“PACK YOUR THINGS and get into the cruiser, Sheila. I’m taking you home to see the girls and talk this over with Jean right now. We can decide later where this is going to take us,” Stanton said.
“But is that safe? What if Braxton sees me?” she worried.
“He’s never been over to our place, even to see the girls. And I haven’t seen my father or Jed at our place for a long time. It’s possible, but not very likely, especially this time of night. And it would look funny for me to come back here again. The neighbors will probably talk as it is. I don’t have very many reasons to come over here,” he explained.
“Can Bess come?” Sheila asked, wanting her friend by her side.
“Do you think that’s wise? We don’t know how this is going to play out and I’d feel better if she was out of this.”
Bess spoke up, “But, I could take my medical bag and appear as if I’m going on a call with you,” she said, wanting to go, to see the outcome. It was better than staying here and wondering. She had enough of not knowing ten years ago. “And I could help with the girls, if they need me.”
Sheila looked hopefully at Stanton as he replied, “It’s up to you, Bess. You know the risk, as well as I. But, if we’re going let’s get it done, and right now,” he said sternly. “And Sheila, take out those contacts. I want your vision clear and responsive tonight.”
Bess ran to get her things, while Sheila went to her room to do the same. Having just arrived she had barely unpacked. Taking out her contacts, she put them in their case and threw them into her purse. Then she tossed her things back into her suitcase, closing it. Looking around the room to make sure she had everything, she turned off the light, and returned to the living room where she found Bess waiting.
“I’ll take your bag,” her friend offered. “It might look better if I was carrying it, along with my medical bag.”
“I want you both to walk normally out to the squad car and get in,” Stanton informed them. “Bess, I want you in front with me. Sheila, I’m putting you in the back. Just sit in the corner. You won’t be easily seen back there. Got it?”
Sheila acknowledged with a nod, her heart pounding. Everything was moving so fast and the anticipation of seeing her girls made her tingle all over.
The porch light was on as the three left the house. Bess quickly locked her front door, as Stanton escorted the tall, thin woman, with the cane to the back of his cruiser.
Bess quickly ran to the car, giving Stanton the small suitcase. As he put it in the trunk, the nurse jumped into the passenger seat. To anyone looking, it might seem like an emergency call.
Starting the powerful car, the policeman backed it out onto the street and took off, the engine humming. Within a few minutes they were out of town and on the ridge. Not far from town, the vehicle slowed as it pulled up to a modest home, with a large yard and a wonderful vista of the valley below. Sheila watched Stanton push a garage door opener, soon the car was inside and secure.
She asked, unsure, “Do you want me to stay here until you can talk with Jean and the girls?”
“Not necessary,” was his reply. “Jean and the girls will be surprised. That’s to be expected. But Jean wouldn’t want me to pussy foot around and spare her in this. She’ll tell us how she feels, when the time comes and be honest about it. That’s how she is. But, she has always told me that she wished you could be a part of the girl’s lives, and now you will be. The only thing I don’t know is how.”
Walking through the kitchen door, from the attached garage, Stanton called, “Jean… I’m home and we have company.”
A beautiful, petite woman with long, dark, slightly graying hair falling to her shoulders, walked into the kitchen with a large, friendly smile, and gave her husband a hug, kissing him fondly on the cheek as she commented, “I thought you were working tonight.”
Stanton smiled warmly at this wife, as he put his arm around her, “Something’s come up.”
“Hi, Bess,” she said warmly as she noticed her standing in the kitchen. Then she saw the other woman.
In burst the girls, tall, beautiful and full of life. “Uncle Stan!” they chimed. As they hugged him, they too stopped and looked at the woman standing near Bess.
Abruptly, Jodi the oldest turned pale as she stared at the woman. The eyes, her face, old memories were stirring.
“Girls, I’ve brought a visitor,” Stanton began.
“Mom?... Mom!” Jodi cried, ecstatic with the discovery, running into the arms of the woman whose tears were flowing.
