I could see her waiting for the security cameras to swivel away from us. I remember seeing inside the security office one day. I barely saw the TV screens covering the walls before I was rushed from the room and demanded to go to my own room and stay there.
My mom was anxious. She kept looking around, her eyes never focused on one single spot. We almost ran from the house that I had known all of my life. Where I never left and this was the first time I would set foot outside the property line and could remember it.
Around the corner from our drive was an old blue four-door car. There was another woman in the car. Older. Kind eyes as my mom opened the back door and strapped me into a carseat that had already been put into the car. The woman kept her eyes on me. They started to shine with water. Why was she looking at me like that? I clutched my bookbag to my chest and looked at my mom.
“We’re safe. I promise,” she whispered to me and then caressed my cheek before she pulled away from me and got into the front seat. She breathed out a sigh, and the woman started driving.
“Did anyone see anything?” the woman asked.
“I hope not. I’m sure we would have an army chasing after us if he knew.”
“Honey, I’ve missed you,” the woman spoke with shaky words.
“Mom, I’ve missed you too. Let’s get as far away from here as we can,” my mom said.
Was this woman my grandmother? I had knowledge of this type of family member. My father’s mother had come to see me on my last birthday. She told me to call her Grandmama. But she looked like she was the same age as my father.
“How are you feeling? Still sick?”
I looked from the older woman to my mom, and she nodded her head. Was my mom sick? She couldn’t be. I needed her. She couldn’t leave me. Who would take care of me? Love me? The woman reached over and patted my mom on the leg.
“It’ll go in time. You’re only about eight weeks along.”
I felt more and more confused as they talked, but before long, I was drifting off. I woke when the woman that was possibly my grandmother carried me into a run-down motel somewhere along the journey. She had tried to be quiet, but I was on edge with all the excitement and nerves. I wiggled with uncertainty in her arms, and she chuckled.
“All right. Down you go. Catch up with your mama.” She smiled at me. It was new to me. The love people could share with each other before they really knew one another was amazing.
I had caught up with my mom and put my hand in hers. “Sweetie?”
“Mommy, what’s going on? Are we hiding from him?”
She knew who I was talking about. I didn’t like calling him Dad or Daddy. I just tried to avoid calling him anything at all. In fact, I would avoid him altogether if possible. It wasn’t too hard to stay off his radar. He was always busy with meetings and appointments. Mom had never been upset by his lack of attention.
“Come here baby,” she cooed.
I crawled into her lap and wrapped my arms around her waist as much as I could. I wasn’t able to touch my fingers, but she was right there—in my grasp. I wish I could have pressed pause on that moment with her. One where she was possibly the happiest she would ever be. We had gotten away. She had the possibility of a future for us in her grasp.
“We are going to go live with a friend for a little while. She invited us to come visit her and wants us to keep her company. Is that all right?”
“What’s her name?” I asked.
“Nan. She is very excited to meet you. She’s heard so much about you.”
“Did you tell her about me?”
“I did. But she also heard about you from some of her other friends.”
Her comment hadn’t made sense to me at the time, but it would all come together after I found my home and my forever. But that’s another story, one that is not mine to tell. My mom studied me for a long moment. Finally swiping my hair from my forehead before she kissed my temple.
“I will love you for always, mo mac tire beag.”
As I laid there with my mom, she gently fingered my hair until I fell into a deep sleep.
➣ Chapter 2
The Day That Changed Everything
When the sun came up in the morning, I was lying by myself on the hotel bed. I sat Captain America up on the bed and turned on the TV for him to watch. Then, I scooted off the bed and walked sleepily to the bathroom. “Mom?” I said into the corner of the doorframe.
“Hold on just a second,” I heard her call out, but it was muffled. Within the next few seconds, my mom swung open the bathroom door and gave me the warmest smile. “Good morning.”
“Mommy, I gotta go,” I said, wiggling while keeping my legs crossed.
She giggled and stepped to the side so I could run to the toilet. When I came back out, she had a granola bar and a fruit cup sitting on the little table beside the bed for me. I wish we had some milk, but I guess she wasn’t able to get cold milk for me.
“Eat up, baby boy. We’ve got to get going soon,” Mom said.
I had just taken a bite from my granola bar when there was a rushed knock at
