Prologue – Irresistible Freedom
Sweet Jesus, the Vancouver bus had left without her.
Stretched across the double seat, Demi Fedora had woken in the dead of the night to find they’d pulled into a depot. Not seeing anyone awake, and no driver to ask, she’d noticed many of the passengers milling around outside, smoking, and drinking from machine coffee cups. Cool. Now’s the time to use theladies’ room.
Thinking it would only take her a few minutes had been her mistake. The linehad been longer than expected but now she really needed the facilities. What she didn’t know… those folks must have come fromthe bus going in the other direction.
In a panic when she saw the empty lane, whirling every way in case the bus hadn’t actually left, she spotted a cab driver leaning on his taxi and scrolling through his phone.
“Hey, man. Did you see the Vancouver bus pull out?”
“Yeah. McKay always leaves on time. Didn’t he call out to let you know?”
Feeling stupid and worried, she answered gloomily,“Probably did, but I didn’t wake up until almost everyone was off the bus. I had to go to the washroom. I didn’t hear any announcements.”
The taxi driver put his phone away and gave her the once-over. “You got money?”
“Why?”
“Cause if you can pay for the ride, I can drive you to the outskirts of Bellingham, and you can probably grab your ride from there. Just explain and show McKay your ticket. He’s a good guy.”
Angry at herself for being so careless, she asked him the cost of the fare and agreed to pay him what he quoted. After all, she not only needed her ride, but other than her purse, she’d left the rest of her belongings onboard.
Back on the bus after a harrowing drive, Demi made a hard decision. She couldn’t face another day riding on the Greyhound or spend another minute listening to proud grannies whose main topic was to talk about their grandkids. Looking at the highway signs, she could see that the next stop would be the city of Vancouver. Good. Time to make a change.
She scrolled through her cell phone and found a for sale listing for a used truck on Facebook Marketplace. Deciding to use some of her precious bankroll to make an offer, she made the call.
A short time later, she had an address in Abbotsford, a smaller city on the outskirts of Vancouver. When the taxi dropped her off at a bungalow that had seen better days, an older man answered the doorbell. He gave her the once-over and seemed to like what he saw.
“Hi. I’m Demi, the one who called about your truck for sale. You told me to come over.”
“Yep. It’s time. I’m glad to sell it to a younger person. Damn truck hasn’t seen much action having an old man owner. One trip to the Yukon and that was a number of years ago. Otherwise, we’ve only been to local places.”
He led them to the garage and watched her as the door slid up. When he saw her break into a smile of appreciation, she heard him chuckle. Looking heartbroken for having to sell his vehicle, he stumbled over words to explain.
“Blue has been my best friend since I lost my wife. I guess you could say we went everywhere together. I’ve owned her for ten years, bought her from an old mechanic fellow who never drove it much. He tinkered with it all the time and kept the motor and everything else running like a well-oiled machine should.”
Demi glanced at the truck. “It’s in excellent condition. Even the paint job is perfect. And I love the stripe and the front bench seat.”
“Don’t make them like that anymore. Truth is, Blue’s the first truck I ever owned. Always drove these itty-bitty cars… all we could afford in our day. Sadly, the last few years, I’ve been housebound what with the pandemic and then my failing health. Lately, the most I get to do is drive around the block, park in the driveway while listening to music, and fantasize about how much fun it had been while having her on the open road.”
Demi smiled gently and nodded. She’d seen the mileage and decided that anyone who drove a twenty-five-year-old truck and only registered ninety-nine thousand kilometers after ten years really hadn’t gotten out much.
She commiserated. “Funny how something made of steel, glass, and rubber can be so important. Since I’ve never owned a vehicle, I kinda get why it could become treasured. If this truck has been so good to you that you’ve named it and hate to let it go, I can promise you she’ll have a soft spot in my heart too. After traveling the last few days on the bus from Phoenix, I couldn’t bear to look at another possible two more days of the same torture to get to my destination.”
The older man shifted his cane to where he rested both hands on it. Carefully balancing his portly weight, he asked, “So where are you heading, honey?” His brown eyes appeared sharp with intelligence but slightly faded from sight loss. Kindly and caring, his demeanor made her smile.
She stepped back to lean against the royal blue Ford half-ton and shared. “My grandfather left me a cabin outside of Hyder, Alaska. From what I could determine from my studies, it’s best to drive to Stewart, B.C. and then it’s only two miles or so to cross an unmanned U.S. border into Hyder.”
