“So, you want Ember to stay with us?” Mrs. Davenport asks with a look on her face that seems as if she’s tasted something bad.
“Mother,” Christopher snaps. Then in a calmer voice, he adds, “I told you. She’s my wife. So, yes, she’ll be staying with me… with us.”
“Well, she isn’t exactly your wife. Not legally. I’m sure there was no marriage license, and even if there was, you were married under duress. This isn’t legal or binding in the slightest. No one would blame you for thinking it wasn’t. I’m sure Father Antonio wouldn’t blame you one bit, and I seriously doubt we would even have to go forward with an annulment.”
“Mom,” Christopher says in a tone that rings of warning. “We can discuss this further later. But right now, my wife and I need to eat. We need to process. We need to not talk about what happened while we were there. I know you have a lot of questions, and I promise I will answer them soon. But for now, we need some peace. Please.”
3
Ember
Somehow, I manage to fall asleep using Christopher’s shoulder as a pillow. I had tried to eat some, but my stomach and nerves wouldn’t allow it. But sleep at least came, although it doesn’t last for long.
I can hear Christopher and his mother talking as I go in and out of consciousness. He’s telling her the story from the minute he was hit upside the head and shackled in the cellar, the deaths of the poor people trying to help us, our marriage, our escape… everything. I try to ignore the words and sleep. I don’t want to hear what happened again. I don’t want the images to flash in my mind, even though they seem to be forever seared in my memories.
“This is insane, Christopher,” his mother says as I keep my eyes closed so they both think I’m asleep. “I understand why you feel responsible for this girl. I do. But you can’t be expected to take care of her forever. You most certainly don’t have to be married to her!” Her words are low, like a hiss from a snake.
“Shh!” Christopher snaps, and I feel his body tense beneath my cheek. “She might hear you.”
“I don’t care,” his mother hisses again. “This isn’t anything I wouldn’t say to her face.”
“I know you can’t understand why I’m doing this. But Ember and I grew really close while we were trying to survive. I care for her, and in no way would I ever abandon her. So you need to get that out of your mind right now.”
“She’s going to have a lot of issues I don’t think you’re equipped to handle. What about your career? You are far from marriage material at this stage of your life.”
“Yeah, she’s got a lot of damage. But we both do. You don’t think this experience fucked me up? Frankly, Ember is the only person who will ever truly understand me. That place changed me. Maybe for the worse, or maybe for the better. I can tell you I sure as fuck appreciate freedom and life right now.”
“Jesus, what are people going to say? Everyone thought you were dead, when in fact you were kidnapped. But then you want us also to tell people you’re married! Can you imagine the gossip this is going to cause? It’s unreal!”
“Mom, lower your voice,” Christopher whispers as he softly runs his hand over my head. “I don’t want you to wake her. And I don’t care what people say.”
“Maybe you don’t, but I do! And what about your job? Your reputation. You don’t want to be a spectacle or thought of as some broken person.”
“Maybe I am a bit broken. Have you considered that? And I understand Ember is too. Which is why we will stay together and figure this all out. I’m not going to leave her, and I’m not going to fight with you on this either. You need to trust that I’m doing what’s right for me and what’s right for her. I get it; I know we aren’t married legally, but in my heart and in my mind, this girl is my wife. Something happened in Hallelujah Junction that will forever connect us and form a bond that can’t be severed. So I need you to accept this. I need you to welcome Ember and make her feel accepted.”
“I would never be rude to a guest. You know that.”
“She’s going to be more than just a guest, Mom, and you know it. I need you to be there for her. I need you to be there for the both of us.”
I hear her release a heavy breath, but she says nothing more. The momentary silence allows me to fall back asleep. I dream of Hallelujah Junction. I see flames, I see Papa Rich, and I see the schoolhouse. Home. I see my home.