But today happens to be my granddaughter's birthday. All I want is to hear her laugh, hear her voice. Could you let me borrow yours for one minute? That's all. Just one minute.
Darlene studied my face. What she saw was a worn down old man carrying wounds that didn't show on any chart. The rawness in my expression told her what she needed to know. What she couldn't see was the engineer seated just behind those eyes, already mapping his next move. To her, I was simply a grandfather cut off from the people he loved.
She glanced back over her shoulder, checking for her supervisor. Then her hand came out of her pocket. You'll need to be fast. She breathed and laid the phone across my palm. My fingers shook as I took it.
I entered Naen's number. Everything I had left was riding on her picking up. Ring ring. Hello, Naen. Dad.
Oh my god. Dad, is that really you? How are you calling me from a number I don't know? I talked right over her. Quiet but pressing.
Not a sound out of you. Just listen. Declan has been feeding you lies. My mind is sound. There is nothing the matter with me.
He and Ingrid have stripped us, cleaned the money, the house, everything is gone. What? Dad, what? What on earth are you telling me? Friday night, they mean to have me committed to a state facility.
Meanwhile, they are heading to Dubai with every dollar. I am not free to leave. I heard the sharp pull of her breath across the line. The horror of it settled into her and went quiet. Dad, just tell me what you need, she said.
Something had locked into place in her voice. She was her mother's daughter and mine. Good. What I need is a phone, a clean line, untraceable. Mail me something overnight.
Tuck a burner phone into a box of your mother's old things, her clothes, something like that. Declan won't give it a second glance. He never had any use for her belongings. Can you do that for me? I can, she said.