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Andrea looked up at the group, wondering at how they all fit together. Sometimes it felt as though they were meant to have found each other, some of the relationships falling together so naturally, but other times she wondered how they didn’t all fall apart and go their separate ways. Outside of the family groups and friendships that had existed before the world as they knew it ended, there didn’t seem to be much to cement their bonds.
She picked at the plate of food Carol had given to her and took a small bite. Breakfast wasn’t a lot, but if she ate it slowly enough it felt like more. She could have asked for more, but the last time she had done that she had gotten an evil glare from Lori. Apparently she was flouting the gender norms that the woman was clinging to so adamantly, and only the men deserved more food. Lori could shove it, as far as Andrea was concerned, the woman had no trouble eating the fish that were caught the night before and they were Andrea’s catch as much as the morning rabbit was Daryl’s.
If she were honest with herself she could admit that her hesitation in helping with the female assigned chores was partly due to Lori’s insistence that they fall into those old patterns instead of assigning people tasks that they had skills with, or wanted. Andrea was happy to help Carol when she asked for assistance, and had helped with plenty of laundry back at the quarry, but things were different on the farm and Andrea was determined that she was not going to end up being some helpless woman needing others to save her.
Her father raised her to be an independent woman; someone with the intelligence to learn and grow, and to take care of herself when in trouble. That was why he had given her the gun when she and Amy were about to take their road trip. He knew she would be able to handle the responsibility and use due caution when wielding the weapon. Though Shane was right about one thing; she should have learned to use the gun before taking it on the road with them, and her lessons were definitely useful now.
Considering that her old weapons were usually words, she was surprised at how easily she had taken to the gun, and how much she enjoyed shooting. It was a good release of tension, and of stress, and she was showing real promise with her targeting ability. Even Shane had thought so, and he would know. It was one of the rare things she could find pride in now. There might not be much call for someone to make legal arguments, but someone who could defend the group from walkers was always needed.
That was another part of why she chafed under Lori’s admonishments. Andrea could contribute like many of the men were doing, and there were plenty of others to wash clothes and cook. She didn’t see Lori suggesting to Dale that he could help with those household tasks instead of keeping watch on his RV, even though that watch was less useful than it had been on the road.
She finished her breakfast, and set the empty plate in the bucket of soapy water. It would only take a moment to clean her own dishes so that Carol could finish eating too. They exchanged easy smiles, “It’ll be okay, Carol, I think we’re going out in teams today. We’ll find your daughter.” Rick and Glenn both were nodding in agreement, “We’ll do our best.”