me.
“I hope I’m doing the right thing.” I admit my doubts.
“My daddy always said, ‘The truth shall set you free.’ And whatever you find on this trip, I think it might just set you free.”
“From what?”
“Whatever you’re holding onto. Or whatever has a hold of you.”
What truth could there be in a pair of old slippers? My father wasn’t nearly as forthcoming with advice as Sophia’s. I don’t remember anything profound he ever told me. I do remember he liked to play with cards, asking me to guess which card he placed in his pocket, telling me to pick one out of the deck and then telling me what it was. He also could hide a penny in his hands and pull the coin out of my ear. At one time, I thought he was magical. But with one decision— poof! —he disappeared from my life, and the magic vanished forever.
I don’t expect miracles or magic to come from this trip.
I’ll be satisfied with the truth.
Chapter Ten
Well, so long. Let me know what happens.” Maybelle hugs us good-bye and heads back inside to the cafeteria for breakfast. I carry the suitcase Sophia loaned me. It looks as if it’s been around the world seven times on every major and minor airline. Tucked safely inside are the ruby red slippers. “Come on, let’s hit the road.” Dragging her suitcase, Sophia leads me along the damp sidewalk. It must have rained last night as the grass shimmers with moisture. She steps off the curb and stops at a black Jeep Wrangler. It’s an older model but in good condition. The top has faded from black to gray. “This is your car?” “My son’s. He’s very generous. He might be reckless, but he has a good heart. He wanted to get me some fancyconvertible. ‘You’ll be stylin’,’ he said. But this was good enough for me. And it’s fun to drive.”
Sophia gives a little hop to clamber into the driver’s seat. I settle beside her in the passenger seat. There’s a rip in the plastic cushion, and the jagged edge rubs against my hip. Otto settles on my lap, his paws digging into my knees as he peers over the dash and out the dusty windshield.
“Don’t take offense,” Sophia says, taking the wheel and keying the ignition, “but somewhere along this journey we’re going to have to do some shopping.”
“Shopping?” I notice the Jeep’s engine resists but finally catches.
“Don’t get me wrong, Dottie. You’re a pretty girl. Very pretty.”
Not an adjective I would have used. I touch the untucked hem of the blue-and-white-striped shirt I inherited from someone at the facility. “What? You don’t think I look California chic?”
“If you’re going to meet your father, then you need to look your best.”
That puts a lump right in my throat.
“Don’t worry—my treat.” She releases the clutch, and the Jeep lurches forward. She grins, and for a moment I can see what she must have been like at twenty—wild and full of life. “Hang on to your hat.”
I’m not wearing one, but that seems beside the point. We’re off, bumping along the red-bricked road, on an adventure I’m not sure I’m ready for. But I’m convinced that if I don’t take this journey, I’ll never find the answers I need.
* * *
BEFORE WE REACH the highway, Sophia is balancing a bag of peanuts in her lap while shifting gears and steering. She looks as nimble as a juggler. A peanut sticks to her lip then falls onto her lap. Otto jumps across the stick shift before I can say, “No!”
Panicking, I check to make sure the Jeep doesn’t veer out of its lane or slam into the back of another unsuspecting car. When I’m assured all is well and that Sophia has everything under control, I add, “Sorry.”
“He’s just a hungry boy. Aren’t you, Otto?”
He licks his chops and waits anxiously for the next peanut to drop. I pull him back into my lap with one hand under his belly. He carefully watches Sophia, his eyebrows twitching.
I wonder if she was the type of woman to drive, drink coffee, and
“I hope I’m doing the right thing.” I admit my doubts.
“My daddy always said, ‘The truth shall set you free.’ And whatever you find on this trip, I think it might just set you free.”
“From what?”
“Whatever you’re holding onto. Or whatever has a hold of you.”
What truth could there be in a pair of old slippers? My father wasn’t nearly as forthcoming with advice as Sophia’s. I don’t remember anything profound he ever told me. I do remember he liked to play with cards, asking me to guess which card he placed in his pocket, telling me to pick one out of the deck and then telling me what it was. He also could hide a penny in his hands and pull the coin out of my ear. At one time, I thought he was magical. But with one decision— poof! —he disappeared from my life, and the magic vanished forever.
I don’t expect miracles or magic to come from this trip.
I’ll be satisfied with the truth.
Chapter Ten
Well, so long. Let me know what happens.” Maybelle hugs us good-bye and heads back inside to the cafeteria for breakfast. I carry the suitcase Sophia loaned me. It looks as if it’s been around the world seven times on every major and minor airline. Tucked safely inside are the ruby red slippers. “Come on, let’s hit the road.” Dragging her suitcase, Sophia leads me along the damp sidewalk. It must have rained last night as the grass shimmers with moisture. She steps off the curb and stops at a black Jeep Wrangler. It’s an older model but in good condition. The top has faded from black to gray. “This is your car?” “My son’s. He’s very generous. He might be reckless, but he has a good heart. He wanted to get me some fancyconvertible. ‘You’ll be stylin’,’ he said. But this was good enough for me. And it’s fun to drive.”
Sophia gives a little hop to clamber into the driver’s seat. I settle beside her in the passenger seat. There’s a rip in the plastic cushion, and the jagged edge rubs against my hip. Otto settles on my lap, his paws digging into my knees as he peers over the dash and out the dusty windshield.
“Don’t take offense,” Sophia says, taking the wheel and keying the ignition, “but somewhere along this journey we’re going to have to do some shopping.”
“Shopping?” I notice the Jeep’s engine resists but finally catches.
“Don’t get me wrong, Dottie. You’re a pretty girl. Very pretty.”
Not an adjective I would have used. I touch the untucked hem of the blue-and-white-striped shirt I inherited from someone at the facility. “What? You don’t think I look California chic?”
“If you’re going to meet your father, then you need to look your best.”
That puts a lump right in my throat.
“Don’t worry—my treat.” She releases the clutch, and the Jeep lurches forward. She grins, and for a moment I can see what she must have been like at twenty—wild and full of life. “Hang on to your hat.”
I’m not wearing one, but that seems beside the point. We’re off, bumping along the red-bricked road, on an adventure I’m not sure I’m ready for. But I’m convinced that if I don’t take this journey, I’ll never find the answers I need.
* * *
BEFORE WE REACH the highway, Sophia is balancing a bag of peanuts in her lap while shifting gears and steering. She looks as nimble as a juggler. A peanut sticks to her lip then falls onto her lap. Otto jumps across the stick shift before I can say, “No!”
Panicking, I check to make sure the Jeep doesn’t veer out of its lane or slam into the back of another unsuspecting car. When I’m assured all is well and that Sophia has everything under control, I add, “Sorry.”
“He’s just a hungry boy. Aren’t you, Otto?”
He licks his chops and waits anxiously for the next peanut to drop. I pull him back into my lap with one hand under his belly. He carefully watches Sophia, his eyebrows twitching.
I wonder if she was the type of woman to drive, drink coffee, and
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