by TR Kohler
Calling it up on the screen of the cellphone taken from Hazik’s office, it looks to be of a wide swath of spongy grass that has been meticulously watered and manicured. The lone patch of green visible.
A stark contrast to the monotone hues of the desert landscape stretched for miles in all directions behind it.
“You ready?” Kidman asks, glancing over to Anika beside him. A young woman he had never even heard of four days earlier, now standing on the curb, a small rucksack containing her every possession in the world slung over a shoulder.
A teenager about to trust a group of strangers enough to jump eight time zones.
The parallel between her situation and his long before not lost on him.
“Is it going to hurt?” she asks.
“Does it matter?” he fires back. “Can’t you just heal yourself if it does?”
Enough to elicit a grin, Anika replies, “That’s true. Besides, if an old man like you can do it without snapping a hip, I guess it can’t be that hard.”
Knowing that she is only baiting him, trying to get him to reveal just how much older than her he is, Kidman says, “You say that now, but remember, I age a lot slower than you. I may be the old one today, but give it a few decades.”
Anika’s mouth open to reply, another smart retort no doubt ready to be lobbed, Kidman hops up on the curb beside her. Tossing a hand around her shoulder, he pulls her tight, drawing the phone up in front of them.
A quick glance that sends them hurtling across the globe, landing in the center of the grassy spot depicted in the image. A blessed landing not only for the soft surface, but for the twenty degree drop in temperature it provides.
Barely does Kidman’s feet touch down before the crack of Ali’i’s bark rings out. A sharp sound that brings a smile to his face as he drops to his knees. Even before he spots her, he hits the turf, his head swiveling to either side.
A search that reveals her bounding his way. Lips peeled back, pink tongue wagging.
Her standard pose for expressing joy, most often employed when about to go for a paddle or when Kidman returns with fresh catch from the sea.
Things that, hopefully, aren’t too far in the offing.
“There’s my girl,” Kidman says, catching the dark brown rocket as she hurtles into him. A joyous reunion as she writhes against him, his fingers scratching the length of her back.
Constant wriggling that continues as he glances back over a shoulder and says, “Anika, this is Ali’i. Ali’i, Anika.”
Oblivious to the introduction taking place, his canine companion continues to encircle him. Entire body quivering with delight, she remains pressed tight to him, constantly moving.
“Did you miss me?” Kidman asks, attempting to catch her as she passes. “Huh?”
“Miss you?” a familiar voice responds. “Thought I was going to have to get that thing a therapist. Maybe enroll her in a support group.”
Feeling the grin he wears grow larger, Kidman rises from the grass. Ali’i still bouncing around him with unbridled energy, he turns back in the same direction his dog just approached from to find Ma making her way across the open ground.
Cane in hand, she moves carefully through the spongy grass, her bobbed silver hair swaying slightly in the breeze.
“Kind of like you after I take her home, right?” Kidman asks.
Her only attempt at a response being a dour expression, Ma turns her attention to the young woman beside him. Extending a hand before her, she says, “Kari Ma, welcome to The Ranch.”
“Anika Purna,” Anika replies, reciprocating the handshake as she glances around.
An initial assessment making no effort to hide the uncertainty she feels, taking in the spread of barns and outbuildings gathered around them. The small clumps of cows milling about just beyond.
Almost what could be described as a first-world version of the village they just left behind.
“Everything get wrapped up okay?” Ma asks, turning her chin toward Kidman, even as her gaze remains on Anika.
Her own initial assessment. One that Kidman himself underwent thirty years prior. And many years later when she showed up at his place in Canada.
And again, just a few days ago on Molokai.
“Getting there,” Kidman replies. “Things here?”
“About the same,” Ma answers, finally pulling her focus over his way. “After you guys get cleaned up, get something to eat, I can have Doc give you the tour.”
“Sounds good,” Kidman says. “And the other thing?”
Even leaving it vague, the question is enough to stop Anika’s sweep of the grounds. Turning back, her gaze lands on Ma as well as she replies, “I put in the call a couple of hours ago. They’ll be here just after dinner.”
Chapter Seventy-Three
An oil man long before ever entering politics, Kari Ma isn’t surprised that former President Jefferson Pruitt has his own plane. A Cessna Citation that dwarfs the Gulfstream gifted to The Ranch, it is parked on the far end of the landing strip, needing every last inch to bring the hulking bird to a stop.
How exactly it will eventually get turned around for departure Kari isn’t certain, content to leave that up to the crew still onboard.
Along with the former president and Anika Purna.
A very exclusive guest list that she wasn’t the least bit surprised to be excluded from. A sentiment she is reasonably certain is shared by Kidman and Ali’i by her side.
Even if she is a bit curious as to how it all goes, Anika and her abilities.
“So how was it, being back in the field?” she asks.
To her left, she can spy Kidman with his focus fixed on the plane. A pose he has maintained since Anika left them ten minutes earlier, having stared at it so intently Kari can imagine him jumping himself from where they stand through the small cabin windows lining the side of the craft.
