Nothing Happens In Sommerville (Part Three)

Mallory hummed cheerfully as she removed a fresh batch of bread from the stone oven. A pleasant aroma filled the small bakery as she placed the steaming loaves on a cooling rack. Mallory fanned herself with her hand and used the corner of her apron to dab at the sweat on her forehead. The cozy makeshift kitchen was always warm, but today it was boiling. She’d have to speak to Bennet about getting someone to fix the air conditioning.

For now, Mallory would have to roll up her sleeves and bear the heat. At least her work station wasn’t too close to the oven. Ready to get back to it, she returned to the flour and dough-covered counter toward the front of the shop.

Bennet always teased her for calling it a shop. He was right, Mallory was being generous by referring to it as such. The “bakery” wasn’t so much of a shop as it was a shack. A tastefully decorated shack, with plenty of art from the Before times that Mallory had saved from Sommerville’s dump. But no matter how nice she made it or how wonderful the baked goods smelled, it would always be a shack.

“Sometimes I miss life from Before,” she confessed to her baby. “The parts I remember, anyway. Like not having to make bread from scratch without a KitchenAid.”

Her baby kicked in silent agreement. Smiling, Mallory focused on working the dough for her next batch. She was so caught up in what she was doing that she didn’t notice her approaching visitor until he stood right in front of her.

“Good morning,” Mallory said, glancing up before going completely still. Her fingers squeezed the dough as her heart began to race. “Oh! I’m sorry, Tye, I didn’t realize it was you.”

The tall, muscular man grinned at her from across the counter. His grey fitted suit and perfectly groomed hair felt wrong in the cramped, messy bakery. Despite his relaxed air, Mallory could tell in her gut that this wasn’t a social call. She pretended not to notice as his dark brown eyes darted past her, taking stock of all the supplies, before meeting her gaze once more.

“Hello Mal.” His warm tone put her slightly at ease. “You seem busy today. I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“Oh, not at all. Just trying to get ahead on some orders before my appointment later today.” She patted her protruding stomach. “Can’t let this one slow me down, no matter how hard she tries. So, what can I help you with?”

“Did you ever think I might just be here for a friendly visit?"

“Please, Tye.” Mallory shot him a knowing look. "You don't have time for friendly visits. Lately it feels like I only see you when you’re taking stock or if you need Bennet for something. Which is it now?" 

The beaming, white smile was back, lighting up his light brown complexion as if he didn't have a care in the world. Considering Tye King was Sommerville's unofficial leader, that was an impressive feat. 

Everything in Sommerville was his responsibility, from the smallest, residential complaints to major, threatening problems about the wall. He had kept everyone calm when it was first announced the border between Sommerville and the rest of the world would be closing temporarily, and he continued to keep the peace as the town's confinement continued. 

But to Mallory, Tye would always be her and Bennet’s friend above everything else. When Mallory had woken up with her leg missing after her accident, Tye had been the first one there to help her adjust. He had been the one to commission a prosthetic from Sommerville's carpenter and had been a constant support during her recovery. And honestly, if not for Tye, Mallory and Bennet wouldn’t have even met.

"Alright, you caught me," Tye said with a deep chuckle. "I am technically here to check in on the bakery, but that doesn't mean we can't catch up at the same time."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me," Mallory said as she walked toward the fresh bread she’d made. "We're all busy lately. I'd be more offended if you did spend all your time chatting instead of doing actual work." She placed the steaming loaf on the counter and placed her hands on her hips as Tye’s stomach growled. "Skip breakfast again, didn't we?"

A blush darkened Tye's cheeks. "Weren't we just talking about how busy I am?"

"All the more reason for you to take care of yourself." Mallory began slicing the bread, savoring the warm scent as it filled the small space. "You have a lot of people relying on you."

"Yeah, don't remind me," He muttered quietly, dragging his fingers through his greying hair. 

"So," Mallory prompted. At Tye's blank expression she sighed before continuing, "What's up? Why are you actually here? Besides getting free bread."

Tye rolled his eyes at the comment. Currency was a thing of the Before times; everything was free in Sommerville. 

"I just need to make sure everything is stocked and that all the stores like this one have working equipment and enough supplies."

“The A.C.’s out again.” She gestured around her. “Would be nice to not work in a sauna every day.”

