pat held her tightly with her arms pinned at her sides, "I told you that you and I are going to have a talk. Now answer me: is it just me or all men?"
"Let me go. You're not going to get what you want from me. I'll fight you until my last breath."
Pat held her for several minutes until she stopped fighting him, "Now what has got you so hateful towards me? What have I done that makes you hate me so much?"
"You're just like the others," she said with tears in her eyes.
Pat held her tight, "You're not going to leave until you tell me why you hate me so much. You might as well tell me what I've done."
Anna started to fight him harder than she had been fighting him. Pat held her arms trapped to her sides and wouldn't let her hit him again. Anna started crying harder. She finally stopped fighting him and just stood with tears running down her cheeks.
Anna raised her head and faced him with hate in her eyes, "Alright you bastard. When I was sixteen two men pulled me into a car while I was walking home from school, They took me to a house and they and their friends held me for two days and they ... they ... When they were done with me they took me into the country and turned me loose without my clothes and told me that they had fun. Now, are you happy that I revealed my shame to you?"
Anna started crying harder than she had been and she slumped against him like her legs couldn't hold her up any more. Pat pulled her to him and hugged her. He was so choked up that he couldn't speak. Anna was crying so hard that she couldn't pull away from him and her legs would barely hold her up.
"I'm sorry Anna," Pat said softly, "I'm a fool. I had no idea and I had no right to push you that hard. Please forgive me."
Anna sagged against him and Pat was afraid that she was going to pass out. There was a two-person chaise with a cushion on it and Pat guided her to the chaise. He pulled Anna down on the chaise and he held her while she sobbed uncontrollably. There was a blanket next to the chaise and he covered them up with it and held her.
Pat began to talk to her softly, "Anna, all men aren't like that. The thought that any man would do something like that turns my stomach. I feel like a fool because I forced you to tell me that. I can't even imagine the hurt that you feel. You said something about your shame: the shame is on the people that did that to you. You have no reason to be ashamed for the actions of others."
Anna sobbed for about ten minutes before she began to just cry softly. Pat held her gently.
Anna finally made a move to get up, "Let me up. I'd better get back."
Pat held her, "Just let me hold you for a while. I'm not going to try anything wrong. I care about you and I want to ease your pain somehow but I don't know how. Let me hold you for a while."
Anna relaxed and let him hold her. After several minutes the exhaustion and the tensions of her revelation and her struggles with him let her sleep and Pat held her until the sun began to start to turn the morning sky lighter.
Pat woke Anna up, "We'd better go back to the motel before people start waking up. We don't want to give anyone anything to talk about."
Anna made a move to get up but Pat stopped her, "Anna, we have to try to get along. The girls are going to start realizing that nothing is going to be like it was before the black hole but ... well; I don't know how they're going to react when it hits them. We have to be strong for them."
Anna got up and Pat stood by her and took her into his arms. Anna put her arms around his waist.
"Anna, I really feel terrible about what happened to you and I wish that I could make your pain go away. Please don't paint me with the same brush as the men that did that to you."
Anna didn't look up at him and spoke into his chest, "I don't want to feel this way. I hate being afraid of every man in the world. I hate being terrified every time a man walks into the room that I'm in. I hate not being able to love someone and not having a relationship with someone. I know that I'm a hateful person and I hate being like that. I'm just so afraid of everything all of the time. Sometimes I wish that I would die."
"If you ever want to talk Anna ... just talk ... let me know. I can be a good listener. Just remember that I'm not like any other man. I'm my own man and I try to do the right thing. I guess that I don't always succeed but at least I try."
Anna gave him a half smile and they began to walk to the motel where everyone was sleeping. They didn't talk as they walked.
Outside of the motel Anna turned to him, "I'm sorry I hit you. The whole side of your face is red."
Pat grinned, "I'll tell people that I hit my head on the bus door."