Page 50 of Jael

“I want to do it. But I have to stop by my dad’s place on the way, and visiting my dad is always a delicate situation.”

“You two don’t get along?”

“It’s complicated.”

“I didn’t get along with my dad either. I think that’s why he left my mom and I.”

“I’m sure there’s more to it than that, but if you can hang in there a little longer…”

“Yeah. I’m feeling stronger now. I get these thoughts in my head, and they tangle up my brain, making it hard to think straight, but I won’t make any decisions until you get here.”

“That puts my mind at ease.”

“Then I guess I’ll see you when you get here.”

“It shouldn’t be too long. Just give me an hour or two.”

“I’ll see you then.”

When Jael entered her dad’s house, she wasn’t sure if she wanted him to be alerted to her presence right away or not. But the entry was empty and the house quiet. She shut the door softly behind her and considered taking her shoes off, hoping she could remain undetected for her visit. But if her dad found her, it would be too obvious and create more questions, so she tiptoed instead, ignoring how childish she was acting.

She listened for any indication of movement as she entered the dining room, but it remained silent as she searched the room with no luck. If Sofia had found it, she would have put it in the drawer of the side table in the living room.

She moved silently through the house and touched her fingers to the open door, leaning inside. Her dad was on the couch facing the window. She closed her eyes to compose herself. She would endure this visit for Becca.

After rapping her knuckles on the door, she pushed it all the way open and entered.

“Hey, dad. Sorry to disturb you—” As she stepped in, she saw his head was tucked against his chest in sleep and clamped her mouth shut. Today was her lucky day after all.

Her shoes pressed into the plush carpet as she walked to the long table against the wall and opened the drawer. Her clip was on top of a pile of random items. She lifted it, kissed it, then touched it to the air above her head to thank Sofia wherever she was.

Jael looked to confirm her dad was still asleep and noticed he still had a drink clutched in his hand. It was resting on his stomach where he’d likely spill it before he woke up. She hated that her legs brought her to him to fix it. If he wanted to drinkhimself into oblivion, that was his problem. She shouldn’t make it hers. But she couldn’t help herself.

As she reached for the glass, she glanced at a newspaper lying on the cushion beside him. He liked to boast that he loved the smell of ink too much to give up on traditional newspapers, making a show of shaking out the pages and clearing his throat as he settled himself in to read.

She scanned the headlines, wondering if it was an article that had him drinking himself into a stupor so early in the day. But there was nothing of interest that she could see.

She tugged at the glass to pull it free, nearly spilling it when his fingers didn’t release. She looked at his face to see if he’d woken, but she jumped back, her breath jerking to a halt as she stared into his dead eyes.

Even though she could already see the truth, she still looked at his chest, willing it to move in breath as she held her own. But he remained still.

She swallowed a lump. “You can’t be dead.”

She should have been more prepared. He was an old man. But he’d maintained a vitality that made it feel like he would live forever. A minute ago, that had been a bad thing, but loss was a traitor. It was unfair that even his death could give her so much pain. It would mean her freedom, but if caged birds don’t know how to fly, what happens when they’re set free?

She moved closer to him, pressing her fingers against his neck to confirm in the only way left to her. She kept her eyes averted, focusing on the meaningless words of an article on stem cell research while she felt for a pulse. She forced herself to hold her fingers still for several seconds before moving away.

When her phone rang, she jumped before scrambling for it. But when she saw Christopher’s name, her thumb paused over the screen. She’d been hoping for a different caller.

She tapped the phone anyway. “Hello?” Her voice sounded strange.

“Jael?” Christopher said.

“Y-yeah. Uh…”

“Sorry…is everything okay? Have you been asleep? Or is this a bad time?”

She walked to the window, wrapping an arm around herself while she pushed her next words out. “No. I—” What was she supposed to say? “I don’t?—”

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