“Yeah, noticed it was a bit warm.” Tye chewed his lip as he looked around. “I’ll see what I can do. Anything else?”

“Not that I can think of.” Mallory placed a few slices of bread on a plate and slid it toward him. "Davis just dropped off the week's distribution of corn yesterday, so I’m fully stocked again. Should be fine until next month’s shipment." 

"Good, good, that's good," Tye said absently as he grabbed a slice. 

There was a long silence where Mallory watched Tye nervously tear the bread apart with his fingers. Not so much as a crumb reached his mouth. Finally, Mallory cleared her throat and crossed her arms.

"What else?"

"What?"

"There's something else isn't there?" She gestured at the bread. "You never turn down my food. So either you're not hungry," Tye winced as his stomach rumbled again. "Or there's another reason you're here and you don't want to tell me." A fearful thought wormed into her mind. "Did something happen to Bennet?"

"What? Oh, God no, he's fine." Tye said reassuringly. "I swear." 

"Then what is it?"

Tye's half-smile seemed more like a grimace as he forced himself to eat the shredded slice of bread. "Your baking is as good as always, by the way."

"Tye."

"Alright, alright." He inhaled deeply, like he was bracing himself for something horrible. "I. . . need you. . ." He closed his eyes as his voice dropped into a low whisper. "To. . . cut the rations again."

Mallory’s mind went blank at his words. She couldn’t comprehend what he was asking of her. It was a long moment before she finally regained the ability to think through the numb horror spreading through her body. 

"By how much?" She barely managed to make her question audible.

Tye shifted uncomfortably as he avoided her gaze. "By half."

"Half?!" Mallory's jaw dropped. "Cut them by half?"

"Keep your voice down," Tye hissed, glancing at the closed doorway. 

"Tye, no, I'm not doing that," Mallory argued, leaning forward as she lowered her voice. "You already told me to cut them in half last month. I cut them again and people are going to start noticing." She took a steadying breath. "You said the last one would only be temporary–"

"And it is," Tye interrupted sharply. "Look, Mal, Sommerville is going through a bit of a rough patch right now, alright? It's going to get better, I swear, but in the meantime, I need you to help me out." He took her hands and gave them a tight squeeze. "You'll do this for me, yeah? Come through for your buddy Tye like always?"

“Tye, I can’t. . .” Mallory shook her head in disbelief and pulled away. Her thoughts were in a jumble. "Is this why you wanted people to start saving metal?"

“Metal?”

“Bennet told me this morning that you wanted to start conserving metal. Are we running out of resources?”

The panic in her voice seemed to trigger something in Tye’s brain. A charismatic calm replaced the hint of desperation Mallory had spotted as he smiled.

“Well, he wasn’t supposed to tell you about that for exactly this reason. Now you’re worried when there’s nothing wrong.”

“It doesn’t seem like there’s nothing wrong,” Mallory argued. “We’re running out of metal and you want me to ration food!”

“Because our suppliers’ truck broke down so they won’t be making a delivery on schedule,” Tye explained patiently. “Which no one needed to know about except for me because it’s not a big deal. I only told Bennet about saving metal because he and the other Watchers are meant to be examples for our community.” He searched her eyes. “Believe me, Mallory. If anything were wrong, I’d tell you and the rest of Sommerville immediately. Okay?”

Mallory hesitated before answering. He sounded like he was telling the truth. But she knew something had been bothering Bennet this morning. Something that was more severe than a delivery truck running late.

Still, what reason would Tye have to lie?

“Okay.” She reluctantly nodded. “How long do I need to cut rations for?”

“You’re an absolute star, Mal,” Tye said as he leaned across the counter to plant a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll have a confirmed date by tomorrow, but it won’t be long, I promise.”

Mallory forced a weak smile and tried to believe him. Tye didn’t appear to notice her doubts as he grabbed another slice of bread and turned to leave. He paused just as he gripped the doorknob.

“Hey Mal.”

Unease descended on Mallory like a fog at his serious tone. “Yes?”

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t tell anyone about this.” Tye looked at her with an expression that made her skin crawl. “We don’t want to start any unnecessary panic, do we?”

She sucked in a shaky breath. “Of course not.”

Tye studied her for a moment then chuckled lightly as he opened the door. The whoosh of air and sunlight streaming into the bakery was jarring.

“I always knew I could count on you.”