Chapter Thirty One

Reunions

The next morning, I left the room to run and spotted Rose as soon as I opened the door. I shook out my hands, glad that I would not need to go looking for her. My insides quivered as I approached.

Rose widened her stance and turned partially away. "What are you doing?"

I did not answer. I kept walking toward her, throwing my arms around her to break the tension between us.

"Thank you," I said. "Thank you for everything you have ever done for me. And I'm sorry for what I said to you when I left."

Thankfully, Rose hugged me back.

"I'm sorry too, for not confiding in you sooner. Maybe the outcome would be different." She pulled away from me and left her hands on my arms. "Did you make up with your boyfriend?"

My face burned. I opened my mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out.

"Why not?" she inquired.

I turned my head away. "He's not my boyfriend. With everything that has happened, maybe it is better if I am alone for now."

"Are you stupid? I am going to tell you the same thing you told me. Stop being afraid of getting hurt. You have someone right in front of you who loves you more than anyone ever has. Do not let him get away or you will regret it."

My body stiffened. "You can't say with any certainty that he loves me."

"Yes, I can. I have seen how he sticks up for you, much to Dorothy's chagrin."

"I don't know." I pursed my lips. Was that the reason he had the things from my apartment?

"Look, I need you to do something. I need Fran to attend a meeting today."

"And she can't leave or bring the kids."

"Exactly. Does it bother you?"

I smiled. "No, I want to go visit them anyway. I do not think she will say anything new to me."

She embraced me. "Thank you. Tell her someone will fetch her when it is time. And don't worry about patrol duty. I'll make Dorothy find someone else."

I clapped my hands together and released a deep gratifying sigh. "That is the second best thing you told me today."

She chuckled and slapped me on the shoulder. I jogged off to the north border.

***

The house was much larger than they had in the city, but in worse shape.  The roof sported a large patch of missing shingles. Most of the windows were cracked.  An old busted chain link fence surrounded an undersized yard. The rusted gate laid in the grass, six feet away. 

Ava and Melody played with dolls on the front porch. The boys except for Frankie and Blake played tag in the overgrown grass. I saw Katelyn sweeping inside through the open front door.

Halfway up the path, Ralph stopped in his tracks as he turned the corner. His hands flew up to his face as an ear-splitting whoop filled the air. In seconds, I couldn't tell who was squealing. Ralph rushed to me and almost tackled me. One by one, the nine children who were outside surrounded me. I could not contain my smile. The warmth of happiness radiated throughout my body.

Once the noise died down, I said, "I'm happy to see you too."

"What in the world are you yelling about?" Katelyn demanded as she stepped through the doorway.

I waved at her. The broom slid from her hands and tumbled down the stairs.

"What's wrong?" a voice yelled from behind the door.

Katelyn glanced over her shoulder. "Come here, Blake."

"Ugh, give me a minute."

I peeled away the layers of arms that embraced me. I threw my arms around Katelyn.

She squeezed my rib cage. "I'm happy you are OK," she whispered.

I pulled away and moved into the house. My nose tickled from the dust which covered most of the surfaces. To my right, Blake climbed down a ladder among furniture still wrapped in dust covers.

"Hey, tough guy," I said.

He missed the last rung and landed on the dusty hardwood floor with a thud. After a quick, sudden breath, he said, "You are real, right?"

His voice grew deeper since the last time I saw him. Tears streamed down my face. I strolled over to him and assisted him to his feet. "Yes, I'm real."

He buried his face in my shoulder.

"I can't believe you're almost as tall as me," I managed to squeak out.

He loosened his grip but held on my left wrist. "What happened to you?"

"I'll tell you everything some other time. It is not something I want the little ones to hear."

"Oh." His voice dropped with his shoulders. He kicked at the ground and collapsed onto the nearest armchair.

Fran's voice called out from somewhere else in the house. "Is everything OK down there?"

"Fantastic," Katelyn answered and then turned to me. "She and Frankie are trying to fix the fixture in the upstairs bathroom. Everyone else is supposed to be helping clean up. But you know how that goes."

