"Wait!" she cried.
He turned back.
"Don't forget." she said.
"No. I won't. That's a promise." he told her, "And I'm someone who keeps his promises," he added proudly.
He walked out and I started after him. Mrs. Stanton followed.
At the front doorway she hugged me.
"God bless you, darlin'," she said. I held on to her for a long moment, and then I joined Uncle Linden in the rented car. Just as Miguel gat behind the wheel. Uncle Linden cried. "Wait!"
"What is it. Linden?"
"My picture," he said. He started to get out,
"I brought it to the motor home already, Uncle Linden."
"Oh?"
"Ricardo will bring back all your things. Linden." Miguel promised. He has the motor home's owner's address from the paperwork."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely," Miguel said. "I made sure to tell him."
"I hope so. I wouldn't want to lose that picture," Uncle Linden said.
Again I wondered what it was he saw in it. but I said nothing. Ricardo had already started away. I prayed he would remember.
As Miguel began to turn the car dawn the driveway, Chubs stepped out and held up his big hand to wave goodbye. I leaned out of the window and shouted. "Thank you. Mr. Dawson. Take care of them."
A smile spread across his face, and then in moments, he was left behind us in the darkness, along with the farmhouse and all that had happened.
It was as Miguel had described, a hard trip back. We nearly missed one connection, and we were delayed almost two hours on the final leg of the journey due to some scheduling problems. I dazed on and off on the planes and was actually asleep when we touched down in the West Palm Beach airport. Uncle Linden slept all the time, even when we were waiting in the airports.
Miguel thought it would be better if we took him to his residency first.
Met him readjust. Hannah." he said. "Mrs. Robinson will help him, and then we'll bring him to the house in a day or so. I promise," he added with conviction when I raised my eyebrows with skepticism.
Surprisingly, when we arrived at the residency, Uncle Linden looked pleased. He got out quickly and, in his haste, almost forgot to say goodbye to me,
"And don't forget to came see me," he said. Mrs. Robinson greeted him at the door with a big welcome, as did one of the other residents. Seconds later we pulled away,
"We found the letter you left behind," Miguel said. "Willow has kept it beside her all this time. She has read it so often, the paper is beginning to shred.' He shook his head. You can't imagine how hard it was."
I swallowed dawn a throat lump. "Does she hate me. Miguel?"
'Hardly," he replied. "Although she is about as fragile as that woman you described at the farm. You both have to be considerate of each other. That's all the advice I'm going to give," he concluded.
Despite all the dark corners of mystery and sadness that still lingered in Joya Del Mar. I felt a surge of true joy when I saw it before me again. for to me, it had always been home. Never in more splendor with i
ts vibrant flowers and beautiful grounds, its sparkling fountains and glistening stucco and glass. I felt as if it were smiling at me when we drove in and up to the main house.
I got out slowly, my body tired, my emotions tugged and stretched to their breaking point. Lila greeted me at the door, her face full of delight.
"I have a nice hot lunch waiting for you when you're ready," she told me.