And they could only pray that they would be able to find each other. Until now, they had met nothing but shaking heads, and people telling them: “Sorry, but no.”
Still, they kept going. Yelling their family name into the crowds, tapping people’s shoulders and asking them personally if they had seen them, met them, or even heard about the Suarez family, about Isabella.
But, after hours of searching, they still hadn’t found them.
As the sun set on the horizon and many boats left with their families onboard, Hector felt the panic spread once again. Would he ever find Isabella? Would he ever look into her beautiful eyes again?
He wasn’t ready to give up hope.
Hector glared at the many boats leaving the harbor, at people in warm embraces, holding their family members tight, sailing towards the Promised Land, and he could only dream that it would soon be him, holding his daughter in his arms again.
As darkness lay its thick covers over the harbor, the yelling of names was still heard in the distance, and neither Hector nor Raul was ready to give up for the day. They continued to ask their way through the crowds, and finally found someone who recognized their names.
“Suarez? Yeah. I know them,” the young man said. “They were the ones who crashed into the Peruvian Embassy in a bus. They were the ones that started all this.”
Hector felt the excitement rise inside of him. He had heard about the crash into the embassy on the radio back in the U.S. He had heard how people had stormed the embassy afterwards. This was good news.
“How many were they?”
“I believe it was a young girl, her grandparents, and her uncle.”
Hector lit up. They were together, all of them.
“Do you know if they got a permit to leave?” he asked.
“Yeah, they did. Everyone at the embassy did. I know. I was there and I got my permit this morning.”
Hector smiled widely. “So, they are here?” he asked.
The man shrugged. “They should be. I’m pretty sure they were among the first to get permits.”
“And when was that?”
“Two days ago,” he said.
“Two days ago! But that is such a long time ago.” Hector sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
The young man shrugged. “Sorry.” He placed a hand on Hector’s shoulder. “Maybe they’re still here, waiting somewhere. We are all just waiting and hoping to find our families. I hope my brother will come.”
Hector thanked the young man and wished him good luck in finding his brother, then walked back to the boat that Raul was guarding so no one would steal it. He sat on his chair on the deck, looking hopefully at Hector.
“Any news?”
Hector nodded and told him what the young man had said. He could tell it gave Raul hope.
“They must be here somewhere, then,” he said and got up. He walked up to Hector and patted his shoulder with a wide smile. “You’re worn out. Let me take the next round.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
May 2015
I found Shannon sitting on the balcony of my condo overlooking the ocean and the almost black clouds. The rain had ceased, but it still looked like the end of the world closing in on us.
“Shannon. Are you alright?” I asked and hugged her.
She had been crying.
“I don’t know, Jack. I am not sure I will ever be. I mean, what am I going to do? I have a baby on the way, but what if I never get to see him or her grow up? We’re building this awesome house, but will I ever live in it?”
I pulled her closer to me. My heart was racing in my chest. I was terrified, but I couldn’t let her know. I had to be the strong one. But, of course, I was scared. What if I had to raise this child alone? What if I lost Shannon?
I looked into her eyes. “Nothing is decided yet,” I said. “You’re not convicted yet. You have a very good and very expensive lawyer working your case. You need to keep your head cool and not panic. We’ll solve this together.”
Shannon sniffled and nodded. I looked into her eyes and moved a lock of hair from her face.
“We can do this,” I continued. “You and I can do this together. It’s not over yet. But I need you to be strong for me. Can you do that?”
Shannon bit her lip and shook her head. “I don’t think I can.”
I grabbed her hand and pulled her up from her chair. “Come with me,” I said.
I took her to the lot. Our lot. The heavy rain had forced the workers to pause, and their heavy machines stood still on the ground. The rain had turned the soil into mud. We got dirty feet from walking across it in our flip-flops. I pulled Shannon by the hand and escorted her to the middle of the lot. The workers had cleared the ground now and the old remains of the Kingston’s house were finally completely gone. There was nothing left to remind us of what had once happened here.
“What are we doing here, Jack?” Shannon asked.
I asked her to stand still, then walked away from her and stopped. “Right here, Shannon,” I said, and pointed to the ground beneath me. “Right here is where our bedroom is going to be.”
I took ten big steps around to the right, then looked at her again. “And here is where the twins’ room is going to be. I know they’ll want to keep sharing a room, since they’ve always loved that.”
I took another couple of steps towards her. “And right here is where Angela will be sleeping. I’ve talked to her about painting her room in a jungle theme with monkeys hanging from the trees.”
Shannon chuckled. “She does love monkeys.”
“I know she does,” I said and walked a lot of steps towards the end of the lot, then stopped. “This is where Emily will be living.”
I walked a little back towards her, then pointed again. “All the bedrooms are on the second floor, but on the first, right underneath where I am standing, we have the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, and an office for each of us. Yours will be turned into a studio, so you can make your music at home. I’ve talked to your producer at your label, and he will be arranging it so it’s perfect, with everything you need, since I know nothing about making music, and, as hard as it is for me to admit it, am tone-deaf.”
