Drt (20 page)

The other employees were gathered around. They nodded with warmth. Jackie burst through the group and hugged me. “I have two daughters. Thank you so much for what you did.”
 

“There is a lot more work to do. Make sure you help remind people of that.”
 

She said she would. It took me forever to get out of the traffic center. I got to the elevator and stood alone for a while. The door dinged as it curtained open and I got in. Out of pure habit, I moved to the back and pressed my back against the rail. I chuckled at myself and then leaned forward to check my face and clothes in the closed doors in front of me. I had to look good for tonight.
 

The doors opened and I walked into the lobby. I saw smiling faces that recognized me from the news and I shook their hands. I walked out through the atrium in a rush, reminding people I had to get downtown tonight.
 

I got into my car and drove, taking the Inner Loop of the Beltway.
 
Returning to the traffic center was emotional but I was glad I did it. I spent a decade there. I felt like it was a nice place to visit but not a place to be. I rejected all offers from Bob, even the ones that would have put me in the office during the day. I tried to look back on the years fondly, but distance made the heart grow reticent.

I far preferred working at the nonprofit. While nothing would ever make me feel like I did when I helped little Hayleigh, I still preferred saving people over anything else. I used my skills as a reporter to get the word out.
 

Getting the word out was easy, as it turned out. The world had flocked to hear the story. There was just enough to it that I got the attention needed, and I always left just enough out for it to be believable. I used every drop of attention to help the nonprofit. Never miss the moment.

No one ever asked about Dravin. The story I gave to the officers on the scene was that he got away after we had barricaded ourselves in the bathroom. There were APBs, segments on ‘Most Wanted’ shows, and posters plastered from sea to shining sea. No one ever saw Dravin Baxter again.
 

Elroy and Hayleigh had been placed with a foster family. Leigh Ann was in prison and her role in the whole thing guaranteed she would never see her children again. The identities of Hayleigh and Elroy were hidden, but I heard that Hayleigh was progressing slowly in therapy. She may never be the whole little girl she had been before Dravin Baxter entered her life but she at least had a fighting chance now.

I pressed the brake and brought the car to a stop in the parking lot. The complex was looking a little more welcoming. There had been rain and the grass wasn’t so brown. It blew in a wind that had grown much less humid in recent weeks.
 

I got out of my car and went down the walk to our apartment. I occasionally still called it Sylvia’s apartment but since I slept there every night now, she had become insistent that I start calling it ours. Her massage days were far behind her, the injury she received during a police operation thankfully saw to that.
 

I fumbled for my keys. We had to hurry to the Metro station and make it downtown in time. I was to be honored that night at Nationals Park, all part of the campaign to raise awareness about child trafficking and prostitution. The players were all going to wear arm bands to support the cause.
 

I walked through the door. Sylvia was vacuuming.
 

“We have to go!”

“Um, until you say hello we are not going anywhere.”

“I’m sorry,” I walked to her and embraced her. “Hello baby.” I kissed her. She kissed back even deeper.
 

“Do we have to leave…right…now?”

She was right. I didn’t want to leave right away.
 

I don’t waste any more time these days. Never miss the moment.

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I dedicate this to my dog, Cam. He is the best dog ever and I hope that he gets better. He is very sick as I am writing this. I love him very much and he is a very good boy. He has been with me through everything.
 

Thank you to Sarah, for helping me again. She’s edited / saved now two books and I am eternally grateful. This one came much tougher than the Citizens, but it turned out to be a lot of fun telling Greg’s story.
 

Thanks the crew back at old Metro traffic in Washington, DC. The characters in this book are made up. The people who work there are tireless professionals who were patient working with a guy from Michigan facing a very steep learning curve. Thanks to Brian Beddow for getting me that job and thanks to Jim Russ for hiring me. Thanks to Charlie Maxx, Joe Conaway and even Mike Cremedias for keeping me sane.
 

Thanks to that writing group who used to meet in Penn Quarter on Sundays. You inspired something years later and it was fun to remember that. I forget all of your names and I never even submitted any work but you guys were all very nice.
 

Thanks to my Mom and Dad as always. They were both very supportive about the new writing in endeavors.
 

Thanks to Steven Konkoly and Richard Stephenson for helping me navigate the new “indie author” universe. They are both very talented writers and you should check out their books.
 

Thanks to all of the bloggers who review this book. Without you this book would just sit there and no one would ever find it.
 

Thanks to all of my friends who have put up with my moody-ness when I am working on stuff.

Its been a fun year, writing these two books. I hope next year is as much fun. Thanks for reading.
 

-Eric Thomas, October, 17 2012