Chapter 1

I Finally Made It

Now is the moment of truth. You have been working hard and struggling for months for this single moment. Don’t chicken out now Mark you can do this.

As pep talks go this was one of my better ones that I had with myself. My name is Mark Evans, known by my friends as Doc, and today is my Independence Day, or at least I hoped it was. Independence from what you ask, from the cruelty of dieting. My medical doctor and family had finally convinced me several VERY LONG months ago that my weight was becoming a problem. I mean yes I had gained 20 or 30 or maybe even 75 pounds, but a problem? I don’t like that term. I was quite happy being chubby, I mean at least I got to eat whatever I wanted to.

However, today was my annual check-up. If I passed my cholesterol test and exceeded my weight loss gains I had been promised that several of my favorite foods, which had been banned from even coming into my house, would once again be accessible. Just the thought of a double, extra bacon, cheeseburger started my juices flowing. Focus Mark, you have been working hard and now you get the payoff. I mean yes I had lost over 50 pounds and was healthier, and could once again touch my own toes. None of that can compare to bacon though. Life without bacon, basically was no life at all.

“All right Mr. Evans, I am glad to tell you that you have done better than expected and have exceeded your weight loss goals. We already drew your blood for the cholesterol tests and should have the results by the end of the week. I am optimistic after seeing how well you have done with the diet and exercise and think that once the test results are in you can go back to an unrestricted diet if you continue your exercise program.”

“Wait a minute Dr. Phillips, does that mean I am still on the diet restrictions?”

“Unfortunately yes, but only for another week or so until the test results come in. I want you to continue taking the cholesterol medication also just as a precaution. However, as soon as results get here I will call you. I understand how you must feel right now. Don’t worry, I won’t delay my call to you and soon enough you can enjoy the foods you used too.”

“Thank you Dr. Phillips.”

Well that did not go as planned. I should still be able to at least participate in the Memorial Day barbecue coming up this weekend if my results come back in time. As I was gathering my things and about to leave Dr. Phillips spoke up one more time.

“Before I forget, we have been seeing many new cases of a strange flu going around the last couple of days. Make sure that you wash your hands thoroughly and keep contact with other to a minimum for the next several days to let it burn itself out through the community.”

“Sounds good Doc, I look forward to hearing from you soon.”

Pleasantries out of the way, I made my way back to the front of the clinic. With Dr. Phillips warning fresh in my head, I looked at the waiting room with new eyes. There were a lot of people here, more than I usually saw when I came in for my check-ups. I hope this flu passes soon, I hate being sick and avoiding contact is easier said than done. As a high school teacher I came into contact with others a lot, and let’s just say the hygiene of some teenagers is not what it should be. Luckily there is only two more weeks of school and then it is sweet summer break. Many people probably think that summer break is for the kids, but as a teacher I can honestly say we adults in the industry probably enjoy it more than they do.

I finish up with my paperwork and bills at the doctor’s office and head out to Betsy. Betsy was my long time dream and project vehicle. A 1969 Nissan Patrol with updated engine and 4-wheel drive. I had first seen one of these when I was 15 years old and it embodied everything I wanted in a vehicle at that age. It looked like a jeep, so the cool factor was there, it was older so it had the retro flair, it had four-wheel drive so I could escape into the wilderness if and when I wanted too. It was my teenage dream car. Many people probably dream of sports cars and such at that age, but I was always a little more down to earth and practical. Don’t get me wrong, if someone offered me a sports car for free or really cheap I would take it and enjoy driving it, but there is something about a solid off road vehicle that screamed freedom to me.

I climbed up into Betsy and pulled out my cell phone. Time to update the family. I quickly called my daughter and let her know the results. I assured her that no matter what the results of the test said if she could make it home for Memorial Day I would still be barbecuing for everyone at the house. Next up was verifying that my little brother and my sister and her family would be up for Uncle Mark’s annual Memorial Day barbecue extravaganza. After chatting with everyone for a while and updating each other on what was going on I was ready to leave.

Yep that whole time I just sat in Betsy calling people. Call me old fashioned if you want, but I did not use my cell phone when driving for any reason. Several years ago the dangers of cell phone use and driving hit home hard for me and many others when one of my students was killed in a head on collision. The cause was determined to be distracted driving due to cell phone use. The horrible part was it wasn’t my teenage student that was distracted, but an older man who was driving the opposite direction got distracted and drifted into the other lane and impacted the car my student was in. Suffice it to say, since that day cell phone use and driving has been a no go zone for me.

