by Nikki Lane
“I-I didn’t even think to call there. Your mom doesn’t have a cellphone yet,” Aunt Meg said. “How in the world would Kasey get there? It’s way too far to walk.”
“Bus, maybe? I dunno. I’m on my way there now.”
“I’ll go with you,” she said.
“I’m already on the highway,” I said, pulling the car over. I’d have to Google the directions. “Just call the shelter and see if you can get a hold of Mom.”
“Are you sure, Maeve?”
I took a few seconds before answering. “Yeah…I’m sure.”
I’d made the drive in silence; the one interruption had been Aunt Meg’s call. Kasey had confessed to her about taking two buses before getting to the shelter. When the bus driver had asked her how old she was she had lied and said thirteen. I gripped the steering wheel even tighter. How could Kasey do this? Didn’t she realize how wrong this whole thing could have gone? I thought back to all those times I’d runway. Was this what it felt like for my mom? I doubted it.
The building of Safe Haven looked like an old schoolhouse. I parked the car and trotted across the asphalt pitted with potholes.
A woman sat on the other side of a glass window with the phone to her ear. A few kids jogged past me down the hall.
“Can I help you?” she said after sliding the glass door open. She still had the phone to her ear. Her violet highlights were the same color as Rita’s new hair.
“I’m looking for Coleen Miller,” I said.
“Are you family or friend?” She shifted through some of the paperwork littering her desk. Another phoneline rang. She ignored it.
“I’m her daughter,” I said.
She finally found the right room number and gave me directions to walk down the hall and make a right. I passed by the kids from before who were now playing a card game on the scuffed linoleum floor.
I knocked on the door of the room. A woman with curly, auburn hair answered the door. She had a white bandage on her cheek and one swollen eye.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m looking for my mother. They must have given me the wrong room number.”
“Maeve, right?” Her voice was nothing more than a squeak. “I recognized you from your picture.”
“Picture?”
She opened the door a little wider, revealing two twin size beds pushed to either corner of the room.
“Your mom keeps pictures of you and your sister by her nightstand.”
I took a few steps into the room. It was no bigger than a prison cell with bedding to match. I couldn’t imagine having to share this space with a stranger.
“I’m Cynthia, by the way. I just moved in here the day before yesterday. Your mom’s been so nice to me.”
I gazed over the pictures; one was from my high school graduation. There was one of a baby in a Christening outfit. I couldn’t tell if it was Kasey or me.
“Is she here? My mom?”
“She’s outside in the courtyard with your sister. Such a sweet girl.”
I nodded. “Thanks…and it was nice to meet you.”
She gave me a small smile.
The courtyard was nothing more than a cement patio with a few potted plants. Kasey and Mom were sitting on one of the benches, a thick book resting on mom’s lap. Kasey was flipping through the pages. Closer, I could see it was a photo album.
Mom looked up from what they were doing. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
“Maeve,” she said. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
Kasey didn’t look as happy to see me.
I stopped just a few feet short of the bench and crossed my arms.
“We were just looking at some pictures,” Mom said. “Why don’t you sit with us?”
“I’m not here visiting,” I said. “I’m here to take Kasey home.”
Mom closed the album and set it beside her.
Kasey’s frown deepened, and she slunk back in the seat.
“Come on, Kasey,” I said in a firmer tone.
“I don’t want to go. I want to be with Mom.”
I scoffed. “And what, stay here?” I shook my head. “Get up. We’re leaving.”
Mom looked at Kasey with affection that made my heart ache. “Listen to your sister, honey.”
“But I don’t want to go back to the farm,” she whined.
“You don’t belong here,” I said, stepping a little closer.
“I belong with Mom,” Kasey said.
My frustration was mounting. I didn’t need this—not after the last couple days.
I reached for Kasey’s hand and pulled her up from the bench. “You belong home with Aunt Meg and Uncle Jim.” She resisted me.
“Let go,” she said.
“Maeve,” Mom said. “Please. You’re going to hurt her.”
I dropped Kasey’s arm and looked at Mom. “You know she took two buses to get here? What is wrong with you? Why didn’t you call Aunt Meg?”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I told her what she did was wrong, but I was just so happy to see her. I was just about to call Meg.”
I switched my glare at Kasey. “Something could have happened to you. You know that?” Why was I the one giving her this speech? “You don’t even have your inhaler with you!”
“It’s not like you never ran away from home,” Kasey said.
I let out a heavy sigh. “We’re not talking about me.”
“Don’t fight, girls. Please.”
I grabbed a hold of Kasey’s arm again. “We’re leaving, and she’s never coming back here again.”
Mom’s hand grazed the soft leather of the photo album in her lap. “This is just temporary, Maeve. I’m waiting for an opening in the transitional housing program. Things will be better then.”
“I’m sure,” I said. “Let’s go, Kasey.”
She gave Mom a hug goodbye, and I turned to walk away, ignoring the tears welling in Mom’s eyes.
“Get in the car,” I said to Kasey when we reached the parking lot.
She still hadn’t said a word to me, and I was expecting that to last the whole way back to Aunt Meg and Uncle Jim’s.
