Despite remembering the early abuse, Maddie’s domain was always to love and to connect. She brings out the best in us and forms connections among the Tribe. She rarely interacts with outside people.
When the court case began and everything went topsy-turvy most of the Tribe went into hiding until Maddie brought us together again. Seeing her sitting at the loom I knew we were going to make it. With each different strand of material she let glide through the warp, she called other parts from their dark place. As if she were saying “it’s safe to be, come back.”
She hadn’t heard Tom, who thought she was Elise, approaching her. So we had to tell him that there are many parts to us. He hadn’t heard about multiple personality disorder or Dissociative Identity Disorder as it is called now. I told him it meant I experience myself as a person of many different parts.
He thought that was a weird concept and I had to explain how our coming and going worked. In the end, it was easier to tell him about us than I feared it would be. He had to know. After all, he was our lawyer and every little detail about our life came out during the court sessions.
I push the memories aside and wash the rest of my quiche down with the coffee. I check the walls but I can’t see a clock. What I notice, though, nobody looks at me as if I’m Frankenstein’s bride. It’s unexpected and I feel a satisfied smile spreading over my face. I’m giving myself a mental pat on the back for blending in. We might nail this being normal thing after all. My mood jumps at least several steps from doom-and-gloom-miserable-and-cranky to this-could-be-a-beautiful-day.
I get up and rush because the white and green Intercity Bus pulls up at the stop.
My bag.
At the door, I turn back with a frustrated sigh and grab my shoulder bag still hanging over the back of the chair. A young man holds the door open for me and smiles.
“Thank you.” I smile back at him.
There is not much time to relish the unexpected kindness, because Tom steps onto the pavement just as I reach the bus. He grins like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland.
“You’re all grown up, girl, and on time for a change.”
He gives me a big bear hug. Believe me when I say he’s one of the best huggers I’ve ever met. Still, he deserves a mock-punch of his arm for his cheekiness. We are always on time.
“Ha, ha, you’re such a clown. The body stopped growing over twenty years ago.”
“I mean you, Lilly. You have matured since I saw you last.”
He winks and tries to fool me with an expression of innocence, but I wasn’t born yesterday. If I didn’t know how excited the Tribe right now, I would … nah, I wouldn’t. I can’t be angry with him. He’s a good man.
Good heart or not, I still find it unsettling when someone makes a joke about us.
“Let it go, Lilly, it’s a good sign. It means we’re being treated like everyone else and not like a precious specimen that needs extra protection.”
Sky’s whispered words float through my mind like a promising breeze. They remind me that when I’m in a good mood friendly banter never stings but drops off me like water off a duck’s back. Only when I’m in a bad mood do I react to it with snarky retorts. Today is a good mood day I decide, and smile up at Tom.
“Come on, big boy, the deer are waiting.”
It’s my turn now to wink and his blush tells me he has no trouble reading the subtext in my words. How often had he been hunting with Scott? Five or six times? How many beasts has he shot? And by that, I mean aimed at and hit the target? Exactly. None.
The bus driver pulls Tom’s backpack from the storage compartment and drops it at his feet.
“Your bag, sir, is that all?”
“Yes, thanks.” He nods at the driver and shoulders his huge backpack.
“Come on, my car’s parked over there.”
I point to the parking yard next to the grocery shop and bite back a comment on the size of his luggage. He must have packed everything, including the family silver.
“If you don’t mind, I’m dying for a cup of coffee. Unless you are in a hurry?”
Now that he mentions it, he looks worse for wear after sitting for over six hours on a bus with narrow seats.
“Of course, you poor thing. No rush, we’ve got time. Scott will meet us at his cabin. He said he wanted to get it ship-shape for your stay. Don’t expect too much, though. Ama thinks he doesn’t know the meaning of cleaning.”
We drop his bag into the trunk of my car and walk over to the café.
“Scott’s cleaning?”
“Exactly. He left this morning with his guns so don’t get your hopes up too high. He’s more concerned with scouting out where the deer and the wild pigs are to make your hunting week as memorable as possible.”
“You don’t mind if he’s away for a week?”
He stops at the Vanilla Bean and holds the door open for me. I walk through and steer to a window seat.
“It’ll do him good to get away and we’ll get some weaving done. It’s a win-win all over.”
Tom looks at me as if he’s not convinced. It annoys me.
“I don’t need a babysitter. I managed most of my life without male support.” I tip my index finger to my temple. “I’ve got plenty of entertainment in here. We are never alone.”
“If you say so. Take a seat; I’ll get the coffee. Are you a milk and sugar girl?”
“I’ll have a cappuccino, please, with chocolate.”
“Do you want a bite on the side?”
“No thanks, I already had something while I waited for you.”
I watch him giving his order at the counter and turning to me, winking and smiling. He can
