'Til the End of Time

by Sabra Brown Steinsiek

  * * *

  “It’s almost Christmas, Amala. New York is beautiful at Christmas, although not as beautiful as New Mexico. But I’d settle for New York, as long as my family was there.”

  Laura’s wistful voice broke Amala’s heart. She could see the sadness in her eyes as she stared out the window at the bleak winter landscape. There was nothing she could say or do to help the American woman.

  “What will they be doing?”

  “Amala, please, I can’t talk about it. I can’t think about it or my heart will shatter.”

  Silence settled back over the room as Laura continued her lonely vigil. The knock at the door startled both of them and Amala rose to her feet. Her housekeeper was at the door.

  “Vaš suprug želi li da mu se pridruže na podne obrok.”

  “Bicu tamo.” Amala said to the servant who then left. “I am sorry, Laura. It is my husband. It is unusual for him to call for my company during the day. I must go.”

  Laura only nodded her head and continued to stare out the window. She was so frail now that Amala was afraid to leave her. Yet there was nothing she could do by staying.

  Quickly she freshened herself then left to join her husband. As the door closed behind her, Laura lowered her forehead to the windowsill and let the tears flow.

  * * *

  The orphanage was bustling with activity when they arrived. It seemed even more crowded than the last time Betta had seen it, little more than a month ago. The director was waiting for them.

  “Mrs. Flynn, it is so good to see you,” she said, taking Betta’s hands in hers. “I am so sorry we had no one to bring Rhen to you, since I know how much you wanted her with you for Christmas. How is your husband?”

  “Chris is doing well, but it’s still uncomfortable for him to travel. That’s why it’s just me.”

  “Your father did not accompany you this time?”

  “No, he doesn’t know I’m here. Only one of my sisters knows. We want to present her to all of them for Christmas.”

  “Then we’d best get to business. Let’s go to my office. The lawyer is waiting with the paperwork.”

  “And Rhen?”

  “This will take a while to complete and I did not think she would do well cooped up in our little office. I can have her brought if you’d like.”

  “No, you’re right. Let’s get all the business stuff done then I can help her change and pack.”

  “Good. Come along with me. This is such a happy day for us. We all rejoice when one of our children finds a family.”

  With Toby and Jim trailing behind, Meg entered the office to sign the paperwork that would change her world forever.

  * * *

  As Amala took her place at the table, she was surprised to find a paper folded and waiting for her. While her spoken English had improved under her husband’s instruction, her command of the written language was not always reliable. Since her husband had not yet come in, she opened it and read what she could of the front page. Her eye was immediately caught by the child’s picture and the story beside it. She read it through, her heart beating faster as she realized this was Laura’s daughter who had come to adopt the child—Laura’s daughter! Hope began to gather as she searched for a reason her husband would bring it to her attention.

  Moments later, he swept into the room. “Amala, I am sorry. I have been called away unexpectedly and will not be able to share the meal with you. I have to leave right away and will be gone until late tonight. Most of my men will be with me, but I do not expect any trouble here. I will leave a skeleton guard, of course.”

  Her eyes met his in question and he looked down at the paper in her hands. Nodding abruptly, he said, “Again, I am sorry. I will make it up to you when I return. Be well and safe.”

  “Biti dobro i sigurno,” she echoed, holding the paper tightly.

  With a smile, he turned and left the room. She watched from the window as he climbed into his vehicle and a number of his men followed him. In a few moments, it was as if he hadn’t been there at all. If it weren’t for the paper still clutched tightly in her hand, she might have believed it all a dream.

  * * *

  At the orphanage, the last of the papers were finally signed. She was free to take Rhen from the orphanage, although they would not be able to travel until tomorrow after they’d picked up Rhen’s passport at the embassy. After congratulations and many handshakes were exchanged, the lawyer left.

  “The children are at luncheon, Mrs. Flynn. You and your friends are free to join Rhen there.”

  “I’d like that. It might be easier for her to see me again with all her friends around.”

  “We have arranged a little going away party for Rhen at the end of luncheon. Sergeant Grossman, it should prove worthy of your photographic skills.”

  They went down the hallway to a large common room filled with tables and chattering children. Betta stood in the doorway and scanned the room, suddenly afraid she would not recognize the little girl that was now her daughter. Instead, as if drawn by a magnet, her eyes met Rhen’s.

  The little girl looked at her with puzzlement before a wide smile filled her small face. “Betta,” she cried and jumped from her chair to run to her. Betta met her halfway and scooped her up in her arms.

  “Rhen! Rhen! Rhen!” she whispered in the little girl’s ear as she turned around and around in a circle with her. “I’m here to take you home to live with me and Chris.” The little girl’s giggles filled the room and the other children fell silent as they watched. Toby’s shutter clicked continuously as he recorded the occasion.

  * * *

  Amala re-entered her chambers and found Laura just where she had left her. “Laura!” she called quietly and urgently as she hurried across the room to sit beside her friend. “Laura, you must read this!”

  Laura took the paper and breathed, “Rhen! It’s about Rhen!”

  “And more,” Amala said. “Read it!”

