Chapter 32
Reva stood at Kellen’s front door, mustering all the resolve she could find. What she really wanted was to climb in bed and remain there hoping all this would pass over quickly, that she’d wake and find this situation was only a bad dream.
She took a deep breath and knocked. The door immediately opened.
“Reva. There you are. I’ve been worried.” He motioned her inside.
“I’m so sorry. I know I haven’t returned your calls and texts but…” Despite her resolve, tears bloomed.
“Reva?” Kellen’s expression filled with concern. “What’s the matter?”
Inside, the room was softly lit, creating an intimate atmosphere. Reva and Kellen sat close on the sofa, a half-finished glass of cola on the coffee table. Kellen looked at her with unwavering attention.
Reva took a deep breath. “Kellen, I’m sorry I didn’t call and tell you earlier. It’s about Lucan. He’s…he’s not with me right now. I had to leave him at social services.”
Kellen’s expression shifted from surprise to immediate concern. He reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. “Why? What happened?”
She solemnly explained the situation. Several times she had to pause and collect herself to keep from breaking down.
“Oh, Reva. I can’t even begin to imagine how hard that must have been for you. What can I do?”
Reva’s voice trembled. “I don’t even know.”
Kellen sat back, his gears clearly turning. After a moment, his resolve was apparent. “Well, I think I know.”
Kellen walked brisklythrough the terminal, a determined look on his face. He was on a mission, his bag slung over his shoulder, heading towards his gate. When his flight was called, he handed over his boarding ticket to the attendant, granting her the obligatory smile, and then he headed down the breezeway. Minutes later, he was seated, buckled in, and headed for his destination.
The following morning, he woke bright and early and called a cab.
As Kellen slid into the taxi, he leaned against the seat of the musty sedan smelling of fast food and air freshener.
“Where you headin’?” the driver asked.
Kellen handed the driver a piece of paper with the address—a location that elicited a puzzled look from the old man behind the driver’s wheel.
The seat, upholstered in once vibrant but now faded and slightly worn fabric, hinted at the cab’s years of service. In the front, the dashboard was adorned with an array of personal mementos and trinkets belonging to the driver, including family photos wedged between the speedometer and the fuel gauge, and a small, bobbing-head dog positioned on the rearview mirror.
“Going to visit family?” the nosy driver asked.
“No,” came Kellen’s reply. “Just a…friend.”
Okay, that was a little white lie. But the situation warranted a white lie and more.
As the cab wove through the city streets, the soft buzz of the radio played in the background, the driver occasionally humming along to a familiar tune. The back seat offered a confined space, just enough for Kellen to stretch his legs slightly before they bumped against the seat in front at the next curve. Every turn and stop brought a chorus of creaks and groans from the vehicle, telling the tale of its many journeys.
Looking out of the slightly tinted windows, Kellen watched the world blur by, the rhythmic motion of the cab almost soothing. Despite the cab’s humble and worn interior, there was a sense of life and stories within its confines, a silent witness to the countless individuals it had transported. As they approached the prison, the realization of their destination cast a somber shadow over the journey, turning Kellen’s attention away from the cab to thoughts of what awaited him at the end of the ride.
What he had in mind was a win-or-lose proposition. The stakes were high.
He only hoped that the scales would tip in the right direction and this one would land in the win column.