Damsel in the Dust

23

"I've been trying to find the right time to tell you, but there just hasn't been one," Jake says.

My heart starts pounding, thudding against my chest like a sledgehammer. My whole body seems to shake with the effort while my mind races to fill in the rest of the conversation. Is he going to confess his feelings for me, like Maive said he would? If he is, I'm not sure I'm ready to hear it. I still have to settle things with Shawn, and I'm sure that's going to turn me into a mess that Jake shouldn't have to deal with. Besides, he's still living in my barn and we're all going to have to find somewhere else to go when Shawn comes back...

But Jake's next words aren't about his feelings for me.

"You need to know about our past, mine and Maive's, where we come from, why we're here. You could be in danger and I can't bear the thought of doing that to you when you've been nothing but unconditionally kind to us. Not knowing anything about who we are, you took us in and gave us a fresh start. There aren't many people like you in the world, Leah, and if anything happened to you because of us... I don't know what I'd do," the pain in Jake's voice is raw, his words thick with emotion.

A lump forms in my throat and the world seems to close in on me. Their past? Dangerous? I think back to the days they've spent in my care. I didn't ask a single question about who they were before I invited them inside and I haven't asked any personal questions since. Stupid! You idiot, Leah! He's probably going to tell you they're on the run, or criminals, or in trouble with the mafia or something.

Jake's voice from the past drifts into my memory: We're not criminals, Maive. If they aren't criminals, then what could possibly put me in danger?

"Jake..."

"Please, I need to tell you everything. I should've told you the night you offered us the barn, but I was too much of a coward. I've waited too long but you deserve the truth. Let me tell you our story and then you can ask whatever you want. Or you can tell us to pack up and get the hell out of here. Whatever you decide, whatever you want, you have been more than kind enough to us and we will respect your decision," Jake says.

I'm floored. Dumbfounded. My mind isn't even reeling anymore because I can't comprehend any scenario that would make me force Jake and Maive out of my home. How could Jake, who seems to be dialed into my every anxiety and who goes out of his way to calm them, have done anything so horrible to deserve what he's asking? And Maive! She's just a teenager. What could she have done?

"Leah... You know Maive is strong as hell, right?"

I nod. That girl has more spine now than I ever have, or ever will have.

"She's always been that way. Maive has never been afraid to speak her mind, to stand up for herself, or to protect someone else. She just does what she thinks is right."

None of this is alarming. In fact, it's endearing. My respect for Maive skyrockets while my concern deepens. Did Maive get into some sort of trouble?

"About a month ago, my father and I were out in the fields, assessing what was left of our crops. The summer was hard, and most of our fields had dried up. Debt collectors were starting to hound us about the loans he had taken out for new equipment, better fertilizer, more water, basically anything to keep our farm going. It wasn't enough. Not for us, not for the farms neighboring ours. Our community was a wasteland, and the banks - and worse - were closing in.

We were far from the house so neither of us could hear what was going on, but when we saw the black smoke we both knew something was wrong and raced back. When we reached the house, it was almost completely engulfed in flames. Maive was screaming in the front yard. My heart stopped. She was covered in blood and dirt, kneeling in the dust just screaming. My mother was nowhere to be seen, so my father ran inside for her. That's when I saw them."