don’t
want to give it a couple more weeks? What if the Jeep breaks
down?”
“Then we’ll hotwire something else.” It was
clear that she was just trying to think of anything she could to
delay our departure.
“Did you check the packs?” she asked about
our gear. “You know how Abe can be. He always remembers to pack
those fireworks of his, but sometimes he forgets the really
important stuff. He might’ve forgotten…”
“I checked them and so did Ben,” I said as
Zack came around the front of the car to stand beside us. “The
packs are fine. This isn’t the first time I’ve done this, you
know?”
“I know,” she said as she continued to stare
at me. She reached out and twirled my hair as she smiled. “Your
hair looks so pretty in the sunshine.”
“Thanks, mom,” I said, humoring her. “We
should probably get going.”
“Just give me a minute,” she said and her
voice trembled. “Just a minute.”
“You don’t have to worry about me,” I
said.
Zack chuckled and put his arm on my shoulder.
“That’s not the way it works, kid. We’re parents. All we do is
worry.”
“Well, stop it,” I said, although I wasn’t
angry. If my mother had acted this way six months earlier, at the
outset of one of my other sojourns, I would’ve been annoyed and
probably accused her of treating me like a child. This time was
different. Kim’s death had shaken my mother to her core, and the
effects were evident in her sickly pallor and gaunt cheeks. She
looked ten years older than she was. I knew that her
over-protectiveness was because she was terrified of losing another
child. It would kill her.
I hugged her, and felt her boney shoulders
tremble as I squeezed her tight. She sobbed, and I pulled away to
look at her in exasperation. “Mom, stop it. I’m going to be
fine.”
“I know,” she said as she sheepishly wiped
away the tears. She smiled, nodded, and tried to feign happiness.
“I know you will be. You’re a tough girl. Tougher than I ever was.”
She reached out again and touched my cheek. She wiped away one of
her own tears that had stuck to my cheek during our embrace.
“If I’m at New Vineyard when you get back, I
want you to come right there. Okay?”
I nodded and agreed. I still wasn’t thrilled
with her decision to keep me out of the Rollers’ fight with Jerald,
but even Billy had sided with her on this. When I returned, I was
going to be in charge of helping New Vineyard train new scouts,
just like I’d been trained by Jules so many years earlier.
“We should let them get going,” said
Zack.
Laura continued to stare at me for a moment
as she took a long breath. She finally nodded and said, “Okay.” She
pulled me in for another hug and then proceeded to kiss my face in
several spots like she used to when I was a child. I laughed, but
she was undaunted and continued to kiss me. “Go.” She said finally
as she let me go. Her abrupt command was her way of trying to deal
with this quickly, like tearing off a bandage so it hurt a little
less. “Get going.”
“I love you,” I said as I walked backward and
waved. “I’ll see you in a week.”
She waved, and then hurried to get back in
her car.
“Be careful, kid,” said Zack as he made his
way to the driver’s seat.
“I will,” I said as I got back into the
Jeep.
“We good to go?” asked Ben as I got back
in.
“Yeah.” I was embarrassed and scrunched my
nose as I complained, “Sorry, I don’t know what that was all about.
She’s not usually like that.”
“She’s just being a mom,” said Harrison.
I watched in the side view mirror as Zack
backed his sedan up and then turned around to head to the rehab
center. Ben started the Jeep and we headed off in the opposite
direction, towards the ruins of Denver.
“I guess,” I muttered as I clicked my safety
belt on.
“Maybe it has something to do with her
illness,” said Harrison with a casual tone, as if merely
contemplating a well-known fact.
“What
want to give it a couple more weeks? What if the Jeep breaks
down?”
“Then we’ll hotwire something else.” It was
clear that she was just trying to think of anything she could to
delay our departure.
“Did you check the packs?” she asked about
our gear. “You know how Abe can be. He always remembers to pack
those fireworks of his, but sometimes he forgets the really
important stuff. He might’ve forgotten…”
“I checked them and so did Ben,” I said as
Zack came around the front of the car to stand beside us. “The
packs are fine. This isn’t the first time I’ve done this, you
know?”
“I know,” she said as she continued to stare
at me. She reached out and twirled my hair as she smiled. “Your
hair looks so pretty in the sunshine.”
“Thanks, mom,” I said, humoring her. “We
should probably get going.”
“Just give me a minute,” she said and her
voice trembled. “Just a minute.”
“You don’t have to worry about me,” I
said.
Zack chuckled and put his arm on my shoulder.
“That’s not the way it works, kid. We’re parents. All we do is
worry.”
“Well, stop it,” I said, although I wasn’t
angry. If my mother had acted this way six months earlier, at the
outset of one of my other sojourns, I would’ve been annoyed and
probably accused her of treating me like a child. This time was
different. Kim’s death had shaken my mother to her core, and the
effects were evident in her sickly pallor and gaunt cheeks. She
looked ten years older than she was. I knew that her
over-protectiveness was because she was terrified of losing another
child. It would kill her.
I hugged her, and felt her boney shoulders
tremble as I squeezed her tight. She sobbed, and I pulled away to
look at her in exasperation. “Mom, stop it. I’m going to be
fine.”
“I know,” she said as she sheepishly wiped
away the tears. She smiled, nodded, and tried to feign happiness.
“I know you will be. You’re a tough girl. Tougher than I ever was.”
She reached out again and touched my cheek. She wiped away one of
her own tears that had stuck to my cheek during our embrace.
“If I’m at New Vineyard when you get back, I
want you to come right there. Okay?”
I nodded and agreed. I still wasn’t thrilled
with her decision to keep me out of the Rollers’ fight with Jerald,
but even Billy had sided with her on this. When I returned, I was
going to be in charge of helping New Vineyard train new scouts,
just like I’d been trained by Jules so many years earlier.
“We should let them get going,” said
Zack.
Laura continued to stare at me for a moment
as she took a long breath. She finally nodded and said, “Okay.” She
pulled me in for another hug and then proceeded to kiss my face in
several spots like she used to when I was a child. I laughed, but
she was undaunted and continued to kiss me. “Go.” She said finally
as she let me go. Her abrupt command was her way of trying to deal
with this quickly, like tearing off a bandage so it hurt a little
less. “Get going.”
“I love you,” I said as I walked backward and
waved. “I’ll see you in a week.”
She waved, and then hurried to get back in
her car.
“Be careful, kid,” said Zack as he made his
way to the driver’s seat.
“I will,” I said as I got back into the
Jeep.
“We good to go?” asked Ben as I got back
in.
“Yeah.” I was embarrassed and scrunched my
nose as I complained, “Sorry, I don’t know what that was all about.
She’s not usually like that.”
“She’s just being a mom,” said Harrison.
I watched in the side view mirror as Zack
backed his sedan up and then turned around to head to the rehab
center. Ben started the Jeep and we headed off in the opposite
direction, towards the ruins of Denver.
“I guess,” I muttered as I clicked my safety
belt on.
“Maybe it has something to do with her
illness,” said Harrison with a casual tone, as if merely
contemplating a well-known fact.
“What
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