“I know this is hard for you to understand,” I said, putting the car in drive. “But that place isn’t where you want to be.”
“Fine,” she said, keeping her stare out of the window.
“Mom can’t take care of you.”
“Then who can, Maeve?” She whipped her head around to look at me. “You never come visit, Aunt Meg and Uncle Jim are too tired, and you won’t let me stay with Mom.”
The desperation in her voice needled at my heart.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been working a lot,” I said. “But I promise you it won’t always be like this. Once I finish school, things will be different.”
She didn’t say anything and turned her head to stare out the window again.
Things would be different, I repeated in my head.
They had to be.
Chapter Twenty-One
I sat in the vet clinic’s waiting room, a panting bulldog near my feet. He licked his muzzle and then nudged my leg. I smiled and gave him a few pats on the head, his prominent underbite making him hard to resist.
“Maeve.”
I looked up to see Jacob on the other side of the door that led to the rest of the clinic. He nodded me over with a smile.
I followed him down the hall, waving hello to the few passing techs. Jacob pulled me into another room and closed the door behind us. Seconds later, he had my body pressed against the wall and his lips greedily covering my face and neck.
“Easy there,” I said, chuckling. “We have an audience.” The far wall was covered in kennels, housing dogs and cats. Some of them pressed their muzzle against the kennel doors, probably hoping for some attention. “Although I do find these scrubs hard to resist.”
“They don’t mind,” Jacob said. He gave me another peck on the lips. “Look over here.”
He pulled away and walked to one of the kennels. “She w
as a pregnant stray that I found out near the dumpsters.” He opened the door and reached past the gray and white cat sprawled out on the bedding. When he retracted his hand, it held a little ball of fur, the coloring matching its mother’s.
“Oh my goodness,” I squealed. “Is it a boy or a girl?”
Jacob held the kitten up with two hands and examined it. “Girl.”
“Can I hold her?”
He nodded, and I scooped the furball from his hands. It let out a little squeak, its blue eyes probably searching for its mother.
“She’s so soft.” After a few strokes of my hand, I could feel her tiny body rumble with a purr.
The mama cat lazily lifted her head and then set it back down. She seemed unaffected as the other kittens crawled all over her.
“Is she okay?” I asked, glancing at mama cat.
Jacob let out a little sigh. “No, she’s sick. I think they’re going to put her down.”
I gasped. “What? Why?”
“There’s nothing more we can do for her.”
I held the kitten a little tighter against my chest.
“What’s going to happen to them?” I asked.
“Well, hopefully, they’ll be adopted soon.”
I brought the kitten close to my face and nuzzled her against my cheek. “I want to adopt one,” I said. “Can I?”
Jacob’s mouth curled into a small smile. “Really?”
“Yeah,” I replied. “Never had a pet of my own before…except for a fish. But that didn’t work out well.”
“Okay,” Jacob said, taking the kitten from my hands. “I’ll get the paperwork done, and, as soon as she’s ready, we’ll take her home.” He tucked the kitten back into the kennel.
I smiled and latched my hand on the cold metal door. Soon, a throng of kittens were lapping and nibbling on my fingers.
“So, are you excited?” Jacob asked.
“I’m not sure.”
He’d been hinting about plans for my birthday for the last few days. I tried to act indifferent, but the curiosity was eating away at me.
“Are you ready to go?”
“That depends on where you’re taking me.” I’d spent a good portion of my morning staring into my closet, debating on what to wear. And it didn’t help any that Jacob had told me to dress for anything. That was a lot harder than it sounded.
“I told you it’s a surprise.”
“But how do I know I’m dressed right?”
He gave me a onceover. “Spin around.”
I have him a crooked look, and he twirled his finger. I spun while he whistled a catcall.
“Stop,” I said, giving him a playful push.
“Beautiful as always.”
Jacob finished feeding the rest of the animals and then did a quick change so we could head out.
We got in the car, with Jacob driving, and headed out of town. I gazed out of the window, watching the trees whizz by on the interstate. Where the hell were we going?
“This is the way to Aunt Meg and Uncle Jim’s,” I said.
Jacob nodded. “Yep.”
“We’re going to Aunt Meg and Uncle Jim’s?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
I huffed, leaned back in the seat, and crossed my arms.
“Don’t,” Jacob said.
“Don’t what?”
“Pout,” he said with a snicker.
“I do not pout.”
“You do to.” He reached for my hand and laced his fingers with mine. “And it’s strangely adorable.”
An hour later, and signs for a small airport were popping up every few miles. Jacob made a few more turns until we reached the airport parking lot.
“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” He unbuckled his seatbelt.
I stared at him, not sure what to make of our location.
“Aren’t you going to get out?” he asked.
“Are we going somewhere?”
“Maybe.” He got out of the car, leaving me to continue wondering.
When I was out of the car, I saw the sign posted on the chain link fence, just below the barbed wire. It was kind of hard to miss.
Free Fall Adventures
I stopped in my tracks. “No way,” I said, disbelieving.