Obviously uncomfortable standing, nevertheless, he lit up at her words. “Why don’t you come inside and have a cool drink with me. I used to work at a copper mine there called Granduc, and I can tell you all about that area. While we fill in the forms for the insurance, I’ll describe the place where you’re heading.”
Happy to get the old man off his feet, she agreed. A few hours later, filled with iced tea, store-bought cookies, and visions of the wonderful photos he’d shown her, they made the short trip to where they got new license plates and her insurance.
Following his instructions, she drove back to his house to drop him off. Dreading the moment she’d have to say goodbye to the man who felt like an old friend, one who’d crept into her heart, she pulled into his driveway slowly.
Before she knew what his intentions were, he pushed a button on a garage door opener and a dark interior yawned in front of them.
With touching sincerity, Harold spoke. “I want you to take some of my gear I’ve stored in here for years. It’s still good because I know this place is dry and doesn’t smell.”
“I couldn’t possibly, Harold. You’ve been so kind to me already.”
“Honey, I don’t need the money where I’m going. And I don’t have any kids to leave all this to.” He’d peered into her eyes and seemed to see into her very soul. “You’re a good girl, I can see it. I would be honored for you to have all this.” He’d swung his hand around to encompass half his space and in doing so, almost fell.
Demi quickly moved into place to shore him up with her strong young arms. “Harold, be careful. I couldn’t leave you or bear it if you injured yourself because of me.” She guided him to a stool. “Please sit and rest. I can carry whatever you want me to take, but I need to pay you for this stuff. I really do.”
“No. You don’t understand.” He waited until she turned to look at him, and then he reached out his hand in her direction. Guiding her closer, he looked into her kind expression and smiled. “Demi, I’ve been fretting about my things. Really stewing… you know?”
She nodded like she knew he wanted her to. Besides, she really did understand. Being a person who never had a lot in her youth, things really did become precious… especially if they held good memories.
“I get it, Harold. I saw the pictures of you and Gloria camping together. No wonder everything here holds a special place in your heart.”
“See. I knew you’d appreciate what I’m saying.” Looking toward heaven, he gestured with a slight upward wave. “Both Gloria and I want you to have it all. Most of it is packed away carefully, and you can just put it all in the back of the truck. Consider them accessories.”
For the next while, Demi followed his orders and cleaned a huge amount of equipment from his garage into the bed of her new truck.
“I can’t begin to thank you, Harold. You’ve been so kind.”
“There’s one more thing you might to do to brighten up an old man’s life. I’ve spent a large portion of the day with you, honey, and it keeps creeping into my mind that if I ever had a child, I’d want her to be as sweet as you. Is there any possibility that you might make an old man happy and spend the night? I’ve got three bedrooms and two bathrooms, all empty and lonely. If you agree to stay, we could order a pizza, and spend more time together while I tell you about life up north. Then you could make an early start in the morning.”
Demi could see how much it would mean for Harold to have the company. How could she refuse such a gracious offer? One night meant nothing to her and would mean the world to him.
“Okay, I’d love to stay. But on one condition. If you feel up to it, let me take you out for dinner. There must be a place nearby where you like to eat.”
“In fact, there is. Lefty’s has great food, and I know the owner. We go way back.” He hooked his cane over his wrist and rubbed his hands together. “I accept your offer, and I’m starving.”
***
Smiling, Demi thought back to the fun time they’d had with old Lefty himself who’d joined their table so he could meet Harold’s new friend. Before they’d left, she’d promised to write Harold letters as often as possible to keep him up to date on her daily activities. There’d probably be a lot to report about her new home and how she’s settling in.
The next morning, filled with the eggs, bacon and toast Harold had insisted on cooking, she remembered the wonderful photos he’d shown her of the area where she’d be heading.
Driving along, feeling great, she felt as if she’d left a family behind, people who cared about her. It was wonderful. In fact, the only other time she’d ever experienced this feeling was when her two friends, FBI agents Tanner Coleman and Bella Mendez, were together and with her.
Those two had battled from the first day they’d all fostered together as teens. Go figure, they’d end up falling in love. Relieved that they’d finally admitted their true feelings, she sighed and brought her mind back to her own adventure.
Heading her new truck to the Trans-Canada highway, following Harold’s directions that would take her out of the city, she put her cellphone on her favorite music app and sighed.
Glancing out of the window at the pickup’s canopy, she thanked the Lord for helping her make the decision to buy a truck. Not only had Harold given her a fantastic deal, but she could add him to her small list of true friends.