Candice stood shocked, then looked at her uncle for answers, then back at Jodi and the woman holding her. As the woman looked up, her eyes full of love and affection for her as well, she too remembered the woman who had tried to protect them so long ago and had vanished so mysteriously from her life.
Candice didn’t say anything, but flew to her. She had missed her so much, had wanted her for so long and now she was here, for real, in their home. The three held onto each other, not believing it was real, but so grateful it was.
Bess had tears in her eyes. She was so happy for her friend.
“Surprised?” Stanton whispered into Jean’s ear as she watched the drama unfolding. “Where are the boys?”
Jean said softly, “They’re playing with the Nintendo. I thought you said she had lost her memory!”
Stanton smiled lovingly at his wife, “Yes, until a few days ago.”
“But, what about Braxton? Does he know?” she asked worried.
“Not yet, and if I can help it, not ever,” he said firmly. “But that’s not likely is it? The whole town will know before morning if Sally Bartlett has anything to say about it.”
“Sally! Good grief… the town gossip. How does she know?”
“She saw Sheila at the window today and called me. We need to sit down and discuss what’s best for the girls, and their mother. Whatever happens, her location must never be revealed. It would be the end of her,” he said as he looked his wife in the eyes, watching her reaction. He kissed her gently on her forehead when the worry lines started to appear.
“She’ll be all right, we’ll see to that,” he continued to talk to her softly.
“I know. But, you can’t expect me to be happy about all of this, can you?”
“Can’t I? If we love them, it’s not about how we feel, but what’s best for them, isn’t it?” he said lovingly.
Jean huffed, knowing he was right, but she loved the girls so. She had been planning on helping Candice with her first prom and Jodi with her second, a month later. There had been years of caring for them, both in sickness and health, heartache and love, and ever growing, maturing. How could she not have her heart torn?
“Let’s sit down and decide what to do,” he said decisively, as they all gathered around the kitchen table. Jean made coffee and the discussions began.
That night they shared some of their life stories and chatted about the possibilities. It was finally given over to the girls to decide what they wanted to do. They were old enough to decide their fate.
The girls knew their mother couldn’t stay, and now that she was here, they couldn’t be parted from her. They knew it and their uncle and aunt could see it too.
The girls looked at their Aunt Jean, unable to voice their request. They loved her too much to hurt her. How could they ask?
But Jean also knew them well. Well enough to know what they needed and desired the most, and also understanding that it was hard for them to ask.
“If you think that we won’t miss you, or that we don’t love you, then you don’t know anything. But I can see what needs to be done. You need to be with your mother, and if you’re going, it has to be now, before anything can interfere or go wrong,” she said tearfully.
Jodi and Candice ran to her, hugging her.
“Now run to your rooms, take only the things you can carry in one suitcase. They’re on the top shelf in the hall closet. If we can, we’ll send you the rest of your things later. Go on! Get it
done.”
The girls ran out of the room to pack.
“How will we keep in touch?” Sheila asked. “I want to be able to let the girls keep in touch.”
“It’s not wise to do too much of it, Sheila. We both know that letters, phone calls, all forms of communications can be traced,” Stanton stated.
Jean buried her face in her hands, weeping with the realization that she may not be able to see or hear from the girls for a very long time. Stanton put his arms around his wife, as she leaned into him for his strength.
Then a thought occurred to him. “Here, let me give you the mailing address of my office. You can reach us there and it would be a safer place to receive any contacts from you. I’ll be sure to destroy any reference to your location and I can bring the rest here. Just be sure in all your correspondence not to mention anything about your location or places nearby. Be sure to tell the girls. Can you do that for us?”
“Of course,” Sheila replied, realizing how cut off they were going to be, and regretting the necessity of it.
“You’ll have to keep Bess out of this too,” he continued sadly as he looked at Sheila’s friend. “You can send her a letter, once in a while. And I’ll see that she gets it, minus the envelope. But we need to be cautious that your location remains a secret among us.”
They all agreed.
“It won’t be long before the girls are of age. They can come back and see you then,” Sheila offered.