Jacob stopped, too. “Yes way.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. Excitement and fear hit me in a way that made me want to jump up and down and throw up at the same time. “But…I don’t understand.”
His eyebrows rose. “Don’t understand what?”
“Why this?” I squinted my eyes and looked at the sign again, just to be extra sure I’d read it right.
He patted his shirt, like he was looking for something, and then reached into the pocket of his jeans. In his hand was a folded piece of white paper.
He unfolded it, cleared his throat, and proceeded to read it out loud.
“Dear, Jacob. Another dull day. Nothing to do and without you here I’m sure I’ll go insane from boredom. Aunt Meg says I might be able to visit you soon. Made a list of top ten things I want to do before I die. Wanna here them? Number one: skydive. Number two—”
I grabbed the paper from his hands. “Where did you get this?”
“It’s an email you’d sent me.”
I checked the date. “I was thirteen. How do you still have this?” The paper was worn and creased in several spots.
“I’d printed it out,” he said. “Thought a list as important as the top ten things you want to do before you die would be an important one to remember.” He folded the paper back up and stuffed it into his pocket. “And I’d always hoped we could do most of them together.”
A small breeze could have pushed me over. I had a vague memory of sending him the list, but I hadn’t thought about it in years.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” I said. It’d always been a dream of mine, but now that I was looking it straight in the face, I thought my knees would give out.
“You’re not doing it alone,” Jacob said. “I’m going up with you.”
“But you’re afraid of heights,” I said.
“Yeah? And you were afraid to go out on a date with me and look at how well that turned out.” He flashed me a big, beautiful grin and started to walk toward the entrance. “Are you coming?”
I took careful steps and followed him, doubting the experience of jumping from a plane from two and a half miles in the sky could ever top the feeling Jacob gave me every day.
* * * *
I was strapped to a stranger. Some guy name Wild Bill. His full beard matched the color of his salt and pepper hair. Every time he said something, his bushy eyebrows rose with his excitement. I’d never been so uncomfortably close to someone before. Our bodies were sandwiched together, a harness and some tethers keeping us connected. I was strapped to a guy named Wild Bill, minutes from jumping out of a plane.
Holy shit.
Just an hour ago, I was standing next to Jacob in the airport hangar, having a training lesson with the instructor. The nervousness had been manageable then. It had still kind of felt like this was all a prank. Then, when it was time to board the plane, Jacob would turn to me and yell “Sike!” We’d laugh and then leave for the real birthday surprise.
But when it was time to get on the plane, we’d actually got on it.
Jacob was in front of me in the turbine-equipped plane. Actually, his jumping partner was in front of me, and Jacob was in front of him. Strapped. Just like me. And I’d almost wished I could be strapped to Jacob instead, even though neither one of us had a clue what we were about to do.
The pilot had announced we’d be at full altitude in just fifteen minutes. But that felt like hours ago. Was it possible for your heart to actually explode?
Jacob looked back at me without an ounce of fear on his face. This was the same guy who couldn’t jump off the high dive at the community pool. I was convinced he was on some kind of sedative. But that couldn’t be because he definitely would have shared with me.
; Wild Bill shouted something in my ear. All I heard were the words, “Get ready to jump.”
“Okay,” I shouted back.
The guy Jacob was strapped to edged near the open airplane door. Jacob looked back at me and gave me a thumbs-up. I nodded and just like that he was gone. And it felt like my heart had flung itself out of the plane to go after him.
Wild Bill performed a final safety check and then coaxed me toward the open door. I swallowed over the boulder in my throat and did a silent prayer that I wouldn’t die, because how ironic would that be?
Wild Bill counted down from three. I shut my eyes at one and felt the push, the floor of the plane slipping from under my feet. I forced myself to open my eyes, feeling the effects of freefalling toward the ground at almost 122 m.p.h.
At first, I couldn’t see Jacob. I whipped my head around and finally spotted him a little ways below us. He looked up and spotted me, too. His smile was inflated from the speed in which we were falling. He gave me another thumbs-up, and I laughed, returning the gesture.
I wouldn’t ever be able to describe the feeling of the rush of air beneath my body. Almost like floating, but not really. I had spent most of my life trying to avoid falling flat on my face. Now, I was plunging toward the earth and unable to do anything to stop it. I had to surrender to the moment, embrace the unknown of what was waiting for me down below, and trust…trust that everything would work out the way it was supposed to.
Wild Bill gave the signal that he was going to open the chute. I tensed a little and scrunched my eyes shut before feeling the jerk of the parachute open.
Thank God.
We glided softly through the blue sky, and for the rest of the way down I was too enraptured with the view to think, or worry, about anything else. When our feet touched the solid ground, I was a little disappointed the experience had ended, but relieved to have survived it in one piece.
Wild Bill couldn’t detach my harness quick enough. I sprinted toward Jacob, just as he became free from his own partner, and jumped on top of him, wrapping my arms around his neck and securing my legs around his waist.
He stumbled back a little. “Whoa,” he said with a laugh.
“Thank you,” I said into his ear.
He ran a hand over the crown of my head and down my hair. “Anytime.” His voice was low and soft.
