A week later....
After a week I spent making money, we pooled our funds and got a few things to make our campsite more comfortable.
First, we moved the tents closer to the pavilion to try to block even more of the weather. We got a fire bowl, and I carved out two old fallen trees, turning them into chairs. We picked up a crib at the super pawn for Katie to use when the weather is warmer and not raining. I didn't want to get it...I didn't understand why Jillian would want a crib outdoors, but when she said Katie's tossing and turning kept her awake a lot, it made more sense. We even picked up a cheap training potty since Jillian said Katie's starting to get the point of bathrooms. Lastly, we got a few old washtubs and an old-fashioned washstand that no one had bought from the super pawn after well over a year on display.
"I'd love to have that to wash my hands and face," Jillian commented. "You know, between gym and pool visits."
Not gonna lie. By week's end, roasting veggies for dinner over the fire, I was glad for the fire bowl and our other amenities.
I did my homework by firelight as Jillian fed Katie.
Or taught her to walk.
We developed a routine to keep Katie out of daycare after school. I'd take her with me rock and bug hunting...only nearby since we didn't have one of those kiddie seats for our bikes yet. Or we'd hang around the camp site and I'd work with her on the walking thing.
We were trying so hard to get the money together to rig up an outdoor shower, but Jilly---I somehow started calling her by a nickname--was the only one with a real job.
I expressed to her how guilty I felt that I couldn't get a real job. I unloaded on her for about ten minutes before she stopped me.
"Matt, you're saving me like seventy dollars every time I work a shift and you watch Katie. That's more of a contribution than you think. It saves a lot of money. Money we can save for our tiny house."
She hugged me, then asked me if the log chairs were dry...I'd been water sealing them.
I brought them back around the fire and we started roasting dinner.
She smiled and nodded. "Our tiny house."
I grinned back.
We carried on like that through the fall and into winter. I kept working with Katie. Talking, which she wasn't great at. Jilly worried all the time that she was behind other kids her age, fretting that it's her fault because they were homeless and focused on just surviving for so long.
"She's fine. She's smart, Jilly. She gets the point across about what she needs and how she feels. And she knows what things are. Like, I'll tell her to bring me the book or her rabbit toy or whatever, and she brings it. She'll catch up on saying the things."
Katie and I became fast friends. I was sitting with her one evening as it rained, and I realized I loved that little girl. And her mom.
We just carried on carrying on. I walked ALL over the place with Katie on my hip.
Sometimes when Jilly had a night off, I'd go out hunting for stuff until well after dark.
One evening, she even brought me a surprise.
A guitar.
"I figured if you practice some, you might get good enough to play for money in the park or something," she said.
I laughed. "I doubt it."
But I started fiddling with it whenever I finished my homework and was too wired to sleep.
It wasn't all roses. As fall gave way to winter, we got a few really bad storms. One day after school, I was out hunting when it began to storm. I knew Jillian planned to go to the store and get a few convenience items for us...more soap for our washstand and Katie's washtub baths, and even a few non- perishables. We'd gotten some camping cookware and were able to expand our diets.
When the storm got really bad, I called it a day and rushed to the science center to offload my specimens, all the while worrying about Katie and Jillian.
When I got home, Jilly and Katie weren't there. I rushed across the street to the gym and paid my $5.00 just to see if they were there. Jilly wasn't answering her phone. It was going straight to voicemail.
Thankfully, they were there, taking shelter from the violent thunderstorm.
I've done my share of rain walking with Katie. She's a pretty tough, resilient kid. She doesn't even get scared by the storms anymore unless they are super loud. We had a brief week of warm weather and monsoon like storms. I still bundled Katie up, but I wore shorts and a tank and was fine.
I got us a few staples and balanced Katie and the shopping bags on my right arm and started the long slog home in the rain.
Past the movie theater.
***
Best Spent Dollars
Jillian and I sat down and mapped out a saving and purchase plan. If we're to survive this campsite life, we need to cut down on our reliance on the gym and pool. The washstand isn't sufficient to take the place of a shower.
"We can get an outdoor shower kit at the hardware store," I told her. "Then all we need to do is hook a decent pump up to the well and run the supply hose down the well."
"What do we do about a toilet?" she asked.
I grimaced. "It's not great, but we can put together one of those camp toilets for now. But we have to clean it out ourselves."
She shook her head. "No. Veto."
I sighed. "The other alternative is to get a fancy camper toilet. It actually flushes and stores the waste in the base. But it still has to be emptied. The only difference is that the bowl can just be cleaned like a regular toilet bowl as opposed to hand scrubbing."
"How much to set up two of them? I want my own if I have to clean it out."
"Hundred bucks for a really good one."
She sighed. "Fine. That's the plan, then. Save up enough to get a portable toilet for each of us and a shower set up."
"Deal."
