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As I neared my destination, I sipped on a coke I’d bought at one of the rest areas on the way up. Staying hydrated was a delicate balance of drinking enough but not so much that I had to stop to pee. I was starving and wanted to pull over to buy some food, but I didn’t want to keep Ella waiting a moment longer than necessary. Tom knew it was a long drive, so I was pretty sure he’d have food waiting for me. I’d tried calling Ella, but it had gone straight to voicemail. I thought she must be sleeping and then remembered Tom said her phone got smashed up in the accident. I wondered what kinds of injuries she’d sustained and whether sitting in a car on the nine-hour drive home was going to be painful. At least she’d have pretty scenery to look at. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen fall colors and the Georgia trees and mountains were gorgeous. I’d always loved the haunting beauty of the moss-draped oaks in Florida, and the regal elegance of palm trees, but these oranges, yellows and reds were something else.
As I drove, I could feel all my emotions jumbling together, and it was all I could do to stay focused on the road. I was worried that Ella’s injuries were bad, although if she hadn’t been to a hospital, hopefully they weren’t terrible. I was confused about why I hadn’t heard from her sooner. Even if she hadn’t wanted to call the police when the accident happened, why not go to the hospital the next day? If her injuries weren’t serious enough to warrant a hospital, why hadn’t she asked Tom to call sooner? That thought stirred my anger and reminded me how I felt when I read the note in the pill container. I’d been so mad at her, but when Tom called I’d forgotten my anger in an instant. I was so confused. What was it she’d had to deal with that she couldn’t tell me about? Did it have to do with the letter from the Hank guy? If so, had she done whatever she needed to do before she had the accident? Maybe that’s why she hadn’t called—because she was dealing with the issue and then right after that she had the accident. It had been hard to understand Tom. Maybe the accident was just yesterday. That would make sense. I trusted her to explain everything once I got to see her. That thought made me super excited. When I finally saw a sign that told me Ellijay was only ten miles away, I thought my heart would burst through my chest.
Tom said he’d be in a Black F-150 and sure enough, as I made a left off 76 toward a large slew of billboards advertising Ellijay businesses, I saw the pickup on the side of the road. I flashed my headlights at him, and he flashed back and pulled away from the shoulder. The route he took me on passed a river where the colors of the trees reflected in the water. But then he turned away from it and we drove down long, winding roads that curled around the hills. The constant turns and switchbacks made me nauseous. I was glad I was following him as I didn’t think I’d ever be able to find my way in or out again. Just when we’d taken another hairpin bend and I thought I might throw up, he pulled to the side and indicated that I should go ahead, down a narrow, tree-lined driveway that must have been 300 yards long. At the end of it I spotted a one-story log cabin. This must be it! The moment I got in front of the cabin, I leapt out of the car, glad to be done with driving those horrendous roads and even gladder to be finally seeing Ella.
“Go ahead,” he called, still inside the car, fiddling with something. “The front door’s unlocked, just push it open.”
I ran the few steps to the wooden door and pushed it open. The room I came into was the living room, but no one was in it, just comfy looking sofas, a wooden rocking chair and a fireplace.
“Ella?” I called out, suddenly full of misgivings. What if it were a hoax and she wasn’t there? But then I saw her sweater on a chair and knew it was just my paranoia. Obviously, she was in the bedroom. I waited for her to call out, but she didn’t.
“Reckon she’s fallen asleep,” a voice said behind me and I turned so I could finally meet Tom.
He was wearing a ripped, plaid shirt and jeans that were kept up with a faded leather belt. They were so baggy that without the buckle cinched around his waist, they looked as if they would have fallen altogether. There was something familiar about the way he stood, which I knew wasn’t possible, since I’d never met him before. His wide-brimmed hat hid part of his face and the rest was covered by his bushy mustache and massive beard. He looked like an impoverished farmer, or a bad Halloween costume.
“Real nice to meet you,” he said, leaning forward to shake my hand, sounding the word real as if it had a ‘y’ in the middle of it. He pumped my hand vigorously in a peculiar movement.
“There’s a few things I need to tell you before you see Ella,” he said, as he seated himself on the sofa and intimated that I should sit next to him. “I don’t want you to be upset.”
My stomach flipped. Was Ella disfigured? Or had the accident affected her brain?
Tom leaned toward me and took my hands in his. “I’m going to tell you some stuff,” he said, “but I need you to relax. I know you don’t feel like relaxing, but I need you to relax anyway. Worrying isn’t going to help anything and you want to be at your best for Ella. She needs you. So just relax and then I’ll tell you everything.”