But Benny hugged him anyway.
They started to pull away and heard a voice yelling at them from the house.
“Wait!”
Young Thom, a year younger than Beth, came running.
He stood beside the pickup’s passenger window and spoke to Beth.
“I wrote you a letter. Last night. I… I was going to give it to you, but then I chickened out. But if I don’t give it to you, you’ll never know how I feel…”
He thrust a piece of paper into her hands. It was written in pencil on notebook paper, adorned with a big red heart.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out it was a love letter.
Beth looked at it but didn’t unfold it.
She smiled.
She said, “Thank you, Thom. I feel the same way.”
He leaned his head through the window and kissed her on the cheek. Several people watching from the front porch of the ranch house cheered.
Sal was reminded of the first time he expressed his love for Nellie, so many years before.
When Thom stepped back, Sal gave the team the slack they needed, and the wagon pulled away.
Both Thom and Beth knew they’d never see one another again.
But it was still a nice way to part company.
Sal and his young charge headed east past an old abandoned Air Force base and through the northern edge of Victorville. They were less than a mile from Interstate 15, which would take them north to Barstow.
In Barstow they’d connect with the I-40 for their trip back to where they’d come from a few short weeks before.
Only they wouldn’t make it that far.
For something was about to happen which Sal could never foresee, and which Beth had only dreamed of.
On the crest of a hill, perhaps half a mile away from them, a man appeared. On a bicycle, of all things.
Sal saw him, for he paid keen attention to the road in front of him as he drove the horses along.
Of course, he placed no special significance to the man. There simply was no reason to.
Beth was sitting in the cab of the Ranger, reading one of the books Benny gave her for her journey.
And even if she’d seen the bicyclist, she wouldn’t have recognized him. Not from such a distance.
Dave recognized the red pickup, though. Even from half a mile away it was easy to spot. The two horse team gave it away and made it different from every other red pickup he’d seen to that point.
He could have coasted down the hill, but in an effort to close the ground between him and his quarry he pedaled like mad.
And almost wiped out when he came to the bottom of the hill.
He was off the bike while it was still moving and almost stumbled while trying to stay upright.
Sal, a look of surprise on his face, started to say something but never got it out.
Beth looked up from her book at the sound of the bicycle crashing to her left.
She glanced briefly at the bike, then turned her attention to the man crawling inside the engine well of the converted pickup and dragging Sal from the wagoneer’s seat.
Dave literally tossed poor Sal over the fender and onto the pavement, then leapt on top of him and started pummeling him.
Dave almost never lost control. But on those rare occasions he did, it all went out the window: his sense of fairness, his sense of right or wrong.
And mostly, unfortunately, his empathy for another human being.
Sal managed to break free from Dave’s grasp, but didn’t get far. Dave threw a wild right hook that knocked the old man into the grass median.
If Sal had been smarter he’d have stayed there.
Instead he tried to crawl away, and Dave was back on him in a flash.
Pummeling him, one blow after another.
Dave was in a blind rage. He had little control over his own body. And even less control over his mind.
He was not the kind of man who’d beat another when the other was down.
Nor the kind of man who’d beat senseless a man twice his age.
But he wasn’t himself. The rage had turned him into a monster.
He saw only one thing. Knew only one truth:
This… this was the sadistic animal who took his little girl. This was the beast that turned her into a slave.
This was the bastard who may well have raped his child, or allowed others to do so.
This man must pay, and pay dearly, for what he did.
The man beneath him finally went limp. He was mercifully unconscious.
Dave didn’t care. He wrapped both hands around Sal’s throat and started to squeeze.
Sal’s face turned blue. His eyelids were open, the eyeballs rolled back into their sockets.
Dave still didn’t care.
He’d have kept squeezing. Kept it up until he could no longer feel the man’s pulse. Kept it up until he finally felt satisfied that justice was done. That the man was duly punished.
That the man was on a fast train headed straight for the pits of hell.
Except…
Except for the plaintive cries of a little girl.
A little girl called Beth by most, Becky by others.
A little girl Dave hadn’t seen in well over a year, yelling, “Daddy! Daddy! Stop it! You’re killing him!”
It was only then that the glassiness left Dave’s eyes. That he returned to the world of the living. That he became human again.
“Beth?”
He turned to look at his young daughter, now running at breakneck speed toward him.
He dropped Sal’s head into the sand and stood up, then ran to meet her.
Old Sal, back from the brink where he’d been mere seconds from death, began to cough and to wheeze. Then he rolled to his right side and began to vomit.
He was beaten bloody. But he’d survive.
Dave picked up the child and held her tight while blubbering like a baby.
He couldn’t say a single word, but Beth filled the silence.
“You have it all wrong, Daddy. He wasn’t mean to me. He took me, but it wasn’t his fault. Sanchez told him I had no mommy or daddy. They thought they were adopting me.
“They were good to me, Daddy. They fed me and protected me and never made me do anything I didn’t want to do.
