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I could sense that he was right. There was something different in the air, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was. Either way, I loved it.
We spotted the van, a big, white monstrosity that looked heavy-duty. Kid and I went to the side of it, and he pulled open the sliding door and guided me once more by the small of my back. The rest of the guys loaded all of our bags into the rear cargo area of the van, the interior of the vehicle spacious enough for plenty of luggage and passengers.
I sat next to Kid in the back, his body pressed against mine in a way I didn’t mind one bit. The rest of the guys climbed in, Pyke at the wheel, and we were off. We pulled off the runway and away from the airport grounds, more huge cargo planes taking off into the sky overhead. It wasn’t long before we were on the highway leading toward the city of Boston.
I looked out of the window as we drove, unable to wrap my head around how muchspacethere was. It seemed as if there was no end to the green on both sides of the highway.
“This is amazing,” I said, my eyes locked on the passing scenery. “I knew that America was big, but you don’t really understand until you’re here.”
The guys up front were talking to one another about the days ahead. The conversation with Kid was as private as we were going to get.
“We’ve got space to spare here,” Kid said. “And I know what you mean. I grew up in Belarus, and when I was a kid that place seemed like the whole world. But then I come here and find out you could drop my home country in the middle of the Midwest and not even notice.”
“Candara is even smaller. I remember once, when I was a girl, looking online and comparing it to all of the other countries, seeing how small it was. It turns out that Candara isn’t even as big as New York City—only a third of the size.”
Kid raised his dark eyebrows at that one.
“That’s…really small.”
“You’re telling me.”
He smiled. “You’re going to love it here, though. There’s something about America, something in the air that makes you feel like anything’s possible. I grew up dirt poor, and when you live like that for long enough, surrounded by poverty and war, you can start to feel like there’s nothing better out there, that nothing else is possible. That’s how it was for so many people I knew back home. I’d always wanted something more, and I knew America was the place where it could happen. I don’t remember much from when I first came here, but something I do remember clearly as if it was yesterday was thefeelingof being in America. And I’ve never lost it.”
I loved hearing Kid talk like that, feeling his energy and excitement at the idea of building a better life for himself.
“What did you want here?” I asked.
“Money. Lots and lots of money. I can’t help it—when you’re a kid and you grow up wondering where your next meal’s going to come from, that’s the sort of thing that stays on your mind, shapes who you are. But don’t get me wrong. I don’t want lots of money just so I can buy things. I want money so I can help people, kids like I was who are so stuck in poverty that they can’t see anything past it. And who knows? Maybe money to take care of a family of my own someday.”
As soon as he was finished speaking, he formed his mouth into a hard line.
“Sorry, I started rambling there for a second.”
I shook my head, the smile on my face still there.
“Don’t worry about it. I like it.”
“Good. Because my future’s all I think about these days. Well, that and you.”
My eyes went wide. “Is that right?”
He smiled, letting out a small laugh.
“Yeah. Anyway, we should be there soon.”
With that, he turned his attention to the passing scenery. I did the same, though it was impossible not to think about what Kid had just said to me. More than that, he hadn’t walked it back, acted like it’d slipped out. He’d told me that he’d been thinking about me, said it as a definitive statement in fact.
It sent a delicious shiver up my spine. Before too long, the endless green gave way to the sprawl of outer Boston. There were roads and cars, tall buildings and stores and restaurants as far as the eye could see. I even saw more than a few of the “big box” stores I’d heard so much about. I knew it was popular in Europe to make fun of Americans for such things, but to me, stores like that represented abundance.
We drove on, the suburban sprawl giving way to the tighter density of the city itself. We drove through old neighborhoods, the brick townhomes with red-white-and-blue flags hanging outside of them leaving no doubt as to where we were.
Pyke eventually pulled the van in front of one of these townhomes.
“We’re here,” Ajax said. “Come on—let’s get settled before my brother arrives.”
The guys grabbed as many bags as they could, leading me into the house. The place was surprisingly spacious on the inside, the three-story home decorated in a cute, charming way, lots of pictures here and there of a handsome man—a man who looked so much like Ajax there was no doubt they were related—along with a beautiful woman who had to be his wife.
“Kid, there’s a guest bedroom on the third floor,” Ajax said. “Go ahead and show Vic there.”