  Laura began to read and her heart leaped with joy to find that Betta and Chris were taking the little girl she had grown to love. Her heart immediately crashed as she realized this would be just another thing she would never have in her life. She flung the paper away and said, “Amala! How could you be so cruel? It’s better to not know that I have a new granddaughter than to know and be kept from her!”

  “No, Laura, listen to me. He gave me the paper to read, then said he was called away and would be gone until late tonight. He has taken most of his men with him and I know that means he has left entrances unguarded. He wants me to take you to your daughter.”

  “What?” It was too much to take in. “He wants you to let me escape?”

  “Not just let you, to take you!”

  “Are you sure? Maybe it’s a trick so that he can kill me while I’m escaping and save his image.”

  “He would not put me in danger, Laura. Never, for any reason.”

  Laura looked into Amala’s eyes and saw there only concern and excitement. Amala had been a good friend, at least as much as Laura had let her be. What did it matter if Amala was wrong? She would die anyway if she stayed here. Better to take a chance.

  “I trust you, Amala. What do we do?”

  “I called the orphanage. They know me and I was asking about the newspaper story. They were only too happy to tell me what was happening. Your daughter is there now—now, Laura! She will be there for a while longer, but we must hurry if we are to get there in time.”

  She pulled Laura to her feet. “Go, gather your things, quickly.”

  There was little to gather and Laura was ready in minutes. As Amala opened the door, she stopped and turned back. “Laura, before we go, I must have your promise.”

  “Anything, Amala.”

  “I am serious. You must promise that you will not betray my husband. They will question you and you must promise
me that you will tell them nothing that would lead them to us. He is guilty of an overwhelming love of his country, and of poor judgment in the company he keeps. He has hurt no one. So you must promise me.”

  “And you, Amala? Will you be safe once you’ve helped me to leave? Come with me. We can get you asylum in the United States. You can begin again.”

  “I love my husband, Laura, just as you love your Taylor. My place is with him. And it is my country as well, my home. I do not want to leave.”

  Laura embraced the smaller woman and kissed her on each cheek. “You have my promise, Amala. I will tell them nothing that might lead anyone to you.”

  Amala squeezed Laura’s hand and tearfully said, “Hvala. Come, we must go!”

  The two women hurried out into the hall, barefoot, shoes in hand, then out across the courtyard to the garage. The keys were waiting in the car, just as Amala expected.

  * * *

  At the end of luncheon at the orphanage, a large, brightly frosted cake was brought into the dining room. All of the children clapped and cheered. It was seldom that they got a treat of any kind, let alone one as magnificent as this. Betta glanced at Jim Brown and saw him beaming at the children’s joy.

  “You arranged this?” she asked.

  He just smiled and said, “A party isn’t a party without cake.”

  The director told the children that Rhen was leaving them to go far away across the ocean to her new home in the United States. She introduced Betta as Rhen’s new mother. The children were solemn at the thought of Rhen’s great fortune. Looking around the room, Betta wished she could take all of them home and her eyes filled with tears.

  “I know, Betta,” Jim said quietly beside her. “You can’t take them all, no matter how much you’d like to. But what you can do is tell their story. Continue the work your mother was doing and see if we can find homes for the others.”

  “I will. I will. Keep in touch, Jim. I’m going to need you to help me on this.”

  The children’s silence was broken as Rhen came and pulled Betta by the hand to cut the cake. Together they made the first cut, then Betta cut as Rhen served each child who came by. The room was soon full of laughter again.

  * * *

  Amala drove carefully down the road, her speed increasing as she gained confidence with the vehicle.

  “I do not drive often. Usually, there is a driver. But my husband wanted me to know how in case of—well, in case of something. Although, I’m sure he never imagined this. I must be careful not to call attention to us,” she said as she slowed slightly, “not too fast, not too slow.”

  Laura barely heard her. She watched the countryside go by as she urged the car faster with her thoughts. It was all unreal. Was this just another dream she would wake from in tears? As the vehicle hit a pothole, Laura was bounced up to hit her head on the roof. No, not a dream. She rubbed her head. This is real.

  In an hour, they came into the outskirts of town. Amala turned on back streets and avoided main roads as she made her way to the back of the orphanage and stopped the car. “We are here.”

  “Amala…” Laura’s voice failed her.

  “I know Laura. I have come to love you as I would a sister. I will miss your company.”

  “Amala, are you sure you won’t change your mind and come with me?”

  “No, my place is here. I am happy.”

  “We may never see each other again. I can’t write without betraying you.”

  “If it is meant to be, we will meet again. Maybe someday when all this madness ends.”

  “You will always be welcome in my home, you and your husband. If there is a way, thank him for giving me a way out.”

  The two women embraced once more and Laura got out of the vehicle. With a small wave of her hand, Amala drove around the corner and was gone.

  * * *

  The party finally ended and the youngest children were put down for naps, while the older ones returned to classes. Jim and Toby turned to helping clean-up and Betta climbed the stairs to help Rhen pack her few belongings.