“The same, and different,” Kidman replies after a moment. “In some ways better. In others...”
Not sure where to even begin unpacking such a statement, Kari remains silent. Giving Kidman all the time he needs to sort through his response, she waits for the better part of a minute before he says, “It was good being back in the thick of it. Not having to hide my abilities. Using them to help people.”
Glancing over, he offers a quick flash of a smile. “Even feeling that old adrenaline rush again.”
Meeting his gaze for a moment, Kari offers a quick nod. Affirmation that she knows exactly what he means, her own last foray into such a situation being the same as his.
That day in the Yangon twenty years prior, not a single one passing since without her recalling the feeling of being in the field.
Fighting in a way that a bunch of bureaucrats in D.C. can never begin to understand.
“Thank you, for doing this,” she says. “I know it was pretty unusual, me showing up after all these years and asking such a thing.”
Flicking a glance to the side, she sees him continuing to stare at the side of the plane. A glassy-eyed stare with his hair blowing behind him, his mind clearly off somewhere else.
No doubt halfway across the world, replaying what took place the last couple of days.
A story that, from what she was told earlier, definitely ranks on the higher end of the things they’ve encountered before.
“I wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t important,” Kari continues. “And I don’t mean for me. I mean for this place. For people like us, like Anika.”
At mention of the girl’s name, Kidman blinks. Several quick times, pulling himself back into the moment. A transition that ends with him glancing over, ripping his gaze away from the plane and whatever may be transpiring inside.
“Like I said before,” he replies, “I owe you.”
“You owed me nothing.”
Shaking his head slightly, he says, “Not owed. Owe.”
Not waiting for her to respond, he lets his gaze drift downward. A slow movement that ends with his focus landing on
the cane gripped tight in her hand.
An object that has been omnipresent for the last twenty years. An impediment that became a reality that is now merely an extension of her.
A daily reminder of the life she’s lived and the choices she’s made.
Not a single one of which she would change, even if given the chance.
“You know, the things Anika can do,” he whispers. “I’ve seen it, with my own eyes. Felt it, even.”
A suggestion that Kari has known was coming. Since she first got the call from Wilson Pruitt, she knew someone would put things together and offer it up to her.
Eventually, somebody would mention it.
An outcome that is well beyond her reach. An erasure of the last twenty years she cannot begin to entertain, for many reasons.
Chief among them the man now standing by her side.
“Like I said,” Kari replies, “you owe me nothing.”
Chapter Seventy-Four
The sound of Kidman’s knuckles tapping against the doorframe are louder than intended. Rocketing through the interior of the small dorm-style room, it jerks Anika’s focus up from the stack of clothes on the bed, her breath catching in her chest.
A moment later her surprise dissipates, a smile crossing her features.
“Hey there.”
“Look who’s up and around,” Kidman says. Pausing in the doorway, he lets Ali’i slide past him, content to lean against the frame.
“Yep,” Anika replies. “Woke up a little bit ago feeling good as new.”
Having heard something similar in the jungle not long before, Kidman raises an eyebrow. A sardonic look that he holds long enough for Anika to glance over, a wan smile gracing her features.
“Okay, maybe more like slightly used. Nothing a meal and another night of sleep can’t fix.”
Accepting the admission as far more than he was expecting, Kidman lets it go without further comment. Folding his arms, he glances around the room, taking in the interior of the space.
A spot landing somewhere between his home on Molokai and the hut she was previously calling a home.
Something much more befitting a fifteen-year-old.
Especially one about to start formal schooling again for the first time in over a year.
“Nice digs.”
“Digs?” Anika replies. Bent forward at the waist, her hands knead the short hairs on Ali’i’s neck. A pairing that already seems to be coming right along, far surpassing any sort of connection ever formed with Ma in his time away. “God, you’re old.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Kidman says. “Nice try.”
Releasing her grip on Ali’i’s neck, Anika rises to full height. Passing her hands across the cloth shorts she wears, she motions to either side and asks, “But really, you like it?”
“I do,” Kidman replies. “Way, way better than what I was given when I first started out.”
“Really?”
Leaning back, Kidman glances the length of the hallway. A space devoid of anybody else, the remainder of the trainees all up in the barn with Doc.
An afternoon session he does not envy in the slightest, the man almost gleeful as he explained over lunch the workout he had planned.
“Oh, yeah,” Kidman replies. “Back then, there were five of us, which meant everybody but Ma had to double up. I was lucky enough to be with this guy we called Coop. Bright red hair hiding more than a few loose screws.”
Leaning in closer, he lowers his voice and says, “And you like to pretend I’m old? Sheesh, this guy...”
Letting out a small chuckle, Anika’s attention drops to the wet nose brushing against her hand. Ali’i nudging her, pushing her to continue the petting that started just a moment before.
An ongoing search for attention that has sent her ping-ponging from one person to the next since Kidman and Anika returned.
“Yes dear, I see you,” Anika says. Bending down again, she runs her hands back over Ali’i’s ears. Long swipes that continue the length of her spine as the dog moves forward, putting Anika’s hands exactly where they are wanted.
