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“Daddy?”
“Yes, Theo?”
“Is this a true or a lie?”
“What do you mean?”
Theo sniffled. “Daddy, did something happen to Mama? Did Mr. Veeny hurt Mama? Because you and Grandma Jemma and Grandpa Archie won’t let me talk to her, and I want my mama.”
Joel stared out at the rising sun. He couldn’t remember the last time he slept. Sleep deprivation now made being a parent even more of a challenge because he didn’t want to lie to Theo, but Theo was four years old. His brain couldn’t process all that was going on. Josiah’s barely could. However, if he lied and something happened to Ayesha, the truth would be like blindsiding him.
“Um…Mr. Veeny…” He took a moment to gather his composure. “Mr. Veeny…took your mama.”
Tears filled Theo’s voice. “Did Mr. Veeny kill Mama and make her dead?”
“No. No, he didn’t. I’ll find her. I swear, I will.”
He knew he’d fucked up when Theo started crying harder. Then he heard his mother’s voice as Theo screamed that he wanted “Mama” and “Daddy.” Finally, his father’s voice sounded through the phone speaker.
“Hi, son.”
“Dad.”
“How’s it going?”
“Not good.” Joel hung his head and stared at the wooden deck of the most recent place the team, plus Adrían, had found to hunker down in. “I messed up. I shouldn’t have told Theo—”
“I heard him ask, son,” Archie said. “If he’s smart enough to ask, he’s smart enough to know.”
“Yeah, but too young to handle it.”
The screaming intensified, and Theo’s screams yanked agony from his chest in long links of rope. He couldn’t keep his wife safe, and now he was miles away when his children were in pain.
What if Ayesha was already?
Their future was supposed to be those car rides, that bad singing. Cruises wearing matching outfits that included Hawaiian shirts, socks, and velcro sandals. He loved Ayesha with every fiber that made up the man he was.
“Son, this was bound to happen one way or the other,” Archie said. “We couldn’t keep up the ruse forever, but it’s not like me and your mother can’t handle a screaming four-year-old. Kid Lattimore was no walk in the park.”
He forced a laugh. “So you’ve told me.”
“You’ll find her, son.”
“Dad, what if I don’t?”
“Giving up starts up top, Joel. Keep your head on straight. The boys need that. Ayesha does too. So do you.”
“You’re right.” He nodded. “You’re right.”
He couldn’t give up on her when she never gave up on him. When she’d been there every step of the way, sometimes in the middle of the night. She’d done it all without a complaint and with a tenderness he didn’t always deserve.
“The sun’s coming up, so we’re getting ready to head out,” he said. “I love you, Dad. Let Theo know I love him, and I’ll be back.”
“Will do, Joel. And I love you too, son. Stay positive.”
They hung up.
As he stood, he felt Adrían walk up behind him. Sunrise meant another day to search. He’d even put his ego aside and allowed Adrían’s feelings for Ayesha to power his determination.
