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I wake up somewhere over the Rockies to find Wes staring out the window. Hayley is still asleep but balled up, facing him. “Hey. Sleeping Beauty,” Wes whispers over to me.
“Hey. She’s still out?”
“Yeah. She looks peaceful. I don’t think she gets enough of that. I just hope this trip helps.”
“Is she okay? I feel like I haven’t had much contact with her lately.”
“You’re not the only one and I haven’t stopped hearing about it. Yeah, I don’t mean it like it sounds.”
“I’d hope not. Mom and Dad were asking about her too.”
“We’re okay. Things are okay. This trip will make things better than just okay.”
“Just because she’s my sister doesn’t mean you can’t talk to me. You don’t hide things well.”
“Gee, thanks.” Wes props his head on his hand as he looks down at Hayley’s sleeping face. “There’s nothing I want more than to see her happy.”
“You will though. You’ll want to see your child happy and healthy. That will become more important, as it should.”
“How do you get your compass, man? You seem like you were born with it and I’m captain of the struggle bus.”
“Hey, who knows what I’d be like in your shoes. I don’t. It’s easy playing Monday morning quarterback over here. I don’t have all the answers.”
“Fuck. I wish you at least had some.”
The girls stay asleep until we need to wake them for approach. Dylan looks bright and ready to go. Hayley’s slow to move, but she seems happy. A rental car meets us on the tarmac at the airport. Ultimately we booked a rental property one of Sam’s friends owns. We’ll have our own amazing views in this haven above downtown for the long weekend.
The home just off of Volunteer Park is part of the historical district of Seattle. The terrace and patio face the quiet street surrounding the neighborhood. The serene feeling of the outside doesn’t leave once we open the door. Inside the architecture continues the perfect oasis. The girls giggle and squeal as they move from room to room, saying they like this one more than the last. One of the best parts about it is that the place contains two master suites. They both have private balconies on opposite ends of the house that face the openings in the tree to the meditative Sound.
Dylan and I take the one at the top of the stairs so it’s not so far for her to move. Hayley gives me a kiss on the cheek before she takes Wes by the hand to the opposite side of the second floor. I scoop Dylan up into my arms and set her on the chaise in the corner before I open the door to the walk-out.
We hear the birds singing, the leaves moving slowly with the breeze and every so often a puppy barking with a child’s laughter not far behind. “We are definitely not in New York anymore.” She giggles. “I could absolutely live here.”
“I remember not so long ago saying if we needed to, we could. Is that something you want?”
“No. I mean yes, but no. We’re New Yorkers. I’d love to be able to have a place like this to come to whenever we wanted to slow down though.”
“We can do that, you know. It’s something to think about.”
“There seems to be always something to think about,” Dylan adds.
“Are you ready for tomorrow?”
“Not yet, but I will be. I need a day with you and the other two Musketeers, and I’ll be more than ready.”
Wes
This is the most positive energy I’ve seen from Hayley in weeks. The nap seemed to boost her spirit and our new setting seems to boost her soul. I can hardly keep up with her as she bounds up the stairs, through the room, and out onto the balcony.
The tall pines seem to coat the sky. If you lean just right, the ferris wheel on Pier 59 is visible. The breeze flows in from the Sounds and the white clouds overhead make a blanket of protection around us. Hayley sits down in the egg-shaped swing chair and begins to float.
“God, you’re beautiful,” I tell her.
“I still feel rough but thank you.”
“I don’t think I’ve seen you sleep as hard as you did on the plane for a long time.”
“I was having the best dream. We were on an island alone. There was white sand nearly everywhere and we just talked for hours and hours without sleeping. It was amazing.”
