“Geez, buddy. You sick? You better not be contagious.” The man hurried back inside his house, locking the door loudly behind him.
Kyle lay in the man’s yard for several minutes, his body weak and his mind numb. Slowly he pulled himself together and staggered to his feet. Had Jennifer given up on him? Maybe she thought he’d died in a plane crash or somewhere between Houston and home. What happened to David? Why had Jennifer let that happen to their son? Where was his family now? Kyle stumbled across the road, struggling to place one foot in front of the other. He found his way back to his house, let himself in, and dropped to the floor where he lay motionless for hours, his mind tumbling from one thought to another, with nothing making sense.
Kyle started to shiver on the cold entryway floor. Slowly he got up and walked down the hall, past his room, to Emma’s, where he pushed the door open and dropped onto her bed. Physically and emotionally drained, Kyle wrapped himself in a blanket and cried.
Friday, November 18th
Deer Creek, Montana
The bedroom was awash in sunlight when Kyle opened his eyes. Outside, the sky was blue, the air crisp, and a fresh new day had started, but inside, Kyle’s world was cloudy and dark, as dark as any night he’d experienced on his journey. Kyle sat up in bed and shook his head, taking a moment to realize where he was, having slept in cars, trucks, or a tent for most of the last ten weeks. He picked up a picture of his daughter from the bedside table and held it in front of him. Emma stood at the edge of a creek holding a four-inch long fish she had caught on a camping trip back in June. In the background, Jennifer was helping Spencer cast his fishing line. Kyle studied the picture while the memories from the trip rushed painfully back, then set the picture down and walked out into the kitchen. The conversation with the neighbor from the night before replayed in his mind, breaking his heart once again.
Searching through the cupboards, Kyle found no food and assumed his family had taken everything with them, wherever they had gone. As he stood in the kitchen, trying to figure out the best way to find Jennifer and the kids, his eyes caught sight of a single envelope stuck to the middle of the fridge with two happy face magnets. On the front of the envelope, written in large, black letters, was the word KYLE, with small hearts drawn on either side of his name. Kyle snatched the envelope off of the fridge, scattering the magnets, and hurriedly untucked the flap, half tearing the envelope before pulling out the paper inside. He unfolded the note and began to read.
Dear Kyle,
I live for the day that you read this note and will hold me in your arms again. The past months have been the longest of my life, but knowing that you’ll come back, no matter how hard it might be, has given me the strength to make it through these difficult days. I’ll wait 10,000 days for your return if I need to. We‘ve moved to Carol Jeffries’ house. She’s taking care of David who was seriously injured while protecting me from an awful man who tried to hurt our family. David doesn’t even complain despite not having anything to help with the pain. You will be so proud of him. He’s become a man, and he reminds me of you. Spencer and Emma miss you terribly and will be so happy when their daddy returns. We come to our house every afternoon at 1:00 PM and wait until sunset, to see if you come home. It breaks my heart a little more every time I open the door and you’re not here. If it’s close to 1:00 when you get here, wait for us. If not, please come find us at Carol’s house. She lives at 1252 Whitetail Lane. It’s the green house across from the one that does the big Christmas display we always drove by when our house was being built.
P.S. Life seems fragile lately. Charles Anderson died 2 days ago from diabetes complications. If, heaven forbid, something should happen to me and I’m not here when you get back, please know that I’ve been madly in love with you since our first date. I’ve never regretted for a minute being Mrs. Kyle Tait. Hurry!
Kyle finished reading Jennifer’s note through tear-filled eyes, then wiped the tears on his sleeve so he could see to reread the address. The letter was dated November 17th. He saw, in the trash, crumpled notes from previous days. Kyle dropped the note on the counter and wept with relief, the pains of the last sixteen hundred miles washing away.
Kyle ran to the front door and threw it open, knowing exactly where the house with the Christmas display was. He sprinted down his driveway and into the street, his hair flying in the wind as he ran. Kyle waved joyously to the few people he saw as he dashed by. Neighbors who saw him had no idea who he was, nor that they had just seen the happiest man in America.
He rounded the corner onto Whitetail Lane. The house was about a half mile ahead on the left. He flew past door after door after door, registering the numbers as he went. 1132… 1152… 1172… He slowed to a walk just a few doors away and could see the green house. A little boy in a red sweater ran into the front yard from the side of the house, followed by another boy wearing a blue coat. Kyle recognized the blue coat. He had been with Jennifer when they bought it on clearance for Spencer early last spring. His son was two doors away. Kyle stopped and stared, his breathing no longer automatic. The lump in his throat that had been growing since he’d read Jennifer’s note ached intensely.
Up ahead, Spencer saw Kyle and stared back at his dad. Kyle could tell by the look on Spencer’s face that his son didn’t recognize him. Kyle glanced down at his clothes, the well-worn blue jeans and the jacket Rose had given him, which Spencer had never seen. He had four weeks of beard growth, hair that hadn’t been combed for a long time, and a face that had only been washed two or three times since Wyoming. It was no surprise that he was unrecognizable. Kyle looked back at the boys, who were playing again, but Spencer’s eyes kept returning to Kyle. Spencer again stopped and stared at Kyle, studying his face, seeming to recognize something, but unable to put the pieces together.
With tears streaming down his dirty cheeks, Kyle smiled at his son. The moment he did, Spencer’s eyes flew open wide, and his head jerked upwards. He stopped running with his friend and stared at his father, his mouth hanging open. Kyle heard a woman’s voice from around the side of the house. “Spencer, what’s wrong?” Spencer stood frozen in place, then raised his arm and pointed at Kyle. His mouth moved as if he was trying to say something, but no sound came out.
Jennifer came from the side yard where the two boys had emerged earlier. She knelt down in front of Spencer and tussled his hair, saying something that Kyle couldn’t make out. Her hair was a little darker and longer than he remembered, and she looked thinner than she had in August, but there was no mistaking his Jennifer. She was wearing blue jeans and a pale yellow sweater, and oh, how Kyle loved the way she looked in a sweater.
“Daddy,” Spencer managed to call out.
Jennifer pulled her head back and looked at Spencer, who was looking over her shoulder. She turned and followed his gaze to where a strange man stood on the sidewalk two houses away. She turned back to Spencer, who was still watching the man. “Daddy!” Spencer said again, louder.
Jennifer turned and looked at the man again. He was now walking towards them, smiling. Her heart leapt in her chest. She knew that smile. She’d seen it a million times before, but lately only in her dreams. She rose to her feet, struggling to keep her balance. Her hands covered her mouth, and her eyes welled up. She took an awkward step towards Kyle, and then another. Then she started to run. She stumbled on the grass but caught herself. He was running towards her now too. “Kyle!” she cried out.