Page 59 of A Better World

She followed the crowd, thick now, all heading in the same direction.

“Linda!” a voice called. Daniella and Rachel were standing in an alcove, waiting for her.

“Where’d you go?” Linda asked, loud and angry. Too loud and angry: it wasn’t smart to show temper with Daniella. It wasn’t smart to show temper at all, at least not in this town.

“We were inside the galley here. It was right next to you. We were calling, but you didn’t hear,” Daniella said. “You panicked.”

“Note to self: if I ever want to make Linda lose her shit, bring her to a haunted labyrinth,” Rachel said, dry. Later, Linda would think:For Rachel to be this drunk, but to sound this coherent, she wasn’t just a seasoned drinker; she was a longtime alcoholic.

Linda took both their arms and squeezed, glad for the substantialtherenessof them. She hugged them hard, stanching tears so Daniella wouldn’t get angry.

“Oh, honey. I’m sorry. Was it that bad?” Daniella asked.

“It was everything. I don’t have words for all the things.”

“You need a drink,” Rachel said.

“I could have a thousand and I don’t think I’d feel it,” Linda said when she finally let go. “You guys—I think I just decked the Beltane King!”

Their eyes goggled.

“Little you?” Daniella asked.

“Most people have fight or flight. I have fight, then flight.”

“You got away from him?” Rachel asked, equally incredulous.

“I kneed him between the legs and bolted,” she said like it was funny, but it wasn’t funny. It was scary. She wanted very much to cry.

Daniella burst into laughter. “But he never lets anybody go until they cry! Bet he’s fit to be tied! Or having a fit?”

“Holy shit. You’re my hero. He’s had that coming for years.”

“Likekneedhim,” Linda said, miming it now, with her knee.

At first, they tittered under stifled grins, all looking away from the other to prevent contagion. But it didn’t subside. Rachel was the first to crack, eyes teary with pent laughter. She brayed. Then all of them were laughing so hard they were holding their stomachs.

“This is my favorite Samhain that’s ever happened,” Rachel said.

“Me too,” Daniella whispered. “I hate that guy so much.”

This brought more laughter of shock and delight.

“I was scared I was the only one,” Linda said. “I thought people thought he was normal!”

More laughing, and leaning on one another, and finally wiping their wet eyes, spent.

It didn’t take long before they found the exit sign and climbed the steps out. The egress opened at an obtuse angle, allowing a panoramic view of the park above, which came suddenly. Russell was out there, along with the rest of their friends. It was bright and it wasn’t scary.

She could see now that, yeah, Josie had been part of that group of teens. She was with them still, her shoulders hunched, seeming not quite a part of the crowd, but on the periphery of a very tight-knit group. She clocked Linda, acknowledged her with a pleading glance that indicated:Please—I know I was wrong—but don’t bust me in front of these people.Linda shook her head with exasperation, extended her hand palm-up to indicate:Go finish your night.

The three women joined their larger crew, who erupted with stories of who’d been scared, who’d laughed, who’d hidden their faces in their hands and begged for it to be over. With Daniella’s prodding, Linda told how she’d escaped Keith. She was tentative when she started, but off their expressions, their interjections (Holy cow! I’d have lost my mind;Don’t mess with Linda—she knows jujitsu!), she was laughing. It wasn’t a scary story anymore. It was a funny one. They were all laughing all over again, hard as burst hydrants. She couldn’t remember a time she’d been so relieved.

“Do you think Keith’ll be mad? Or Anouk?” Linda asked after they’d all recovered and were heading for the bar.

“It’s the game!” Lloyd reassured. “You played it. No one can hold that against you!”

More happened. There were drinks and food trucks and meeting new people and laughter, so much laughter. They all felt like courageous survivors. And they were, weren’t they? By birth or cunning, they’d each gotten out of something very bad and arrived safely here.

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