Distractions (33 page)

fingers as I prepared it to my liking.

Swirling the sugar crystals until they

dissolved, I licked the spoon and set it

gently on the saucer. Blowing across the

hot surface, I stopped and twisted my

head to a waiting Shepard. “Your

turn…”

If I thought it would be hard telling

my side of events, nothing prepared me

for the crushing that would come from

hearing his. His resilience in the face of

adversity was admirable. He stayed at

school during the preliminary hearings

before the trial. Knowing that his father

had done such a horrific thing to me

severed any affection he held towards

the man; it was unforgivable in his eyes.

The thought of living next door to a home

I no longer occupied was also too much

for him to bear. He tried to find me, but

was met with dead ends, as if I

vanished. Even Jack didn’t know where

I was taken. I didn’t dare tell Shepard I

contacted Jack later, and that Jack told

me he had tried. He didn’t need to be

anymore wounded than he obviously still

was, and it wouldn’t change anything.

He told me about the offer he

received from Oxford to finish graduate

school. He laughed when mentioning he

didn’t even apply, but it was a godsend

– a full ride he couldn’t refuse. From

there, he majored in International

Business,

went

on

to

work

in

acquisitions, and had been traveling ever

since. I shared my life at Beacon while

finishing graduate school. He was proud

of my discoveries, stating he always

knew I would do something noble.

The one topic neither one of us

broached was relationships. His left

finger was noticeably absent of a ring or

any signs of one, as was mine. It didn’t

mean he didn’t have someone in his life.

The thought was a lead weight in my

stomach. We had two more hours in the

air before landing, the minutes striking

like an invisible clock. Growing tired,

but fearful of falling asleep, I was

struggling to stay awake. Shepard pulled

up the blanket over my shoulders before

tucking a loose piece of hair behind my

ear.

“You should probably get a little

shut eye; your world is about to be

turned upside down, and you will need

all your wits about you.” His face was

content, no longer showing any traces of

anger or sadness.

“I missed you so much, Shepard, so

much.” The words trailed out as I

slipped into a deep slumber. Just before

going under, the voice that had haunted

me in so many dreams whispered in my

ear.

“I’m right here, Violet.”

Chapter 31 -

Culture Shock

I awoke with a smack to my face,

by my own hand no less. Shepard had

used the corner of the blanket to tickle

my nose in order to wake me up. The

deep laugh I heard earlier rang out once

more in the bright cabin. Passengers

were already enjoying coffee and

breakfast before the initial descent into

Munich. The screen behind the headrest

indicated we were somewhere over

Spain. My eyes were not fully open,

adjusting to the blinding light.

“You snore like a lumberjack. You

should have seen the people staring at

you. It’s a good thing you were up all

night; they might be more pissed off.”

“Who are you?” Looking at him

wide eyed, it was as if he were a

stranger. I knew he had a sense of

humor, but this was completely new.

The flight attendant from earlier in

the night, who I now knew was Mina,

brought over a cart as soon as she saw

me stirring. “Coffee, ma’am?”

“Oh my gosh, yes, please!” I

flipped down the tray and patted it

excitedly. I may have even bounced in

my chair a little. I wanted to take this

woman home with me, considering how

amazing she was. Never once did her

kind attitude falter; she was brilliant. I

took a mental note to write a glowing

review for her later on.

“Thank you, Mina, you have been

lovely.”

Dipping

slightly

in

appreciation, she went about the rest of

the aisles getting everything ready.

I held my coffee cup in my hands to

warm them. Suddenly feeling chilled, I

pulled my sweater tightly around myself

and shivered. As I wished that I hadn’t

put the blanket away, Shepard didn’t fail

to notice my discomfort. The wool coat I

admired with my fingers earlier was

placed across my legs.

“It’s not your job to take care of

me, but I wish it were – you’re so good

at it.” Although I was joking, there was

honesty woven into the quip.

“I like taking care of you, Violet. It

makes me feel needed.”

“Yeah, but you’re always finding

me when I am a mess. Now that our

paths have crossed again, perhaps

someday I can return the favor.”

“I am counting on it.” The angelic

grin only seen in my sleep reached his

eyes.

The plane bounced as the wheels

hit the tarmac. Phones instantly came out

of pockets and purses in a fury despite

the lack of announcement giving the go

ahead. Shepard and I sat quietly with our

heads snuggled together, savoring the

intimate moment. While walking up the

ramp into the terminal, he grabbed my

hand and tugged me in a different

direction than the one I was headed.

“Luggage claim is this way.” As he

nodded at the sign, everything began to

disorient me at once. A massive herd of

passengers was moving towards the

customs entry, shoulder to shoulder from

a different plane. Holding on for dear

life, we drifted in and out of the sea of

people. Rows of booths formed a wall

with agents questioning the travelers.

