Everybody's Daughter

by Michael John Sullivan

  “It’s Allison.”

  He rubbed his eyes and bit back a leave me alone retort. “I’m not doing any interviews.”

  She clicked her tongue loud enough for him to hear. “That’s not why I’m calling. Have you heard from Elizabeth?”

  “Nothing.”

  “I’ll come by now. You shouldn’t be alone on a night like this.”

  “I told you it isn’t necessary.” He yawned and stretched his legs to ease the cramping in his calves. “Anyway, I won’t be alone. Susan’s on her way now.”

  “Susan? The redhead?”

  He took a deep breath. “Yes, that Susan.”

  Allison hung up the phone.

  “Good. I don’t have time for your drama,” he said to the dial tone.

  He exhaled, rolling his aching shoulder forward. He stretched his arms and picked up the half empty wine glass. He dumped the remainder of the alcohol into the sink and washed the dirty dishes. The noise of the running water was soothing, disrupting the unbearable silence of the house. He studied each plate, the grime in each part, before scrubbing it away. He took periodic glances at the clock, studying the third hand ticking away, much like he did when he was back in high school waiting for lunch break.

  The doorbell rang.

  Susan. Thank goodness.

  He ran to the door, yanked it open wide and embraced her in a tight hug.

  “I was just in the neighborhood.” She patted him on the back and studied him. “You look terrible. You’ve been watching too many Mets games. Are you getting any heat from your Yankees friends for wearing the jacket I gave you?”

  “Of course.”

  She smiled. “I know. Have you been wearing it?”

  He nodded. “They call me Judas. Little do they know I knew the man.”

  “What? You must be in a state of shock. That makes no sense.”

  “It’ll make sense later.” He closed the door behind her. “Let’s get you settled first.”

  “How about you get us both something to eat and drink?”

  “Yes, of course. What would you like?”

  She set her pocketbook down on the table. “A glass of cold water to start.”

  “Thanks for coming. How was the trip?”

  Removing her shoes, she said, “Clear sailing on ninety-five.” She waved her hand. “You’d do the same for me. Or I think you would? Right?”

  “Sure.” He led her into the living room. “How long can you stay?”

  “How long do you need me to stay?”

  “I’m not sure,” he said. “I’m not sure of anything right now.”

  “Well, when you are sure, let me know. I have some vacation time I can use.” She pointed to the hallway. “I’m going to freshen up.”

  Ten minutes later, Susan joined him in the kitchen. He filled a pitcher with ice cubes and water, cut a piece of chocolate pound cake, and set her a place at the kitchen table.

  She sat across from him. “Mmmm. Chocolate cake. You do know a way to a woman’s heart,” she said with a wink.

  He smiled weakly. “I have black licorice too.”

  She placed a paper napkin on her knee. “I’m impressed. You remembered.”

  “I did.”

  She smiled and drank some water. “Tell me what happened.”

  He took in her large, baby blue eyes, sparkling as they always did. Her hair looked more brown than the red he remembered and she seemed to have lost weight. “Please have something. I feel bad enough I asked you to drive all this way.”

  “Okay, I’ll eat, you talk.” She broke off a piece of cake with her fingers and popped it in her mouth. “And don’t leave anything out.”

  He turned, opened a cupboard drawer and took out a fork. “Sorry, I forgot this.”

  She took it and cut into her piece of cake.

  “Okay, where to begin?” He lowered his head and ran a hand through his hair. “I found this gateway in the old church on Main Street.”

  “Our church?”

  “Yes. The gateway opened today. I went into it again. I’d been there before. Anyway, it led me to this tunnel and –”

  Susan stopped chewing and waved her fork. “Whoa. I’m confused. I’ve been in that basement. There is no gateway or tunnel. You’re not making any sense.”

  “I know. I’m trying to digest it all myself.” He explained how the tunnel had opened four months ago, leading him and Elizabeth to first century Jerusalem during the last week of Christ’s life. “I witnessed the crucifixion.”

