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“Dada! Boo-boo!” Oscar calls to me from Cat’s arms. He reaches towards the couch and I spot his bottle laying there. When I pick it up, it’s lukewarm.
“He likes it cold,” I mutter, brushing by Cat and putting the bottle back in the fridge. Luckily, there’s a spare at the back. “Come here,” I grumble, picking Oscar out of Cat’s arms. She lets him go and I plop down on the ratty couch.
“Dada,” the word hits my heart so hard that it burns, but I force myself to stay calm. I was almost knocked off my feet when I heard Oscar say it outside. Who taught him that? Cat?
“Boo-boo?” I respond, holding up the fresh bottle.
“Boo-boo,” Oscar confirms. He sucks his bottle as I hold it up to his lips. His gaze never leaves mine, it’s almost like he’s afraid I’m going to leave him again.
Don’t worry, buddy. I’m not going anywhere, not without you. It’s why I’ve decided that the three of us need to split town. Without being able to contact Juan about possible escape routes, I’ve been left on my own to think up a way out of here. He wasn’t lying when he said it was nearly impossible, but he also didn’t have an army of revolutionaries at his fingertips. If I can cause a big enough distraction...
“We can’t leave...” Cat whispers. She stands in the middle of the makeshift living room with her arms crossed.
“That’s what I thought, too,” I say, looking back and forth between her and Oscar. “But I have a plan—”
“No,” Cat interrupts. “You don’t understand. We can’t leave, not now, not until we’ve helped those who have risked their lives to help us.” Her eyes are heavy with conflict, but her voice is strong and determined. I can see she’s made up her mind, even if she doesn’t entirely realize it yet.
Fuck.
“They’re
not helping us,” I growl, not daring to move. The last thing I want to do is disturb Oscar’s dinner. “They’re helping themselves. I know you’ve been trapped in one prison or another for the past two years, but while you’ve been locked in your gilded cages, the people have suffered. They’re done with suffering, and now they’re finally fighting back.”
“... They wouldn’t be risking their lives if it wasn’t for you, if it wasn’t for me,” Cat continues, unconvinced.
I shake my head. “They just needed someone to push them in the right direction. It would have happened eventually, but if it wasn’t someone with my knowledge and resources, they might have already all been wiped out. I’ve done them a service. By being their leader, I’ve given them a chance.”
“You maybe their leader now,” Catalina says, looking down to the floor. “But what about when you leave?”
“I’ll come back.”
“And leave Oscar and I again?” Her eyes are quickly on me again. Now, she’s just prodding me. I set Oscar down and rise to my feet. Catalina shrinks under my height, but she doesn’t back down. My heart kicks and screams for her. God, she’s a special woman, but by lord can she be frustrating.
“Enough!” I command. “Everything is in place,” that’s a lie, I have an idea on how to get us out, but it hasn’t been put into practice yet. “We’re leaving when I say we’re leaving. All of us, as a family.”
Cat turns away from me just as a thump comes from the couch. We both whip around at the same time to see that Oscar has dropped his bottle onto the floor. Milk dribbles from his lips as his big green eyes study us with curiosity.
“We shouldn’t be fighting around him,” Catalina whispers. She brushes by me to pick our son up off the couch.
“We weren’t fighting,” I say stubbornly. “We were discussing the details of our trip. We’re leaving, and that’s final.”
“And what if we get caught?” It’s like Cat can’t help herself. Even with Oscar in her arms, she’s not afraid to tell me when she thinks I’m wrong. “Then they’ll not only have us, but they’ll also know we have a son.”
Suddenly, a switch goes off in my mind. Rage fills my fists and I have to turn away. “How dare you try to use my son against me,” I growl, not wanting to turn back around and risk bathing Cat and Oscar in my fire. “I’m doing what I know is best for the both of you,” I continue. My chest tightens as I struggle to control the old fury that would have already consumed the younger me.
“He’s my son, too!” Cat snaps.
“So, why don’t you want to get him to safety!?”
“I do! But we can’t just leave everybody else behind. What about Anna? What about all those people...”
“Screw Anna! Screw everyone!” I boom. “All that matters is—”
Suddenly, Oscar begins to cry. It’s the most horrible sound I’ve ever heard, and it stops me dead in my tracks.
Catalina wraps a reassuring hand around the back of his head and pulls him into her shoulder. His sobs are like bullets through my soul. “You scared him,” Cat accuses.
For a second, I’m overcome by shame, but then that old fury comes back with a vengeance. I need to get out of here before I blow a casket.
