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Samuel’s throat tightens. “The shaman.”
“I started reading Gran’s journal,” Eden says quickly, and he knows it’s for his benefit. “Only the first entry, and it’s when she gets off the ship. The way she describes the voyage, she must have endured some hardship for three months on a boat with everyone puking around her and feeling sick herself would have been horrid.”
Faith meets Eden’s gaze. “I’d like to hear about her travels. Can you tell me what happened after you read each entryifit’s something she’d want us all to know? I’m still getting used to the notion you were supposed to find Samuel and find out about Dawn, and it’s eerie, yet I want to know about Gran. She was so brave, and it helps us to understand her. I’m putting pieces together when I think about some memories.”
Eden nods. “It does. I believe she’d want usallto know the truth and what she experienced so we can understand some of her past.”
“And your father,” Jake says and smiles. “We have Samuel to thank for leading you all closer to Ivy.”
“Ah-hmm,” Eden clears her throat. “Pretty sure I helped.”
“This is true.” Samuel pats Eden’s back. He admires his beautiful partner in life. He pushes blonde hair away from her blue eyes, reminding him of the ocean mere yards from where they sit. “You and Faith are similar.” He runs his fingers along her long ponytail. “You persuaded me to ask questions and bent every rule in Ulara.”
“Oh, I don’t bend rules, and I’m not a risk-taker,” Faith says without looking up. “I may ask questions, but I follow protocol. Eden is more like our grandmother.” Faith lifts her head and smiles warmly at her sister. “You have softened Dad in the last eighteen months. And I’m sure he’d like to know what’s in the journal. That reminds me, when did you last visit Brenda?”
“Not for a while. My plan is to read more of the journal so I can talk to her about it because I’m sure she’d have read it or listened when Gran vented to her. And I know what you’re thinking,” Eden adds. “Her Alzheimer’s prevents her from understanding, yet I hope talking about Gran might trigger some happy memories, even if it’s only for a few seconds.”
Faith agrees. “When are Mum and Dad due back?”
“Around lunch, I assume.”
Faith’s gaze homes in on Samuel. “Is it okay to ask you some questions, and then we’ll put the photos away? I know Dad’s accepting of all this, but it’s still raw, and he needs time to process everything.”
Don’t we all?
* * *
After Faith, Jake, and her children leave, Samuel and Eden take a stroll past their new house. It’s a spring day in September and not one to be indoors. They come to the three-story house on the esplanade and pause on the pavement to admire the frontage—a white-rendered home with floor-to-ceiling windows to capture the panoramic view.
From her stroller, Rose watches the seagulls fly overhead and looks everywhere except at her new home.
He points to a covered veranda on the second level. “I picture a telescope there for us to view the night sky. It’s been some time since I’ve had the privilege of stargazing.”
Eden wraps an arm around Samuel’s waist and leans her head on his shoulder. “I picture us as a family, enjoying everything a seaside home offers.”
Samuel kisses the top of her head. “Thank you for trusting me.”
Rose whimpers and kicks her legs. “It’s time for an afternoon nap. We should get back.”
“I’m thinking I’ll take a nap with her,” he says.
“It’s been quite a morning already.”
After walking back and a half-hour later, Rose is asleep, and Samuel is drifting off on the bed, exhausted. He’s aware it will take time for his body to heal.
Long days working will take a further toll on his body. With no other choice, he’ll find other means to manage his health.
He has to, for her.
* * *
The dense canopy blocks out the last of the light before darkness falls. A thick, pungent aroma fills his nostrils—decaying leaves, moist air, and a never-ending buzz around his head. It has never felt more like home. Only there’s no familiarity, and his breath is laced with fear, a scent predators seek.
He has lost sight of the river, treading deeper into the unknown and further from any known points on his map. His satellite phone, an emergency source, was lost weeks ago in the Negro River. Survival weighs heavily on instinct, knowledge to avoid danger, and his awareness of the location of Colombian guerrillas.
The men spark a fire. The children string hammocks to trees and secure palm throngs overhead to protect them from the rain.
Some nights the downpour drenches the camp.
