A Long Way from Home (8 page)

Chapter 17

Rabia was already on the bus when it pulled up in front of the academy. Eli had stopped for them after he picked up Leah and Brent. Rabia wore one of Millie's jackets, and Karim had on a thick woolen sweater that belonged to Jason. Millie had warned them it would get chilly on the ocean.

Through the window, Rabia saw Colin waiting in line with the other people. She had been hoping he wouldn't come on the trip. Colin didn't like her, that much was clear
.
Did he think she enjoyed having to flee her country because of the Taliban?
I will not let him ruin my day,
she decided, as she watched him climb aboard.

“Colin,” Leah called, patting the seat beside her. “Glad you made it.”

He moved down the aisle without a glance at Rabia. Still, she could not help noticing the worried look on his face. Clearly, he was troubled. Something must have happened since she saw him at Leah's house.

Eli pulled out of the parking lot, and Rabia turned her face to the window. The bus moved down the main street, past houses and brick buildings with large glass windows. It stopped at places called the Lions Club, the Knights of Columbus, and other shelters that housed stranded passengers. It was not long before the bus was full.

It was close to two-thirty by the time they rolled into Salvage. Rabia stared in awe at the ocean before her. Never had she seen so much water. It seemed to go on forever. It was the color of pewter, not the deep green she had so often seen in pictures. Still, it was every bit as fascinating.

The village had no more than a couple of dozen houses scattered about on rocky hills and cliffs. A graveyard with headstones and wooden crosses sloped toward the sea.

“Oohs” and “ahhs” came from the delighted passengers as the bus bounced down a winding narrow path.

Rabia stared out the window at the fishing boats and wharves cluttered with lobster pots, nets, and crates.

“Get a load of that,” she heard Colin say. It was another of those strange expressions Canadians and Americans used.

“A typical little fishing village,” said one of the passengers. “Looks like something you'd see on a postcard.”

Rabia's heart pounded with excitement as she took in the colorful boats tied up at the wharves. Before long, she would be cruising on the ocean.

“Can we get off to take pictures?” someone asked.

“Five minutes,” Eli told them, glancing at his watch. “We shouldn't keep the fishermen waiting.”

Rabia got off the bus with the others while Karim stayed with Jason. Seagulls flapped over wharves and fish stages, squawking loudly. Rabia could taste the salt in the moist air just as Father had described it. Mama would have liked this place, she knew. Too bad she wasn't feeling well. Rabia glanced at the flat, gray rocks along the beach. Perfect building blocks. Maybe when they got to California she would find rocks like that for Karim. Maybe he would take an interest in building things again.

They got back on the bus, and Eli drove to the wharf where the boats were waiting. Fishermen organized the passengers into groups of twelve. A faint odor of tar and fish filled Rabia's nostrils as she boarded the
Molly Rose
, a boat owned by an old fisherman named Moses. The engine thudded, and soon she was moving out to sea, a cold wind on her face, flattening her jacket against her chest. Cold water sprayed her face and the sting of salt made her eyes water. The ocean was everything Rabia had imagined and more. She was mesmerized by the sheer size of it. Miles and miles of gray as far as she could see. She felt her spirits rising as a feeling of calm settled over her. For a little while she was able to forget everything bad that had happened.

Not far out, some of the passengers began to point excitedly. “I see an iceberg,” someone shouted.

Rabia shaded her eyes with her hands to get a better look at the towering mountain of white in the distance.

“Now that's a rarity if I ever seen one,” Eli said. He stopped the engine and let the boat drift toward the iceberg. “Don't think I ever seen one of those this late in the season.”

Eager passengers held up cameras. Rabia had never seen anything so sparkling white. It radiated an icy coldness that she felt in her nostrils and at the back of her throat. It was an iceberg such as this that had destroyed the great
Titanic
.

As they drew closer, Rabia noticed it was an odd shape. The icebergs she had seen in pictures were mostly shaped like triangles with pointed tops. This one was shaped like an upside down U, big enough for the boat to drive through. Father once told her that seven eighths of an iceberg is underwater.

“Can we get closer?” someone asked.

“We're close enough,” Eli said. “Sometimes icebergs will roll and can upset a boat. Makes it dangerous for people who harvest them.” He looked at the bewildered passengers. “In Newfoundland, icebergs are harvested to make vodka,” he explained. “Sometimes they're sold as gourmet ice cubes.”

“How do they harvest them?” A man asked.

“Ice wranglers,” Eli replied. “They lasso the bergs, tows them to shore, and cuts them up with chainsaws.” He smiled. “They're gonna start producing bottled water to sell to the United States. Some of you could be drinking that iceberg sometime soon.”

“Cool,” a woman said. Another one of those strange expressions Rabia would have to try out when she got to California.