"You're all supposed to be cleaning up and you were outside playing?" I looked at each of kid individually. They glanced among themselves. I swung my arms toward them. "Well, finish your chores. Then we can play later."

They all hustled off. I walked around, looking at the rooms, which were still mostly empty. I stopped at the kitchen sink and peered out the window.

The kitchen door banged open behind me.

"Oh, my word you are here."

I spun around and to a disheveled Fran in the doorway, her hands clasped on her chest.

"Hi, Fran."

She walked over to me with her arms held out. "I was skeptical, but now I'm glad we came. No wonder those kids are so busy; they've always listened to you."

"Yeah, I guess. Rose is setting up a meeting for you to speak to everyone here. I can stay here. Someone will get you when they are ready."

"Oh, OK. I hope I can help them."

"You may be the only one they listen to."

Dean and Drew ran into the room. "We're done!"

"Well, let's go see," Fran said, with the boys leading the way.

I spied a pile of rags and a spray bottle at the end of the counter. A noisy breath poured out of my nose. I picked them up and sprayed down every surface. Did they truly expect them to live like that? I found myself biting in the inside of my cheek. How hard would it have been to clean the house before they arrived?

The cleaning helped me to focus. I needed to figure out what to say to Ari. Apologizing was a given. I wanted to trust him and I needed to show it. Transparency. I did not have a hidden agenda. I couldn't imagine what it was like to think I was dead. Even if he did move on, technically we weren't dating in the first place. But I wanted to. The time we spent together was what I wanted to recapture. Anxiety sent quivers down my left arm. Stop being afraid. I needed to be honest with him and show that I cared.

With every inch of the kitchen scrubbed, I went in search for more. I found Blake in the same room, struggling to pull the dust covers from the furniture. The tension in my head eased. I placed the spray bottle and rags on an end table and grabbed the other end of the couch to help him. His eyes shone when he realized I entered the room.

"This place sucks," he said. "I don't understand why I couldn't stay home."

"Most likely, Fran was worried about you."

"I'm not a little kid anymore."

"Do you miss your friends?"

He shrugged as we pulled the corners of the cloth together.

My mouth turned up on one side. "Or is it a girlfriend?"

The tips of his ears turned a brilliant shade of red. "Sss.so when are we going to talk?"

I squatted down and gripped the end of the cloth. "I can come by first thing in the morning if you want to go jogging with me."

"I don't think I can keep up with you."

"You don't have to worry about me going very fast."

He raised his eyebrows. Dean chased Drew in one door, through the room, and out the other.

"You'll understand tomorrow. So do you have any good jokes?" I asked.

He walked to the second couch and tugged on the cover. "Have you heard the one about the roof?"

"No."

"Well, never mind, it's over your head."

I glanced up briefly on the way to the other end of the couch and chuckled.

"Knock, knock."

I smiled as I squatted and pulled the cover up. "Who's there?"

"Cow go."

I had not heard that one, either. "Cow go, who?"

"No, cow go MOO."

I tilted my head back and laughed wholeheartedly. I missed his little quips.

He cracked a smile and gathered up the pile. "I'll take these to Fran."

I nodded and snatched up my cleaning supplies. I would not be satisfied until everything smelled of disinfectant. As I got closer toward the front of the house, an argument ensued outside.

Blake stomped down the hallway as the front door swung open. "Hey!" he called out. "Ready to play soccer?"

Ari appeared from behind the door. My stomach jumped into my chest. I opened my mouth but my mind was blank. I thought I knew what I was going to say.

"Sorry, bud. Fran and I will be at a meeting. If the sun is still up when we return, we will."

"Whatever." Blake huffed and brushed past him.

Ari shook his head. I swallowed hard and headed over to him.

His mouth slackened at the sight of me. "What's with him?"

"He's not happy about being here."

"You should be at this meeting, too," he said with a frown.

I stared outside, through the front doorway which was left open. "Fran is not going to tell them anything I don't already know."

"So that is it? You've resigned yourself to this?"

Warmth crept across my cheeks. "If Rose thought I needed to attend, then I would."

"Do you actually have that much faith in her?"

"Yes, I trust that she will make sure I receive all the pertinent information to proceed." I turned to him and forced a smile. "And she's not the only one." I could not swallow enough to relieve my parched throat.

