It had been nearly two weeks since Tate talked to Mallory. He was trying to give her the space she wanted, but he missed her. He and Verdell had settled into a routine surprisingly well, and Verdell even smiled now and again. It was a messed-up situation, but Tate still wasn’t ready to send the child packing, off with strangers. Chantal had finally returned his phone call, and she admitted that what she’d done was crazy. But in the end Tate had agreed to keep Verdell for a while. Tonight Tate’s mother was coming over, and she was bringing her famous chicken enchiladas. The only thing missing was Mallory.
“Hello, Verdell.” Mom handed Tate the casserole dish. “It sure is nice to see you again. We had fun playing cards last time, didn’t we? Even though you beat me every time.” Mom rolled her bottom lip under into a pout.
Verdell smiled. Such a small thing, but for Verdell it was huge. Mom could usually wrangle a smile out of anyone.
Tate breathed in the zesty aroma of the enchiladas. “These smell great, Mom.”
They all walked into the kitchen. “They’re so easy to make. I’ve given you the recipe before.”
“I know. And I made them for Mallory once, but they just weren’t the same.” He pulled three plates from the shelf and put them on the table. “Verdell, you’ll love these.”
“They smell good.” Verdell smiled again as he pulled out his chair and sat down.
Tate’s cell phone buzzed on the counter. His mom pointed to it. “You tell whoever that is that we’re eating.”
But Tate picked up the phone. “I gotta get this. It’s Mallory’s sister. Vicky never calls.”
“Tate?”
“Yeah. Is Mallory okay?”
“Well . . . I mean, yes. She’s okay, but . . .”
“But what? Vicky, what’s wrong?”
“Tate, she’s okay. I think. I mean . . . oh man. She’s going to kill me. I promised her that I wouldn’t tell you until she was on the plane, but I just dropped her off at the airport and I’m worried sick.”
“Airport?” Tate hurried into the living room. “Where’s she going?”
“Pakistan.”
Tate sat down on the couch before he fell down. “What? Are you kidding me?”
“No. She is going to meet her friend Abdul. He has a sick daughter, and Mallory thinks she might be able to help, and—”
“What time is her flight?” He was grabbing his keys and wallet from the coffee table as he spoke.
“In about an hour. I’m really worried. Our parents don’t know either. I should have called earlier, but I wasn’t sure what to do. She made me promise. But since you aren’t too far from the airport, I thought you might be able to stop her. She’s gonna kill me, but I’m just scared for her.”
Tate pulled the phone from his face to holler for his mother, then asked Vicky, “What terminal? What airline?”
As his mother scurried into the room with Verdell close behind, Tate thanked Vicky and hung up. “Mom, can you stay with Verdell until I get back? Mallory is about to do something really stupid, and I have to get to her.”
“Of course, honey. Go, go. Verdell and I will be fine. What’s going on?”
Tate bit off a curse word he rarely used. “She’s actually about to fly to Pakistan.”
He ran out the door and peeled out of the driveway. Normally he could be at the airport in about twenty minutes, but that was without traffic. He hurried onto the beltway, thanking God that there wasn’t a backup at the tollbooth.
He dialed her number, and of course it went straight to voice mail.
“Baby, don’t do this. I love you with all my heart. We just need to talk. I was trying to give you the space you wanted.” His voice cracked. “Mallory, please. What you’re doing is dangerous. Please don’t get on that plane. I’m on my way to the airport. Don’t be mad at Vicky. I love you.” He paused. “Don’t get on that plane.”
MALLORY LISTENED TO TATE’S VOICE MAIL, DETERMINED not to cry. She’d already been on the phone with Abdul earlier, and he and his family were excited for her arrival. She was sure this was the right thing to do. It would be the adventure of a lifetime. She was wearing the clothes she’d borrowed from Soraya, who had also called her today and tried to talk her out of going.
She’d halfway expected Vicky to do this, to tell Tate before she was off the ground and on her way. Vicky had insisted on parking instead of just using the drop-off lane. When they’d gotten inside the airport, her sister had tried again to change Mallory’s mind and even started to cry. But with a final hug good-bye, Mallory told her that everything would be fine.
Then she turned off her phone. She didn’t want anyone else trying to scare her out of this trip. She reminded herself why she was going, and she was trying not to panic because the security line was moving so slowly. She’d checked one large suitcase and was carrying her purse and laptop.
