to process and grieve doesn’t work like this,” I say slowly, hoping for once she gets what both I and her therapist have been trying to tell her.
“So, we can’t even be friends?”
“You’re seriously trying to sell me that you only want to be friends?”
Every time she’s around me, she tries to cling to me. That’s not the nature of our relationship, but she insists on trying to push it there. I’m not having it; she knows this and yet it never fails.
“I’m not trying to sell you anything. It’s the truth.”
“It’s unhealthy. Neither of us are getting to work through this properly. Give it some time, Missy. Allow us both time to figure out how we feel,” I say with as much patience as I have left.
“Okay, I won’t call as much, but how about we go for coffee? We can catch up later today?” she says happily as if nothing I’ve said has gotten through to her.
I bite my fist. This has gotten way out of hand. I need to clear my head because I’m at my breaking point.
“I won’t be in town later today. I’m actually getting ready to fly out.” As I say the words, I walk into my closet and retrieve my travel bag.
I need to get away. I’m going to take Dad’s advice and head to New York. I need a break from everything here in California. I can still work from there. All of my cases involve me and my laptop for now.
“You’re leaving again? Will you not be able to contact anyone again?”
I think to tell her a lie, but why should I? I honestly don’t have to tell her anything and damn sure don’t have to lie. I’m over it.
“I’ll have my phone, but I’d prefer if you didn’t call. I’ll check in with you in a few days or something.”
There’s silence on the other end. I wait for her to flip out, but instead, she hangs up. I blow out a breath and shake my head.
Without thinking about it, I plan a trip to New York and get ready to head out.
***
When I walk into the state-of-the-art facility that the Briggs train in, I look around at all the new recruits. Some look focused, others are smiling. It seems they are adjusting fine to this new change.
A group of young girls and boys are on some mats, listening intently to Kelly Briggs. God, they’re so young, ranging from six to twelve. Most people would wonder why we didn’t just take them home to their families.
It’s because these are all the kids that were sold into trafficking by their families. If we took them back, they’d only be sold again.
It’s a shit life, but Nate did his research and that’s the stories he found. They’ll have a much better life here. In time, they will be given the option to go out in the world or stay and do what they’re being trained to do.
“Good to see you, John,” Bobby says as he walks over to me. I reach out for his hand and he pulls me into a one-armed hug.
“Good to see you too.”
“I wanted to thank you guys for helping with all of this. We were able to help a lot of people and put a few behind bars,” he says.
“Yeah, but they got away with a few. You didn’t get Sidorov?”
“Oh, we got him. However, his right hand did get away with a few girls.” Bobby frowns.
“Tough shit to swallow,” I mutter.
“Yes, it is.”
“Those are babies. How could their own families sell them to those monsters?”
“You’d be surprised. Some do it to eat the next day, some because they have too many mouths to feed or…” He pauses and shakes his head. “So many reasons. Not the world you and I know.”
That’s when she appears out of nowhere. The glare in her eyes says a million words. I look down at her, she looks better. She could still stand to gain more weight, but she looks healthier.
I have to keep from reaching out to tug her toward me for a hug. I don’t know where the urge comes from. I’m glad to see she’s up and moving, but it’s more than that. It’s more of a pull I feel in the pit of my stomach that makes me want to shield her in my arms.
It’s the same pull from that night. I wanted to hold her near and ensure she was okay then. It’s twice as strong now.