Rabia squeezed Karim's hand. How she wished Father could share this moment with them. In America he had picked up an expression:
Just the tip of the iceberg
. He used the phrase when he described the corrupt warlords in Afghanistan. What would Father say about the attack on the United States? Was that also just the tip of the iceberg?

“Wow! What an outing,” Colin said to Leah as the bus rolled into town.

“Yeah,” Leah agreed. “And that iceberg was awesome.”

Colin nodded, absently. He'd enjoyed the trip, in spite of the concern for Dad that hovered like a dark cloud at the back of his mind.

“Are you okay?” Leah asked. “You seem…I don't know…someplace else.”

Colin sighed. “Remember the phone call I made from your house this afternoon?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, turns out Dad may have been at the World Trade Center during the attack.”

“But you said he was in Kenya,” Leah said, studying the grave look on Colin's face.

“He arrived in New York on the morning of September 11th. He called my friend Grant shortly before the towers fell to get our flight information.” Colin's voice trembled. “He said he was on his way to the World Trade Center to see his lawyer.”

“Oh, Colin! No wonder you're worried.” Leah peered at him with concern. “Does your mom know?”

“Mom lied to me,” Colin said, feeling betrayed. “Dad called Grandma from New York, not Kenya, as my mom said.”

“Why would she say that?”

Colin met Leah's gaze. “To protect me from the truth, I imagine. She's always trying to protect me in some way or another. She thinks it's for my own good.”

“My mother is like that,” Leah sympathized. “My aunt too.”

“Well, I'm going to let Mom know how I feel,” Colin said with determination. “If Dad's missing, I have a right to know.”

Leah put her hand on his arm. “Best to pretend you don't know anything.”

Colin looked puzzled. “Why?”

“You'll find out more that way,” Leah said. “Trust me, I know. Mom and Aunt Flo want what's best for me, but sometimes they treat me like a little kid. I had to find out things about my dad's death from kids who'd heard it from
their
parents.”

Leah had a point, Colin had to admit.

“Not that I believe anything bad happened to your father,” she hurried on. “Granny says things are never as bad as we imagine them.”

The bus had pulled up in front of the academy, and people were getting off.

Colin stood up. “Thanks for today, Leah. I guess I'll see you at the barbeque.”

“Okay, Colin.”

When Colin walked into the classroom, his mother was sitting on her cot, talking on her cell phone. She must have had the code changed, he realized. He was about to call out a greeting when he heard her say “I don't see any reason to worry Colin.”

Colin frowned. It was just as he thought.

As if sensing someone behind her, she turned around. “I should go, Mother. Colin is back from his trip. Yes, I'll tell him.” She signed off, flipped the phone shut and put it in her purse.

“Hi, Colin,” she said. “I didn't hear you come in.”

Obviously not,
he thought.

“I was talking to Grandma. She sends her love.”

“Cool,” Colin said, his voice casual.
Leah's right. Best to pretend I don't know what's going on.

He reached for the book Grandma had given him. He'd already read it twice, but every now and then, he liked to read his favorite parts. He especially liked Odysseus's encounter with the Sirens — singing sea nymphs whose beautiful voices lured sailors to their islands. But the chapter he enjoyed most was the one where Odysseus returned home disguised as an old man. Even his wife didn't recognize him.

Colin flipped through the pages, unable to concentrate.
Where was Dad? When was Mom going to admit he was missing?
How long did Mom she think she could go on fooling him?

Chapter 18

Karim saw the ambulance first. They had just said good-bye to Leah and Brent and had turned onto their street when Karim pulled on Rabia's arm. She followed his gaze to the driveway where a long white vehicle was parked.

“An ambulance,” Jason said, sounding worried.

Rabia stopped in her tracks, a cold fear settling over her. Had something happened to Mama? Her heart raced as she tried to swallow back her panic. She watched, frozen, as two men slid a collapsed gurney through the rear doors. One of them climbed into the back. The other closed the doors and got into the driver's seat. The siren wailed with an urgency that set Rabia's heart pounding. She watched in shocked silence as the ambulance sped out of the driveway, red lights flashing.

Grabbing Karim's hand, she ran toward the house with Jason close behind. “What happened?” he called out to his mother, who was standing in the doorway.

Millie walked down the driveway to meet them. She put her hand on Rabia's shoulder. “It's your mother, my love,” she said. “I went downstairs to bring her some food. She was having trouble breathing, so I called 911.”

Rabia's knees felt as if they would give way. She wanted to cry, but it felt as if a ball of wool had been stuffed down her throat.
This cannot be happening,
she told herself. She was shaking uncontrollably.

“Come inside.” Millie took her arm and led her into the house. Karim followed behind them, his face somber.

Rabia crumpled into a chair near the fireplace. “Mama…will she be okay?” She asked in a quiet voice.