“That’s not true!” Shannon said. “I heard you sing in the shower.” She chuckled again.
“Anyway,” I said, and walked all the way over to her, leaned over, and kissed her. I looked into her eyes. “Right where you’re standing, on the second floor, next to our room, will be the best room of all. That’s the nursery. I figured we could open the window and let him or her fall asleep to the sound of the crashing waves.”
Shannon looked at me, her eyes moist. “Oh, Jack. It’s going to be beautiful.”
I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her closer. “We’re going to be very happy here, Shannon. And you will too. I picture you sitting on the deck in a rocking chair with our baby in your arms, rocking it to sleep while you look at the ocean.”
Shannon stared at me, and just as I saw the hint of a smile, a dark cloud seemed to cover her face. She removed my arms and walked away. “But, the thing is, I will never get to experience all that.”
“Yes, you will, Shannon. I’m not doing it without you.” I took in a deep breath, and then dropped to my knee. Shannon stared at me and clasped her face. I pulled out a small box from my pocket, opened it, and looked up at her.
“Shannon King,” I said, my voice breaking. “Will you marry me?”
Chapter Forty-Eight
May 2015
I had been waiting for the right time, and no time seemed more right than this moment. It wasn’t spectacular. It wasn’t perfect in a traditional way. There were no flowers, no band or violinist. Just me kneeling in the mud at the ground of our future house.
I had bought the ring a long time ago. For weeks, I had been warming up to creating the right situation. I had wanted to invite Shannon out for dinner, then put the ring in the dessert, or maybe in her glass. But, until now, the ring had sim
ply been burning a hole in my pocket for almost two weeks.
Now I was kneeling in front of Shannon in the mud, staring at her surprised face, waiting for her answer, when it started to rain again.
Shannon was still looking at me, her hand clasped to her mouth. We were both getting soaked.
“I…I…” Shannon stuttered.
Please say yes, please say you’ll marry me?
The hand holding the ring was shaking and my knee was getting tired. My heart was racing in my chest. It felt like an eternity had gone by.
Shannon finally removed her hand from her mouth and smiled. “You really think we have a future together? You really think we can get through this?” she asked.
I nodded, tears rolling across my cheeks. “Of course I think so. I know we will find a way.”
She chuckled. “You’re such a romantic, Jack. A hopeless romantic. How can I not love you? How can I say anything but yes?”
I stopped breathing. Did I hear her right? Had she said yes?
Shannon grabbed my hand and pulled me up. She leaned over and kissed me, then looked into my eyes while holding my face between her hands. “Yes, crazy romantic, Jack Ryder. Yes, I will marry you. Come what may.”
I smiled and kissed her, then placed the ring on her finger. “Come what may,” I whispered.
We stood in the rain and kissed for a long time, before we finally both burst into laughter. There was nothing like hearing Shannon laugh. It had been awhile since I had seen her happy. She had that light in her eyes again that I loved so much.
“You’re crazy, do you know that?” she said and grabbed my hand in hers. “To take a risk on someone like me.”
I smiled. We started to walk across the muddy ground towards the car. We were soaked already, so it was no use hurrying back. Instead, we walked hand in hand, with joy in our hearts and wet hair slapping our foreheads. I chuckled in joy and lifted her hand to see the ring again. It fit her so well. It looked beautiful on her. I knew it would.
As we walked in silence, hand in hand, Shannon suddenly stopped. “What’s this?” she asked, and bent down to pick something up from the soil. She rubbed off the dirt and showed it to me. It was a ring. It had a deep reddish brown stone in it.
“Wow,” I said.
“I know. It’s gorgeous,” Shannon said.
She turned it in the scarce light.
“I hope you don’t like that ring better than the one I just gave you,” I said.
“Are you kidding me?” Shannon said and laughed. “I like this a lot better.” She placed an elbow in my side while putting the ring in her purse with a small laugh. The rain suddenly increased in strength, and we ran for the car.
Chapter Forty-Nine
May 2015
“Shannon and I have some news!”
I stood up during dinner and looked at everyone around the table. They were all there, even Emily, who hadn’t touched her food, as usual. We were eating inside the motel’s bar because of the heavy rain.
Everyone looked up at us. I grabbed Shannon’s hand and showed them her ring. My mom let out a shriek and clapped her hands.
“Oh, my God!” she said and looked at my dad, then back at us. “You’re getting married?”
Shannon and I looked at one another, then back at them. “Yes,” I said.
Abigail and Austin looked like they didn’t understand anything.
I continued, “Shannon accepted my proposal of marriage earlier today.”
Austin looked confused. “But I thought you were already married,” he said. “I thought you had to be to make a baby.”
All the grown-ups around the table laughed.
“What?” Austin said.
“Don’t you think we would have been to their wedding if they got married, doofus?” Abigail said.
Austin looked sad. “How am I supposed to know?”
Abigail rolled her eyes at her brother. “Don’t you know anything?”
Austin burst into tears. The moment was ruined. “Abigail,” I said.
“What?” she asked.
