Determined: To Love: (Part 2 of the Determined Trilogy) (12 page)

I had been volunteering at the children’s center for over three years, having started when I was in undergrad. At the time, I was still considering Sociology as a major, and I wanted to try my hand at working for a non-profit. I loved the work, and even though I ended up majoring in Art History, I kept volunteering once a week. The children’s center was run by a couple—Wing and Linda—and was in a rough part of town. The local kids would come over once school had let out for the day. Since many of their parents were single or worked two or more jobs, coming to the center kept them off the street and out of trouble. The center was kind of a safe haven for them: a place where they could play basketball and do crafts without having to worry about the gangs and drugs out on the street.

We had just turned onto the center’s street when I spied the flashing lights of a police car up ahead.
What was going on?
A feeling of dread overtook me. Elliot slowed our approach.

“Stop the car,” I said, as I opened the door and jumped out.

“Sam, wait. Mr. Keith-” He started. But I didn’t wait for him to finish, and darted off unaccompanied.

I ran up to the center. There was a police officer standing on the sidewalk. Linda and Wing were there with him, and they looked shaken. Linda looked like she’d been crying. I went over to them.

“Linda, Wing.”

Linda looked over at me. “Oh, Sam.” She came over and hugged me.

“What happened? Are you guys okay?”

The officer started to move over to me, but Wing stopped him “She volunteers here. It’s okay.” The officer nodded. Wing looked back at me and continued; “We’re fine. Someone broke into the center.”

“What?” I said, bewildered. His words made no sense. “Why would someone do that?”

“We don’t know. They didn’t steal anything, just painted graffiti everywhere.”

“Do they know who did it?”

“No,” Linda rubbed her eyes. “They think it was just kids.”

Wing cut in. “They sure made it personal though. They messed the place up. Knocked over everything. Broke a bunch of furniture.”

I stared at him. Damn. That was fucked up.

“I’m so sorry you guys. What do the police say?”

“They said insurance will probably cover the repairs, but we’ll have to close today and maybe Monday for repainting.” Linda looked pained. This was their lifeblood. And I knew she was more concerned for the kids than anything.

I pulled her in for another hug. I glanced around, and noticed Elliot had come up behind me. He leaned in and exchanged a few words with the officer.

“What can I do?” I looked at Linda and Wing expectantly. “Please. Let me help.”

“I don’t know. We can’t go in right now, they are still documenting everything.”

I checked the time on my phone. It was almost two o’clock. The kids wouldn’t be headed over until almost three.

“Why don’t I go tell the school that we won’t be open today? I can suggest that they keep the kids there instead.”

Linda nodded.

“Wing, why don’t you put up a flyer on the door, so that the parents know where to meet the kids?”

“Good idea, Sam. I’ll do that.”

“I’ll go talk to them now. Linda do you want to come with me?”

She smoothed her hair with her hands. “Yes. Let’s go.” We walked together down to the next block and crossed the street to the elementary school, with Elliot at our heels.

Linda leaned into me, “Does he really follow you everywhere you go?” she asked.

I smiled tightly. Normally I appreciated the reminder of David’s desire to keep tabs on me, but right now it was a distraction.

We found the office of the school and met with the principal, explaining the situation.

“I’m so sorry this happened to you Linda. The center is such a pillar in our community. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to ruin it.”

Linda smiled weakly.

“So would you be able to keep the kids here this afternoon?” I asked, getting to the point. I wanted to get this sorted out so that Linda could go home and rest. She looked exhausted.

“Of course. I’ll have some of the teachers stay late. We’ll set them up in the auditorium.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course. Community is supposed to support each other. You guys have provided such a service to us over the years, we’re more than happy to repay the favor.” The principal smiled as she stood to walk us out.

“Keep me apprised of the situation. If we need to provide for the kids next week, please let me know.” She handed us her card.

“Thank you. We will,” Linda replied, taking it.

We walked back across the street as Wing was taping up a handwritten sign on the door.

“All set?”

“Yep, they can keep the kids next week too, if you need it,” I said.

“Great. Thank you, Sam.”

“You guys look exhausted. What can I do? Are you hungry?”

