Forgetting the Apocalypse

Bonus Chapter: Clean Slate pt. 2

*Fredi's Pov

I never thought I could be so happy to see another person eat chicken noodle soup. I mean it was one of the most basic soups. It's not that hard to make but if you didn't want to take the time to make it then you could just run down to any store, heck even a dollar tree and get it in a can. Granted the whole point of me making this soup was to slowly introduce her to proper and legal food without upsetting her stomach, and those usually have too much sodium in them.

I probably looked like some creep with the way I was watching her. Luckily, I wasn't making her uncomfortable. She knew I was worried. Truthfully, I was shitting bricks. I know the doc said that she had to take it easy and that included celebrations, reunions and all that jazz but I couldn't wait any longer on showing her her suprise.

Because we were still laying low while also trying to readjust to living a normal life. Some days were good, some days weren't. It usually was all good. When I showed Mara her new home, she was like a little girl again. Her smile never faltered and on more than one occasion I had to keep her from running around. It wasn't much but she was very meticulous on how she wanted to decorate the place.

Satan herself was so controlling over Mara that she never allowed her anything that didn't revolve around her. That's part of the reason why Roone hid his books like they were some form of contraband. He never even told Mara he had them just in case he was ever caught with them, he didn't Mara getting punished for it. It was the only thing that he ever kept from her. Or at least tried to, turns out she knew about them but just didn't say anything so that he wouldn't worry.

Now that she's got her freedom, she bought a couple of bookcases. They weren't filled right away since she didn't know that many. Only a few titles that Roone spent the night telling her about, reciting from memory before they went to bed. Still, a couple of shelves is a start. When she discovered movies, though, that was something else. She's still a book lover, but her being able to sit on the couch watching tv until sun up was something she never got to experience as a kid.

Those were the good days.

The bad days were the ones that she couldn't handle something to eat. She couldn't survive on jello and crackers alone. It took everything in me to remember to be patient with her because a majority of the time, I was cleaning up her vomit instead of doing dishes. Not that I was blaming her or anything, but I was just starting to worry that she was starving herself.

So, like most things that we had to become adjusted to, we took it one step at a time. As of right now, meats are an absolute no-go. Instant upchuck the minute she smells it cooking. This was for all meats. Steak, pork chops, ribs, lamb, ground beef etc. Chicken was different from red meat, and while she definitely needed to increase her protein intake, I was not about pressure her.

We didn't eat a certain kind of meat 24/7 back with Mama. There were other things that we snacked on or had on sides, so that's where I started.

Potatoes were heaven sent. That was something she couldn't get enough of. Mashed, baked, or french fried, she could eat it all day long. Next up was rice. As long as it wasn't overly seasoned, more towards white, then she could eat it without hassle. You can't have rice without beans, and while she did like them, it took a while before her stomach could tolerate it without waging chemical warfare on everyone in the room.

Vegetables were not much of a problem as I thought they would be. Probably because ranch dressing had been invented. Besides potatoes, Mara could eat cucumbers and carrots with ranch for every meal of the day. Cooking them was a bit of an adventure for her since not all vegetables have the same cooking time, so some were perfectly soft while others were still raw. Also, some of them just didn't mix together.

Fruits were a whole other ballgame. As a kid growing up, she was never given candy, so she never developed a sweet tooth. It wasn't as bad as cooking red meat to where she was sick, but it was like roulette. Some apples were fine, like the red ones. They weren't on the sweet side much, but green and the others in between were off the table. So were oranges. Bananas were neutral. If I told her she needed to eat one so she could get her potassium in, then she'd do it without protest but it wasn't something she would get herself.

The only way I could get her to eat fruits was through smoothies. Summers here in New Mexico could be brutal despite the summer rains. Once it hit a certain temperature, she no longer cared about the sweetness of the drink.

Somewhere along the six month mark, I was able to confidently introduce her to chicken. Grilled, steamed, rotisserie and all that was good. Even turkey. This made sandwiches and salads all that more popular at the dinner table.

With her doing so well, not just physically but mentally as well, I finally called up Riva. The whole time, the two of us have kept updating each other on our lives, news about the family and the separated couple. According to his brother, Roone was doing remarkably well whenever he was out and about. The minute he came home though, it was like he'd become a shell.

He was constantly pestering his younger brother about his wife, eventually Riva had to hide the phone from him and take my calls in secret.

Truthfully, Mara was the same. I had helped her as much as I could. She was able to cook for herself, go shopping for whatever she needed, paid her own bills with the money she got from her mundane job, and lived alone in her own house. The only thing she was lacking or missing was her husband.

That night, I called up Riva and told him that we should finally get together. There's been no news on the family front, and with everyone either getting hours cut or laid off, we have plenty of time to hang. Don't get me wrong, I love Mara, but I need a change of scenery that isn't her house or mine.

Once I got off the phone, I continued cleaning the kitchen, partially listening to the news going on in the background. I was ready to turn in for the night when I heard a knock at my door.