“He’s a good man, Daddy. He’s grumpy sometimes, and I didn’t used to like him much. But now he’s my friend. Please don’t hurt him anymore.”
Now she was in tears too.
Dave was at a loss. For one of the few times in his life, he honestly didn’t know what to do. He turned to look toward Sal, afraid it was too late. That he might already be dead.
He was relieved to see the old man sitting up.
He looked back to his daughter and asked, “Are you sure, honey?”
He hadn’t felt the warmth of his daughter’s embrace in a very long time. The last thing he wanted to do was to let her go.
But he was back. He was no longer just a lonely nobody wandering the highways of southern California looking for his baby.
He, by God in heaven, was a father again.
And he needed to act like it.
He placed her gently back onto her feet and turned back toward Sal.
Sal saw him coming and wanted to run.
But he was too badly beaten. He was just barely conscious and feeling ready to pass out at any moment.
He did the only thing he was physically capable of doing.
He used his arms to cover his face and head and begged, “Please… please, don’t hit me any more.”
Dave went to one knee beside the old man and tenderly placed a hand upon his shoulder.
“I am so sorry, sir. Please forgive me for what I’ve done to you.”
Chapter 5
It was a tearful reunion. And very confusing as well.
Dave and Beth cried tears of joy, poor Sal tears from pain.
Dave couldn’t let go of Beth. He picked her up and twirled her around and
told her he’d never let her out of his sight again.
That was okay with her.
Sal was still dazed. So dazed it took him some time to put two and two together.
At first he thought he was being attacked because some imbecile was trying to steal his rig. It made no sense to him, but it was the only thing of value he had.
What else could it possibly be?
Then he saw Beth pleading with the man to stop, but couldn’t make out her words. His hearing was bad anyway, and after getting hit hard in the head they were ringing like crazy.
Next he saw Beth hugging the man. Was she grateful to him for stopping the merciless beating? If that was the case, why was he crying too?
Then the confusion began to clear, about the same time the dizzying blackness faded.
Was this… could it possibly be… her father? The one she’d always maintained was coming to get her?
Once he realized he wasn’t going to be killed, once he realized that Beth was safe with the man who attacked him, Sal allowed himself to lie down in the dirt and close his eyes.
As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t pass out. It hurt too much.
But somehow being still and closing his eyes helped a tiny bit.
Beth and Dave went on crying, with a bit of laughter thrown in.
And lots and lots of questions.
It turned out Beth wasn’t just going to let Dave off the hook for taking a year and a half to show his face.
“Daddy, where have you been? What took you so long? Why did you take forever and ever to get here?”
Nothing hurts a father more than a child who’s disappointed in him.
And in Dave’s case, no answer would suffice. So he didn’t even try.
“I’m sorry, honey,” he said as he picked her up again. “I wanted to be here sooner. I really did. But I’m here now.”
When he placed her back on the ground she put her hands on her hips, stuck out her lower lip and said in a loud firm voice, “It’s about damn time.”
Sal spoke for the very first time.
“I’m glad it’s not just me she gives the attitude to.”
He sat up in the dirt.
Beth took Dave’s hand and walked him back to where the old man sat and pronounced in a commanding voice, “Daddy, this is my new grandpa. His name is Sal and he’s kinda grouchy sometimes, but he’s nice to me and I love him.
“Sal, this is my Daddy. His name is Dave but I’m not allowed to call him that on account of he’s my father and all. And I told you he was coming to get me. You didn’t believe me but I told you.”
Dave intervened.
“Beth, you need to respect your elders.”
“Me? Daddy, he’s your elder too and you just beat him up.”
She had a point. And Dave was ashamed. As though he didn’t feel bad enough already.
He looked back to Sal and sat down beside him.
“I’m really sorry, sir. From the description I was given I thought you were an evildoer, a brutal kidnapper who was abusing my daughter.”
“It’s okay. I’d have thought the same thing myself.”
“How bad are you hurt? What can I do to help you?”
“I’ll be okay. Bruises heal, and so does pride, given enough time. What I need from you more than anything else is a truce. I’m not as young as I used to be. Once upon a time I could have given you a battle. I’d have made you as bloody as you’ve made me.
“But those days are long gone. Perhaps that’s best for both of us.”
Dave stood over the older man and outstretched a hand to help him up.
Sal took the offer, and when the men stood face to face Dave dusted off the older man’s shoulders.
“Hang on a minute. I’ve got a first aid kit in my backpack. It’s not much. Just some antiseptic cream and some band-aids. But it’ll help.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m not a bandage kind of guy.”
“It’s true,” Beth offered. “I’ve seen him bust his knuckles or cut himself a million zillion times. He always just grumbles until it stops hurting.”
Sal chuckled.
“She’s right. Grumbling is my way of chasing away the pain.”
He turned to Beth and said, “Honey, would you fetch a frozen bottle of water for me? And get one for your father too, please.”
Dave was understandably surprised at the request.
“You have frozen water? Out here in the middle of nowhere? But how?”
