The Refuge

Chapter 34

A strategy meeting Is a meeting of minds. — Max Mckeown

None of the Davenports went to work as usual the day after receiving the dreadful letter from the government house. Ramona cashed in on one of her sick days, explaining over the breakfast table that the thought of going in despite the threats against herself and her family was actually making her feel ill. On Gael’s part, he couldn’t hunt without breaching the government’s stipulations, while Lolita simply expressed feeling emotionally deflated by the entire ordeal. 

Instead of working, the three stopped by Lolita’s shop in the afternoon just to tidy things up and get rid of some junk. They essentially consolidated the place to prepare for the choppy waters ahead. 

When Iris Jaramillo showed up to work, Lolita graciously sent her home while still paying her as if she’d done her shift. Vigorously opposing Iris’s attempts not to take the money, she all but shoved her out the door while saying “you can repay me with dinner”. Having sent the young lady home with a laugh, Lolita locked up the shop, and they headed to the house to prepare for dinner. 

For Gael, preparing only consisted of dressing in one of his nicer jackets and grooming himself, but of course, Ramona took a good deal longer than that. One would have thought she was preparing for a date, seeing how much care she took in preparing her makeup and picking an outfit for the occasion. Her shower alone must have taken an hour, or at least it felt that way. 

And then Lolita scrambled in the kitchen to prepare a few different desserts to bring along, no matter how much Gael insisted the Jaramillos were sure to make enough food. She simply refused to arrive empty-handed. By the time Ramona finally emerged from her beautifications, Lolita stepped out of the kitchen with a fresh apple pie and a tray of muffins. 

Gael led the way out the door, helped the women up into the truck, and then took the wheel. They rolled down the familiar Steelfort streets with pink skies overhead. Traffic was sparse, and most intersections gave them the green light to pass through without delay. Compared with the difficulties they’d been enduring as of late, the drive proved to be easier than most. 

Near the outskirts of the city, Gael stopped at his first red light, and a sleek black car eased to a halt in the lane on the right side of the vehicle. Something about the vehicle’s movement caught his eye, so he glanced over. He eyed a heavyset woman in the driver’s seat, peering intently inside the truck’s cab with her neck craned out her open window. Her gaze alit on Ramona, and that appeared to excite her. The woman beckoned for the window to be rolled down, which Gael reluctantly did. 

“You certainly look sick.” the woman remarked in a mocking tone, “Deathly ill, in fact.” 

Ramona pursed her lips. “I really wasn’t feeling well this morning, Mrs. Aleric. I’ll probably be okay to come in tomorrow morning.” 

“Any underlying health conditions I should know about? We do want to give Mr. Ortega a healthy bride, after all.” 

“Just a bad morning; that’s all! Have a good night.” 

Mrs. Aleric tsked. “It won’t be your last bad morning if you stand in my husband’s way. He didn’t rise to the top by showing kindness to subordinates, you know. Try any funny business, and mark my words, you’ll regret it.” 

The light turned green, and with one stern look at Mrs. Aleric, Gael stomped on the gas pedal. His truck lurched forward into the intersection, and he quickly left the black car far behind. He far exceeded the speed limit in his frustration, which soon took the Davenports outside Steelfort’s walls. 

After a few minutes of threading through the narrow dirt lanes threading through the woods, Gael pulled the truck to a stop in front of a long house that displayed a certain simplistic beauty befitting its spot amid nature. The paint job wasn’t perfect, and some minor repairs here and there awaited a free weekend to mend, but it overall gave off a homely appearance. Most houses in Steelfort served as people’s abodes despite their aesthetic, but this was a place Gael would actually be proud to live in.