July 17th, 2000
Autumn is 1 year old
"You're never going to be able to send this!"
"You never know, we could get away with it."
She snaps at her husband.
"No, they'll catch you. They'll catch us. We can't risk that. Dang it, Jane. We have a baby girl back home!"
He yells at her, raising his voice.
"I know that, but that is just a risk we have to take. If I don't, she'll never know the truth about this, no one will. And if your sister Robin takes her away, there's no way of knowing where she may take her."
She pleads, not knowing what else to say.
"We could put Autumn, and Robin in serious trouble. The authorities could find her, put her in foster care. And what about your sister? We could possibly kill them. They all could die, and it could spread throughout the whole state."
He comes closer to his wife, trying his hardest to reason with her.
"Well,"
She inhales sharply.
"That is a risk I'm willing to take, Jacob."
And both of them knew, just then, that that was the end of the conversation. It was decided. She would send the letter.
Jacob put his head in his palm, soon lifting his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose.
A knock soon sounded at the door, so Jane made her way to answer it.
An African messenger was standing outside the door, a small garment only around his waist.
"Vroû, vroû! The longhouse has sent me, many have fallen ill since you have tended to them, even the nurses are deadly sick. Come antiè you must, you must!"
Even in his best English, you could tell he could not hide his thick African accent.
Jane did not have to say a word to her husband; he was already standing up, getting supplies.
"Ja, we will be there dienāār. Go now, tell them we are coming."
Jane gave a serious tone in her sentence, with an expression to match.
The African gave a nod, and ran off in the direction in which he came.
"This is what I'm talking about, Jane."
Jacob muttered.
But Jane payed him no mind, only turned her back to him, going to send the letter before anyone found out, not heeding her husband's words.
YOU ARE READING
Waiting For Autumn
Teen FictionAutumn Green is almost 16, and lives in a worn-out old neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, after the disappearance of her parents 14 years ago. Seeking an escape from everyday life, Autumn hastily makes the decision to drop out of high school, and...