Her own special ability she seems to have been born with, employing the tactic since the first day Kidman met her.
“Please, get in there as much as you can,” Kidman says. “Lord knows, once we head home, she won’t be getting this kind of attention anymore.”
Continuing to scratch at Ali’i’s rear haunches, Anika’s hands slow. Turning her head to the side, she fixes her gaze on him before raising herself up to full height once more.
A crease forming between her brows, she asks, “You’re not sticking around?”
“Aw, dry your eyes,” Kidman replies. A quick shot of levity that appears to fall short before he adds, “This was always more of a one-off thing for me. A favor owed.”
Pursing her lips slightly, Anika considers the response before replying, “Okay, but now you owe me.”
“I owe you? For...?”
“For saving your life from Hazik. We both know he was going to keep shooting until he eventually hit you.”
Cracking a smile, Kidman replies, “We also both know I would have just shrugged it off.”
Taking a step forward, he raises his arms before him. An embrace she meets, wrapping her arms around his waist, the two squeezing tight.
“Tell you what, though,” he whispers. “You go back out into the field, you give me a call first, okay?”
Chapter Seventy-Five
“Should I take your offer to Anika earlier to mean you’ll be around some moving forward?” Kari Ma asks. Placed out there without the slightest bit of inflection, Kidman can’t help but allow his mouth to curl back in a smile.
Both at the feigned innocence and the underlying meaning of her having heard the conversation earlier.
“Damned invisibility,” he mutters.
Eliciting a smile from Ma beside him, she replies, “Hey, I didn’t intend to listen in, I was only looking to check on how she was doing.”
“Uh-huh,” Kidman replies as the two of them step out of the rear door to the farmhouse. Passing from the cooled interior of the building, the full of the late evening sun lands on them square. A rise in temperature that is neither unpleasant nor unwanted.
A nice segue from the chilled interior of the farmhouse to the warmth of their home in Hawaii.
“And just thought you’d stick around and check out what we had to say?” Kidman asks.
“If I didn’t, how else would I know you held a grudge over our sleeping arrangements for all these years?”
A single crack of laughter escapes Kidman as they pull up on the edge of the same grassy patch he landed on earlier in the day. Coming to a stop, they wait as Doc emerges from the training facility opposite them, running a towel over his scalp as he makes his way toward them.
A journey that Ali’i seems content to join him on, bounding over and circling him twice before falling in on his hip.
“Seriously though, should I take your offer to her to mean we might be seeing more of you around here?” Ma asks again.
“Maybe,” Kidman replies. “I mean, I won’t pretend it wasn’t good to be back out there mixing it up.”
Watching Doc and Ali’i come a bit closer, he adds, “Besides, it was kind of nice having someone looking out for me when I was her age, you know?”
A comment he isn’t surprised doesn’t elicit a response, the two of them stand and wait until Doc arrives. Easy silence under the later afternoon sun that ends with Doc calling out, “We’ve got to get some air conditioning out there before summer.”
Cracking a smile, Kidman replies, “You’ve just got to stop working so hard out there, that’s all.”
Beside him, Ma snorts softly, the sound there and gone as Doc fires back, “Hey, you remember the drill. If you ain’t in pain, you didn’t really train.”
Allowing his smile to rise into a laugh, Kidman glances to Ma. Shaking his head twice, he steps forward, arms outstretched before him.
“D
amn good seeing you again, brother. Always welcome out in the islands if you need a little downtime.”
“You too,” Doc replies, enveloping him in an oversized hug that ends with him thumping Kidman twice on the back. Clubbing shots that pop several vertebra and a couple of ribs before releasing. “And from what I hear, we might be seeing some more of you around here as well, huh?”
“That’s the rumor,” Kidman replies, casting a glance over to Ma.
A quick look that registers with her just an instant too late as he jumps across the grassy expanse between them. Grabbing her in a tight embrace, he pulls her tight.
A move she bristles at for just an instant before falling slack against him.
“Damned jumping ability,” she mutters.
“What you get for spying,” Kidman replies, giving her one final squeeze before releasing and stepping to the side. Right into an open patch of grass between them where he slaps at the leg of his pants, the signal drawing Ali’i over tight to his side.
“I’m serious,” Doc says. “You ever want to swing by for dinner or to grab a workout with us, we’d love to have you.”
A sentiment Ma follows up on by reaching into the inner pocket of her suit jacket. Extracting from it a satellite phone like the one that was lost in the rainforest, she tosses it across to him.
“No more of these multi-year absences, okay? This place is as much yours as ours.”
Catching the phone one handed, Kidman tucks it into his rear pocket. Swapping it out for his own cellphone, he pulls up the saved image of home onscreen, glancing to Ma and Doc before him one last time.
As he does so, no less than a dozen things come to mind. Closing lines that arrive and flee in short order. Summations of the last couple days. Promises for things moving forward.
Ideas that he puts together with a simple nod of thanks before reaching down and latching onto Ali’i by his side.
A moment later, the two of them land back on the sand directly behind his house where they first encountered Ma.