Linda spoke, “I think I just need to go home and lay down.”

I looked at her. “Of course. Do you want a ride?” I knew Linda and Wing were normally public transit aficionados.

Linda looked at Wing expectantly. Wing nodded. “Sure, Sam. That’d be great. Let me just check in with the police.”

By now, the officer was pasting up yellow ‘Do Not Cross’ tape on the entrance to the center. Wing walked over to him and exchanged a few words. There was a lot of nodding and then he walked back to us.

“Okay, we’re all set. We’re supposed to call the precinct tomorrow, but for now, there isn’t much we can do.”

We followed Elliot to the car, which was double parked a few doors down from the center. I guess Elliot had left it in a hurry when I had leapt out earlier. The three of us piled into the back, and Wing gave their address to Elliot.

The ride back was quiet at first; I think we were all still stunned at what had happened. Finally, Linda broke the silence.

“I just don’t get it,” she said.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I know the area isn’t the best. I understand that. But the cops said it was probably just teenagers…” she trailed off.

I shifted in my seat to look at her.

“It’s just… odd.”

“What do you mean?”

She pursed her lips into a fine line, like she was thinking hard. “Teenagers—don’t you think they would have stolen something?” She paused, “And gangs would have tagged the place.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“Didn’t you say the place was covered in graffiti?”

“Well, not covered…” Wing cut in.

“It was on one wall.” She pulled out her phone to show me a picture. On the big wall behind the desk was a drawing that took up the whole wall. Cross hatches and swirling lines done in red spray paint. It looked almost bloody.

I shuddered. “Bizarre.”

“I know. I don’t understand what it means,” Linda said, sighing as she put her phone back in her bag.

We rode the rest of the way in silence, exhausted and on edge.

13

After we dropped Linda and Wing off, Elliot and I headed down to Saratoga. We were earlier than expected, so I sent my mom a text letting her know. She replied, her response dotted with smiley faces and stars. She had recently discovered emojis and enjoyed peppering her text messages with them. I loved my mom, but she could be such a dork sometimes. I smiled and rolled my eyes as I put the phone back in my purse. I had hoped for a text from David. Nothing.

“Elliot, where do you live?”

“Live, Sam?”

“I mean, when you’re not driving me around. Do you live in the city?”

“We stay downstairs. Mr. Keith has quarters for Thomas, Hilde, and myself.”

Ah ha. That was why they were always so readily available. Now it all made sense. Of course David would want to keep them close. “Do you like it?”

“We do.”

I paused. “You mean you and Thomas and Hilde?”

“My wife and I,” he clarified.

“I didn’t realize you were married, Elliot. How come you don’t wear a ring?”

“Oh, yeah. We skipped traditional rings. Decided to get tattoos instead.” Elliot held his hand up behind his seat so I could see. There was a small tattoo that said something in Latin on the inside of his ring finger.

“That’s nice. What does it say.”

“Forever. It was my wife’s idea.”

“How did you guys meet?”

“I met her in the Marines. She’s still in actually. She’s stationed at a base in Germany.”

“You must miss her.” I thought going without David for a day was bad.

“I do. I’m scheduled to fly out there next month to see her. It will be good.” Elliot pulled his phone out of his pocket, “Would you excuse me for a minute? Thomas is calling.” I nodded and sat back in the seat as we headed down the highway toward home.

Despite leaving early, the drive down to Saratoga took a while. Back in the day, traffic was non-existent, but now that every tech company in the world wanted a Silicon Valley address, the freeways were chock full of cars. We crawled through the center of the valley, slowly edging our way toward the Santa Cruz mountains. Finally, we exited the freeway, and I directed Elliot down Saratoga Avenue. As we passed the library I realized it had been a while since I’d been home. I cracked the window and breathed in the cold air. The familiar scent of trees welcomed me back.

Growing up in Saratoga had been pretty idyllic, although I never really realized it until after I had left. The town was small, too small for the ambitious kid that I was. I wanted something more, I wanted to be pushed beyond my comfort zone, and I found that at UC Berkeley. Sure, it wasn’t New York, or even San Francisco, but it was far away enough that I wouldn’t be able to go home every weekend, like some of my high school classmates who attended San Jose State. It wasn’t that I was running from my life—I loved my family. I just wanted something bigger.

