Chapter 5
Half an hour later, Samuel opened the gate that had become a canvas for cobwebs. The front yard sported weeds and grass that dwarfed even the gate and nearly reached Samuel’s waist. It was obvious that the place had been abandoned for some time.
Samuel stood in the yard, refusing to take another step forward. He’d been here twice, enough times to remember that I kept the yard immaculate, not the overgrown mess it was now.
The first time Samuel came over, he just dropped me and Lucas off at the door. Lucas had just been diagnosed with uremia, a condition caused by a birth defect that impeded his kidneys‘ development.
Samuel thought Lucas was a walking misfortune, so he bought this farm cottage in a small town far from the city and relocated me and Lucas here. He also gave me a 20–thousand–dollar monthly allowance, including the money meant for Lucas‘ dialysis.
The second time Samuel came to the cottage.
forcefully dragged me to a bone marrow transplant to save his first love, Francine. If he had any impression of the cottage at all, he’d remember that the front yard was full of hydrangeas and briars. I had even built a swing set for Lucas.
While Samuel was in a daze, Francine called him. She asked feebly, “Sam, have you found Calla yet? Will she show up for the bone marrow transplant today?”
Samuel reassured her, “I’ll take care of this. Don’t worry. Just do as the doctor says and stick to your treatment plan.”
Francine sounded like she was choking on her words. “I know Calla won’t want to donate her bone marrow anymore. I can understand. She’s already saved me once, and I shouldn’t expect her to do it again. I don’t blame her for going into hiding, really…”
It was as if she were certain I’d gone into hiding to avoid donating my
bone marrow.
Samuel was silent for a few seconds. To my surprise, he did not take Francine’s side. Instead, he countered, “That’s not it. I simply haven’t been able to get in touch with her. She probably doesn’t know about your leukemia relapse, so how would she have gone into hiding in advance?”
His response took Francine aback, but she quickly clarified, “Don’t get me wrong, Sam. I didn’t mean it like that.”
Samuel interjected, saying, “Don’t worry, Franny. As long as Calla is still alive, I’ll find her. Even if she were dying, I’d make her go through the transplant before allowing her to die.”
Only then did Francine heave a sigh of relief.
After the call ended, Samuel stood in front of the cottage door for a long time. The door wasn’t locked, but he didn’t bother opening it. Had he bothered to look, he would’ve seen two white chalk outlines on the floor–mine and Lucas‘–left by the police after they found our bodies.
But Samuel only stood in place.
At last, he backed out of the yard, bought a new lock from the locksmith, and locked the gate.
