The Mule

Chapter 21

"Marissa?" Gael Brennan asked. "Is that you, baby?"

"Yes, Daddy, it's me." Marissa was in tears.

Gael breathed a sigh of relief. "We've been so worried about you, honey. Where are you? Are you okay?"

Marissa didn't know what to say. She didn't want to tell him she was not okay but she also did not want to upset her father any further. She skipped that question and answered with "I'm in Calgary, Daddy."

"Where in Calgary?"

"At the airport."

"You stay there. Your mother and I will come and get you." He was so relieved that his daughter was back in Canada, Gael was willing to drive any distance to get her.

"No, it's too far. I have a ticket to Edmonton. I can rent a car there and drive to the farm." The family's farm was a couple hours west of Edmonton.

"When does your flight get in? We'll meet you there. Don't spend your money on a car rental."

"Dad, it gets in at 4am. The cows will be upset if you don't start milking at 5:00."

"Your brothers can do the morning milking. They don't need me. There will be a day when I won't be here and they will take over. We are coming to get you, I insist." The tone of her father's voice told Marissa he would not back down.

"First, I need to tell you something so you can decide if you want me to come home." Marissa had to be honest with him about the risks of the Cartel finding out she was back home in Alberta.

"Of course we want you to come home, Marissa."

"Daddy, if the people I am running from find out I'm there, they will come after all of us, including my younger sisters and brothers and the foster kids, if you have any right now."

"You let us worry about that, honey. We have guns and we know how to use them." Marissa's family hunted every fall to fill one of their freezers. "Now, tell me what time your flight gets in."

"4:00."

"Are you on an express flight?"

"Yes"

"You have a bit of a wait, it's only 12:30. Will you be okay?"

"Yes, I will be fine. I have a cup of coffee to help me stay awake."

"Can we reach you at the number that came through on our call display?"

"Yes, Daddy. It's my cell."

"Okay. We'll bring the number with us. We still have the same mobile numbers. Do you remember them?"

"I've never forgotten them."

There was a lump in Gael's throat. "Call us if you need to. Your mother sends her love. We'll see you in a few hours."

"I love you, Daddy."

"We love you too, baby."

----------------------------------

Gael turned to his wife, Irene, who was lying in bed next to him. "Our Marissa is coming home", he said to her.

"Thank the Lord", Irene replied through her tears.

"I figured you'd want to come with me to get her, that's why I didn't ask." The Brennans had married when Gael was 17 and Irene was 16. They would celebrate their 38th wedding anniversary in the spring and were so close that they could usually finish each other's sentences.

"Wild horses couldn't keep me away."

"I'll call Bill and tell him so he knows I won't be here for milking." Bill was their eldest son, who lived with his wife and kids across from the homestead. He and his brother, Stan, who lived in the otherwise unused old bunkhouse on the farm, would take over when Gael retired or passed away.