Relief washed over her after she cleared security, but not without being patted down first. She felt a little ridiculous in the clothes she’d borrowed from Soraya, but the pastel colors were pretty and the flat loafers she’d chosen would help with all the walking. The only thing bugging her was the head covering, a scarf that wrapped over her head and around her neck. Soraya had told her not to wear any makeup, but she didn’t want to meet Abdul and his family without any, so she’d tucked blush, mascara, and a light pink lipstick into her purse.
After she gathered her purse and laptop, she sat down on a bench. She still had nearly an hour before they would start boarding the flight. Her original plan had been to eat before she got on the plane, then take some Benadryl to help with the pressure pain she sometimes got when she flew. Plus she hoped it would knock her out on this first leg of her journey. But she’d lost her appetite somewhere between the parking lot and security. She pulled her purse up on her shoulder and started walking. But then she heard her name called—loudly—from the other side of security. She couldn’t believe it.
Two security guards were already on their way to Tate, but that didn’t stop him from bellowing at her.
“Mallory, don’t do this! Don’t go!”
She turned and they locked eyes, and Mallory was tempted to run to him.
“Mallory, I love you!”
But by now there were three security guards at Tate’s side, and he was busy talking to them, probably trying not to get arrested. People were whispering and pointing, but Tate yelled at her again, louder this time.
“Don’t go, Mallory!”
She blinked her eyes a few times, and even though she knew he couldn’t hear her, she whispered, “Bye, Tate” and forced herself to turn and head toward her gate. A sick feeling hung in her gut. It wasn’t too late to forget this entire thing and run back to him. But she was determined to live out this experience—a leap of faith. She didn’t turn around as she headed toward the gate, even though it was taking great effort to put one foot in front of the other.
TATE SHOOK LOOSE OF THE SECURITY PERSONNEL who had latched onto his arm.
“Sir, you need to quiet down. I’m assuming this is a domestic matter, but you can’t be acting like a madman in the airport. I’m going to ask you to leave. Now.”
There was no reason for him to stay. “I’m going.” He headed toward the exit, praying the entire time that God would keep Mallory safe and bring her back and into his arms. He was incredibly angry, but fear was suffocating him. When he got to the car, he called her phone number again.
“It’s not too late, baby. I know you’re not on the plane yet. Google ‘Pakistan.’ Read the government warnings on travel there. I love you, baby, and I’m scared for you. Please don’t do this.”
He sat in his car for a while, hoping and praying she’d call him back, saying she’d changed her mind. What could have motivated her to do this? He knew all about her promise to Kelsey, of course, but a much more disturbing thought had surfaced in his mind. Had she fallen for her foreign friend?
He waited until seven o’clock, the time her flight was set to leave, then he headed home. And on the way he allowed himself a good cry. Not for the first time lately.
MALLORY HAD STARTED TO CALL TATE THREE TIMES, but each time she’d hung up before the call went through. Now she was on the plane seated next to a Middle Eastern man who looked about her age. She’d seen only one other woman on the flight, dressed in blue jeans and a white blouse that wasn’t tucked in. She looked maybe midforties, and her dark hair was pulled up in a clip. She had on full makeup too. Maybe Soraya had overreacted about Mallory’s need to blend. Or maybe the woman was just going as far as Dubai, a more likely scenario.
Her stomach churned with a mixture of anxiety and excitement. She’d had to pay a lot to get a last-minute flight with only one stop, but she hated takeoffs and landings.
It was going to be a long trip to Dubai, fifteen hours. Then she had a ten-hour layover before flying straight to Peshawar, which thankfully took only three hours. Abdul said he would be at the airport when she landed, which would be nine o’clock in the morning Pakistan time. And two days later, due to the time change. She was wishing she’d taken Vicky up on her offer of some pills to calm her down, but Mallory wasn’t much of a pill popper and was hoping the Benadryl would be enough. She’d brought along plenty of diversions. She’d downloaded several movies onto her laptop, although she’d probably run out of battery before she even finished the second one. She had a couple of books to read, a crossword puzzle, and earbuds to listen to music on her cell phone if she was desperate. She didn’t want to have a dead phone when she got there. The Houston airport had plugs for recharging, but she didn’t know about Dubai.
She’d already thought about what she’d do for ten hours there. She’d heard about the grand architecture and read that it was a popular vacation spot for celebrities, but she was arriving in the evening. And even if her flight was getting in earlier, Mallory knew she would sit safely at the gate and wait. Traveling around the city meant getting a tourist visa, not to mention worrying about getting back on time and going through security again.