Millie poured a cup of tea from the pot on the stove and handed it to her. “I'm sure they will do everything they can to help her, my love.”

“Can I go to her?” Rabia fought to keep her voice steady. She had to see her; she couldn't let Mama be in a strange hospital alone.

“Of course.” Millie picked up the phone. “I'm trying to get a hold of Kevin. The van is in the garage. God knows how long it will be before 'tis ready.”

“What is wrong with Mama?” Rabia asked.

“Does she have a bad heart?”

Rabia shook her head. But what did she know? Mama never went to visit a doctor. In Kabul, the Taliban forbade women to go to male doctors, and female doctors were not allowed to practice.

“The paramedics asked me all kinds of questions,” Millie said. “Was she on any medications. If she had any food or drug allergies. I couldn't tell them a thing. I don't even know her age.”

“She take no medicine. She is forty-four years.”

“Only forty-four. Oh, my dear.” Millie got up off the sofa. “I'll call the hospital, give them the information, and ask them to get in touch with me as soon as they know something. I imagine they'll take her to Western Memorial in Corner Brook. Hospital here in town is filled up, they tells me.”

“I should not have left her,” Rabia said, feeling a sharp sting of guilt. Mama had told her she was not feeling well. She should have stayed home and taken care of her instead of going on the trip.

“No, my love, it wasn't your fault,” Millie assured her. “Just be thankful she's where she can get help.” She put a comforting hand on Rabia's arm. “Soon as the van is fixed, we'll take you to your mother.”

A wave of weariness shot through Rabia. She had been so sure that going to America was best for all of them. Now clouds of doubt filled her mind. Everything was going so terribly wrong.

Chapter 19

It was nearly six-thirty by the time Colin and his mother pulled into Aunt Flo's driveway in a taxi. They had stopped at the bakery and picked up a cheesecake. A number of people had already arrived for the barbeque and were sitting on lawn chairs around a small bonfire. Brent and some of his friends were running around the yard with water pistols.

“My dear, you didn't have to take a taxi,” Aunt Flo said. “Sure, Eli could have picked you up.”

“I made a trip to the market,” Catherine said, handing Aunt Flo the white box.

“Oh, my dear, no need for that. But how thoughtful.” She put the box on a side table that held squares and cookies.

“Hi, Colin,” Leah said, coming into the kitchen. “Hi, Mrs. Erickson.”

“Please call me Catherine.” She smiled at Leah. “Colin told me he had a wonderful time this afternoon. I'm sorry I missed it.”

“Everyone enjoyed the trip,” Leah said.

“Interesting to learn that people actually harvest icebergs. I read somewhere that seventy percent of the world's fresh water is locked up in icecaps.”

“Since the fishery collapsed, people are looking for other ways to make a living,” Aunt Flo said. She picked up a plate of steaks from the counter. “Everyone's outside. Why don't you come meet them?”

Catherine nodded. “I'm looking forward to it.”

“Can I borrow your cell phone, Mom?” Colin asked.

She took the phone from her purse, and handed it to Colin. “It might still be difficult getting through to New York,” she said, as she followed Aunt Flo outside.

Colin turned to Leah. “How's it going?”

“I just got off the phone with my mother. Uncle Eli is driving to Port-aux-Basques late tonight, and I was hoping to ride with him as far as Corner Brook. Mom said it was out of the question. She's too busy with her work and her studies.” Leah folded her arms across her chest. “It's not like I expect her to stay home and babysit me. I'm okay in the apartment alone while she's at work.”

“You must be really disappointed.”

Leah nodded.

Colin flipped open the cell. “I have to call my dad's friend.”

“If you need privacy, you can use my room,” Leah told him.

“No, it's okay.” Colin punched in Ed Nestor's home number. It was easy to remember: 222-NEST. The phone rang three times before it was picked up.

“Mr. Nestor?” Colin was relieved to hear Ed's voice. “It's Colin Erickson speaking. Are you okay?”

“Oh, Colin. Yes, I was just arriving at work when the first plane hit the tower. All of the staff was able to get out. Thank God.”

“I'm glad you're okay.”

“Thanks Colin. What about you? Are you still in Newfoundland?”

“How did you know I was here?”

“Your father told me.”

“Dad?” Colin held his breath.

“When were you talking to Dad?”

“Tuesday morning, just after his flight got in. He called my cell.”

“September 11th? Dad talked to you on September 11th?” Colin asked, his words tumbling out. “What time?”

“Must have been around ten o'clock.”

Colin realized he had been holding his breath. He let it out.
Ten o'clock
.
After the towers fell
.

“Did he arrive in Gander okay?”

“Arrive?”

“He called to tell me he was on his way to find you and your mother. He had made some inquiries and learned where you were.”

