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“Um, what? And you’re telling me this is going to be in the heart of whereF.A.R.Cand Guerrilla Garimpeiros own the land, and by own, I mean control?”
“To be honest, I have no clue exactly where he’s going, but he said he’d avoid those areas.”
Faith snorts. “Yeah, like he’ll even know if they have recently gained control of a new community.”
“You’re not helping,” I rasp. Closing my eyes, I will the tears to stop rolling down my cheeks. “How will I ever get a message to him or know if something bad has happened to him?”
For a moment, Faith remains silent.
Then she rallies, her voice calm and confident as always. “Eden, you need to remain optimistic. Your positive attitude has gotten you this far when we thought you’d gone mad. You’re home. Samuelwillcome back to you.”
I smile even though I know she truly doesn’t believe it. But she’s right—it’s all I have—the belief that he’ll do whatever it takes to get out alive. If I convince myself it will happen, then hopefully, the universe will continue to look out for me.
“At least I know Gran’s spirit will protect him in the jungle.”
“What?”
I let out a sigh. “Another story for tomorrow…”
38
EDEN
My thoughts home in on the ticktock of the kitchen clock on the wall before me, a grandfather clock handed down by my grandfather. The swinging time-keeping element is hypnotic in the silence.
Seb calls out to Faith to help him go to the bathroom, and like dominoes, our shoulders fall in relief to the ending silence.
“No wonder you didn’t sleep well,” Mum says gently. “I thought you must have been awake because of Rose.”
“No.” I shake my head. “Rose was great. Fed and went back to sleep. But I do need to make an appointment to see a pediatrician to check she’s on par with her development. I don’t want to assume her quiet behavior is that of a good baby.”
Dad nods, but his expression is blank, and I assume his thoughts are fixed on the news I just relayed to them all. “Part of me despises the man…” he says in a low voice, “… although it also saddens me knowing the shaman was part of Mum’s life.” Dad dips his chin and rubs a hand over his jaw. “Questions about Mum’s life in the jungle is now lost.”
“Your sister is out there.” Mum rubs his shoulder. “Answers may be lost, but she’s alive.”
“Mum,” Faith interjects as she returns to the table. She hands her phone to Seb to watch a child’s program.
“Bluey,” he sings and jumps up and down to the theme song.
“Apart from the sadness of the shaman and the whole new sister thing for Dad, Eden’s main concern is Samuel. He may never get out alive. She just told us that she doesn’t know how to contact him, and if something tragic happens, she may never know about it,” Faith says.
A whimper sounds from James in the playpen set up in the corner. He throws a toy train aside. Faith pushes up from her chair and lifts him over the barrier. She places him on her lap and raises her top to feed him.
Dad rubs his hands over his face. “How long did he give you? How many weeks did he calculate it would take him to find a new home for them?”
“Months.” I bow my head, unable to look at them with a wave of dread washing over me. “He then has to find his way out of wherever they are hiding,alone. If he does, then I assume he’ll need to return to LA and organize his visas to come to Australia.” Every time I weigh it up, I find it more difficult to remain optimistic.
Faith’s serious expression conveys her concern. “And he’s heading into areas controlled by the Colombian Guerrilla or the Brazilian Garimpeiros.” She pushes dark locks away from her face before gazing down at her son.
“Can we do anything to help? Anything at all?” Dad’s gaze meets mine, and his eyes brim with fear.
“Distract me.” I force a smile.
“All these years, I had a sister, and now I may never meet her,” he mutters. “I barely know anything about her.”
“I’ll tell you about her.” I smile. “I’ll remember more when I’m not so emotional. I intend to find Brenda and ask for the diary Gran kept while she was in the jungle. I know Grandpa forbade her to keep it, but it might help us understand some things.”
Dad nods once, and it’s in slow motion, as though he’s absorbing what I’m telling him. “Can you print off those photos you have of Dawn… I mean Kaikare? I can’t get her face out of my head. I can see a little of Mum in her.”