He gave me a long, pained look and then broke eye contact. With one hand clutching his side, he marched through the front door and did not look back. Fran met up with him on the porch. She turned and waved to me. I smiled and turned the gesture. A painful tightness closed my throat as they sauntered away. I did not even apologize. Everything I had wanted to say spun like a tornado in my mind.

I leaped a foot away after a short tug on my hand. I hadn't noticed Ava had come up behind me. My hand flew to my chest and sighed deeply at the sight of her.

"What are we going to do now that we're done?" she asked.

"I believe I owe you a story. Did you bring any of your books?"

Her eyes sparkled and gleamed as she bounced on her tiptoes. 'Yes."

"Go tell everyone else who is finished to meet me on the couches."

A small squeal escaped her as she raced up the stairs.

I poked my head outside. Frankie, Blake, and Ralph passed a soccer ball between them. I shut the door and sat in the middle of the largest couch. In moments, excited chatter filled the air. Ava ran into the room and handed me a book titled "Fairy Tales." She curled up next to me and rested her head on my arm. The remaining children filed into the room and found a place to sit.

"Where's the rest of the boys?" Katelyn wondered out loud when she came into the room.

"Outside playing soccer."

"Do you want me to tell them to come in?"

"No, leave them be for now."

She nodded and plopped down on an armchair with a notebook and pen.

I opened the book to the first story. "Are we ready?" My captive audience quieted and all eyes were on me. "Once upon a time..."

***

The day transformed into night before Fran returned. She came through the door with four others, carrying massive roasting pans. The kitchen table was not built for such a large group, so they spread throughout the house, eating on any available flat surface. I stayed with them until bedtime. When I stepped out into the night, a figure walked up the path to the house.

Ari's voice rang out. "Are you going back?"

"Yes, I am."

"Can I walk with you?"

An escort? No, I had to stop the cynicism. "Of course."

An awkward silence descended. I racked my brain for something to say. 

"I was surprised when I opened the box. I did not think I would ever see my belongings again."

In the faint light, his hand moved up and rubbed his neck. "Oh, yeah. I was a little embarrassed since I had to break into your apartment."

"I am happy that you did." I paused and gulped a deep breath to try to calm my racing heart. "I'm sorry for what I said to you."

"You don't need to apologize."

"Yes, I do, I..."

"Well, then let's just agree that we are both sorry so we don't need to keep bringing it up."

All the apprehension built up in my body suddenly discharged. Tears welled up. "Thank you," I squeaked out.

As we got closer to the motel, I stopped cold at the appearance of an SUV which I had not seen in years.

"What's wrong?" Ari asked.

I wiped my eyes. "Nothing's wrong," I replied. "In fact, it just got better."

I ran the rest of the way. As I approached, a familiar lanky figure shut the tailgate and walked around to the front.

"Noah!" I shouted.

The items in his arms plummeted to the ground and he raced toward me. His bear hug almost crushed the life out of me. "I was so worried, you brat."

"I just found out myself that the world thought I was dead."

He grabbed my right arm and pulled me under the porch light to examine the bandage on my wrist. "Who did this to you?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Are you kidding? I'm going to make them pay this."

"And it would be meaningless if they apologize because they are scared of you."

His dark brooding eyes narrowed, not happy with my response. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Still, I don't think that's you talking."

"Where is everyone else?"

"I think Cam and Azalea are down south in the Paradise Islands. Marc is hunting walrus or something up north. Honestly, I'm not sure where Felix is or why he is not with Rose."

"Why would they be together?"

Noah leaned into me. "You had a profound effect on them, the night you left. Didn't she tell you they hooked up?"

"No, she didn't mention it. But I've been pretty difficult to deal with as of late."

He scoffed, "You are always difficult to deal with,"

I jabbed him in the gut and we laughed. Ari tentatively hung back, so I called him over.

"Ari, this is Noah. Kira's older brother that I told you about."

They shook hands.

"Great. Now you're telling people about me?" Noah remarked.

"It wasn't much," Ari responded.

"Let's go inside. I'll tell you everything," I said. "To both of you."