“Dad's coming here?”

“Should have been there by now,” Ed told him. “He was planning to drive to Bar Harbor on Tuesday morning to take the ferry to Yarmouth. He should have been in North Sydney late Wednesday morning or early afternoon.” He paused. “Didn't your mother tell you?”

“No,” Colin croaked. “And Dad didn't show.”

“Maybe he changed his mind about going,” Ed said, clearly confused. “Or maybe he's just late getting there.”

“Yes,” Colin said. “That's probably the case. Ed, if you hear from Dad, please tell him Mom and I are okay.”

“Sure thing, Colin. You take care, now.”

“Is everything all right?” Leah asked as Colin folded the phone. “You look shaken.”

“Dad didn't go to the World Trade Center after all.”

Leah peered at him. “Well, that's good news, isn't it?”

“Yes,” Colin agreed. “But I still don't know where he is. Ed says he was on his way here.”

“Here…? You mean Newfoundland?”

Colin nodded. “According to Ed.”

“Does your mother know?”

“I guess so.”

Aunt Flo poked her head around the door. “Leah, I need you to go to the Co-op to pick up some more soft drinks.”

Leah glanced at Colin.

“I could use the walk,” he said.

No sooner had they left the house than a car pulled over. “Need a ride?” the driver shouted. By now, Colin was used to strangers offering rides. Whenever he and his mother were out walking, someone always stopped to ask if they needed a ride. Everyone wanted to make sure the “plane people” were taken care of.

“No thanks, Shirley,” Leah called. “We're enjoying the walk.”

For a while, they continued in silence.

“Are you going to tell your mother about what you know?” Leah broke the silence.

Colin shrugged. “I don't know. She must have known Dad's plans.”

Leah nodded. “I guess….”

Colin's mind raced with unanswered questions.
Did Mom tell Dad not to come? Maybe after the nasty fight they'd had back in the summer, she wanted nothing more to do with him. Of course, it was possible he had changed his plans. Or…
Colin did not want to consider the possibility that something might have happened to his father. The whole thing was worrisome.

The store was crowded with long lines of people waiting at the checkouts. Leah went to find the soft drinks. Colin headed for the magazine rack. When he met Leah back at the checkout, he had picked up a couple of crossword puzzle magazines and a newspaper.

They were going through the checkout when Colin noticed a man a couple of lanes over. There was something familiar about him, he thought, taking in his trendy, red-tinted glasses. Blond highlights were visible in his stylishly cut hair. “I know that man from somewhere,” he told Leah. “Can't remember where.” He watched as the cashier rang in the man's purchase: a couple of books, peppermints, some pens, and a notepad. “Clemens Briels!” Colin said aloud.

“Huh?”

“That man heading for the door. That's Clemens Briels, the famous Dutch artist.”

“Wow! You never know who might be stranded here.” Leah paid the cashier and picked up her bag.

“Wait until Grandma hears,” Colin said. “Briels is one of her favorite artists.”

Before Leah could respond, Millie Keating approached them. “Hello, Leah, my dear,” she greeted. “Out gettin' a few things, I see.” She nodded at Colin.

“Hi, Millie. I thought you'd be at the barbeque.”

“Don't much feel like a party now. My houseguest had a heart attack. She's in the hospital.”

“Rabia's mother?”

Millie nodded. “We're leaving early in the morning to take Rabia and Karim to see her. Would've left this evening, but Kevin's van is in the garage. The part he needed didn't come until this afternoon, but the mechanic is making it a priority. Says he'll work on it all night if he has to.”

“How is Rabia's mother?” Leah asked.

Millie shrugged. “I called the hospital. They said she's resting comfortably. Poor Rabia is beside herself with worry.”

Leah frowned. “How awful.”

“Yes,” Millie agreed. “Heaven alone knows what them poor youngsters have been through.” She lowered her voice. “I thought the little fellar was a deaf mute like poor old Angus Doyle down in Gambo. But, God love him, Rabia told Jason he stopped talking after he'd seen his older brother get killed.” She shook her head. “Musta shook him up pretty bad.”

“Where will they stay in Corner Brook?” Leah asked.

“The hospital has a hostel for people visiting relatives.”

“Rabia must be worried sick,” Leah said.

“Seems to me she's the one in charge,” Millie said. “I thought it was because she spoke English so well. But…” She shrugged. “I don't know…seems like everything falls on her shoulders.” She shook her head, sadly. “I'm glad they have a chance to go live in the States.”

Colin was quiet on the walk home. He hadn't realized life had been so difficult for Rabia. Having her brother die must have been terrible. And now her mother was sick. A heart attack was serious. Grandpa had died from a heart attack. What would happen to Karim and Rabia if their mother died? He couldn't imagine being alone in a strange country without at least one of his parents.