As I held out my passport, the

officer asked the standard inquiries.

“Are you here for business or pleasure?

How long will you be staying? Are you

traveling to any other countries? Are you

carrying weapons or any illegal items?

After he stamped the small book, I

followed a waiting Shepard to the

baggage area. Nothing was in English,

which frightened me a little. If I weren’t

so tired, I imagined it would be easier to

navigate around as airports are pretty

much all the same. I walked off to a

quiet area to ensure my phone was

working on international settings.

A message notification appeared

along with a voicemail. Listening first

since the number was German, I instantly

felt nauseous. The interview rescheduled

due to unforeseen circumstances and

was moved to their office in Bern,

Switzerland. They apologized for the

sudden change of plans and assured me

everything would be taken care of. I just

needed to book another flight, or take a

train. I had a week to complete the short

journey. Just like that, I was at their

mercy. I could turn around and book

another flight home, or keep some of the

initial plans I made and take the trip. I

had sunk to my knees in a squatting

position while taking everything in.

Shepard walked over to me and kneeled

down.

“Violet, are you okay? You look

like something’s wrong.”

For the millionth time, my face was

soaked with tears. I shook my head back

and forth. The world was not coming to

an end; I just really needed some sleep

to gain my bearings.

“My interview was changed; I need

to go to Bern. I am just exhausted. I will

be fine – you can go. I will get a taxi to a

hotel and get this figured out.”

I stood up to walk over to the

carousel and he followed next to me as

the alarm indicated luggage was about to

start circling around. He pulled his

phone out and texted a few messages. A

few moments later, his face lit up.

“You’re not taking a cab anywhere.

I have a driver; we can get this

straightened out together. I want to

help.”

His bag nearly passed by before he

shot out his arm to jerk it off the moving

belt. I wasn’t even paying attention if

mine had made its way around. The

bright pink and purple flowered case

appeared just then. As I started to reach,

Shepard grabbed the handle and yanked.

“This is yours? Seriously?” He

eyed it as though he didn’t believe me.

“No, I just feel like stealing a

suitcase today. Of course, it’s mine!

Everyone has black or grey luggage. I

need mine to stand out.” I gave a sour

look at his mocking demeanor.

Walking out to the arrivals,

Shepard effortlessly navigated to the lot

across the way where a Mercedes sedan

was waiting. The driver got out as soon

as we approached and leaped into action

to assist with everything. He looked to

Shepard and then me before asking who

I was. As he assumed I didn’t know any

German whatsoever, I pretended not to

notice. He looked back to me and smiled

before opening my door. His name was

Henry and could speak English as well

as his native tongue. Out of courtesy, he

did so for my benefit. We drove into

town to historic Munich. Getting as

close as we could to the Marienplatz and

St. Peters Church before getting out to

walk around, it was breathtaking.

A second wind kicked in as the city

invigorated my senses. Both of the men

were amused by my childlike wonder in

everything. I gathered that Henry was

more like a friend than an employee as

the two conversed. I purchased gelato

from a street vendor and admired the

architecture that surrounded me. Asking

if I could go into the church, Shepard

bowed and ushered me in through the old

wooden doors.

The only sounds that could be heard

were those of the kneelers being raised

and lowered and heels walking on the

polished marble. Immaculate works of

art covered every wall along with a

stunning pipe organ. The opulence of

such a holy place struck me as odd. I

was always one of those people who

could never figure out why so much

money was devoted to a house of

worship when it could have been used to

help so many. I couldn’t deny that those

that built this place genuinely did so out

of pride in honoring a God they felt

desired it. Faith is a funny thing. If this

made them feel that they were closer to

God, who was I to make judgments?

I was fortunate my phone took great

pictures and that they allowed them. I

must have snapped over two hundred in

the church alone. Sitting near the front,

my head tilted as I looked at the altar.

There were thousands of lit candles

lining the sides of the grand display,

offering up prayers. My eyes drifted up

to the wooden carving of Jesus on the

cross. I stayed fixated on the spot long

enough that Shepard asked what I was

thinking.

“After reading his story in the Bible

that my grandma gave me, I felt sorry for

him. All he wanted to do was make

things better for people and they killed

him. It seems that keeps happening in the

world. Then when the heroes die, we

build statues, and name schools and

streets after them – all in a vain attempt

to remember their sacrifice. Really, we

should be striving to make the world

even better in their honor, not taking it

for granted.”

Rubbing my temples to refocus my

attention, I walked up to the candles and

made a donation. A long match was

handed to me to light the luminary while

offering up my own prayer. I thought

deeply about what I wanted and only one

thing came to mind.

Let not this life be lived in vain.

As I walked back, Shepard was

still seated with his head resting on his