Halfway Heroes
Page 42
Chapter 25—Gathering a Team
After enjoying the cake, she opened her presents. She received a few adventure books, a larger memory card for her camera, a couple of CDs, a delicate silver necklace from her parents, and a shirt from Dariela that read “My other outfit is a cape and tights.” Arthur allowed Lydia and her parents to walk around the Cave afterward. Along with presents, her parents had brought more clothes and belongings from home. Lydia cherished most the pictures of family and friends. Arnold also slipped her some money. “Just in case,” he told her.
Lydia had a great time showing off the facilities, her room, and her friends. Wren proved more than enough to drain whatever energy Lydia’s parents had. Donny nearly set fire to Arnold’s clothes when he sneezed in his direction, and Jando was far too friendly with Debra. When Lydia warned him to back off, he played innocent.
“What? I’m only being polite. And you say she’s still married?” He shook his head in mock pity. “Too bad. But it’s easy to see where you get your ravishing good looks. Honestly, I thought your dad was your grandfather. He looks older than her. Must be the gray hair,” he said, checking that her parents weren’t nearby. “I don’t mess with taken women.”
“So you do have some morals,” Lydia said, relieved.
“Of course I have morals,” Jando scoffed. “One is that you don’t mess with someone who’s already taken. It’s an unwritten law, one that I respect to the fullest.” He held a hand over his heart. “After all, it would be unfair to all men if I took their girls away. And I’m only one man. Try as I might, even I can’t satisfy every woman at once. I do have my limits, you know.”
Lydia provided a tour of as much of the Cave as she could. They returned to the small conference room late that night, which acted as her parents’ room for the rest of their stay for a couple more days. On the last day, Sylvia showed up at noon, but waited outside and allowed the family to say their good-byes in private.
“We’ll try to come back as soon as we can,” Debra promised, squeezing Lydia in a tight hug.
“God willing, you’ll be out of here soon,” Arnold said, kissing the top of her head. “If you need anything, let us know, okay?”
“Okay,” Lydia said, embracing him.
“We’re proud of you,” he added.
“Very proud,” Debra said, sniffing and turning her head to the side.
All too soon, Sylvia had to escort her parents away. The parting wasn’t easy for Lydia, but it was nowhere near as painful as when Arthur had snatched her from the hospital. She now had hopes that she’d be able to see her parents on a regular basis until she was able to escape.
She watched them leave the Cave and drive away, blindfolded, she supposed, in one of the cars. Arthur soon came by and took Lydia back downstairs.
When they reached the bottom floor and Lydia stepped out of the elevator, she turned around. “Thanks again,” she said.
“I promised I’d bring them, didn’t I?” he said. “Took a little longer than I thought it would, but it synced perfectly in the end. Wouldn’t you say?”
She nodded. Lydia was starting to see Arthur in a different light. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as she’d initially believed. She was a long way from trusting him, much less fathoming her completion of his program in the Cave, but he’d proven he was capable of empathy. There was no denying he’d tried to ease her plight in many ways. They exchanged smiles. “You’re welcome,” he said, disappearing behind the elevator doors.
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