  He mentioned Leah only for a moment, neglecting to share his romantic feelings for the Jewish widow. Susan remained silent. He described his experience at the Sermon on the Mount. “I met Jesus. I spoke to Him.”

  Her expression was vacant.

  “He took me into this cave and it was like watching a movie of my life. I…I even saw Vicki briefly.” He didn’t go into the intimate details of his visit with his wife but he did tell her about the visions he’d witnessed. When he finished, he sat and poured himself a glass of water, gulping it down in one long haul.

  Susan’s eyes widened, her irises turning a darker shade of blue. She looked stunned. “I…I have no words.” She poured herself a glass of water and took several sips. “I think I believe you, even though I can’t get my mind around it all. Should I believe you?” Her expression glistened with wonder. “It’s just so surreal. You met Jesus? Are you sure?”

  “As sure as I see you sitting across from me now.”

  “Really? Jesus?”

  He got up and paced around the kitchen. “You don’t believe me.”

  “Come back in here. Can you blame me if this all sounds a bit far-fetched?”

  Michael got on his knees in front of her and held her hands. “Susan, you’re my best friend. I need you. My daughter is gone and I’m afraid I might do something crazy. I know this sounds like I’m ready for a strait jacket. But I know what I saw. And I know that my daughter is somewhere back there, perhaps alone in a dangerous world.”

  She squeezed his hands. “Connie told me she saw the tunnel or some opening.”

  “She’s not sure whether Elizabeth went down there after me. She thinks she did but isn’t a hundred percent sure.”

  “Why isn’t she sure?”

  He shrugged. “She didn’t stick around the basement the whole time.”

  Susan sighed. “Figures.”

  “You sound like Allison.”

  “Don’t even compare me to that woman.” Her cheeks reddened. “You know how I feel about her. What she said about you after Vicki died.”

  “It doesn’t matter. We know the truth.”

  “I know the drill.” She rolled her eyes. “We’re getting off track here. Who else knows about this trip you took?”

  He got up and paced. “Dennis.”

  “Dennis?”

  “Yeah, the pastor.”

  “Oh. What does he think?”

  “He believes me.” He stopped pacing and leaned against the fridge. “Or I think he does. I don’t know at this point. He has this old book we found in the basement. He said there’ve been other incredible stories transcribed by the previous pastors.”

  She stared at him, not offering any advice. He found that odd since Susan had been his sounding board for years, lifting him up during his roughest days. “I’m at a loss for words. I don’t know what to say or do. I’ll admit I’m still in shock at what you told me.” Her expression turned from wonder to melancholy. “I’m not any help at all with this.”

  “Of course you are. You’re helping by just being here with me and not calling nine-one-one to cart me away.”

  She smiled. “Okay, let’s look at this a different way. Nobody knows for sure if Elizabeth went through the tunnel.” She held her hand up. “I know. Connie claims she did. But I’m not convinced your sister is one hundred percent on the ball half the time anyway. But for argument’s sake, let’s say Elizabeth did go into the tunnel. So she’s back in Jerusalem and when she can’t f
ind you there, she turns around and comes back.”

  “Then why isn’t she here yet?” Michael asked.

  Susan chewed her bottom lip, seeming to be deep in thought. “Maybe, when she came back to this century, the tunnel led her to another city and she’s trying to figure out how to get home. She’s mature for her age, resourceful. I’m sure she’s doing what she can to get back home. Did she have her cell phone with her?”

  “No. She left it behind. Look, this all sounds plausible, but she knows how much I worry. Don’t you think she’d get to a phone booth, a police station, even a church to get a message to me?”

  “That’s true.” Susan nodded her head, then rubbed the back of her neck, sighing. “Let’s try to get some sleep. We’ll get up early, go to the church and take a look in the basement. Let’s see if we can find out who else was in the church when this tunnel opened. Maybe someone saw her. We’ll ask Pastor Dennis if we can read the book. Maybe there’s something in there he hasn’t seen that could help us. Have you looked in other places in the church for another opening?”