“Say you’re sorry to your brother,” I said.
She turned and looked at him indifferently. “Sorry,” she said in a tone that clearly let him know that she wasn’t.
Shannon and I sat down and everyone returned to their food. Emily left the table. Shannon nodded in her direction and I got up to follow her. Emily hadn’t said a word when we told the news. I walked after her into the TV room, where she threw herself on the couch. I sat next to her.
“You don’t have to follow me, you know,” she said.
“I know,” I said and placed my feet on the coffee table.
“Sherri is going to kill you for that. You know that, right?” she asked and pointed at my feet. My mom never allowed feet on the table.
“I know,” I said. “So, what’s going on with you?”
She shrugged. Some show with vampires was on the TV. I knew she loved the stuff. “Just tired, I guess.”
“You do like Shannon, right? Or does it bother you that we’re getting married?” I asked.
“I love Shannon,” she said. “She’s awesome. No it’s just…well it’s all going a little fast, don’t you think?”
I nodded. “True. But it is the right thing to do. Shannon is pregnant and I want to do right by her.”
Emily laughed. “You’re so old.”
I chuckled too. “Guess I can’t run from that. I know things are changing rapidly around here, and I guess I forgot to think about how it will affect you.”
She looked up at me and smiled. “Are you going for dad of the year award here? ‘Cause you’re in the lead as we speak.”
I smiled, leaned over, and kissed her forehead. I put my arms around her, and to my terror, realized she had lost even more weight. I was afraid of scaring her away or making her resent me if I kept asking about it, but at the same time, I was afraid of what would happen if I didn’t do anything, if I didn’t talk to her about it. In this moment, while holding her small fragile body in my arms, I realized I had no idea what was going on with her, and had no clue how to deal with it either.
I felt lost.
Chapter Fifty
May 2015
Noah Kinley had finally fallen asleep. Inside of his small wooden cell, he laid curled up, naked, and hungry beyond starvation. He hadn’t heard from his guardian for what he believed had to be days, but he had lost count. He no longer knew if it was day or night, and had no way to figure out if an hour had gone by or just a few minutes. Noah was so weak from starvation that he drifted in and out of this dreamlike state constantly. It was hard for him to tell what was real and what was the dream.
Now he was dreaming of his mother. She was waiting for him in the kitchen of their old house on Merritt Island, standing by the counter preparing him a snack. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white toast. That was his favorite, next to Pop-tarts.
She smiled when she saw him. Her warm and loving smile. Noah had missed her smile so much, and he had missed her kisses and warm embrace.
“Are you hungry?” she asked.
Noah nodded. “Yes. I’m starving!”
“Come, sit,” she said and pulled out the chair.
Noah threw himself at the sandwich. His mother laughed. At first, her laughter was hearty and warm, but soon it turned vicious. Like the laughter of his guardian. Now she was speaking with his voice too.
“So, you’re hungry, huh? Little spoiled brat is hungry!”
Startled, Noah looked into his mother’s wonderful eyes, just to realize it wasn’t her eyes looking back at him. It was his. His piercing mad brown eyes. Noah gasped, while his mother started to knock on the kitchen table with a wooden spoon in her hand, still laughing maniacally.
Noah covered his ears from the loud banging noise. “Stop it,” he yelled. “Stop the banging.”
But, she didn’t stop. Noah watched her, startled, while her face turned into that of the man, and soon, Noah was violently ripped
out of his childhood home and back into the box, where the banging sound was getting louder and louder.
Noah opened his eyes and let out a loud scream.
“Help!”
Still, the banging continued. On the other side of the box, he could hear the guardian’s laughter while he banged on the box with a stick.
“You tired, huh? Little momma’s boy is tired, huh?” he yelled between slamming the box. “Well, try and sleep now, you little brat!”
The guard laughed maniacally. Noah cried and tried to cover his ears to block out the sound, but he couldn’t make it go away. He was so tired, so incredibly tired. The hunger made him hallucinate, and he kept seeing his mother’s face inside of the box, her face with the man’s vicious eyes, while slamming the spoon on the table like she had done in the dream.
“Stop it!” Noah screamed in complete and utter desperation. He cried and pleaded.
“Stooooop!”
But the banging didn’t stop. It didn’t stop for many, many hours. Hours turned into days, and still the banging continued. The man only took a few breaks now and then, just enough for Noah to doze off and get into his dream before it continued again, over and over again.
Chapter Fifty-One
May 2015
Shannon felt better the next day. Jack had managed to convince her that it would be all right, that they would get through even this, and she was beginning to believe him. After all, it was no use worrying. She got nowhere by worrying.
After Jack and the kids had left the condo the next morning, she decided to treat herself to a day of spoiling herself. She thought she deserved it.
She took the car and drove to the mall on Merritt Island, where she started out getting a manicure, then moved next door to the hairdresser and got a new haircut. It was on her way out of the hairdresser when she was about to pay, that she felt the ring when she stuck her hand inside her purse and pulled it out. She looked at the brown stone and turned it in the light. It was surely beautiful, but very big.