“Have you done this?”
“Tonight was to be my first, my beginning.”
“Hurray for me.”
“I tried to keep you away.”
“Yes, you did. Where did you say this orphanage was?”
“It’s in Oregon, not far from Portland. I have the address. Take me to the airport. I’ll get the earliest flight I can to Portland.”
“What are you going to do if you can’t get any information or you find out your mother is dead or something?”
“I don’t know,” I said.
He was quiet a moment, and then he said, “I’m going with you.”
“No. You had better stay away from all this now. I know it’s probably impossible to do, but you should just try to forget it, forget me.”
“You s
aved me tonight. I can do this for you, Lorelei. I want to very much.”
“But you’ll miss more college, and your family will wonder what’s going on.”
“I’ll take care of that. Don’t you worry about me. Oregon’s not far. The whole thing won’t take more than a day or so.”
“Yes, but—”
“Look, you just said you love me. To me, that’s enough reason. I meant all the things I said to you. I admit, this is all very weird and something I’d rather forget, but you’re in trouble now. Maybe there’s some scientific explanation for what I saw and what’s happening, and maybe there isn’t, but afterward, we can try to get some help and stop it. Okay?”
“I’d rather you not come, Buddy.”
“I knew you’d agree,” he said, ignoring me and smiling.
I was too tired to argue any more, and I did want to get started as soon as possible. We drove to Los Angeles Airport and parked the car in short-term parking. We had to wait only an hour before the next flight. Even after we had our tickets, I asked him again if he really wanted to come along.
“More than you can imagine,” he said.
It wasn’t until we boarded and sat together that I accepted the fact that he was really going with me. There was no turning back now. I watched him close his eyes and sit back. The emotional shock of what he had seen and what had almost happened to him had finally settled in. He was exhausted. We both were. Moments after takeoff, I leaned against his shoulder, and he rested his head against mine. Despite the noise, the captain’s little speeches, and the flight attendants passing out drinks and snacks, we both fell asleep quickly, neither waking up until the announcement of our impending landing.
We spent a longer time on the tarmac than expected. The anticipation tired us out even more. It was still dark by the time we deplaned, so I suggested we should check ourselves into the closest motel. I saw how he was dragging himself along, and I was feeling sapped of energy, too.
“We can get a rental car after we get some rest,” I said.
He agreed. We chose the motel and made the call for a pickup.
“You haven’t called anyone yet, Buddy. Shouldn’t you?” I asked.
“It’s all right,” he said. “No one will miss me for a day or so.”
The desk clerk at the motel asked if we wanted a room with separate beds. I quickly said no. If there was anything I wanted now, it was to fall asleep in Buddy’s arms. He smiled. I think he wanted the same thing, to have me fall asleep beside him, to enjoy the comfort and the companionship we both needed to get through this horrible experience.
But despite our exhaustion, we both found it difficult to fall asleep quickly. For a while, we just lay there in each other’s arms, lost in our own thoughts. It wasn’t until now, now that I had stopped running, that I gave thought to Daddy and his reaction to what I had done. I could easily imagine him sitting there listening to Ava as she described my relationship with Buddy, how she had tried to stop it, and finally how she had hoped I would come to my senses and stop it myself with what was to be my first delivery.
I could almost hear Mrs. Fennel agreeing with every accusation Ava made about me, saying she had sensed the same weaknesses in me and blamed herself for letting it get this far. But it would be Daddy who would accept all the blame, telling them he had been blinded by the love he had for me and I had for him.
“In every way, she seemed so perfect,” he would say.