  “Yes, many times.”

  “Well, let’s get a look at that book. We may see something he hasn’t.”

  “Good idea. But there’s more. The cops found blood in my car.”

  “Whose blood?”

  “I don’t know.”

  He explained Detective Brady’s suspicions.

  “You’ve had a horrendous day,” she said, her eyes sad. “I feel helpless right now.” She went to him. “We don’t know if anything bad has happened to Elizabeth. Stay positive. Okay?”

  He nodded. “I need to find a way back somehow. Even if I have to dig my way back.”

  She put her hand on his shoulder. “Not tonight. Get some rest. Tomorrow morning we’ll do everything we can to figure this out.”

  Susan’s tone was reassuring, enough to relax him for a few moments.

  “I could use something stronger than water,” he said. “Want to join me?”

  “You’re on.”

  They moved to the living room where he opened a bottle of wine, sat and rocked in his chair, chatting idly with her. She talked about her new job and friends. When she told him there was no one special in her life, he was relieved though not sure what to do about it.

  He glanced at the clock. Four a.m. “You must be wiped.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” She stood and went to the hallway. “I’m going to go and bring in my overnight bag from the car.”

  “I’ll get some fresh sheets for the bed.”

  She waved her hand. “No need. I’ll sleep on the couch. You go upstairs.”

  “I can’t sleep.”

  “Then I’ll stay up with you.”

  Michael smiled and wondered what had held him back from taking their friendship to a different level – a romantic one. He admired the way Susan greeted life with energy and enthusiasm. She walked in this world in a vibrant and positive light.

  Perhaps she reminded him too much of Vicki?

  She joined him in the living room and put her suitcase on the floor.

  “Elizabeth missed you when you moved,” he said.

  “I know.”

  “How?”

  “I got her emails.”

  “Oh.”

  He put his glass down. His heart ached at the mention of his daughter’s feelings. Elizabeth was fond of Susan and encouraged her father to be more than friends. “When you left there was a big hole in my life.” He was surprised to hear himself speak those heartfelt words. Maybe it was the wine or the emotional turmoil he was enduring. It didn’t matter. It was how he truly felt.

  He gathered the empty wine glasses before he said anything more, fearful again of getting too close to another woman.

  As he retreated to the kitchen with the glasses, Susan put her hand on his arm to stop him. “I really do care about you,” she said. “I worry about you every day.”

  “Then why did you leave?”

  “I needed a change.”

  “A change from what?”

  “From being disappointed.”

  His chest tightened. “Did I disappoint you?”

  “My therapist told me when a situation gets stuck in neutral for a long time, you have to make some changes.”

  “Oh great. I drove you to the couch.”

  He put the glasses on the coffee table and pulled her in for a tight hug. She rubbed his back and he enjoyed the warmth of her body. “Did I push you away and make you run?”

  She squeezed his upper arm. “I don’t know how to answer that.”

  Michael let out a deep, sorrowful sigh.

  She stepped back to look up at him. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m scared.”

  “That’s understandable. You’re terrified for your daughter.”

  He pulled away slightly. Her gaze melted his vulnerabilities. She’s so beautiful I want to kiss her but I can’t.

  The decision was taken out of his hands.

  She pulled his head down and kissed him, a soft, tender meeting of the lips that mended part of his broken heart, giving it a moment’s reprieve from sadness.

  He pulled her closer, thankful for her decisiveness, and deepened the kiss.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “You cannot go home.” Sarah ran, catching up to Leah. “That soldier is still alive. He will not show you any mercy. You should have killed him when you had a chance.”

  “Has there not been enough killing?” Leah quickened her pace. “When shall it stop?”

  “I do not know. But I do know you are not safe with him alive. You have to find a place far away.”

  “Where shall I go?” Leah stopped and waved her hand toward the rolling hills surrounding her town. “How far should I run? Do I run over there?” she asked, pointing to the farthest mountain. “Or there?” she asked, gesturing to the sea in the distance. “If I kill him, will the other soldiers not seek revenge on my brother and his family? Then what happens? Do others avenge their children and then later their children’s children?”

