He Started It

Yes, we’re still in Texas. Grandpa was right about it swallowing you up, because we are staying in this state for not one but two stops.

Devil’s rope is what the Native Americans called barbed wire, and yes, there’s an entire museum devoted to it. That didn’t seem very exciting when I was twelve, but it turned out to be amazing. Barbed wire changed everything.

We learned about how it was used in the nineteenth century, when people could just settle on a piece of land and call it their own. The barbed wire was how people marked their territory, and it also kept the cattle in, otherwise they would just roam around. That’s why cowboys hated it, along with the Native Americans. So many animals died when they walked into it, hence the name devil’s rope.

I remember walking out of that museum in awe of how important barbed wire was to our history. Even more important than Bonnie and Clyde.

But before I could voice this discovery, Grandpa ruined it.

‘There’s another reason why they call it devil’s rope.’ He turned to us, one eyebrow raised. ‘The harder you try to get out of it, the worse it gets.’

Nikki snorted. ‘Kind of like this road trip.’

Grandpa raised his hand. I thought he was going to hit her, but she ran off before anything could happen. That’s when she saw the couple from the Cadillac Ranch.

Today we tell Krista about the museum before we get there. She’s already upset, and no one wants her to completely lose it. Whatever that would look like.

‘Devil’s Rope?’ Krista says. ‘Jesus, what a name.’

‘It’s not what you think,’ Eddie says.

She rolls her eyes.

I get a text from Felix. He is sitting right next to me.

Seriously, what was the deal with your grandfather?

My grandma died not long before the trip.

He wasn’t thinking real clear.

Felix nods as he reads it.

That explains a lot.

It does and it doesn’t. Since he doesn’t know anything about Nikki, I can’t tell him that she was Grandma’s favorite. I can’t tell him how she was the one who took care of Grandma while she was sick and dying and Grandpa couldn’t handle it. I can’t tell him how much Nikki hated him for what he did to her.

So I don’t text him back.

The museum is the same as I remember, only it’s bigger and has more displays. Just as we had been fascinated by it, so are Krista and Felix. Especially Felix. He insists on reading about every display, which keeps us here for quite a while.

‘I take it back,’ Felix says as we leave. ‘That’s a pretty awesome place.’

‘Not bad,’ Krista says. ‘Not what I thought.’

Eddie puts his arm around her as we walk out the door. Portia waited outside, again, and she shakes her head at us. No truck.

Eddie heads back to the interstate, the same one we’ve stayed near. And yes, he’s still the one driving. The only one ever, no matter what anyone else says. Because that’s who Eddie is.

‘North?’ Krista says. ‘Again?’

‘Yep,’ Eddie says.

We all sit in the same place every day. Sometimes it feels like the same road, the same scenery, like we’re going around in circles. Our clothes change, though. No one wears makeup anymore except Krista, and she’s down to only lip gloss. Portia’s black nail polish is chipping and she hasn’t fixed it.

I take out my laptop, decide maybe I should get some work done. Every night I download my e-mails to skim through them, because looking at my inbox puts me to sleep. Now, after multiple cups of coffee, it still makes me sleepy.

Before this trip started, I looked at my e-mail first thing in the morning and read them before I was even at work. After one week on the road, I’m wondering how I do this every day.

Maybe that’s what I’ll do with the inheritance. Forget the bills and the house and anything sensible. I’ll quit my job and do something that doesn’t involve staring at a computer.

This idea gives me a lot to ponder during the drive, as I once again avoid reading all those unopened e-mails. Instead, I think about what else I could do. I could train dogs, trim trees, deliver packages, wrap presents, ride horses, or join one of those now-defunct circuses. Read about barbed wire.

Nikki and I can do all of this together. Or we could just hang out on the beach. After I find her, we can do whatever we want.

Last time we left the Devil’s Rope Museum, I wasn’t daydreaming and the car wasn’t quiet. Everyone was mad, either yelling or huffing or pouting. Grandpa was furious at Nikki for getting detained by the police for making a scene. He thought it was her fault, just like the police did.

We were back in the car and Nikki was in the passenger seat, practically tied down with the seatbelt. Arms crossed, mouth tight, face red. Nikki was angry about being blamed for everything again. Grandpa was angry the police almost called our parents.

‘Do you know what your mother would do to me?’ he yelled at her.

He had a point. Mom was always mad about Nikki these days, and getting a call from the police wouldn’t help anything.

‘I told you,’ Grandpa said. ‘I explained that your parents are trying to work things out. Don’t you want them to stay together?’

‘I don’t care,’ Nikki said.

‘That’s not nice.’

I couldn’t see Nikki roll her eyes, but I knew she did.

In the back, Portia was crying. She had no idea what was going on, but all those policemen scared the hell out of her.

Eddie had his head down and earphones on, the sound turned up to a thousand. NIN blasted loud enough for all of us to hear.

‘Turn that shit down!’ Nikki yelled.

Eddie didn’t hear her, didn’t look up.

‘Language!’ Grandpa screamed, even though he swore all the time.

‘Who cares?’ Nikki said. ‘Nobody cares if they get divorced. Nobody!’

Portia cried harder.

‘I care,’ Grandpa said.

‘No you don’t,’ I said. ‘You didn’t want the police to call them because we aren’t supposed to be here.’

Nikki’s head whipped around to face me. ‘What?’

‘Beth,’ Grandpa said.

‘No, what did you say?’ Nikki asked – no, demanded.

So I told her. I told everyone that Grandpa had taken us, and our parents never gave him permission.

I said it for a lot of reasons. Because they were yelling and Portia was crying. Because Eddie wanted nothing to do with any of it. Because Nikki had been so upset ever since the Cadillac Ranch. Because I wanted attention. Because I wanted Nikki’s attention. Ever since she became a teenager it was impossible to get.

And because I really did think Grandpa would’ve hit Nikki if she hadn’t moved away from his fist.

That was the moment everything changed – for our trip, and for us. A shift in perception about what we were doing and why we were there. You know that switch – when you realize the hunter is being hunted, the predator is the prey.

‘He stole us?’ Nikki said.

‘Beth,’ Grandpa said. ‘You’re being ridiculous. You just spoke to your parents last night.’

I ignored him and spoke only to Nikki. ‘Haven’t you noticed the way he’s always standing right there when we’re on the phone? And how Mom always sounds like she’s about to explode? And,’ I said, leaning closer to Nikki. ‘Why do they keep asking where we are? Why doesn’t Grandpa tell them?’