  Everything had happened so quickly, there had been no time to buy her pretty clothes as Betta had wanted to do. She and Chris had both been superstitious about buying anything before it was a finished deal. Meg had come to the rescue. She’d brought sweater and slacks, socks, underwear and shoes. And she’d included a special coat, red wool with a black velvet collar that Taylor and Laura had given Kat for her fifth birthday. Meg had saved it, and had been glad that she had, when she turned it over to Betta.

  Now, as Betta helped Rhen dress in her new clothes, the child was quiet. Betta looked up after buckling the new shoes that were a little loose and found tears streaming down Rhen’s cheeks.

  “Oh, Rhen, does something hurt?”

  “Moje srce,” she whispered, placing her small hand on her chest.

  “Your heart? You mean that you are sad to be leaving?”

  She nodded solemnly and Betta could see fear in her eyes.

  “Oh, Rhen, it’s all right to be sad. You are leaving a place you know and people you love. That does hurt your heart. It even hurts mine a little to take you away. But I promise you, there will be new people waiting who already love you. And you will be helping us decorate your new place to be. You may feel a little sad until you get used to us, but I think you will be happy.”

  The little girl looked at the dormitory that had been the only home she could remember. Then she placed her hand in Betta’s and looked up at her trustingly.

  “Ready to go?” Betta asked. When Rhen nodded, mother and daughter went out the door and into the future.

  * * *

  Laura stood behind the orphanage for a few minutes trying to get her bearings. Everything seemed so strange. She was free—free—and if she just went around the building, she would find help and, maybe, her daughter.

  Shifting the bundle in her arms, she went around to the front door, opened it and went in. Despite the unreality she felt, everything was so familiar. There was the smell of a meal just ended, the sounds of small voices singing, the familiar glow of the well-worn wooden floor. Two soldiers stood at the bottom of the staircase as a little girl in a red coat ran down it. Behind her was a woman with her eyes only on the girl.

  The door snicked shut behind her and the little girl looked up to see who it was. Her eyes widened and she smiled. “Laura!” she called and ran between the soldiers and straight into Laura’s arms.

  * * *

  Betta watched as Rhen ran down the staircase ahead of her. She wanted to tell her to slow down, but couldn’t help smiling. She knew that if Rhen fell, the two waiting soldiers would catch her. Vaguely she heard the sound of the front door closing and was startled as Rhen paused, then ran past Jim and Toby for the door. At first she didn’t understand what Rhen had said. It sounded like—dear Lord, it sounded like “Laura”!

  The adults all turned to look toward the door where a thin woman dressed in black, with a black shawl around her head, had dropped to the floor to embrace the little girl. Rhen’s embrace pushed the shawl away from her face and it slid down to her shoulders revealing red hair shot through with liberal streaks of silver. The woman raised her head, her emerald eyes meeting Betta’s. Only Jim’s quick catch kept Betta from falling down the remaining steps.

  Chapter 33

  Laura looked up to meet Betta’s eyes. Her beautiful Betta! Here. It seemed as if a lifetime had passed since she had seen her.

  Betta was frozen at the bottom of the stairs, Jim’s hands still on her shoulders. She felt as if she had stepped through Alice’s looking glass and the world had turned upside down. Her mind kept telling her that it couldn’t possibly be Laura, but her heart knew better as those emerald eyes met hers. “Laura?” Her voice came out in a bare whisper. “Oh, Laura, you’re alive!” she cried as her paralysis broke. She ran to the woman and
child on the floor in the doorway and sank to the floor beside them.

  For a moment, they could only look at each other. Laura reached out and pushed an errant strand of hair away from Betta’s face. Betta caught Laura’s hand in her own and held it against her cheek.

  “Betta. I can’t believe you’re here,” Laura’s voice broke the silence and it was as if an evil spell had been lifted and time began again.

  “Laura—Mrs. Morgan!” Jim Brown was at their side. “Are you hurt? Who left you here? Can we still catch them?” Toby Grossman kept his camera trained on the incredible scene unfolding before them. The orphanage director came out to see what was happening and found herself speechless at the sight unfolding before her.

  “No,” Laura said, never taking her eyes from Betta, “I don’t know who dropped me off. I don’t know anything that can help you.”

  Tears streamed down her face and Betta’s. Rhen, between the two women she loved, looked concerned and patted their cheeks with tiny hands. “Does your heart hurt? Don’t be sad. Today is a happy day.”

  Laura and Betta laughed through their tears and Betta held the child tight. “You are so right, little one. Today is a very happy day.”

  * * *

  The orphanage director took over then. “Come with me to the infirmary, Laura. We must check you over.” She bustled them down the hall and into the small room where she checked all of Laura’s vital signs. “You seem healthy enough,” she finally declared, “although you are much too thin. I think you should go to the hospital to have a thorough check-up.”

  Laura shook her head. “No. No hospital. I just want to go home to Taylor as quickly as possible.”

  “Laura,” Jim said, “there’s going to be all sorts of paperwork. We’ll have to find you a plane ticket and…hell, I don’t know what all.”

  “Betta, when are you leaving?” Laura asked.

  “In the morning.”

  “Then I’ll go with you.”

  “Laura, it’s not that easy,” Jim said.

  “It is if we want it to be.”