She turned to the man next to her. “Do you live in Pakistan?” Normally Mallory didn’t like to make small talk on a plane, preferring to read. But on a flight this long it would be nice to have at least a little conversation.
“Yes.” He looked at her briefly and smiled, then he buried his head back in the book he was reading. Maybe he didn’t speak good English. She let her eyes drift to the left, and she noticed the book was in English. Oh well. Maybe he’d feel like chatting later.
Fifteen minutes later she braced herself for the takeoff. As usual, she latched onto the armrests with white-knuckled hands and closed her eyes as they went airborne, popping her ears, chewing her gum, and hoping it would be a smooth flight. Despite her anxiety, she couldn’t wait to meet Abdul face-to-face. And she hoped Tate hadn’t been arrested for his crazy behavior.
TATE WALKED BACK INTO THE HOUSE AND FOUND HIS mother and Verdell in the living room playing a card game.
“How’d it go?” Mom pressed her lips together as the creases on her forehead formed a road map of worry.
“Well, she’s gone.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe she’s doing this. Stupid, stupid.”
Mom set her cards down. “I think we’ll have to quit for now.”
Verdell nodded. “Thanks for playing with me, Mrs. Webber.”
“Honey, you just call me Regina, okay?” She went to Tate and put a hand on his arm. “She’s going to be okay, Tate. And so are you. Maybe this time apart will be good for both of you.”
“We’ve already been apart for two weeks. And if she needed more time, she didn’t have to fly across the world to get it.”
“So tell me more about it, Tate. Is she going just to visit this man she’s met on Skype?”
“I talked to Vicky more on the way home. She said Mallory is thinking about marrying this guy.”
His mother’s eyes widened, and Tate quickly held up one hand. “It’s not like that, Mom. It would be a marriage in name only. The guy’s daughter is sixteen and has cancer. Apparently, if he gets an American wife, it will expedite getting his daughter here for the proper care. Otherwise the process can take years.” Tate shrugged. “That’s what Vicky says anyway.”
“Do their parents know about this?”
“Vicky said they don’t, and I wouldn’t want to be around when they find out.” Tate glanced at Verdell, and it was clear the kid was all ears.
“How long will she be gone?” Mom asked.
“A couple of weeks.” He was starting to wonder if he should get hold of Soraya. Maybe she’d have more information. Then he felt his temperature rising. Obviously, Soraya and Ismail were in on this, probably encouraging her to go.
“Well, honey, all we can do is pray for her safe return. Do you think she’ll call you?”
Tate shrugged as he walked to the couch and sat down. “I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore.” He turned to Verdell. The kid had enough problems without adding Tate’s to the mix. “What did you think about Mom’s enchiladas?”
“They were really good.”
This was the most normal Tate had seen Verdell act since he’d known him, which made him really start to question what kind of life the kid had been living at Chantal’s. She had seemed like a nice lady, but one never knew what went on behind closed doors.
“There’s plenty of enchiladas left. I put them in the fridge, though, so you’ll need to microwave them.”
“Thanks, Mom.” He didn’t really feel like eating.
“Well, I’m going to go.” She turned to Verdell. “This was fun. We’ll have to do it again soon.”
“I had fun too.”
Tate felt like he was in the Twilight Zone. He walked his mother to her car while Verdell stayed on the couch holding ET. His feline friend had never been much of a lap cat, but he’d sure taken to Verdell.
“He’s a good kid, Tate,” Mom said when they got outside. “But he does have some problems. What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. What all did he say to you?”
“He said that his mother’s head was cut off in the boating accident, but he wasn’t supposed to know that.”
“Wow.” Tate hung his head. “That would be hard for anyone, especially a kid his age.”
“Yep. And he also said that his mother used to take him to piano competitions and recitals a lot.”
“Well, he’s got talent, but I don’t see him doing anything with it. Maybe that’s why he hates playing the piano so much. It reminds him of his mother.”
“Maybe. But just be kind to him. He chose you for a reason.” She leaned up, kissed Tate on the cheek, then gave a quick wave before she pulled out of the driveway.
Tate wished he didn’t have to go in and put on a happy face for a troubled ten-year-old kid. But he believed that God had placed Verdell in his life for a reason. It must be part of His plan for the child.
For the life of him, though, Tate couldn’t understand God’s plan for Mallory.