We cleared through the first weekend
in the post-Fred era here in the store. I cannot tell if the universe is
taunting me or if it is Fred smiling at me from the afterlife but it appears
his prediction has come true. Everyone is looking to me for answers.
Now granted, our routines are pretty
set up at this point. It is not like where we are taking the ship through
dangerous shoals and I am plotting our course. This thing we’ve got here is pretty
much is running on autopilot by now. But still, it seems more often than not,
people are coming to me asking for advice on how they should handle things.
They are not asking permission but they seem to be seeking my council.
Thankfully, we still do things pretty
democratically around here so it is not all on my shoulders. I think this is a
good thing because I would not feel right telling someone like Sharon or Janet
what to do. I was just not raised that way.
But here is the surprising thing, the
older ladies – I don’t know if it is just the mentality or their “old school”
ways – but when they look for advice, I see them looking at me the same way
they looked at Fred. I am not saying that they cannot be leader but it seems
like they are happy to be led. I hope that doesn’t sound demeaning in anyway
because that is not how it is intended.
I think they all just have the
subconscious thing going on where they realize how much of a detriment it would
be to the store and to the cause if there is a bunch of dissention in the
ranks. So they are willing to be told what to do as long as it is a good idea.
Geez, that last statement just seems chauvinistic. Maybe that is why I am
doubtful to be the leader. It is better to go along to get along. I cannot
articulate it properly. Let’s just move on.
I don’t think it will come as much of
a surprise if I tell you that we have suspended outside sorties for a little
while. With news of Vinita and Pryor being largely cleared out and the zom
population of Langley now being whittled down to nothing, safety has become
less of a concern.
Let me rephrase. Safety is always a
concern. What I mean is that the threats are not nearly as numerous as they
were before. The zom population in Langley, Oklahoma is now far less
concentrated than what we have heard has happened in places like Tulsa,
Oklahoma City and Dallas. We have plenty of ammo, food, water, entertainment,
and safety. So the smart thing to do now is hunker down and ride it out.
I can tell you this, right now. I
don’t really want this mantle of leadership. This one time, I took a job as a
manager of a video store. The owner of the chain told me he had more faith in
me than I had in myself. And I did grow into that job. Maybe that is what this
is. Maybe it is just jitters and things will be better down the road. But until
then, it is going to be a bumpy ride…