I had taken the entire Friday off for my doctor’s appointment so I decided to head to the local Piggly Wiggly to stock up for the next couple of weeks and get ready for the upcoming holiday barbecue. I pulled into the parking lot and noticed that it seemed surprisingly empty. Oh well, I entered in and saw Billy a former student of mine on the register. “Good afternoon Billy.”

“Hello, Mr. Evans. You don’t look that happy, let me guess, still no bacon.”

“Yep, just got back from the doctor’s office, but there is hope on the horizon Billy.”

“Glad to hear that Mr. Evans, let me know if you need anything.”

“Ok Billy, I will.”

One of the good and bad things about living in a small southern town is that everyone knew everyone else. Personal business was discussed and gossip was rampant. It took one innocent comment to a colleague of mine at school and in less than two days, everyone knew about my dietary restrictions and how I had to exercise. This was both embarrassing that everyone knew, but also extremely helpful. How could it be helpful? Imagine trying to cheat on your diet or not going to the high school gym and having everyone you work with and live close to know and berate you for it. It made you feel good that so many people cared or were just nosy enough to mention it. This support from the community, and their unwillingness to help me cheat on my diet, was why I was doing so well.

I wandered around the store filling up the basket with my normal supplies and then started in on the picnic supplies and extra meat for the upcoming holiday. After I finished shopping and assured Billy that the unhealthy amounts of meat were not for me, but for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend I managed to get back out to Betsy and headed home. Home was something I had finally found after many years of wandering. I had not always lived in the south. I grew up out west and in my early days of teaching I had wandered around the country and the world teaching science in a variety of places. 2 years in New Mexico, 5 years in Washington State, 2 years in Oregon, 3 years in Virginia, 2 more in North Carolina, and finally 4 years overseas. 2 of them on a little island in the Caribbean and 2 of them in Costa Rica. After that experience I decided it was time to find a place to settle down and had ended up in a small town in South Carolina where I had been teaching the last five years. One more year here and I will have set a record for the longest I have ever stayed in one place since college.

I loved the area I was in. It was extremely rural, but it was also midway between Columbia and Greenville South Carolina. This meant that in less than an hour I could be in a larger city if needed. It was very convenient. Heck Atlanta was only 3 hours away by car also, if I needed a truly large town or international airport. Travel times to anything I needed were extremely reasonable and I really liked the down home feel and attitude of the residents of my area.

As I pulled Betsy into my driveway I got out and opened the gate. No it was not some fancy gated community, but rather ten acres of good land with a small creek running through it. I had an extremely large house for just me, but after my daughter moved out and got a “real” job I was not complaining. I loved the extra space. I could have several personal projects going at one time and just spread out over the entire place without making anything feel cluttered. The extra space was also nice when family visited, all though that was becoming less and less as both me and family got older.

I shut the gate behind me and parked Betsy in the pole barn behind the house. 20 minutes later, all the groceries were put away and I had my biggest decision of the day coming up. Was I going to read in the recliner or in my hammock? I struggled with the plusses and minuses of each place and eventually wound up on the screened in porch in my hammock. It was a great lazy day, and a wonderful start to a relaxing weekend. I opened my e-book reader and settled in for what was probably going to be my standard start reading and end up taking a nap in my hammock session.

Four hours later I woke up to the sound of a log truck honking its horn on the road in front of my house. That nap was great, but it is getting dark and I should probably move inside and make some dinner. I was tempted to cheat, but knew that somehow, someway, someone would find out if I did. Instead I made some white rice, a piece of chicken and a wonderful salad. Once done with dinner I decided to check up on everything in the news. I settled into my favorite recliner and opened up my I-Pad.

I had not watched the news or read a newspaper outside of a few at friends and relatives houses in years. I had formed a habit of checking everything online when I taught overseas and had kept the habit when I moved back. This actually saved me money and I still found out everything I needed to know. As I was browsing through the msn news feed I kept seeing articles about the current flu scare. Many experts it seemed were calling it an epidemic already and suggesting strict quarantine for individuals. This was unusual, I decided to research some more about what was going on as I had not heard anything except the vague warning about it from Dr. Phillips.

It seemed that over the past week this new strain of flu had spread across the globe like wildfire. 75% infection rate, violently ill patients, and a higher than normal death rate for flue in this day and age. I assume that is why everyone is freaking out over this strain of flu. I mean people die every year from the flu but these numbers are very unusual. It seems that 1 out of 100 people that get this flu have either died or been admitted with serious complications to hospitals in the U.S. That is only 1% of the population, but seeing as how the normal death rate from flu is usually .0001% of the population I get why people are nervous. This flu is basically 1,000 times deadlier than last year’s strain.