Yellow ship? I had heard of red and green. The doctor informed me there was also blue and purple. All ships going to different places. The countries that suffered least after the event, came to the aid of those who needed it.
Once I knew Del was fine, I sought out some food and then found my cot to get some sleep.
The next day my body was sore, really sore. I felt the effects of the accident. A few ibuprofen put a dent in the pain and after checking on Del, I went to where they issued ship passes.
It was a new day.
Day one of my search for Lacey’s family.
Thirty-Four – Needle
“I’m sorry, you want what?” the woman at the ship pass table looked at me like I was nuts.
“I want to see what ship a friend got on.”
She laughed.
“That’s funny?”
“Actually it is,” she said. “Do you know if he, or she got on a ship?”
“He left a note that he was coming here with his two kids. That was a few days ago. If he made it, he got a pass. If he didn’t get on a ship, he’s still here. Next ones leave in two weeks right? I just need to find out.”
“How do you propose to do that?”
“When I was in Kansas they kept a log of who got what passes.”
She nodded. “We do.”
“Can you check the log?”
“No. No I can’t.”
I looked around, only a couple of people walked up to the tables. “It’s not like you’re busy.”
“It’s not like it’s easy. Twenty thousand, one hundred and seventy-two passes were issued from this port alone for the ships that left yesterday and the ones leaving now. Twenty thousand names just written down, no data base, no computer, no alphabetical order. It could take days if not weeks of looking at each name. I’m sorry, I don’t have the time for that, or honestly, the drive to do so.”
“I do,” I said. “Can I look?”
She exhaled. “You really want to do that?”
“Yeah, I do. I have nothing else to do but wait. I might as well look.”
She stood up and waved for me to follow. At the back end of the tent, was a long table, there were boxes on top and beneath.
“You look here in this tent and you don’t take them,” she said.
“I promise.”
“Any of the family disabled?”
Lacey had never mentioned a disability, so unless they were hurt like Del, that answer was no. I shook my head.
“Then bypass yellow. I’d start…” she handed me a box, “With Red. Most popular for some reason. Biggest area. There’s another box of logs underneath. Good luck.”
I set up shop at her table. She didn’t seem very pleased with that, almost annoyed. I didn’t see the problem, she was by herself at the big long table and there was room.
However, by the next day I learned her name was June, and she was actually a very nice woman.
By the third day, whenever she had a free moment, June helped me look.
My days were full. Visiting Del in the morning, going to the ship pass tent, looking through the logs then I’d visit with Del again.
I checked each log entry on each page, then checked again.
It took nearly five days to get through the red logs. Suffice to say I was discouraged. Del was optimistic, telling me I’d find them. I was beginning to doubt that. I still had blue, green, and purple. I had only nine days until I had to get on a ship. If they took as long as the red logs, I’d run out of time.
The next batch I grabbed was green. After all, Callie told me to think green. Maybe that was a sign. I needed a sign.
I asked June if she knew where they were sending the soldiers. She told me some of them were staying stateside, others were going on ships according to areas.
In short, there was no way to know where Callie was headed.
Three quarters of the way through the green logs, three days in, my mood went from hopeful to bitter, and June knew.
I slammed the book shut. “All the names are looking the same. Now, I’m probably screwing up.”
“You’re looking for a needle in a haystack. They will look the same. Not to discourage you, but are you sure this is what you’re supposed to do?”
“I believe so. I really do.”
“Then keep looking. You have one more log to go, and two more ships, right? You got to be close. Which one were you going to do last?”
“Other than yellow? Blue.”
“Then do that next.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Always the last place you look, right? So bump it up.” She then turned her attention to a man who approached the table.
That made me smile. I swept up the finished log, set it aside and bent over to grab a new one from the box on the floor.
“Any preference?” June asked.
“No,” he answered. “How about… green.”
“Sure. Name?”
“Herron. James Herron.”
I heard that name and my head sprang up smacking into the table.
“You okay?” June asked with concern.
“Yes.” I rubbed my head, thinking “No, no way. It has to be a coincidence.”I sat up and looked at the college age young man. “James Herron?”
“Yes,” he replied.
I lifted a finger. Lacey’s backpack never left my side, I reached into it, grabbed the notebook and opened it, pulling out the car registration. “Do you know this man?” I handed the card to him.
The second he looked down to the vehicle registration, his body swayed. “This is my father. How did you…?”
“Here.” I handed him the greeting card. “He didn’t get a chance to mail that. I believe it’s for you.”
His fingers trembled as he held the envelope and his eyes glazed over. “You knew my father?”
“No. I didn’t. I’m sorry. He passed away, but my friend ran into him and he helped her get out of Oakland. She wanted to find you, give that to you and thank you for the help he gave.”
Although, Lacey never spoke to James Herron and he was already deceased when she found him, he did help her and that was what his son needed to hear.
He rushed around to my side of the table and embraced me. “Oh my God, thank you. Thank you so much. I needed this closure. Thank you.”
He spoke with me a few moments, then I told him I had to get back to the logs, I needed to find Lacey’s family.
James said after he was assigned a bunk, he’d be right back and would help me look. It was the least he could do.
Knowing how many logs were left, I accepted his help.
After he walked away, June looked at me. “That was real? That really just happened?”
“It did.” I lifted the notebook. “I told you about all this stuff in here.” I was filled with enthusiasm and hope again.
“You realize meeting him was less likely than finding her family. Did you ever think maybe you’re supposed to do more than just find her family? I mean… that… just happened.”
“Could be,” I grabbed a pen. I wanted to make a note in Lacey’s notebook that I ran into James. When I opened the cover I immediately saw Amber’s photograph. After the crash, after everything it was still in there. Staring down at it, I thought June maybe had a point.
James returned within an hour and immediately dove into the logs with me. He suggested that he start on blue, kill two birds with one stone. I gave him the names and details to look for.
First blue log, second page in, James called out. “What was her weird maiden name?”
“Some long polish name,” I said.
“Would her mother have registered alone?”
“I doubt it.” I said. “What’s the name?”