"Then once we don't have to rely on the gym or pool, we'll easily pay back our investment in about two weeks."
"True."
The gym was closest, so even though it cost more, we both found ourselves relying more heavily on that than the pool, especially if we had to carry Katie with us.
As we saved up for the new conveniences, I took advantage of my last few visits to the gym.
Turns out, I should have been using the treadmill more often.
It's kind of a bummer that I won't have the hang of it before we aren't going to use the gym anymore.
I did suck up a longer walk and took Katie to the library one day. She could play...and so could I.
I put her in the kids' area, and she happily got busy with all the toys. And I got busy at the other end of the room with a computer game.
When Jillian got off work, she met up with us, proving she got my phone message. We stopped by our campsite and grabbed our laundry and went to the laundromat. She sprang for a cab. It costed a bit, but honestly? I was grateful. I really hate laundry day. Especially if we have to take Katie. I love that little girl, but it's just so tedious, lugging two bags of laundry and carrying a twenty-some pound almost two-year old.
But the benefit is there's lots of time to teach Katie to walk and talk or to do our homework...if we remember to bring it.
Katie started whining the second we arrived. She does know the word "potty", and when I said it, she said another word she knows..."yes."
Why they put the bathroom upstairs and off the balcony, I have no idea. There's not even a roof, so if it's raining, you go to the bathroom and get wet at the same time.
Going to the laundromat might be easier if we didn't wait until we're down to our last clean outfits. We easily hog two or three machines if we can.
Jilly had to wait for some clothes to get done so she could change out of a set and put THEM in the washer next. I guess the machine didn't like that because it overflowed or something, and Jilly had to mop up.
The worst thing on laundry day is if it starts raining while we're on our way home. Jilly regretted springing for a cab to get us there, because it started thundering as we were leaving. She bought a ride home, which cut into our grocery store money for the week. Free community garden produce it is!
The following weekend was the monthly free "Safe Harbor" event for the Fire Department. We made sure to get there early, even though we had to wait around outside for several hours. It was the only way to make sure all three of us got a space...me, Jilly, and Katie.
It was crazy weird. They had to answer an alarm call, leaving us there with only one other fire fighter, and he told us to make ourselves comfortable while he caught a nap. So, we were essentially alone.
Then a thunderstorm swept through, and the power went out. He called down through an intercom, though, and explained the fridge would still be safe as the fridge, the alarm system, and the intercom system were all hooked up to a generator.
"You won't have lights or the stove, but the microwave will work and there are some flashlights in the last kitchen drawer by the exit door."
We cobbled together canned soup in the microwave. It tasted like heaven. We hadn't been buying much canned food after overspending on cabs to and from the laundromat. Too bad we didn't think to bring our latest laundry to the fire station...they had washers and dryers.
I had a second can of soup, and Jillian fed Katie, then took her upstairs saying she was going to shower and check the clothing and shoe donation boxes.
I heard her singing while she showered. My brain started trying to picture her naked, and I blushed furiously. I was both glad and disappointed when my imagination came up with only the parts I'd seen of her when she was dressed...her face, hair, shoulders, arms and legs. The rest was a big blank.
It didn't stop me from growing, um...aroused. So, I gave a mortified glance toward the fireman's bunk, glad he seemed fast asleep, and rushed to get my own shower. A cold one.
I don't know what it is with girls and clothes, but Jillian insisted on showing me things she thought about taking from the clothing donations. It didn't do my mortifying condition any good, despite the cold shower. I leaned forward over my lap, elbows on knees, and watched her go in and out of the bathroom to show me outfits.
Pajamas. Check.
Everyday outfit for summer. Check.
Spare athletic gear...but honestly, it's also fine for every day.
And outerwear...just in time for winter.
I gotta admit. It was more fun to watch than I'd thought it would be...as long as I hid my lap from her.
I hadn't told her how I felt about her. I figured she didn't need some guy who was a couple years younger hitting on her.
She settled on an empty bunk with a book while I went to check out the donation boxes...but she insisted that once I found some stuff to try on that I allow her to provide similar input.
I took a couple athletic shirts and one pair of new shorts. Oh. And shoes to replace my hole-y ones.
Honestly, they were also going to double as everyday clothes.
I also got more wintery pajamas. I couldn't find pants, but the hoodie would help my upper body stay warmer.
I took two different items for winter wear. A lighter jacket for now and a heavier one for later.
The last thing we did before bed was try out the fireman's pole. Since the firefighters were still out on their call and their buddy was still napping, no one could say we couldn't do it. They'd told us that last time...that for insurance reasons, we were not allowed to slide down.
Well, we did it, anyway.
Totally worth it.
The only sucky thing was they didn't currently have anything Katie's size, but thinking ahead, Jilly grabbed a few things that she might grow into soon.
Next up...get that outdoor shower and the portable camping toilets set up!
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