As we drove along, the small mom and pop businesses gave way to quaint residences hidden in the hills. Saratoga was really beautiful. It was a town that operated at a much slower pace than the big city to the north of it. Sitting at the foot of the Santa Cruz mountains, many homes backed up into the wilderness, and my family’s was no exception.

We pulled up to the house just as my mom was outside getting the mail. She waved at us even though I knew she couldn’t see me through the blacked-out windows. As soon as we parked in the driveway, I popped out.

“Hey, Mom!”

“Hey honey!” she came over, and we hugged each other tightly. “Oh, I missed you. I’m so glad you are here. Where’s David?” she said, glancing back at the car. My mom was a big fan of my boyfriend. I couldn’t blame her. He was very good looking and could be very charming when he wasn’t being an ass. I had forgotten to tell her he wasn’t coming.

“He had to go away on emergency business. He sends his regrets.” They didn’t need to know that we were fighting.

“Oh, that’s too bad.” She leaned in. “I think John was looking forward to seeing him.”

My dad was also fond of David, for several reasons. The first one being that he was a welcome shot of testosterone in a normally all-female household. The second reason being planes. Jets, specifically. My dad was an aerospace engineer who worked for the NASA Ames Research Center, and my boyfriend was a billionaire who owned a fleet of private Gulfstream jets. My dad jumped at any chance to fly and was very pleased that my new boyfriend increased these opportunities.

Elliot got out of the car and joined us. Shit. Security detail. How was I going to explain this without freaking her out?

But Elliot started in, saving me from that duty.

“Hello, Mrs. Sharp. I’m Elliot, Sam’s driver.” My mom glanced over at me and raised an eyebrow. “I don’t wish to impose, but I need to do a security sweep of the premises.”

My mom looked shocked, or at least surprised. And then it was my turn to be surprised when she agreed.

“Oh, sure Elliot. Nice to meet you. No problem. Erin and John aren’t home yet, so go ahead. Elliot nodded and started to walk down the driveway toward the house. She called after him, “Oh, and watch out for Rex, but don’t worry, he’s friendly.”

I turned back to my mom as Elliot disappeared into the house. “How is Rex?” I asked, wondering how the family sheepdog was fairing.

“He’s good. Getting old, but he manages.” She glanced back at the house and lowered her voice. “Sam, what did he mean by security sweep? What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” I said gently. I thought it over for a moment and then decided to tell her the truth. “Really. There have been a few security concerns at David’s work, and he’s overreacting. It’s fine though, Elliot won’t interfere with the weekend. He stays in the car most of the time.”

“The car?” She furrowed her brow and looked at the black SUV. “Nonsense. He will stay inside with us. I’ll put him up in the guestroom. Can you sleep with Erin?”

I smiled and nodded my head at her. My mom had always been a very generous person. “Sure mom, if you insist.” I had to admit, I hadn’t liked the idea of Elliot sleeping in the car any more than she had.

Elliot appeared at the front door and gave a nod to indicate everything was clear. My mom put her arm around me as we walked down the driveway towards the house.

“I have to admit, it’s kind of cute that he insists on keeping you safe like this, Sam.” She smiled at me. “In a way, it’s a mother’s dream.”

I had to admit, she was right. It was nice that David wanted to keep me safe. Now if only I could get him to talk to me.

14

Inside the house, my mom went about setting Elliot up in the guest room. He protested at first, but when I pointed out that he’d be able to keep closer tabs on me by actually staying in the house, he agreed.

I wandered into Erin’s room with my duffle bag and sat down on the trundle bed. The room hadn’t changed much since I was there last. It was still painted light yellow, and was plastered with posters and magazine clippings. Most of them I had seen before, except for a new poster of the latest boy band. I looked over at the bookcase, which was crammed full of young adult novels. On the top shelf were a bunch of medals. Despite having Down Syndrome, Erin was a much better runner than I was, and she medaled in the Special Olympics year after year.