Air & Water
Once I pull into the lot, Mr. Knight runs to the front door and almost breaks it down. He rushes inside, past a bewildered Grace. Mr. Knight comes back out, clasping Naya’s hand and Hero in the other. Mrs. Knight is furious. She is yelling and cursing, shoving Mr. Knight’s back, trying to block his path. A black glossy town car pulls up beside me.
That must be Mr. Knight’s driver.
Grace grabs Naya’s free hand, harshly yanking Naya towards her. Hero shouts at Grace and Naya is in a deadly tug-of-war with her parents.
That’s my sister.
That’s Taylor’s twin sister.
Unclipping my belt, I open the door. Caleb told me to stay inside my car, but this scene is just too horrifying to idly stand by and do nothing. When I march over to them, a huge muscular man sprints out the car and blocks my path. When I attempt to move past him, his heavy arms shoot out, grabbing my waist.
“Let me GO!”
“Mr. Knight told you to stay in the car.”
“MOVE!”
“I can’t let you get near Grace. Those are my orders, miss.”
I thrash wildly in his grip but he simply hoists me over a bulky shoulder and carries me to my car. I claw his skin and kick and scream but nothing deters him from his task. It’s like I’m fighting a brick wall. He takes my keys from my ignition and then shoves me inside the town car, slamming the door after. Shaking and gasping, I scramble across the leather seats and try to pry the door open on the opposite side. No luck. It’s locked from the inside. The windows are so darkly tinted. I can hardly see what’s happening. The more I strain to peer out the black windows, the more frustrated I become. I can still hear, though. Naya is screaming her head off and Grace is shouting at the top of her lungs.
“You can’t take my babies! A drunk can’t get custody of my children!”
The screaming fades until it vanishes altogether. I slide and tumble across the smooth seats as the car begins to move and accelerate. A million thoughts race through my head as the car speeds through the dark streets. I hold my breath as I hear the raging sounds of rushing rapids. The car swiftly rushes over The Suicide Bridge. The bridge pole lights transform into yellowish streaks of blurry color.
We’re leaving Cherry Creek?
Where is he taking me?
After a while, I give up and settle into the cushiony seats, slipping in and out of consciousness. The car slows and then stops completely and harsh white florescent lighting floods the inside compartment as the door swings open. Mr. Knight holds out his hand and helps me out of the car. I squint as I rise from the car. We’re at a small gas station off the side of the freeway. The gas station is within a complex complete with a vacant motel and an aged lime green diner that has seen better days and rows of semi-trucks parked in a lot. There is no other car in sight. Mr. Muscle Man is oblivious to everything as he fills the tank.
What happened to Naya and Hero?
Caleb tilts his head towards the diner with a red flickering OPEN sign lit within the glass door. “Have a cup of coffee with me?”
Nodding, I follow behind him along the cracked pavement. Inside, the walls are covered with green and white striped peeling wallpaper. We slide into a sticky worn red booth. Before the waitress could hand us a menu, he declines and orders just coffee. She comes back with two white steaming mugs. Caleb begins to converse only when she leaves.
“I know you must have a million questions for me?” I watch him a moment as he stirs his coffee and casually sips. After what occurred, Mr. Knight seems oddly at ease.
“How can you be so calm after everything?” I half snarl.
He scoffs. “It’s all about control, Isabel. I’m far, far from calm.”
“Where are they?”
“Safe. For now, I’m taking them with me.”
“And where is that?”
He observes me briefly. “I rather not say. You’re welcome to come along. Cherry Creek is not a safe place for you, either.”
I glance around at all the truck drivers and lower my voice to barely a whisper. “Did Grace hurt them?”
“That’s rhetorical.”
“Why didn’t you stop her? I don’t understand.”
He takes another sip of his coffee, his eyes on mine. “How am I supposed to fight something I cannot see?”
I lean forward. “You didn’t know?”
“Again, that’s rhetorical,” Mr. Knight snaps.
“I’m sorry. This is difficult for me to process and I’m trying not to freak out right now.” I drink down some coffee and almost gag. My rumbling stomach can’t digest anything at the moment.
Caleb caresses my hand. “The world continues to spin, even when yours has just shattered. The kids know nothing. In time, I’ll tell them the parts they need to know. My main concern is their safety.”
“I understand,” I murmur into my cup.
He glances down at his shiny watch, then looks out the plate-glass windows. He seems anxious to get back to them.
“Are you going to get custody?”
“It’s going to be difficult, but there is no way I’m going down without a fight.”
My brows snap together. “Why will it be difficult? Why can’t you just present the case as child abuse and win?”
His sober blue eyes lock on to mine. “It’s not that easy…nothing is ever that easy.”
“So she could take Naya away?”
“Naya isn’t going anywhere near her. Relax. Let me handle it. As for Hero, he’s legally an adult. He doesn’t have to be somewhere he doesn’t want to be, but he’s still attends high school and he needs a guardian.”
“Did you love her?”
He eyes me critically before he answers, “Who?”
“Grace. Did you love Grace?”
His gaze shifts back to the windows. “I’ve learned throughout my years that there are really two great loves. There is the love of your life and then the person you’re supposed to be with. The love of your life will be very, extremely passionate. It’s full of fire and heat and romance. That love will be unsteady and erratic at times but that’s what makes it so great…so worth the risk. The person you’re supposed to be with is on the other end of that spectrum. Their love is cool, refreshing, and blissful. The person you’re supposed to be with will keep you balanced and steady, but it’s no less passionate than the other. It’s just a different kind of passion, one that will wash over your soul like a heavenly wave of the most beautiful, tranquil sea. Choosing between the two is nearly impossible. It’s like choosing between air and water—you need both to survive.” He makes a face, his expression is revulsion. “Grace was neither for me.”
My heart plummets to my stomach with sadness for Caleb. “Which was my mother?”
He smiles at me, his eyes going out of focus. “Your mother, she was my air. I couldn’t breathe without her.” He glances at his wristwatch again, then he pulls a crisp hundred dollar bill from his wallet, slapping it on the wooden table. “We should go now.”
Two town cars are parked at the curb of the diner. Mr. Knight walks me to one of them. “I’ll have your car dropped off. Where do want it?”
“Umm, my house is fine. Do you need the address?”
He opens the car door for me, giving his head a slight shake. “I’m aware of your address, Isabel.”
I step halfway in and then pause to ask him, “Is your water still out there?”
Caleb gives me a slow, beguiling smile only intended for me. My breath catches in my throat. Hunter is his father’s son. “She is.”
A gust of wind sends wisps of my hair across my face. “How do you pick between the two?”
His smile broadens. “It’s not a matter of choosing. It’s a matter of which one you can’t survive the longest without. You know, your mother has a sister. Lily Stewart. You should find her; she may have the answers you need. Take care of my Hunter. He needs you.”
With that, I sink into the car. Right before we turn onto the highway, I notice Caleb retrieving travel-sized bottles of liquor from the car compartment and smashing the glass bottles against the curb of the sidewalk where they burst on impact.