Chapter 40
Chapter 40
T he afternoon was a bit of a flurry. I checked in with Eddie and the team, but we still had nothing. No signal. I tried not to think about Aaron’s girls, but it was tough not to. The crab boil ended and Camp and Casey disappeared, walking toward the chairlift, at which point Summer grabbed my hand. “Come on, Romeo, we’ve got about thirty minutes to get the room decorated.”
“What?”
She looked at me like it was self-explanatory. “The biggest moment in Casey’s life.” A single shake of her head. “No way we’re missing this.”
Clay chimed in, “I been blowing up balloons all afternoon. ’Bout to pass out I’m so dizzy.”
I shook my head. “Shouldn’t they have the privacy of the moment?”
She nodded. “Yep. That’s why we’re watching it from a distance. Sort of. Come on.”
I shook my head. “One of these days, I need to take a class on people. Relationships. And how to navigate them. I feel like I’m living on Mars.”
“That’s because you are. Which is one of the reasons you have me. I keep you grounded.”
Didn’t take long to decorate as all of Freetown pitched in. Then at precisely 8:00 p.m., Eddie broadcast a live picture of the porch of the Eagle’s Nest on the ceiling of the Planetarium. Another plan Summer and Camp had hatched. Camp wanted the girls to be able to see it. Live it with Casey. He thought it’d feed their hope for the fairy tale. And he was right. There was not a dry eye anywhere. The picture was not so close up that we felt like we were intruding, and we certainly couldn’t hear anything, but we were spectators with permission. Sort of like watching people at the park. Or a game on the field. They exited the chairlift, then stood wrapped in a blanket and huddled together against the cold. A good picture. They laughed. Pointed out across the earth. Then Camp turned, took her hands, and knelt. At which point the estrogen in the room broke loose and all the females screamed at the top of their lungs. And when Camp and Casey hugged and he kissed her, something good happened in Freetown.
Hope returned. We needed it.
When he kissed her again, the screen switched back to a slideshow, allowing them some privacy in the moment. While the slideshow ran inside the Planetarium, and Clay entertained in his tuxedo, top hat, penguin wing tips, and cane, I stood off in the shadows, watching everyone watch the show. The delight on their faces was a welcome reprieve. I almost forgot about the ticking clock.
Casey stood next to Camp. Alongside. With. They made a great pair. Seeing them together did my heart good. I wished . . well, I wished he was here to see it. As I watched her, I remembered when we met. After she was airlifted to the hospital. We had found her in bed, the drugs wearing off. Reality returning. Clarity settling. Summer had climbed into bed with her and just cradled her. A safe pair of arms that wanted nothing from her. Then she had kissed Casey’s forehead.
For the first time, Casey had spoken. She spoke without looking at me. “The men were...” She turned her head further. The shame fell like a shadow. “One after another. I lost count. Weeks.” She swallowed. “Then they injected me.”
The men had injected her with enough narcotic to kill a horse. Two maybe. How she survived only God knew. She looked up at me. “Is my life over?”
I remembered looking at her and thinking that this right here, this beautiful soul, this once-indomitable spirit, this magnificent child of God, was what those men had spit out. The residue. When they were finished, this was what was left over. My anger roared. Countless times I’d knelt by similar bedsides and been asked similar questions. I shook my head. “I think you’re only just beginning.”
“Feels over.”
“You have any family?”
“No.”
“You up for a little travel?”
She nodded. “Anywhere but here.”
“I’m going to talk to these doctors, and when you get well enough to travel, I’m going to request they release you into my custody. Or at least some folks who work with me. They’re going to come get you and fly you on a private plane to Colorado, where they’ll nurse you back to health, give you a place to live, and get you in school. You’ll meet other girls like you.”
“Total losers.”
I laughed. “Don’t kid yourself. We all lose our way. Sometimes it just takes somebody else to find us and bring us back. Remind us.”
She laughed almost derisively. “Of what?”
I leaned in close and spoke slowly so my words would register. “That we were made to want and give love. That no matter how dark the night, midnight will pass. No darkness, no matter how dark, can hold back the second hand. Whether you like it or not, whether you want it or not, whether you hope it or not, whether you build a wall around your soul and cut out your eyes, wait a few hours and the sun will crack the skyline and the darkness will roll back like a scroll.”
The tears drained. “This place... is it really real?”
“Yes.”
“Will you be there?”
“I’ll come check on you.”
“You promise?”
“I do. But first I’ve got to go find someone.”
She glanced at the cross. Then back at me. She was shaking her head. “They won’t let her leave.” She was talking about Angel .
“I know.”
“They’re saving her. Taking bids. Her and a couple others. An online auction. They take pictures of her. Some when she’s passed out. Then they post them. Bids get higher. They’re bad men. Guns and...”
I nodded. “Any idea where they’re going?”
“They’re hush-hush. But I heard them say Cuba. They’re excited because they’re getting a lot of money for her and they don’t want to end the auction.” She squeezed my hand. Tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”
“Shhh.” I stood. “Breathe. In. Out. Then”—I smiled—“do it again. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. You’ll like Colorado this time of year.”
She stared at the window. “I’ve never flown on a plane.”
“Well, this will ruin you for ordinary travel, but it’s a great way to start.”
She was crying now. A fetal ball. Sobbing silently. Holding in her grief. Summer cradled her. For a moment, Casey wouldn’t let it out, but after it built and she couldn’t hold back anymore, it burst forth. I’d heard the same noises before, which made it all the more painful. The deputy poked his head in, but when he saw what was happening, he nodded, backed out, and stood guard.
I knelt next to her bed, my face inches from hers. When she opened her eyes, she was looking beyond me. Into the past. All the ugly stuff. The memories the darkness painted. She tried to form the words, but they wouldn’t come. Finally, she whispered, “Who will ever love me after...?” She motioned to herself.
I cradled her hand in mine. Waited until her eyes locked on mine. “Right now, there is a man walking this earth who can’t wait to meet you. He’s been waiting his whole life.”
She chuckled. “I thought I was the one on drugs.”
“When he meets you, his heart will flutter. His palms will sweat. He’ll think somebody stuffed a bag of cotton in his mouth. He won’t know what to say, but he’ll want to.”
“How do you know?”
“It’s how we’re made.”
“You’ve seen this?”
“I’ve married these people.”
“Are you a priest?”
I shifted my head from side to side. Paused. Then nodded once. “I also priest.”
“But—”
“Love is an amazing thing. It takes the brokenness, the scars, the pain, the darkness, everything, and makes it all new.”
“You’ve really seen this?”
“I’ve lived this. Known it. Know it.”
“And all this is in Colorado?”
“Yes.” I considered my next question carefully. “You like to read?”
She nodded.
“Okay, I’m going to send you some books. Something to pass the time. Mostly they’re just check-your-brain-at-the-door romance novels, but they’re entertaining. They might take your mind off things and maybe we can talk about them next time I see you.”
She nodded, wanting to believe me but afraid nonetheless. When I turned to leave, she wouldn’t let go of my hand.