Chapter 20

I didn’t drive home after leaving Hanna’s place. I’d finally hit my overload point and needed a reset. Unfortunately, it was Sunday evening. I couldn’t just get in my truck and drive somewhere. A hotel room on the ocean sounded good. Or even downtown Portland. Just somewhere to be alone and think. So much had happened.

Who could I trust?

I pulled my truck up onto the street next to the basketball courts. I sat there and just breathed for a few minutes. And called the person I could trust.

“What’s up, Larry?”

“Z! Good thing I kept your phone number in my phone or I wouldn’t have recognized your voice. It’s been months.”

“It has been insane out here. How are you? What’s new in Iowa?”

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It is Iowa after all. Oh, the big news is I blew the engine in my old Taurus, so I am bumming rides.”

“I miss Iowa. Nothing new sounds good right now. Sorry to hear about your car, though.”

We talked for ten minutes. Funny thing being, even though I trusted the guy, I could not tell him what was going on in my life. But it was calming to hear about Iowa. Understatement of my life would be calling it ‘simpler times’. I needed to jump on a plane and get back there soon.

I got out of my truck, carried the ring box with me, and walked up to the courts. The courts had no lights besides a single street lamp that would blot out the stars. If there were any stars to see. Another cloudy, damp day in Oregon. Sitting on a picnic bench, I held the ring box, visible in the streetlight, and thought.

I thought about Maggie. Did I love her? As much as one can when knowing someone for just four months. She did try to kill me, though. But now, I could laugh about it.

I thought about Molly. Such a different person than her identical twin sister. Fun-loving and wilder. They both made me laugh and smile constantly. We had become an inseparable trio. And I loved her too.

I thought about Doris Alex. A beautiful goddess of a woman was before me now. I thought of the story of the scorpion and the frog, or the scorpion and the fox, or the scorpion and the turtle. Sometimes the outcome was different in crossing the river. But Doris Alex would always have the potential to sting. It was up to me to be careful. And in the end, I loved her too.

I thought about Hanna. I did not love her yet. However, I felt drawn to her and wanted to protect her. Hoping our relationship would grow.

I thought about her father, a member of the council, who had asked me to trust him. Could I? Should I? Still to be determined. I suspected he was not just a council member. He led the council. I was almost certain. As I was committed to the Brotherhood, he must be an ally.

I thought about the Brotherhood. Even though I knew so little, I felt fanatically loyal. To the Brothers I would soon meet; for the first time as Brothers. It was as if my brain was genetically programmed for fealty to the Society.