Spark Into a Flame

Lin

A/N: Long time no see!  Apologies - I've had perhaps my hardest school year ever.  But, I'm now engaged!  Also, got to see Lin in Freestyle Love Supreme back in October!  I'll be wrapping this story up in a chapter or two!  Much love!

My child was missing.  It was difficult to describe; like part of my own body was missing.  At least I knew her general whereabouts, but my mind kept racing as my father and I sped down Broadway in our newly rented car.  Had someone mugged her and stolen my credit card?  Was she lying in a ditch somewhere?  We'd since found out that she'd bought a ticket to Chicago, so she was likely on her way to her mother's.  The plan was to intercept her at one of the coming stops.  She'd already passed through Pennsylvania, so the next Amtrak stop was Cleveland.

I guess I'd been gripping the steering wheel a bit tightly because my dad reached over and gave my forearm a gentle squeeze.

"Relajarse," he urged me in his familiar voice.  I let out a sigh that didn't seem to release my tight muscles at all.  "Want me to drive?"

"No, I'm fine," I told him unconvincingly, glancing over my left shoulder to change lanes.  I sped up and adjusted myself in the seat.  We'd been driving for five hours straight, racing to beat the train to the next stop.

It was silent for a few moments before my dad let out a sigh.  "Well I need to pee.  Let's pull over at the next stop and I'll take over."

I reluctantly signaled to get back in the right lane then pulled off at the next stop.  Dad knew I didn't want to stop.  As a father, he must know how I felt.  I'd do anything to get to my daughter.  Apparently, her life was at such an impasse she needed to get away from me.  From her life.  God, she must be hurting so much.  I'd never felt so helpless as her father.  Nothing I did seemed to make a difference.  All I could do was love her.  That had always been enough.

I pulled into a gas station and turned the car off.  Without speaking, I rushed to the back of the store to use the restroom.  While Dad was inside, I quickly gassed up so we wouldn't have to chance stopping again.  I sat in the passenger seat, my heal going up and down a mile a minute as I waited for my dad.  Finally, he opened the driver's door and turned the ignition on.  He set two waters in cup holders and tossed a bag of trail mix into the cubby.

"You should eat something," he told me, slipping on his sunglasses.

"Not hungry," I replied curtly as I noticed my phone buzzing.  I glanced down, noticing another message coming in from Pippa.  I still couldn't believe she just wanted to call off searching for her.  It went against every instinct I had as a parent.  Of course she could be anywhere, but how could her body rest when one of our children wasn't safe?

I pressed the off button on my iPhone to ignore the message.  It was one of half a dozen that morning.  The sun was starting to rise now over Pennsylvania and it seemed to remind me of the hurry we were in.  Dad slowly merged back onto the interstate, my heel still tapping.  He was only going 65.  God, this was going to kill me.

"Dad," I complained, glancing at the speedometer.  He sighed and pushed the gas harder.

My phone rang as we sped down the interstate.  Clarita.

"Hey," I answered her, rubbing at my temple.

"Anything?" she asked me, her voice tense.

"No," I told her.  I was annoying the cops, calling them every hour for an update.  I'd download the Amtrak app on my phone so I could track where her train was.  Joey hadn't made any more purchases with my credit card.  I hadn't canceled it because I didn't want her to be without money.  The important thing was that she was safe and had a means to get food and shelter if she needed.  "The cops said they'd call with any updates."

"Where are you?"

"The middle of Pennsylvania," I reported, glancing out at the fields.

"She's in Ohio," Clarita reminded me.  Apparently, she'd downloaded the Amtrak app as well.

"I know," I said, annoyed.  "We're driving as fast as we can."

She sighed, apparently unimpressed by my efforts.  "Lin, I don't see why you don't just wait until she gets to Chicago.  I'll be at the station to pick her up."

"But what if she's not planning on coming to you?" I hypothesized.  "What if she's running away?"

"Lin, she's upset but she's not stupid," Clarita reminded me.  "She's a teenage girl."

"Exactly," I quipped.  I remember being a teenager.  I thought I was invincible.  Joey had street smarts, having grown up in New York City, but she was still just a kid.  Despite what she thought she didn't know everything.  She was pig-headed enough to get herself into a difficult situation just out of spite.

My ex let out a heavy sigh.  "Alright.  Call if you find out anything."

"Of course," I said, hanging up.

Usually in the car with my father, we had some broadway soundtrack playing and we belted out tunes, but this trip was like no other we'd ever taken.  It was silent, just the sound of road noise as we continued west.  I checked my phone religiously, tracking the train's location and hoping that somehow Joey would send a text.  Why had I taken her phone away?  She should always have her phone, even when she did stupid teenager things.

It was going to be close, but we just might make it by the time she reached the station in Columbus, Ohio.  Thanks to the water, I needed to pee like you wouldn't believe but I would not let Dad pull over.  He knew me well enough not to mess around with me at this point.

Finally, we pulled into the station's parking lot almost nine hours after leaving NYC.  My heart started pumping harder and harder, my mind stuck in fear as I opened the door.  I jogged towards the building, my dad walking farther behind me.  I found the board and saw that her train should be getting to station in less than five minutes.  Platform four.  My eyes darted towards the signs, trying to find the way.  I didn't wait for my dad as I took off for some stairs.  

I pushed my way around some slow walkers, my shoes banging on the metal grating.  I passed over top of several sets of rails, then back down the far stairs to Platform 4.  I continued walking, unable to just stand and wait.  My head turned towards the east, waiting for a train to appear.  My dad appeared a minute later, giving my shoulder a squeeze.

It was the longest few minutes of my life, waiting for that train to pull in.  But finally, the 524 from New York City screeched to a halt in Columbus, Ohio.  As soon as the doors open, I jumped onto the train, not waiting on the passengers to disembark.

"Joey?!" I called, my eyes darting from face to face, only finding strangers.  Dad stepped on behind me and told me he'd head in the other direction.  I nodded and continued on.  "Joey?!"

My heart pounded in my ears, tunnel vision in my eyes.  I searched the whole car, not finding my daughter anywhere.  I pushed the back door open that led to the next car.  Again, nothing.  Nothing.  My heart was starting to feel like it was being crushed from the inside.

From behind, I heard my father call, "Lin!  Lin, come quick!"