Chris and Hannah had been the closest of friends until about tenth grade. They rode the bus home together every day after school from elementary to high school. Chris would complain about his foster parents and Hannah would feed him all kinds of weeds and fruits on the way to school. Chris found her weird until his foster family started skimping his grain. Then the bus meals became his way of surviving. He noticed she began to bring more and more foraged food but he didn't say anything because he couldn't survive without it. He humbly accepted her weird foods and then in 8th grade she started growing her own foods. Chris was super impressed with her efforts but her father didn't want people knowing about all of her talents, in case she would be kidnapped and used for her skills. People have been bought and sold for much less. Cannibalism was on the rise. People would do anything for a solution to the worldwide famine, even if it didn't make any sense. So everyone held their tongues and Chris watched as Hannah's garden grew.

He would not have made it though high school without her help. But that all came crashing down after a blacked out night of heavy drinking. There had been a bonfire party for the Agriculture club and he and Hannah had succumbed to peer pressure. Chris didn't know what he said that night, but Hannah had been cagey and wouldn't talk to him ever since. He had tried apologizing for months but it seemed to only make her angrier and more disappointed. It wasn't until a certain conversation that he assumed he knew what the problem was.

He remembered he had been talking to Sarah and George about his parents idea of an engagement with the school flower. Rachel had curves in all the right places, and her parents had finally decided to seal her marriage contract. Chris's parents had been contacted and negotiations were underway. Chris was pretty excited to be able to experience his first time with a pretty girl who possibly liked him. That's when Hannah piped in, "Well what about children? You don't want any?"

Without realizing who he was talking to, Chris responded, "Well if we want one, I can find someone to have one with and we can just take it. Her father has enough power." Chris's heart dropped as Hannah's face went white. She clutched her gut as she started to back away like a wounded rabbit.

"Hannah, I didn't mean-" Chris began. And then stopped. Hannah must be a Birtha. Of course. How could he say that in front of her? Everyone used unwed Birthas this way. It was common practice. But most women didn't know what they were until they initiated the marriage contracts. Which meant Hannah is initiating marriage contracts. The idea of that twisted in his gut like three day old fish. He was only 16 years old and was expected to know what his entire future was going to look like. Pick a wife, pick a job, don't pick your nose. He just wanted to lose his virginity and pass hydroponics IV so he could tick one of those off the list. His parents were working on the other. But Hannah had a good point. Chris did want children, and he couldn't fathom the horror of taking a child away from a girl like Hannah. He would have to talk to his parents when he got home. Rachel had a great rack and he needed a Birtha. No, what he really needed was Hannah.

...who had already ran out the door as all these realizations were hitting him. Chris found out later that week that Hannah's family had made a marriage contract with the creepy older neighbor who would stalk her at parties. He tried to reach out to her but she had blacklisted him and had dropped out of school. Soon he heard that she got married to that bozo and had a baby. He hadn't seen her again until the reunion a few months ago. Reunions were pretty frequent as the world came to a close. In the span of five years one could have five children and die. Not everyone had the grain for power, internet and cell phones. This was the first one for their class and he was excited. Everyone knew the more reunions you attended, the less people would show up.

It'd been five years and he still hadn't met a woman who'd made him yearn the way she had. And he'd had plenty of dusties. It was almost revenge, sleeping with the dusty women. Looking at him with those longing eyes, hoping to be wives who can snatch away other women's babies. Stop and slow down weren't in his vocabulary, but it was never enough. Fucking Hannah walked back into his life and smiled at him. She fucking smiled at him. His heart fell to the floor and he spent the rest of the evening as her coolie. Yeah she was married, but hell. It was his Hannah. They talked about their morning breakfasts and agriculture experiments. They talked about the time he got mud all over his dress shirt before chorus practice. The time he had to fix her bike chain so she wouldn't get grounded. It was just like how it was when they were kids again.

As the booze set in and they were the only ones left in the bar and they stumbled to a cab, giggling and singing their old favorites together. He followed her home in the cab and she showed me around her house. It was small and tidy, but she deserved better. She popped off the lid of a bottle of wine and poured me a glass, downing her own, giggling. Mike's not coming home until dawn so you can relax. We can call you a cab later."

Hannah discarded the glass and started drinking straight from the bottle. Chris laughed at her, "Slow down Hannah Banana" and grabbed the bottle, drinking some himself. Watching the red wine glisten on her lips Chris took the initiative and kissed her lips. She moaned in response. Soon their clothes fell and he carried her to the bed. A few hours later Hannah passed out from exhaustion and Chris had to sneak out before getting his ass beat. 'It was worth it though', he thought, until he realized Hannah was still ghosting him. He had been chewing over what happened between them for months and then her father called him searching for her. It wasn't long until he found out that not only was she missing, and possibly presumed dead but she was also pregnant. Fuck. Chris felt this might be his fault. Mike had quite an intimidating presence. Chris could stand on his own and could hold his own in a fight, but if this guy was running around murdering his adulterous wife, what would he do to Chris?

Unbeknownst to Chris, her husband had come home early that morning to Hannah drunk and naked, and decided to put one of his plans in play. Hannah had been planning on leaving Mike. After four years with no births, and constant neglect, she had finally smuggled some birth control into an ibuprofen container and had been taking it in case Mike had began relations with her again. Mike went ahead and had his way with her while she slept and she woke up to him shaking the ibuprofen bottle.