“We just left a couple of hours ago, on our journey to take Beth back to her mother.
“My brother froze twenty bottles of water, and placed them in a cooler in the pickup’s floorboard. Of course, we knew they’d all be melted by the second day. By the fourth day they’ll no longer be cool. But for awhile, at least, we’ll have cold water to drink.”
Beth dutifully handed them each a bottle.
Sal placed his against a rapidly blackening eye to keep the swelling down.
Dave opened the cap on his and got just a sip. It was all the frozen bottle would surrender, but it was enough. He closed his eyes and savored the first cold water he’d had since he stayed the night with Tony.
And that already seemed a lifetime ago.
Chapter 6
Dave led the horses to the shade of a huge highway billboard advertising the California Lottery.
It was the only shade within miles, save the pathetic shade put off by the Joshua trees which dotted the desert around them.
The three of them shared the same shade, Beth sitting in the bed of the truck, Sal sitting on the tailgate and Dave standing alongside and leaning against it.
For hours they stayed there, speaking of the blackout and all it had wrought. Speaking of Nellie and the joy she’d brought to both Sal and Beth. Speaking of old friends and old dogs and a thousand other things.
In the hours just before and just after noon they toughed it out, for there was little escape from the unrelenting sun.
Sal pondered aloud why there never seemed to be any clouds in the desert sky when one most needed them.
Beth answered, “Well, duh. ‘Cause then it wouldn’t be hot and wouldn’t be a desert. Duh.”
As shade started to form on the other side of the billboard they moved the rig and themselves.
Then they resumed their drawn-out conversation.
By the time the sun started its nightly drop toward the western horizon the air temperature cooled a few degrees. It wasn’t much, but it was all they were going to get.
By that time Dave knew all about the whole orphan ruse. Everything about his daughter’s harrowing journey west, and most of the adventures she’d had since her arrival in Adelanto.
Nothing about her puppy love for Thom, though. Dave asked her a couple of times, and she clammed up.
That topic, it turned out, was strictly off limits.
Information flowed the other way as well.
Dave told them that Ruben Sanchez paid a heavy price for his role in sending Beth away. That he was dead, along with Swain and all the others who’d held her captive.
He spared her the gory details. They were unnecessary and despite how the new world had hardened her, he saw no reason to include them.
He asked if she knew the Dykes brothers: Jacob, Jason and Mason. She said she’d never met them. And he told her of the great underground bunker her mother and sister were staying in as guests of the Dykes.
“Is that where we’re going to live too when we get back?”
“No, honey. I’m not exactly sure where we’ll live when we get back. I suppose that’s up to your mom. We didn’t really discuss our options.”
“Options?”
“Yes. I mean, when I left San Antonio I assumed I was going to just drive up to Kansas City, pick y’all up, and drive you back to San Antonio to live happily ever after.
“I was naïve. I didn’t know how hard the whole thing would be. How much time it would take. How many other people might be involved.
>
“How many times I’d get sidetracked.
“I knew going in that my vehicle would be a valuable commodity and people would want it.
“But after I parked it a hundred times and never had a problem with it I got complacent. No, I guess lazy is a better word. Careless and lazy. I stopped looking carefully around each time I parked it. And sure enough, it came back to bite me in the ass. Someone saw me park it and knocked me cold when I went back to retrieve it.
It was just one of a dozen things that slowed me down and kept me from getting here sooner.”
“But you’re here now, Daddy. So everything’s okay.”
“Yes. But now we’ve got Karen and your cousins to think about. Our house isn’t big enough for them. But I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving them there in Kansas City. Unless the Dykes agreed to take them in full time.”
“Why not?”
“Because if they went back to Aunt Karen’s farm, just her and her children, they’d be sitting ducks for the next band of escaped inmates who came along. She’s a brave woman and would claim she could defend her farm, but I’m not so sure. Not by herself. I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving her there under those conditions.”
Sal asked, “What are your other options?”
“Well, Sarah and I never really had a chance to discuss it. I mean, once I found out Beth was missing I left pretty quickly. But I’ve had a lot of time to think about it, out here on the road all alone.
“The Dykes might take Karen and her family in as permanent guests. They seemed to me to be the type of friends and neighbors who might do that.
“If they don’t I suppose the only other options would be for us to stay in Kansas City and live on the farm with Karen. We could help her defend it and help do the chores. Or, we could take her and her family back to San Antonio with us. We’d have to find a much bigger house. That wouldn’t be a problem. There are vacant houses all over the city now for the taking.
“The hardest part would be moving our stores. We’ve got hundreds of pounds of supplies and provisions hidden in the old house. In the walls, the attic, the phony air conditioning ducts. There’s a vacant house directly behind us that’s far too damaged for anyone to live in. It was a foreclosure that was heavily vandalized by its last owners when they moved out. They trashed the place, pouring cement in the toilets, breaking up the doors and counters, and anything else they could do to express their displeasure with the bank.
A Tearful Reunion Page 3