This week so many secrets were coming out, some for the better, some not. It was almost too much to process, and I had so many questions for the President, but not in front of my mom. They’d need to wait until I returned from my training.
Mom replied, “I’m sorry for what you have gone through.”
President Florraz got up, walked over to my mom, dropped onto her knees, and hugged her. “And I’m sorry for all you have suffered as well. Together, we can change Tabiq. Not by going back, or living in bondage of our past, but by moving forward.”
Mom nodded. “And you think my Kyleigh can help?”
She nodded. “I know she can. You should be proud of the woman you have raised. She is smart, strong, and confident. But even then, she needs your support.”
Mom looked up at me and said, “I know you want to do this. And your dad and I will be waiting for you when you return.”
I choked back tears of joy. “Thank you, Mom. I promise, I won’t be gone a day longer than I need to be.”
“We should get on our way,” said the President. “Shaun and his family will be waiting for us at the airport.”
I hugged my parents, grabbed my suitcase, and followed President Florraz out to the black SUV parked in the driveway. Two men stood by the vehicle, obviously security. I was glad my mom hadn’t seen them, because she might panic all over again.
When we were in the vehicle, the President turned to me and said, “Do you have any questions for me before you go?”
“Yes, one.”
“What is it?”
“It’s…personal. And I do not know if I should ask,” I said.
“If there is something I can help you with, please ask.”
“It’s…about men,” I said. “I can’t talk to my mom about this.”
She smiled. “I might be your president, but I am still a woman. What do you want to know?”
“Are…men from other countries really as bad as we have been raised to believe?”
She reached over and took hold of my hand. “Kyleigh, there are good and bad men and women in every country, even in Tabiq. What happened in Tabiq wasn’t just the work of one evil man. Yes, James Henderson brought the means for the women of Tabiq to be sold like property, but it was Tabiqian people in power who organized and allowed it to happen because of their own greed. Do not fault anyone except for those who should hold the blame. Are you afraid of going to the United States? And it’s okay to admit if you are.”
“I wasn’t afraid until after speaking to my mom. She still holds so much resentment and pain from those days and I guess it was starting to affect me,” I said. How could it not? My mom said she didn’t know who my real father was, not even his name, but only that he might be an American. It’s a huge country and the odds of us crossing paths were so slim and I wanted to keep it that way. Anyone who could do that to my mom is no one I ever want to know.
“That’s understandable. But it is not the United States that hurt your mom. It’s a person.”
And that person is my father.A chill ran through me just thinking about that. I hated him, even though I didn’t know him. But it felt good to know she understood. Had she also been a victim? It was not something I was going to ask.
“If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell anyone, not even Dr. O’Connor?” I asked. She nodded.
“I’m afraid that I…will let you all down. That you picked the wrong person to do this.”
She said, “The unknown usually scares us. But I have faith in you. You’re going to do great.”
I needed to hear that. “Thank you, President Florraz.”
“No. Thank you for doing this. For being the leader for our young women. You are showing them the world is yours if you want it.”
I used to know what I wanted. Then along came Liam. Now I’m not sure about anything.
We pulled up to a jet with the word Henderson written on the side.
This is about to get real.
As I got out of the vehicle and walked up the stairway of the jet, I was so nervous I thought I’d hurl.