They’d packed as much as they could fit on the small flatbed trailer. Boxes of kitchen supplies, clothes, camping gear in case of emergency, and a few personal items like photo albums, knick-knacks, quilts, and the bench swing Jesse had made for her. She couldn’t bear to leave it behind. Seth and Jesse strapped everything down with a big tarp and rope, threw their overnight bags and bedding in the trunk of Seth’s car, coaxed Bruno up into the back section of the truck with a Milkbone treat, and shut the rear doors. The poor dog needed a sunroof to stick his head out so he could sit up in comfort. He’d probably be hunchbacked by the time they reached their destination.
Miriam trudged out the front door of the house, stooped with the weight of the large cooler she carried. It was filled with enough sandwiches, cookies, and drinks to last two or three days. Jesse took it in his strong arms, hefting it into the space between the seats.
“Is that it?” he asked, glancing back.
She nodded, and blinked away the tears that threatened to spill again. She had been trying to hold them in for the past two hours while she and Jael filled boxes and prepared food.
Jesse reached out and took her hand. “It’ll be all right,” he said, gently squeezing her fingers. “This is just a precaution. We’ll be back before you know it.”
She knew if she tried to speak only choking sobs would come out, so she pressed her lips tight and turned to look one last time at the home she’d grown to love. The deck where they often sat in the cool of the evening and talked about their day, the bedroom she’d decorated as a respite from the world at large, a haven for two people who’d loved each other through so much, the kitchen where she lovingly cooked and baked her husband and daughter’s favorite things. A lone tear slipped from the corner of her eye. She’d put her heart and soul into this house.
Jesse moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her tight against his lean, hard frame. His solid strength and support flowed into her like an ocean wave. More tears slipped out and she blinked hard when he lowered his chin and pressed his stubbly cheek against her wet face.
“No matter what happens, you will always be my home,” he whispered, his lips brushing her ear in a soft caress.
She closed her eyes and nodded. His rough whiskered jaw prickled her cheek in reassuring familiarity.
Jesse released her. “Go see what’s taking Jael so long,” he urged, turning back to check the ropes again that held their belongings in the trailer.
Seth had packed his car as well and was busy trying to shove a box further in so he could close the back door. He straightened, glanced toward the setting sun on the horizon and tapped his watch. “We better get moving,” he called.
Miriam went back up the steps one last time and through the open front door. She heard Jael moving around in her room down the hall, a screech as though something heavy was being scooted across the wood floor.
The bedroom door stood open when she approached. Miriam expected to find her daughter stuffing last minute items into a duffel bag. Instead she found Jael on her belly under the bed, long legs sticking out as she struggled to reach something.
“Are you about ready?” Miriam asked.
Jael’s legs went still. “Be there in a minute,” she said, her voice muffled beneath the mattress and bedding.
“Okay, but hurry up. Your dad’s ready to go.”
Miriam wasn’t ready to go. She’d never be ready. Leaving their life in Sunburn was one of the hardest things she’d ever been asked to do. Leaving the Loon Lake Community nearly seventeen years earlier had been rough, but with Jesse by her side and Jael on the way, it had seemed more like an adventure into the big wide world without restrictions. But leaving this home, where for the past five years they’d finally felt safe enough to put down a few roots, was wrenching. Deep in her bones she knew they’d never return.
She wiped away another tear that slipped down her cheek and walked down the hall glancing in each of the rooms. She slipped the small, framed photo of her parents off the bedside table and into her purse. How had she missed that?
The picture window in the living room faced the sprawling desert, a cactus and sagebrush painting that changed from desolate to wild and free with the shifting light. She’d loved that view, even with the heat and snakes and lack of green. It suited them. Like a wolf pack living on the edge of civilized society, never really accepted or understood, but knowing their existence was indeed important in the scheme of things.
Lost in thought, she didn’t hear Jael approach.
“Mom? Are you all right?”
Miriam reluctantly turned away from the window and forced a bright smile. “Of course.” She eyed the small, carved box Jael held in her hands. “I see you found what you were looking for.”
Jael’s lips curved up slightly. She shrugged. “Just some keepsakes.”
Miriam put an arm around her shoulders as they turned to go. Obviously her daughter didn’t believe they were coming back either.
Outside, Seth sat impatiently in his car waiting, the engine running. Jesse leaned against the side of the Suburban, arms crossed. He watched them step out onto the porch. Miriam gave him a soft smile. He opened the passenger door for her and she slid into the seat while Jael climbed in the back.
“Did you double check that we didn’t leave any photographs behind?” he asked in a quiet voice.
She nodded and patted her purse.
Seth pulled out onto the road and turned toward the highway. Jesse slid behind the steering wheel and started the engine, but before he shifted out of park he reached out and clasped her hand. He glanced back at Jael as well, including her in his words. “As long as we’re together everything will be all right,” he promised.
Miriam turned away. It would never be all right again. Had he forgotten Jael’s birthday? The beginning of the end. Once she was set on her course as the Chosen One they would no longer be together. She stared out the side window, watching the familiar landscape sweep past as they drove away from their home, their past, their peaceful existence. The sun slipped below the horizon and the evening sky took on a silvery tone, not quite light, not quite dusk.
Bruno whined way in the back and Jael shushed him. “Lay down, boy. Don’t know where we’re going but we’ll be there before you know it.”
Miriam closed her eyes. The familiar phrase pressed a painful spot in her heart. Jesse always said those words each time they packed their belongings and moved on to another town, another state, another place of anonymity. She was surprised Jael remembered, since she had just turned eleven when they found themselves in Sunburn, Nevada and decided to settle in.
Jesse pulled the headlights on as dusk settled around them. A motorcycle flew by going in the opposite direction and Jael sucked in a breath. But when Miriam glanced back, her daughter had her head down going through the articles in her keepsake box. She relaxed against the headrest and tried to sleep.