“No!” Stanton said firmly. “They mustn’t do that! Unless something happens to my brother, you need to stay out of his reach, all of you. Maybe we can take a vacation to a nearby state, and you can join us there. That’s doable, I think. At least we can look forward to that,” he said, grieving from the loss of the girls he had grown to love and protect.
“Thank you both for stepping in and helping my children,” Sheila said emotionally. “If it wasn’t for you… ” she left the rest unsaid.
The girls walked in with their suitcases, with their cousins close behind.
“What’s going on Dad?” Adam, their oldest son asked.
“Yeah, Dad. What’s up? Jodi said they’re leaving?” Marcus, his youngest son added.
“Boys, this is your Aunt Sheila. Say hello,” he commanded.
When the boy had complied, he added, “Now say goodbye to the girls. They’re leaving to live with their mother. You know the situation with Uncle Braxton, so there’s nothing more to be said, just that the girls are going to live with her, as they should, and we may not see them for a very long time.”
“But Mom’s been their mother!” Adam protested.
“Adam! That’s enough. This is hard enough without you adding to it. The decision has been made and for the best in my opinion. You would want to be with your mother, if it was you in their shoes, wouldn’t you?”
Adam and Marcus agreed, but it was hard to say goodbye after growing up together.
“Where are you going?” asked Marcus.
“You must never find out!” Stanton said decisively. “If your uncle ever found them… you don’t want him to, do you?”
Both boys shook their heads no. They could see the old fear in the girl’s eyes returning, and it bothered them.
“I’m so sorry. I wish it wasn’t this way. I wish we could stay,” Sheila said sadly, with tears in her eyes.
“We understand. Those of us who know where you’re going won’t tell a soul. We’ll keep you safe. And you girls must never discuss us, or anything about Brandon Creek and your life here to anyone, promise?” he continued.
The girls nodded in agreement, the grief of separation visible on their faces, as their mother came close to comfort them.
“Keep your life with your mother separate from this one, and you should be all right. God willing, we’ll get to see each other again someday.”
“What about school tomorrow?” Candice asked. “What about our friends. And Steve! You’ll have to tell Steve I can’t go to the dance with him. What will you tell everyone?”
“We’ll tell them the truth. That you’ve gone to live with your mother,” Stanton said firmly.
“Won’t that make Braxton mad?” Sheila asked in fear.
“Probably, but there’s nothing he can do about it,” he replied, his jaw fixed, his anger rising. Then he relented, and you could see him trying to relax. Resolutely he remarked, “Let’s leave it all in God’s hands, shall we? He’s done a pretty good job up to now, hasn’t He?”
“Speaking of God,” Sheila said, “I forgot about Pastor Andrew in all of this. Has anything ever been found out about what happened to him?”
“No! And that’s why we aren’t going to take any chances with you or the girls!” Stanton said inflexibly, still believing that his brother had something to do with the man’s disappearance.
Silence filled the room as everyone thought about the Godly man who had loved them, and now was gone.
“Let’s get going. I’m taking them down to the airport and putting them on the next plane out of here,” Stanton said, knowing the longer he put this off, the harder it was going to be. And the quicker Sheila was out of here, the safer they all would be.
“Can we go with you to the airport?” asked Adam, not prepared for the quick separation that was taking place.
“I think it best that you stay here. There’s not enough room in the car for everyone, and I’m nervous with Braxton out there, somewhere. No. You stay here,” their father decided.
“I’ll stay with the boys,” Jean suggested as tears of parting started.
“I think you should go with us Bess,” Stanton suggested. “I’ll drop you off when we get back.”
“Of course,” she replied.
The girls tearfully said goodbye to their Aunt Jean, embracing her one more time. Then giving their cousins a quick hug, they picked up their suitcases and followed their mother out to the family car.
Realizing they were leaving this loving home for a very long time, maybe forever was hard, very hard. Facing an unknown future by going to a place they didn’t know and living among people that were strangers to them was daunting. But they would be with their mother, and that’s all they cared about. They wanted to be with her, no matter what.
* * * *