Page 21 of Run with Me

I lifted my gaze, the tears spilling over in heavy drops, bleeding my happiness onto his shirt. I couldn’t wait to tell him that in eight short months, or maybe even sooner, we’d possibly have a new addition to our family. Maybe by the time he or she was born, Ben would be out of our lives forever.

The ground began to shake in the distance, along with my knees. Yes, part of the reason why I was trembling was the bulls that I knew had been let loose. They’d pass the market beyond the barrier in less than two minutes. Another part was because I knew this meant that we’d be a real family. Me, John, Mikey, and the little bean growing in my tummy. John was right. It was time to make our family official.

“Yes, let’s do it.” I threw my arms around his neck and smacked my lips to his. John lifted me into his arms and spun me around with happiness.

“You’re serious?”

“Yes. A thousand times yes. But there’s something I need to tellyou—”

A scream tore through the crowd from the west end of the market, and we both froze with fear. I recognized the danger instantly. The heavy thumps and cries of terror that reached us nearly stopped my heart, yet I didn’t move. We remained in the same spot, my body slowly sliding down his to the ground. And while we should have run, we didn’t. Our heads turned in slow motion. Watching the dust rise in the distance, getting closer and closer, was like watching a tsunami. I’d never seen one in my life, but that’s the way I imagined it would seem. It would be impossible to stop and just as difficult to outrun.

A table five stations further flipped, acting like a catapult for the stacked tomatoes. The fruit flew in all directions, splattering on the walls and ground as well as people’s heads and bodies. There was red everywhere. I dropped the sunflowers I was holding.

Mikey!I screamed, then realized that I’d done so in my mind. That’s when instinct finally kicked in and I screamed for ourson.

“Mikey!” We both rushed toward him, reaching for him. I saw Mikey staring at us as a bull headed straight for our little boy like he was a target. John let go of my hand. I watched him leap for Mikey, ahead of me, diving for our boy, flying across a table until he grabbed him, tucked him into his body, and rolled on the ground to underneath Mrs. Gonzalez’s table. I let out a relieved breath only to realize that the bull was heading straight for me. Someone else slammed into me and pushed me to the side before the bull made me part of hispath.

The eggs flew out of my basket. I saw one strike John in the head, splattering down his face. He fell back, closing his eyes. I wanted to run to him, but someone held me in my spot. I turned around to see Mr. Garcia.

“Stay down. It’s not over!” he yelled into my ear. It was a good thing that he did, because I could barely make anything elseout.

Mikey’s safe. He’s withJohn.

It felt like hours passed before the commotion settled. I pushed through the dust toward John and Mikey. The bulls had finally passed the market, leaving a trail of destruction behind.

“Mikey! Baby, where areyou?”

John came into view first. He was shaking, looking down at his body in disbelief.

“Where’s Mikey?”

John looked down to his lap, as shocked as I was, “I had him… I… I had him. The bull stomped on my leg, and Mikey slippedout.”

What?

“Mikey!” I screamed.

“Mikey!” John repeated. “He can’t be far. He was in my arms a minuteago.”

I ran into the two-story building, up and down the staircase, knocking on every door, asking for my son. No one had seenhim.

“Mikey!”

Soon enough I was hearing our son’s name from one end of the town to the other, as everyone looked for our little boy. I walked into every house and every building. I went into ditches and nooks I knew children played in. No one had seen him. No one had foundhim.

By sundown, it felt like I’d looked into every small hole and turned every rock in Pace. My feet were swollen, my eyes bloodshot, and my hands covered with soot. I was sitting in a lawn chair someone had brought out in front of the church, my knees awkwardly twisted inward to take the pressure off my ankles, taking a moment to compose my thoughts, racking my brain where Mikey could have hid, when I saw Ben walking down the middle of main street carrying my child’s limp body in his arms. My knees locked back into place and I rushed toward him, my throat constricting with eachstep.

No, no, no!

The look on Ben’s face made my heartstop.

“Give me my baby!” I reached for Mikey and Ben passed him to me. “Mikey, baby, open your eyes.” I smoothed my hand over his pale face and purple lips. His cheeks were dirty, and I thought that Mikey would like a bubble bath tonight to clean himup.

“Honey, open your eyes. Mama’s got you.” I sat down in the middle of the road, holding him in my arms just as John reached me and stopped. The smile on his face fell flat as he looked down. He exchanged a look with Ben and I heard him ask a few questions, but I couldn’t make out what theywere.

Mikey felt cold; far colder than he should have. I rubbed my hand over his bare arm. There was a tear in his red shirt, from the ribs all the way down to thehem.

“What is this? Why is he not waking up?” I asked, feeling a touch of nausea fillme.

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