  Sarah touched Leah’s shoulder. “Go be with your brother.”

  “Then he will not be safe.”

  “That is why you should have killed the soldier.”

  “What about our faith? What we pray for every day we are in the Temple? The Ten Commandments. Thou shall not kill. Are we a people of our word and faith or not?”

  Sarah walked ahead of Leah and stood in front of her. “What good will our prayers do if we are dead?”

  “Then go.” Leah stepped around her and continued walking. “You have helped me and I will always be grateful, but I cannot bear to lose you and your husband too.”

  Jeremiah chased down the women and put his arm around his wife’s shoulder. “Leah, come with us. We will keep each other safe.”

  “No, it is not safe if I am with you. It is best you find refuge far away from here.” Leah swung her arms as she walked without fear.

  “We are going to get some of our belongings and then we will go visit relatives,” Jeremiah said. “Maybe someday we can return. If you change your mind, come by quickly.”

  Leah smiled and placed her hand on Jeremiah’s face. “You are a good man. Sarah is blessed.” She hugged them both. “Take care of each other. I will miss you. I will never forget what you did for me and Elizabeth.”

  They embraced each other one last time.

  “We will walk you to your house to make sure you are safe,” Sarah said.

  “It is fine. Go and pack so you can leave. I am not going home right away.”

  “Where are you going?” asked Jeremiah.

  Leah pointed to a neighborhood to the right of her town. “I will go to Yochanan’s brother’s house. He might know someone who can help me.”

  Leah continued, veering into a cluster of dirty, gray and white stoned houses. The neighborhood was alive with children, splashing in the puddles left by the rain, playing chasing games as the women caught the water dripping off the roof
s with their buckets.

  Leah stopped at the front door of her brother-in-law’s humble home. “Calev, are you home?” She waited before calling out again. “Calev?”

  “Who is here?” a woman answered.

  “I need to see your husband.”

  A woman stepped outside, her hands on her hips. “What brings you here? Now?”

  “Mira, I need his help.”

  “Why?”

  “I am in danger.”

  “From who?”

  Leah grimaced. “The Roman.”

  Mira narrowed her eyes. “Your husband?”

  Leah bit back an angry retort. “He is not my husband.”

  Mira folded her arms. “Can he not give you everything you desire?”

  “He beats me.”

  Mira sneered. “So be nicer to him.”

  “Let me in.” Leah pushed past her, entering the house. She showed her a bruise on the side of her face. Mira touched the mark and Leah flinched.

  “Cook him a nice meal,” Mira said. “Take care of him and he will not hit you.”

  “No more.” Leah’s shoulders straightened as she held her head high. “Where is Calev?”

  “He is not here. He cannot help you.” Mira raised voice. “What can Calev do against a Roman? They will hurt or kill him too like they did to his brother. Can you not understand this?”

  “I need him to speak to his friend at the prison where Marcus works.”

  She shook her head. “Leah, he was killed shortly after your friend and his daughter were here.

  “What happened?”

  “Calev loves you. He knew of the danger you were in.” She wiped the sweat off her brow. “Against my wishes, he asked his friend to talk to that Roman. When Calev went back the next sunrise to see what happened, he was told the soldier killed him for interfering.”

  Leah stepped outside in a daze as a soft rain wept from the heavens, dampening her hair, the moisture intermingling with her tears. She leaned against the side of the house, defeated. She summoned her last bit of spirit and forced herself to head back home. Once there, she removed her wet clothes, oblivious to the bruises stinging from the beating on the hill. After clothing herself with dry garments, she climbed the ladder and sat in front of a dinner mat.

  I should have insisted Elizabeth leave. I should have found a way to get her back to her home. Where is her father? Did he die here too? Why did she have to die? My God, I am trying to hold on to my faith. There are many unanswered questions and I cannot understand why this happened. I feel like I have lost two daughters. May they both find each other in any Kingdom.